Eastman T184/185/MX

[IanD]

I have been considering getting an Eastman T185MX, or possibly the smaller T184MX (I find any 16" guitar uncomfortable so the T186 is out).
I have searched on the forum and found only a few posts that seem to relate to the earlier (pre 2018) models which had the huge headstock and possible neck dive problems.
With the carved top the specs seem just right, (similar to a Gibson ES-336) and the samples on the u-tube thingy sound sensational for any style.
There are no shops in Australia with stock of either model so trying one out is impossible. I may have to order sight unseen.
So, I would really appreciate info and advice from anyone with first hand experience of the newer models (either 184 or 185) - playability, neck size, sound (particularly for jazz), build quality etc.
Thanks in advance
Ian

[krusty]

Mine is about 10 years old. T185mx. Absolutely no construction flaws. The neck pickup sounds remarkably like my El Rey 1. I think mine has SD pickups. Eastman has always chosen top drawer pickups for this series of guitars. The pickup selection has changed through the years, but they’ve always been good. Very comfortable size. I don’t think I’d want to go 16”.

[IanD]

Thank you for your comments Krusty, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Any other T184 or 185 users care to provide comments?

[cbgrey]

Thank you for your comments Krusty, I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Any other T184 or 185 users care to provide comments?

I’m curious what you ended up doing about these guitars Ian. I’m considering the same for similar reasons. Can’t decide between the 14” or 15” and have nowhere to try them out beforehand.

Anyone else have any feedback or recommendations?

[jzucker]

I have been considering getting an Eastman T185MX, or possibly the smaller T184MX (I find any 16" guitar uncomfortable so the T186 is out).
I have searched on the forum and found only a few posts that seem to relate to the earlier (pre 2018) models which had the huge headstock and possible neck dive problems.
With the carved top the specs seem just right, (similar to a Gibson ES-336) and the samples on the u-tube thingy sound sensational for any style.
There are no shops in Australia with stock of either model so trying one out is impossible. I may have to order sight unseen.
So, I would really appreciate info and advice from anyone with first hand experience of the newer models (either 184 or 185) - playability, neck size, sound (particularly for jazz), build quality etc.
Thanks in advance
Ian

the 184 is uncomfortably neck heavy if you play standing. The 185 is a little better.

I think the 186 sounds better and is not neck heavy and is still relatively light.

[cbgrey]

the 184 is uncomfortably neck heavy if you play standing. The 185 is a little better.

I think the 186 sounds better and is not neck heavy and is still relatively light.

Thanks jzucker ... Recently Eastman modified the headstock and tuner to lighten it....any idea if it helped enough on the smaller ones?

[jzucker]

Thanks jzucker ... Recently Eastman modified the headstock and tuner to lighten it....any idea if it helped enough on the smaller ones?

Not on the 184 from what i heard

[alpop]

This is quite the coincidence that this thread popped up today!

I ordered a brand new T185MX last Thursday and UPS tells me to expect it by the end of the day tomorrow.

I will do a NGD when I get it. Will try to do a sound clip video and give you my impressions. (It may take a few days.)

I too, find a 16'' thinline to be too big, although for some reason a 16'' with a 3" depth seems to be fine.

[LifeOnJazz]

I was curious about their headstock redesign and so contacted Eastman back in October. They said the re-vamped version is now available on all their thinlines. That doesn't mean there still isn't older stock on the market.

If it were me, I'd go t185mx for the better balance and resonance (vs 184).

[cbgrey]

This is quite the coincidence that this thread popped up today!

I ordered a brand new T185MX last Thursday and UPS tells me to expect it by the end of the day tomorrow.

I will do a NGD when I get it. Will try to do a sound clip video and give you my impressions. (It may take a few days.)

I too, find a 16'' thinline to be too big, although for some reason a 16'' with a 3" depth seems to be fine.

That's awesome! Congrats. Would happily watch/listen to anything you're willing to share.

[cbgrey]

I was curious about their headstock redesign and so contacted Eastman back in October. They said the re-vamped version is now available on all their thinlines. That doesn't mean there still isn't older stock on the market.

If it were me, I'd go t185mx for the better balance and resonance (vs 184).

