Eastman Jazz Elite 16"

[voyage]

Really nice! Thanks for posting that.

[Smkulczyk]

Hello,

I am looking to get my first proper archtop. It’s come down to a Jazz Elite 16 or a John Pisano 680/880. My teacher has an 880 and I played it and sounded great. Had a little bit of feedback but nothing crazy. I tried his 905 which from understanding has the same neck as the jazz elite. I preferred the neck of the 905 but the sound a body feel of the 880. Ever tried one of the Pisanos? If so how does it compare to your Elite. There’s not too many videos of the elite but your audio clips have been great in giving me an idea of how it sounds.

Thanks,
Scott

[voyage]

Hello,

I am looking to get my first proper archtop. It’s come down to a Jazz Elite 16 or a John Pisano 680/880. My teacher has an 880 and I played it and sounded great. Had a little bit of feedback but nothing crazy. I tried his 905 which from understanding has the same neck as the jazz elite. I preferred the neck of the 905 but the sound a body feel of the 880. Ever tried one of the Pisanos? If so how does it compare to your Elite. There’s not too many videos of the elite but your audio clips have been great in giving me an idea of how it sounds.

Thanks,
Scott

The elite was designed by Lou who owns guitars and jazz in New Jersey. It's only sold by his shop, and Eastman makes it to his specifications. The elite has very thick parallel bracing and a thicker top, resulting in a less bright acoustic sound. Lou was going for a more mid-range sound like the old l5s had. I have two elites and really like them. They're plenty good acoustically for me but I always use an amplifier. I think they have a terrific jazz sound electrified. I replaced the Armstrong with a Seymour Duncan 59. A little warmer. Mine are seven string, they quit making seven strings 3 years ago.

[Ric Lee]

Hello,

I am looking to get my first proper archtop. It’s come down to a Jazz Elite 16 or a John Pisano 680/880. My teacher has an 880 and I played it and sounded great. Had a little bit of feedback but nothing crazy. I tried his 905 which from understanding has the same neck as the jazz elite. I preferred the neck of the 905 but the sound a body feel of the 880. Ever tried one of the Pisanos? If so how does it compare to your Elite. There’s not too many videos of the elite but your audio clips have been great in giving me an idea of how it sounds.

Thanks,
Scott

Eastman necks can differ they are hand carved so even one of the same model to the next. Though I believe they are more consistent now.

I had a Pisano 880 very briefly. It was one of the earlier models from maybe the first year. I feel like it had a beefier neck (bigger shoulders) than my Jazz Elite 16 did. That’s going off of years old memory, and I never got to play them side-by-side but I remember the Pisano felt bigger for my hands, but I have pretty small hands being only like 5 foot 6 so many others would probably find it fine.

As far as the tone, I think the Pisano was a bit more of the acoustic brighter side of the Eastman, even though it had a single built-in pick up and the elite was a little more fat or electric sounding. But I’ve heard others get a fatter sound out of the Pisano through amp, touch, strings etc

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Ever tried one of the Pisanos? If so how does it compare to your Elite. There’s not too many videos of the elite but your audio clips have been great in giving me an idea of how it sounds.

Hi, Scott. I’ve only played 7 string guitars for over 30 years. So I have almost no experience with any 6s since the early ‘90s. I’ve heard a few Pisanos played by others, which isn’t the same as playing them myself. My impression is that the Pisano is (as Ric Lee says) brighter and less thunky than my Elite. But I don’t even know what kinds of strings and amps were being used. I have TI flats on all of mine, so they’re not as bright as they’d be with RW.

I have 3 carved Eastman guitars (810CE7, Jazz Elite 7, and El Rey 7). All of their 7 string necks are similar, with the 810 and JE having what feels like the same neck. I played an 810 6 string and the neck felt a fair amount thinner than mine. But every 6 string neck feels thin to me at this point.

Sorry I’m not much help. FWIW, my first 3 good guitars (in the ‘60s and ‘70s) were a 345, a 175, and an L5. I’m now a dyed-in-the-wool Eastman fan and never look back

[SierraTango]

Hello,

I am looking to get my first proper archtop. It’s come down to a Jazz Elite 16 or a John Pisano 680/880. My teacher has an 880 and I played it and sounded great. Had a little bit of feedback but nothing crazy. I tried his 905 which from understanding has the same neck as the jazz elite. I preferred the neck of the 905 but the sound a body feel of the 880. Ever tried one of the Pisanos? If so how does it compare to your Elite. There’s not too many videos of the elite but your audio clips have been great in giving me an idea of how it sounds.

Thanks,
Scott

Hello Scott,
05 Pisano 880 owner here. I'm the original owner, I played one at NAMM when they first came out. It's been a faithful companion on hundreds of gigs. It was my #1 until I obtained my 1990 Benedetto Cremona. Now the 880 is backup, I still gig with it on events that are too hot or cold for the Benedetto, and some big band jobs. It has a higher feedback threshold than the Benedetto.
IMHO, it has one of the most comfortable neck profiles I've ever played. It's wonderful!