The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    As you may remember from previous threads, I prefer my guitars to have decently chunky necks (at least .850"/22mm thick or thicker at the first fret). I've come onto some extra funds in recent times, and I'm debating getting another archtop (finally!) again. You may also recall, that I was really hankering for a 17" bodied archtop. Welllllll, now I'm not so sure. Why? Because as much as I'd like a 17" Eastman, they're all single pickup models. Yes, I know, single pickup guitars may sound better for jazz, since you don't have the pickup at the bridge affecting the the vibration of the guitar top, but still, I do like some versatility in my guitars - after all, I still like to also play rock music (gasp!! ). So, while I'd still like a 17" bodied Eastman, I've also decided to consider the 16" bodied, 2 pickup models. With that in mind, here's what I'm seriously considering at the present time:

    Eastman AR372CE - I usually prefer Venetian cutaways, but if it sounds and plays good, I'm also open to a Florentine cutaway. The price is pretty good to boot.



    Eastman T-49V - sort of a more high Fallutin' AR-372



    Eastman AR380CE John Pisano - I like John's playing, and the AR380 Pisano model sounds pretty good.



    Eastman AR403CED - the slightly wider (16.19") bodied Venetian counterpart to the AR372CED



    Eastman AR8037 - yeah, it only has a neck pickup, but it's a 7-string (yeah!!! - I've been playing 7-strings since 2008). I'd have to talk the seller down on the price. I will admit, I'm not wild about pre-2010 Eastmans.



    What do you esteemed players think? They all sound great, but maybe you'll know something I'm missing.
    Last edited by EllenGtrGrl; 11-11-2021 at 10:41 PM.

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  3. #2

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    Although I know nothing about Eastmans without a doubt I would go for the Pisano. There has to be more attention to detail on that one because it is a signature model. Nicest looking of all the ones you posted, too, IMHO.

  4. #3

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    Lammie's probably right. I can't comment on the ones posted since I've never seen any of them in person. let alone played them. I do have a Pisano 880 though. The workmanship, detailing and woods are top notch. My luthier had never seen one and was blown away. He's handled a lot of fine instruments.

    I don't like the tail piece that much though, so I replaced it.

  5. #4

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    The Pisano is real winner no question it is made well and I think the QC is pretty consistent on them.

  6. #5

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    Pisano would be my choice.

  7. #6

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    The Pisano.

  8. #7

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    Ellen
    if you go for the Pisano consider this/ the pickups are not really PAF clones. They are very balanced. This guit hits the beautiful spot between an acoustic’s balance & brightness and a es-dark muddier tone. It will be to those attuned to a 175 ‘standard’ tone a bright guitar. This is in part through the ebony bridge , neck , maple and slightly thinner body combo coupled with the pickup spec. It is brighter and crisper by design. And appointed/ finished beautifully. It in no way feels cheap in the hands.

  9. #8

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    Yep, that's the one I'm definitely leaning towards. Thanks for the input!

  10. #9

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    Update 11/11/2021 at 9:00 pm

    Done!! I just ordered the AR380CE Pisano from Guitars 'n Jazz. It was on sale, and was cheaper to order directly from their website (about $80 less), than from their Reverb store. Now the waiting begins.
    Last edited by EllenGtrGrl; 11-12-2021 at 07:24 AM.

  11. #10

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    I thought the Pisano looked the nicest. I don't know what else to go on since I've never played any of them.

    So, great choice and good luck with it!

  12. #11

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    Smart move. I have played many Eastman archtops. The Pisano model is most impressive and would be my choice in an Eastman archtop.

  13. #12

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    Way to go. I hope you are as impressed as I am when it comes through!

    Eastman Archtops - I'm in a Quandry!-9c420b74-06ef-445f-b398-6ae257250556-jpgEastman Archtops - I'm in a Quandry!-25d8d27f-e83e-46a4-be50-7a28204f0a62-jpg

  14. #13

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    Congrats! Hope you love it

  15. #14

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    It’s a beautiful guitar that will give you much pleasure. My 810CE7 was perfect on arrival from GnJ and has been a true joy to look at and to play. The first Eastmans I ever saw were at Ed Roman’s Las Vegas shop when they were just starting to come into the US. It was obvious that they were a game changer for us, and they’ve proven themselves well.

    Love it and it will reward you!!

  16. #15

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    Looks a fab choice, I love my AR-371 and this looks a step up from that!

