Eastman solid tops?

[wengr]

I have been looking at the Eastman site, at archtops like the AR910ce. I notice that the backs and sides are listed as hand carved maple, but the tops are simply described as "solid spruce". No where on the site can I find the spruce tops described as carved. Are these Eastman archtops carved, pressed, or what?

[nyc chaz]

Yes they are hand carved.My AR910 is one of the best sounding archtops i have owned.

[bluenote61]

The description from the Eastman site sounds a bit wear and not made with expertise.
Solid sides are never hand carved.
If the backs would be hand carved (expensive) it makes economically no sense to pair with a pressed top (cheaper). Other way round would be logically for me.
Hence, don't give to much on that.
Just my 2c

[Jimmy blue note]

Carved spruce tops, carved maple backs, hand graduated and by my ear, mine would appear to be hand tuned. A very well balanced hand carved instrument. I have an 810 7 string. An exceptional instrument no matter what the price tag is, it just happens to be way cheaper than anything else out there.

[Rob MacKillop]

More so my AR910C without any pickup. Most definitely hand carved and tuned…but on the For Sale pages here for financial reasons only. It’s amazing.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Carved spruce tops, carved maple backs, hand graduated and by my ear, mine would appear to be hand tuned. A very well balanced hand carved instrument. I have an 810 7 string. An exceptional instrument no matter what the price tag is, it just happens to be way cheaper than anything else out there.

Yes indeed! My 810CE7 and 16" Jazz Elite 7 are both wonderful instruments. I've come close to buying a "better" one several times over the last few years. But as soon as I picked up one of mine, it was just so good that I lost the desire to replace it.

The closest I've come has been an American Archtop. I've looked at a few used ones but I didn't think they looked, sounded, or felt any better than what I have. I do love Dale Unger's work - he's a wonderful luthier and a very nice guy. And his guitars are very reasonably priced. But my Eastmans are just too good to give up. I would like to find a nice 17x2.5" AA Dream 7 (which has a laminated top), and I'd sell my Ibanez AF207 if I did. But the few I've found on the used market needed frets and other work that would cost enough to bring the total cost close to that of a new one.

Wengr, I don't think you can go wrong with a high end Eastman. They're simply wonderful, and they're still bargains. Prices are going up steadily, especially with rumors flying that they're not going to make them for a while. They've already said that they're not making any more 7 string archtops at all. WIth a set HB like the KA HW in my Elite, they even do a bit of thunk despite their roots in the Benedetto style.

[coyote-1]

I recently gifted myself an upgrade, from a Robelli laminate spruce/maple jazzbox to an Eastman AR610ce. Top is hand carved solid spruce, like on their most expensive guitars. Back is solid carved mahogany, sides are solid formed mahogany. This guitar is everything I could want in a jazz guitar. It sounds luscious acoustically, and clear and warm thru the pickup.

Here’s the Robelli (since sold) and the Eastman together:

[tbeltrans]

This is a pic of an Eastman FV-880SB (Frank Vignola model) similar to the one I own. These are very comfortable guitars with the smaller 15" lower bout and the 1 3/4" nut. Considering the typical new price of $3,799, I am sure that whatever carving Eastman does, is done on this one too.

Tony

[Zigracer]

I really liked the Eastman Jazz Elite 7 I had. It was made well and sounded good. I’d still have it if the neck was the right depth for me.