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Hey Jasper!!
Originally Posted by Little Jay
Hey Jieun, jij ook hier!
Eastman guitars indeed have something special. Played both the Romeo and the T64 umamplified next to eachother in the local music store last summer and really liked them. The Romeo has a nice compact feel to it and somehow felt a little bit like a hollow telecaster but with a Gibson neck next to to the T64. Both had great playability.
If it wasn’t for the fact that I was already building my own ES-330 clone at that time I might have ended up buying either the one or the other!
Grtz, Jasper
Your very own es 330, now that must be special... you handy man!
I can only dream of making myself one...
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04-30-2021 04:12 PM
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Check it out here: Originally Posted by JCjazz
Hey Jasper!!
Your very own es 330, now that must be special... you handy man! I can only dream of making myself one...
DIY ES-330/Casino kit guitar
DIY ES-330/Casino kit guitar
For now I am satisfied, but I wouldn’t mind owning a Romeo or a T64..... does one ever have enough guitars?
Btw, I like your tone on the T64/v a lot in your youtube vids. Nice and ‘woody’!
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Yeah Jasper you've done a great job! I'd love to try your es 330 someday Originally Posted by Little Jay
Check it out here:
DIY ES-330/Casino kit guitar
DIY ES-330/Casino kit guitar
For now I am satisfied, but I wouldn’t mind owning a Romeo or a T64..... does one ever have enough guitars?
Btw, I like your tone on the T64/v a lot in your youtube vids. Nice and ‘woody’! I've seen you playing it on your YT channel (I'm actually a long time subscriber 
), it sounds great! And your playing too of course, as always.
And thank you, I'm glad you like the tone of my T64/v. Looks like this model shows up on the used market in Holland (you know which website it is) every now and then. I was very lucky to grab one back in 2018. A lovely, lovely guitar with its own character!
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I'm wondering how do the Romeo's compare to their fully hollow carved maple thinlines of similar size, such as T185MX or T184MX.
Has anybody compared them?
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I picked up an as-new Romeo SC (with a Tele-ish single coil in the neck position) from a local music store this afternoon. I haven’t spent too much time on it, but some initial thoughts:
- I was expecting overly bright. Pleasantly and surprisingly, it is not. Very nicely balanced sound with the 11 gauge roundwounds it came with.
- Although obviously a different beast, it is similar in spirit to the Fender D’Aquisto Elite. It has a similar feel, I guess—the lightness, the airiness, the resonance, the delicate feeling neck.
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Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum, and I'm seriously considering an Eastman Romeo. Has anyone had any feedback problems with it at all? Can it cope with overdrive? I need it to be extremely versatile, as I play a variety of jazz styles. Also, if you have experience with Eastman Guitars in Switzerland, I'm interested. I am an Eastman Artist, but I feel like the brand has almost no presence here. What do you think? Cheers!
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Hi there, I'm in Western Switzerland. As far as I know, Eastman actually had a presence in the early days. A store in Geneva used to carry them in the late 2000s. Traditional Swiss service, that came at a price - they were asking too much in my opinion for the Eastman archtops they had, like 40% over US prices. They were about to discontinue Eastman because they weren't selling enough of them. I chose to take a chance and buy from Jeff Hale in the US (who's no longer in business). The service was excellent too. I still have that guitar, which I consider excellent. The problem here as you know is the small size of the market. But some gems come up once in a while on the used market, or small selections in stores. Also, we can be quite demanding as consumers... Years later I bought a T386 semi-hollow also from the US which I had to send back because of the odd neck shape, so it wasn't a good operation financially. The replacement was acceptable and I kept it for a few years. Other than the fact that I prefer hollow bodies and acoustics, the reason I sold it was the D/U, flattish neck shape. I don't understand why they go for that shape (unless it's manufacturing inconsistency), when my first Eastman has this perfect C-shape neck which I assume would be preferred by most players. So if I buy an Eastman again I would like to play it first, and yes, it would be nice to have a well-established dealer here. Originally Posted by EASchmidt
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Ask and ye shall receive, eventually. The Juliet. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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I’ve had my Romeo for one and a half weeks now so still early days. I need to spend much more time with it. First impressions are that it is a magnificent musical instrument. The solid spruce top and almost-hollow construction make it very different from something like a 335. There’s a lovely bloom to the notes, complex chords sound open and transparant and it has character. This is not a sterile hollowbody. There’s mojo here. I can hit an E7#9 on the neck and lose myself in how the notes come through. Or an open G chord on the bridge with classic gain and wonder how it can sound so rich and 3D in the room. Last but not least: whenever I switch from any other guitar to the Romeo, it feels like an improvement somehow. Romeo weighs nothing, the small headstock (which I personally think is a great design) almost makes it feel like a headless guitar, the neck is like an old friend… I think I’d be privileged to have this as my only guitar. But it’s early days, let’s see.