  17. #16

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    Thanks everybody! I'm looking forward to the guitar. Since residential delivery is kind of a hassle for me (I'm at work when things are being delivered), as usual, I'm having it delivered to my workplace. And lucky me! I'm located right next to our receiving department, so all I have to do, is just step out the door, and grab the guitar, when it arrives.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
    Update 11/11/2021 at 9:00 pm

    Done!! I just ordered the AR380CE Pisano from Guitars 'n Jazz. It was on sale, and was cheaper to order directly from their website (about $80 less), than from their Reverb store. Now the waiting begins.
    EllenGtrGrl,
    If you haven't already seen it I'm attaching a video of Rich Severson's demo of the Pisano AR380ce that he did when the guitar was first introduced about 6 years ago. And for what it's worth, Guitars N Jazz is a great shop. I happen to live about 30 minutes away from the shop and their guitar tech takes care of my guitars (and he likes the Eastmans).
    Cheers

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
    As you may remember from previous threads, I prefer my guitars to have decently chunky necks (at least .850"/22mm thick or thicker at the first fret). I've come onto some extra funds in recent times, and I'm debating getting another archtop (finally!) again. You may also recall, that I was really hankering for a 17" bodied archtop. Welllllll, now I'm not so sure. Why? Because as much as I'd like a 17" Eastman, they're all single pickup models. Yes, I know, single pickup guitars may sound better for jazz, since you don't have the pickup at the bridge affecting the the vibration of the guitar top, but still, I do like some versatility in my guitars - after all, I still like to also play rock music (gasp!! ). So, while I'd still like a 17" bodied Eastman, I've also decided to consider the 16" bodied, 2 pickup models. With that in mind, here's what I'm seriously considering at the present time:

    Eastman AR372CE - I usually prefer Venetian cutaways, but if it sounds and plays good, I'm also open to a Florentine cutaway. The price is pretty good to boot.



    Eastman T-49V - sort of a more high Fallutin' AR-372



    Eastman AR380CE John Pisano - I like John's playing, and the AR380 Pisano model sounds pretty good.



    Eastman AR403CED - the slightly wider (16.19") bodied Venetian counterpart to the AR372CED



    Eastman AR8037 - yeah, it only has a neck pickup, but it's a 7-string (yeah!!! - I've been playing 7-strings since 2008). I'd have to talk the seller down on the price. I will admit, I'm not wild about pre-2010 Eastmans.



    What do you esteemed players think? They all sound great, but maybe you'll know something I'm missing.
    the fact that you want two pickups suggests to me you are less interested in a real traditional archtop tone, perhaps? And perhaps playing some loud gigs?

    if this is the case a laminate box may be more practical and appropriate. Laminate guitars aren’t necessarily inferior to carved; it depends what you want

    if you don’t gig much and want a guitar that sounds fabulous at home, I’d go for one of the carved models. The Pisano maybe .

  20. #19

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    Thanks again everybody! Hmm, as was alluded to, I do prefer a more modern jazz tone - in a way almost like Fusion (Bill Connors, etc.). I'm not much of a chord-melody nut (maybe that's why I like Pat Martino, Sal Salvador, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, etc., when I listened to jazz) - that's not to say that my preferences won't change.

    Also, I do miss having an archtop for rock sounds - yes, I'm a longtime heretic when it comes to using arctops for rock tones (you may remember when I was a Gretsch nut [before I got tired of their thinner necks], and I never played rockabilly on them - it was jazz and rock of the harder driving variety). Not only do archtops have a wonderful, round, jazz tone IMO, they also have this nice and throaty tone, when playing rock - just ask Steve Howe. My main gigging guitar for most of the 90s was a 1980 Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion, that like an ES135, due to its body size (14.88 inch lower bouts combined with a 2.38 inch deep body), may have been semi-hollow, but had large enough hollow chambers, that it had a pretty round tone to it. Yeah, a single pickup jazz box did tickly my mind, but (and maybe it's because I don't have a ton of money to throw around) I ended up falling back on my decades old "2 pickups for versatility" mindset. Oh well.
    Last edited by EllenGtrGrl; 11-13-2021 at 12:17 PM.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
    Thanks again everybody! Hmm I do prefer a more modern jazz tone - in a way almost like Fusion. Also,
    372 or maybe the T-49 then

    Eastman tend to make resonant guitars though!

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
    Thanks again everybody! Hmm I do prefer a more modern jazz tone - in a way almost like Fusion. Also,
    Obv - you already have a 335?

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller
    Obv - you already have a 335?
    My main guitars for decades (starting in 1984) have been semi-hollow. I fell in love with hollow bodies in 2008, when it was entranced by their throaty tones, As for 335-style guitars - I couldn't afford a Gibby 335 but I had in the past these 335-style guitars. :

    1. Heritage H-535, with the fat neck option - a great guitar. For some reason it just left me with the blahs, so I had it for less than a year.