It does seem like they are still transitioning. Even the web page for the T185 shows a different headstock for the Classic finish vs GoldBurst. Happy they've made the change and hopeful it made a substantial difference (but sounds like it may not have).

[IanD]

[QUOTE=cbgrey;1248272]I’m curious what you ended up doing about these guitars Ian. I’m considering the same for similar reasons. Can’t decide between the 14” or 15” and have nowhere to try them out beforehand.

cbgrey, I had decided the 185 (15") was just about perfect. The 16" was a little uncomfortable for me (although probably the best sounding) and the 14" was smaller than I would have liked. All had the new smaller headstock. Unfortunately I was told by the agent in Australia it would take anything from three to six months to get one here, so I didn't proceed. In the meantime I managed to get a great condition used Gibson 339 locally. The body is closer to the Eastman 184 size and the neck is thinner than I like, but otherwise I'm happy. However G.A.S. being what it is I will be very interested in reading Alpop's review when he gets his 185, I still think it is as close to the perfect guitar (for me) without spending really big $s.

[cbgrey]

cbgrey, I had decided the 185 (15") was just about perfect. The 16" was a little uncomfortable for me (although probably the best sounding) and the 14" was smaller than I would have liked. All had the new smaller headstock. Unfortunately I was told by the agent in Australia it would take anything from three to six months to get one here, so I didn't proceed. In the meantime I managed to get a great condition used Gibson 339 locally. The body is closer to the Eastman 184 size and the neck is thinner than I like, but otherwise I'm happy. However G.A.S. being what it is I will be very interested in reading Alpop's review when he gets his 185, I still think it is as close to the perfect guitar (for me) without spending really big $s.

Hey Ian...congrats on the 339!
In your testing of the 184 and 185 did you notice a significant difference in tone between them?

[IanD]

Hey Ian...congrats on the 339!
In your testing of the 184 and 185 did you notice a significant different in tone between them?

Unfortunately there was no 184 anywhere here I could try so I don't know tonally what the differences (if any) would be, although I doubt there would be much. It's just the 185 I did try (old headstock, and, as Jack said has a bit of neck-dive) just felt perfect in terms of the body, hence my preference.

[alpop]

Hi to the interested parties.

I received my T185 MX yesterday.

It is quite stunning and the solid wood and finishing oozes quality. It is a real guitar, if that makes any sense. I am only 5'6" and the 15" body fits me perfectly. I will have to decide on some strings and give it a setup before adding a sound clip. I think I will start out with some DR Pure Blues 10-46. I'm really thinking TI Swing Flat 11's but I will have to order them in and they cost a fortune. I want to get up and running so I'll try the DR's first.

As you can see it is a Goldburst and was built in late December of 2022 and has the new headstock. It weighs in at 5.6 lbs. on my digital bathroom scale.

The main reason for this post is that there seemed to be concern about neck dive on this model so I thought I'd demonstrate how the guitar balances with a short video and you can judge for yourself.

[cbgrey]

Hi to the interested parties.

I received my T185 MX yesterday.

It is quite stunning and the solid wood and finishing oozes quality. It is a real guitar, if that makes any sense. I am only 5'6" and the 15" body fits me perfectly. I will have to decide on some strings and give it a setup before adding a sound clip. I think I will start out with some DR Pure Blues 10-46. I'm really thinking TI Swing Flat 11's but I will have to order them in and they cost a fortune. I want to get up and running so I'll try the DR's first.

As you can see it is a Goldburst and was built in late December of 2022 and has the new headstock. It weighs in at 5.6 lbs. on my digital bathroom scale.

The main reason for this post is that there seemed to be concern about neck dive on this model so I thought I'd demonstrate how the guitar balances with a short video and you can judge for yourself.

Extremely helpful, Al. Thank you! Beautiful guitar.

[jzucker]

Hi to the interested parties.

I received my T185 MX yesterday.

It is quite stunning and the solid wood and finishing oozes quality. It is a real guitar, if that makes any sense. I am only 5'6" and the 15" body fits me perfectly. I will have to decide on some strings and give it a setup before adding a sound clip. I think I will start out with some DR Pure Blues 10-46. I'm really thinking TI Swing Flat 11's but I will have to order them in and they cost a fortune. I want to get up and running so I'll try the DR's first.

