Eastman 403 Upgrades (Pickup and Tuners)

[EarlBrother]

what would be a good up grade as far as pu and machine heads/tuners on a eastman 403?

[dmorash]

I had a humbucker sized Charlie Christian pickup in a 403 before and it was a fine pickup with a different flavour than a humbucker. For an old school humbucker sound you can't go wrong with a Seth Lover.

On another note I recall the wiring was not of a high quality in the one that I had so you may want to consider changing the pots and wiring as well.

[Jimmy blue note]

For an old school humbucker sound you can't go wrong with a Seth Lover.

On another note I recall the wiring was not of a high quality in the one that I had so you may want to consider changing the pots and wiring as well.

+1. Duncan Antiquities and '59 are also pickups I like along those lines.
Do make sure you switch out the 1/4" jack to a Switchcraft. Go with the whole shebang replacing the electronic setup. Better in the long run and for the long run.
Tuning machines, I've always been partial to Schallers, and Grovers and Sperzels I will also say are really nice. I kinda like wood buttons on my tuners, they just feel good in my fingers but this is a personal choice. All good tuners will have buttons of different types you can install yourself.

[John A.]

I had a humbucker sized Charlie Christian pickup in a 403 before and it was a fine pickup with a different flavour than a humbucker. For an old school humbucker sound you can't go wrong with a Seth Lover.

On another note I recall the wiring was not of a high quality in the one that I had so you may want to consider changing the pots and wiring as well.

A friend of mine has one of those in his 403 (I think it's a Lollar). Sounds great (way better than a humbucker in that guitar to my tastes). OP, as far as tuners go, if they're functioning diecast sealed tuners switching to something nominally "better" will make little or no functional difference (even the cheap stuff is plenty good). What's in there now and what don't you like about it?

[Tom Karol]

Hi Earl! I'm keeping my 403 stock. I'm completely happy with it the way it is. But if I were to replace the pickup, I'd go for a Lollar regular-wind Imperial. I experienced wonderful results when I put low-wind Imperials in my Godin Montreal Premiere. Sure, I'd upgrade the wiring, pots, and jack as well. As far as the tuners are concerned, the stock tuners - JinHo (sp?) copies of Grover Imperials - work fine (OK, they have a touch of play when you 1st turn them, but they are accurate and hold well), and I love the art-deco buttons! (I was also very pleased with the upgrade to Kluson Revolution tuners on my Montreal Premiere, but they were a drop-in replacement on the Godin and would not be on the Eastman.)

[2bornot2bop]

Is there any “better” pickup than what Rob put into his AR503CE? It’s a Creamery P90 with a fabulous tone. I’m getting one for an Eastman AR803CE. There’s no better tone to my ears.

[jorgemg1984]

I had once a Creamery humbucker in a p90 format on a Godin Kingpin and it was indeed spectacular.

[sgosnell]

The tuners on Eastmans are fine, I wouldn't think of replacing them other than for damage. As for pickups, that's a very subjective topic, and it really depends on your preferred sound. I replaced the pickup in the Eastman I previously owned multiple times, and ended up reinstalling the original. It had come from the factory wired incorrectly, and after I rewired it as the online diagram indicated, it sounded great.

[Jimmy blue note]

For me it's a ritual. Somehow after I've changed something, no matter how trivial it may seem to other people, it's a matter of prideful ownership.
I don't really like Gotohs, so having a smooth edged ebony button on a Schaller tuner just starts my session in a comforting way when I pick up the guitar. Call it silly pride but once I've changed an instrument from stock to something that's my own, I've staked out my commitment to it and it becomes time with a friend to play it.
Maybe I'm the only one who thinks of things this way but my guitar is more than an instrument, it's an extension of me. Love making it my own. (Yeah, people ask me "What the hell are you thinking putting stickers on that custom guitar?" It makes me happy?

[sgosnell]

Well, yeah, it's your guitar, so do whatever you like with (to) it. I've made lots of changes to lots of guitars, and what I like isn't necessarily what anyone else likes. I just liked the Eastman I had with its stock configuration.

[burchyk]

Same as others, I would not bother with tuners unless they are faulty.

As for pickups, it is a matter of taste. I've had good results with both SD Seth Lover and Antiquity and Kent Armstrong handwound PAF. SD '59 was a bit mid scooped in a hollowbody or tele neck position for my taste.

Had a Lollar CC for humbucker route but did not bond with it. Some people make great sounds with these though so what do I know.

Something that I also like to change on my guitars is the bridge. Current favourite is all-brass locking Faber in aged nickel finish. Had one with the nylon saddles on my 175, but it was a bit too dull for my taste.