    2. 1970s Gibson Les Paul signature - this was my main guitar in the 80s, when I was a student at the University of Wisconsin. It was basically a '335, with a Les Paul lower cutaway, low impedance pickups, phasing switch, and Varitone circuit. I wonder how I ever put up with its uber skinny 60s & 70s era Gibson "Speed Neck". I almost didn't get rid of the guitar, but as a graduation present to myself in 1987, I decided I needed a "more metal" guitar, and that I'd buy myself an Explorer, using the Les Paul Signature as trading material. Wrong! I sling a guitar high, and the body shape of an Explorer got in the way of my right arm. I was ready to give up on the whole "get a more metal guitar" endeavor, when I got talked into buying a Gibson Q4000 (basically Gibson's take on a Super Strat - it never left the prototype stage [only about a dozen were made]), that the guitar shop I was at had laying around collecting dust, that they wanted to get rid of cheeeep! Other than the skinny neck, I sometimes miss my Les Paul Signature. This isn't helped by the fact that it had a tobacco sunburst finish (Gibson only made 64 Les Paul Signatures with that finish), that I found out about 10 years ago, makes it worth well over $15,000. Ugh!

    3. Ibanez Artcore AS73 - not a bad guitar for its price. I had one of them from 2005 to 2008, when money was kind of tight for me. It was sold when I hit a money crunch in late 2007.

    4. Ibanez Artstar AS120 - a very nice guitar, I had it for most of 2008, into early 2009. It sounded great thanks to its Super 58 pickups, but the neck never really felt right to me. I think that during that time period, I was starting to get sick of "putting up" with thinner necks on guitars - not that Ibanez hollow and semi-hollow guitars have super thin necks, just not quite thick enough for me (just another 1mm or 2mm thicker, and they would be great for me). I was also really getting into Gretsch Country Clubs at the time, so the AS120 was used as trading material. It's too bad, I think Ibanez makes great hollow and semi-hollow guitars, and I still miss my old AS120 at times. This past Wednesday, I stopped off at Cream City Music (It's my favorite guitar shop, and I only live about 5 miles [8 km] from the place) to pick up my Yamaha LL16-12, 12-string acoustic that I play at church, that was in for some warranty work (strangely enough its passive piezo pickup was cutting out). I spied an Ibanez AS80 Artstar (the less blingier version of my old AS120 Artstar [it has chrome plated, instead of gold plated hardware]), hanging on one of the racks. I was short of time, and combined with its nickel strings (I have a major nickel allergy), all I could do, was give the AS80's neck a quick grab. It felt like the typical Ibanez non-Wizard neck - better than a Guild or Gibson Slim Taper, but not quite what I want. Nonetheless, the AS80 is still nagging in the back of my mind. I like Teles, but mine is just collecting dust (I guess considering my past playing history - I really do prefer hollow and semi-hollow guitars, for their larger bodies, that feel comfortable to me [like an acoustic guitar] because I can rest my arm against the body), and I could always trade my Tele towards the AS80, and to also pay for the obligatory re-fret jobs the Pisano, and AS80 would need (to replace the nickel frets with Jescar EVO Gold hypoallergenic fret wire), and keep it as a secondary electric guitar (the Pisano would be #1), that I would play for short periods of time, when my urge to play Schofield, Krasno, etc. type material kicks in. Must think about this...........

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Christian Miller

    if this is the case a laminate box may be more practical and appropriate. Laminate guitars aren’t necessarily inferior to carved; .
    the Pisano 380 is a laminate constructed guitar. All maple lams. The higher spec ones are single up carved top. The 880 I think may be full carve.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by thelostboss
    Did you manage to scoop up the one that Jamin was able to import to Australia this year? If so then well done!
    yep. I think it was on the stock list for about a week at most. Came out of its box in the store, became acquainted with it for about an hour, had TI swing 12 and an action setup booked in and picked it up ready a week after. I had been waiting since around April last year for supply chain to deliver any Eastmans into Sydney.

  26. #25

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    I don't think single pickup archtops necessarily sound any "better" than double humbucker pickups, just different. I have an Eastman AR580CE with a single humbucker and while it sounds stellar I wouldn't say it sounds better than some other jazz archtops with double humbuckers I've played. And the AR580CE is a really good sounding archtop. Go with what your ears like. If that's double humbuckers, so be it. I do like the single humbucker archtops that I've played though. I owned an L5CES that didn't sound any better than my AR580CE. Both sounded killer though.