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Hi Rob
Really nice sound! Indo like that one)
jk
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10-21-2021 09:18 AM
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Thanks, digger!
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Thanks, JK! I just need to get to work on these two fine instruments!
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Rob it sounds wonderful you got a winner and these really are the point of diminishing returns. You could spend many times the money and not get any better sound.
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That's what I'm thinking, Mark. Lucky to have it. Thanks for the encouragement!
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It does sound like a canon Rob. I've spent many times more on guitar's which didn't sound any better than your new Eastman. I love the look too! And your accent!
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What accent? ?
I mumble incoherently sometimes when making videos, as I am literally talking to myself. But in teaching on Zoom I am clear and articulate, as I am literally talking to someone else.
Very happy with both my acquisitions lately, though have said goodbye to three others. C’est la vie!
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Eastmans are Benedetto clones, so no surprise they sound brighter than Gibsons. When they were starting the company, they tried to get Bob to show their craftsmen how to build a guitar. He told them to just buy his book, and so they did. They follow it to this day.
And yes, the wooden cover on the tailpiece is just screwed onto a metal tailpiece. But it does affect the sound, noticeably. I've tried removing the wood and playing with just the metal tailpiece, and quickly put the wood back on. It tames the treble jangle quite a lot.
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Good to know, sgosnell. Stewmac sells a solid ebony Benedetto-style tp, but I can’t find a European outlet that does.
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And once you have the tailpiece, you need the attaching cord, and a strong endpin to hold it. The cello-style tailpiece looks good, but it's difficult to use. That's one reason why most manufacturers, both boutique and factory, went to the wood-on-metal style instead. You get the looks and some of the tonal characteristics without the hassle. Not to mention the difficulty in grounding the strings. I built one instrument using the full wooden tailpiece, and one was enough.
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Fair enough. I’ll look further into it all. There’s no hurry.
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The Eastman style tailpiece is widely available at a reasonable price. Lots of tailpieces of all styles available on ebay UK.
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That's a gorgeous guitar, and I LOVE the color
I would consider putting a pickguard on it, but that's as far as I would take that (the consideration, I mean - I wouldn't actually change it.)
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Cheers, Jim. To my surprise, the absence of the pick guard doesn't bother me at all. And that's a good thing, as those things often become the source of buzzing. Happy to get by without it.
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What a terrific instrument - gorgeous and great-sounding! Congratulations, and play it in good health morning, noon, and night!
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Thanks, citizen. I’m doing what I can, but must occasionally sleep…
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that guitar sounds perfect!
Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Does anyone know, is a standard AR910CE fundamentally the same guitar + electronics, or are they built differently? If i put acoustic strings on it if I don't plan on using the pickup for a while, will it more or less be a similar result? (accepting difference of once piece of wood to the next, etc)
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Yes it is the same guitar.
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Very very late but if you run the string through the tuning gear post first, then slide the ball end under the bridge it's much easier. I'd assume this would apply to all archtops. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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Yesterday a well-used AR910 became available at my fav brick & mortar at a sharp price. No cutaway, no electronics. Appears to be from 2010 or so. Beautiful dark sunburst. I went over this morning to give it a try. Solid carved spruce top, solid maple back and sides, maple/rosewood neck, ebony board, 25” scale length and a fairly wide, flat neck. Beautiful instrument with some cosmetic blemishes due to lots of use - which is fine by me. The guitar had been properly re-strung with a fresh set of D’Addario roundwounds (SX ABR1253) and the neck was ruler-straight with no discernible relief - which is just how I like it. The action, however, was very high so I lowered the bridge until the action was comfortable to me, i.e. low. No buzzing whatsoever, so I played it for an hour and it felt pretty good. The strings feel nicely elastic and the guitar plays as effortless as any guitar strung with 12s can be. The lack of position markers threw me off more than once so I need to keep an eye on those tiny side dots.
This 910 looks, feels and sounds like a high-end archtop. Over the years I’ve gravitated towards PRS hollowbodies and solidbodies because they’re top-quality guitars that sound consistently great and are effortless to play and set up. That level of quality has become my norm and compared to that, this 910 doesn’t disappoint. I negotiated a price and will spend a lot of time with it during the next two weeks. I need to spend that amount of time with it to be sure it’s going to be a keeper. If not, then I can return the guitar and get a refund.
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First impressions: I really like how this guitar sounds. It’s a cannon for sure, but also very detailed, dry, woody and dynamic. A real pleasure. But despite the super-low action my hands really have to get used to handling 012s again. If my hands gradually become stronger then I’ll keep this AR910 but if it remains a struggle, then I have no choice but to return it. I really really hope that won’t be necessary. So far so good.
Two photos:
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Looks stunning. It would be a pity to drop to 11s, but might be worth it.
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Right now it’s got a set of 12-53 on it and it’s tuned down a half step to Eb. Sounds killer, deep and rich. If my hands can’t handle that then I’m not worthy of this fine instrument. I think it’ll be OK. I haven’t played 12s in years so some getting used to is to be expected. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
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Do you still have yours, Rob?
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