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Totally agree,they are great guitars.I have the SC version with the single coil in the neck position.and it is a really versatile guitar and like you said,different enough from a 335 to have both.The designer Otto D'ambrosio described it as a hollowbody Tele,which i think is a good way of descibing it.Eastman always amazes me with the quality of their guitar construction and the Romeo to me is a total winner. Originally Posted by Oscar67
I’ve had my Romeo for one and a half weeks now so still early days. I need to spend much more time with it. First impressions are that it is a magnificent musical instrument. The solid spruce top and almost-hollow construction make it very different from something like a 335. There’s a lovely bloom to the notes, complex chords sound open and transparant and it has character. This is not a sterile hollowbody. There’s mojo here. I can hit an E7#9 on the neck and lose myself in how the notes come through. Or an open G chord on the bridge with classic gain and wonder how it can sound so rich and 3D in the room. Last but not least: whenever I switch from any other guitar to the Romeo, it feels like an improvement somehow. Romeo weighs nothing, the small headstock (which I personally think is a great design) almost makes it feel like a headless guitar, the neck is like an old friend… I think I’d be privileged to have this as my only guitar. But it’s early days, let’s see.
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I was stoked to see your post! I have had my Romeo for going on three years now and it is still a remarkable guitar as far as I am concerned. Like a 335, it covers a wide range of tonalities. But as you say, the full hollow body and carved top give it a resonance that is warm and full. I had the opportunity to A/B test it against a very well-known, high-end boutique brand. I really, really wanted to love that guitar because I was thinking of buying one. But to my ear, it couldn't match the sound of the Romeo or the feel of its neck. Originally Posted by Oscar67
I've since bought an Eastman Pisano 30th Anniversary AR480 and I love it, too. It will replace my AR371 (see the 3 Amigos pic at the top of this thread). But I'll not be parting with the Romeo any time soon. Glad you found your way to one!
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I agree with you completely. I have kept my T386 in spite of the similarities with the Romeo - it is different enough. As as you say, the build quality and tonality in the Eastman line are tops. This is "a moment" and a good time to build an Eastman collection. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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Some niggles to report. The top screw of the truss rod cover is dangling in the cavity instead of gripping wood. When I switched to a different set of strings and had to intonate the guitar, most of the saddles were completely stuck. Some WD40 did the trick overnight, but still. Speaking of the bridge, which is by Gotoh: the diameter of the bridge posts is somewhat smaller than that of the holes in the bridge; it’s not a snug fit. It should be. Hadn’t noticed that yet.
On the plus side, when properly intonated this thing really plays and sounds in-tune all around the neck. And it’s very stable, the pegs don’t get much use. And it’s a plug-in-and-play guitar; I can plug it into any good amp with the EQ at noon, dial back the mids a bit, and it will be great.
The bridge pickup loves some gain. Guys ranging from Robben Ford to Warren Haynes would love this thing. There’s real bloom to the notes. The dual pickup setting clean is twang city, lots of snap and clarity. The bridge pickup with the tone rolled back a bit really brings it into Tele territory. Very musical voices and very inspiring.
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Resurfacing this old thread to ask owners of the Eastman Romeo - how are you liking it a few years in?
My most comfortable guitar is a Tele. But I’ve been on a bit of a quest for a lighter 2x humbucker guitar.