As you can see it is a Goldburst and was built in late December of 2022 and has the new headstock. It weighs in at 5.6 lbs. on my digital bathroom scale.

The main reason for this post is that there seemed to be concern about neck dive on this model so I thought I'd demonstrate how the guitar balances with a short video and you can judge for yourself.

looks like it is neck-diving but also because you are sitting and it's hitting your leg, it's not neck diving to the extent it would be if you were standing. And again, when I had one and wore a shirt which was not tucked in and a suede strap it tended to pull the back of my shirt up!

I do like the 185. I wish eastman would figure out a way to make it balanced or perhaps include a weighted strap with it. 2-3oz would probably solve the issue.

[alpop]

Extremely helpful, Al. Thank you! Beautiful guitar.

Glad to be of help!

I am getting more and more excited about this guitar.

Yesterday I put some D'Addario Chromes 10/48 flatwounds on and did a setup. Early this morning I was playing purely acoustically and found the tone to be sweet and balanced.

Just to clarify further about the neck dive, and jz's comment about the guitar hitting my leg, I've done a quick video of me standing.

[jzucker]

Glad to be of help!

I am getting more and more excited about this guitar.

Yesterday I put some D'Addario Chromes 10/48 flatwounds on and did a setup. Early this morning I was playing purely acoustically and found the tone to be sweet and balanced.

Just to clarify further about the neck dive, and jz's comment about the guitar hitting my leg, I've done a quick video of me standing.

Thanks for clarifying. I think from the video we can see that it does indeed neck dive but not to the extent of something like an El Rey or a PRS Hollowbody which are two of the worst. I like the neck at about a 45 degree angle and it seems that the 185 settles in at 45.

The real test of neck dive is this:

Balance the guitar on something like a shower curtain rod. A balanced guitar stays at any angle you put it on.

[alpop]

Here's a short sound sample.

Neck pickup, volume on 9, tone on 7.

Plugged straight into the interface and recorded in Reaper DAW and iPhone at the same time. I transferred the phone video to the DAW, synched to the audio, and muted the audio from the phone recording.

I added a touch of reverb, and an amp/cab sim.

[cbgrey]

Thanks again Al. Based a lot on what you've shown I ordered a used T185. I think it's pretty old as it has the original headstock, tuners and gold hardware but we'll see.

Really appreciate your sharing.

[alpop]

Thanks again Al. Based a lot on what you've shown I ordered a used T185. I think it's pretty old as it has the original headstock, tuners and gold hardware but we'll see.

Really appreciate your sharing.

Congratulations! A quality guitar inspires you to practice and play. Enjoy yours!

[cbgrey]

So I ended up purchasing the T185MX which turned out to be from 2010 with the larger, heavier headstock. I really love the guitar...it sounds amazing...terrific size.... but it definitely has neck dive which is more irritating than I expected (never had a guitar with that problem).

So I've decided to return it and try something else. I was originally planning to just keep looking for a used newer model with the lighter headstock but ended up seeing a used Romeo I was curious about and ordered that.

I hate all this buying, selling, returning but no other way for me to try these models out.

So, in short...I'd say if anyone is interested in this model but is bothered by a bit of neck dive....look for the revised, later model.

[jzucker]

So I ended up purchasing the T185MX which turned out to be from 2010 with the larger, heavier headstock. I really love the guitar...it sounds amazing...terrific size.... but it definitely has neck dive which is more irritating than I expected (never had a guitar with that problem).

So I've decided to return it and try something else. I was originally planning to just keep looking for a used newer model with the lighter headstock but ended up seeing a used Romeo I was curious about and ordered that.

I hate all this buying, selling, returning but no other way for me to try these models out.

So, in short...I'd say if anyone is interested in this model but is bothered by a bit of neck dive....look for the revised, later model.

I heard that the newer version is still neck heavy.

[DustinG]

I recently picked up a T184MX.

It's an incredibly well-made guitar. Super light weight. Great upper fret access. I was weary about the 1.75" nut width, but that's really not an issue. With a suede strap, the neck dive isn't that big of a deal.