I worry a bit about how deep the neck goes into the body. Looks like the design would have me picking a lot over the neck, or lead me to pull back my elbow or shoulder to compensate. I’m wondering if other players have this experience?
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The Romeo didn't work for me for the precise reason you cite. Originally Posted by telejw
It was very pretty, cool and quirky in lots of nice ways, but I hurt when I played it.
I sold it quickly at a modest loss with no remorse.
FWIW Otto's El Rey 4 model, which has been my No. 1 guitar for 5+ years, is the exact opposite: It's 'pushed left,' with a mighty long space between the bridge and tail.
That's a perfect fit for me.
Your experience (with respect to either guitar) may vary.
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I am the one who started this thread back in '21. The update: I sold my Romeo in March of 2024. I had the unusual experience of getting a second look at the Sadowsky Frank Vignola model, which I had A/B tested with the Romeo a year earlier. I might have mentioned in that post that the specs were nearly identical, but the Sadowsky is fully hollow, fully laminated, and far lighter. The guitar had been used for a year so I was offered a price that made it possible for me to buy. So, I sold the Romeo. But if that opportunity hadn't come along, I'd still have it and I'd still be calling it my favorite guitar. I never had any ergonomic issues. The tone was ... well very much in the realm of a Telecaster.
One thing that did disappoint me is that Eastman released new editions of the Romeo that were built with a laminate top, making them lighter and quite a bit less expensive. This move immediately devalued the guitars in the after market. Whereas, in the past, I've been able to sell my Eastmans for what I bought them for or more, I took a loss on the Romeo. Also, the examples of the laminates had far more interesting wood grain patterns on the tops. For my money, I would have gone for the full-laminate version if it had been available at the time.
If you love your Telecaster, and you want to try a semi-hollow facsimile, you really should give it a try. Good luck with the hunt!
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I still have my Romeo and am not about to part with it. I’ve had a luthier make the frets dead-level and perfectly crowned and polished. It plays and sounds wonderfully and doesn’t give an inch to my other hollowbodies. It has a really nice, warm, woody sound that’s obviously great for jazz but it can do so much more.
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Having played and owned many guitars in my life,i will say the Romeo i own is among the best.I have the one with a single coil in the neck position and couldn't be happier with the range of sounds i get.My 335 has been relegated to its case since i bought the Romeo.You can play any style with this guitar.Hate to use cliches but this guitar has a very resonant warm tone.This guitar is a steal for the price it sells for.
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It's funny you say that, I was considering unloading my Romeo LA to go get a 335.
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An original Romeo (fully hollow, solid spruce top) vs a 335? Romeo!
The later Romeo versions such as the LA vs a 335? Depends, but probably the 335.
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Arent the regular, spruce top version still in production? The LA is a semi with a laminated top, but i didn't hear that the original version was discontinued Originally Posted by Oscar67
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Still in production.
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I'm back and forth, I really like those pickups in the LA. I have a Comins GCS-16-1 that I use for straight ahead jazz, but the LA has a really nice tone as well with flatwounds. I actually just swapped out the wiggle stick for a lightweight aluminum tailpiece and semi-flat strings. I like the strings but don't really notice much difference with the TP vs the wiggle stick, other than aesthetics and clutter.
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Update. After an ES330 reminded me how cool P90’s are, I’ve had the neck pickup professionally swapped for a humbucker-sized Lollar P90. I usually don’t mod my guitars but I’m glad I did this. It sounds incredibly open, stringy, woody and warm and has that unmistakable old-school P90 charm. The dual-pickup setting improved as well, the stock Lollar bridge humbucker works really well with that P90.
I mentioned the 330 that inspired the change. Does the Romeo now sound like that? Nope. The 330 is fully hollow, fully laminated and has a mahogany neck whereas Romeo has a solid spruce top, a maple neck and a small block under the bridge/tailpiece. It’s clearly different but Romeo sounds just as nice.
In terms of strings I’ve settled on TI .012 roundwounds. Romeo loves those.
Eastman re-sale value is a vale of tears. Buying used is the way to go. I got mine new and have not regretted it, but if I had to sell it then it would hurt.Last edited by Oscar67; 05-23-2025 at 12:57 PM.
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