-
Well I unboxed my Eastman AR403CED today and fell in love. It's the first archtop I've ever owned. Beautiful guitar, Gibson Classic 57 neck pickup, nice wide (1.72) nut, everything I wanted. I played the guitar most of the day today and I'm not sure I can deal with the size of this guitar. Keep in mind not a day goes by that I don't play my Martin 00-18, so I'm used to small bodied guitars. I know it's only been one day but I'm not sure I can adjust to this. I'm already thinking of ways to tell my wife I'm going to sell this guitar and get a Telecaster. I know there are smaller archtops, but I went with the Eastman because of the wider nut. Anybody else have trouble with these bulky archtops?
-
02-23-2024 02:21 AM
-
That Eastman is a fine instrument and perhaps it would be wise to give it a week or so before you decide. Comfort in relation to an instrument’s shape and dimensions depends on the littlest of things for me. I have no issues at all with my Eastman 580CE but I do with my ES335, which is larger yet thinner. A lot of it has to do with how a guitar sits against my rib cage and how that influences the position of my arms. I can’t handle Teles, unlike you, because it digs into my rib cage at a certain point and it irks me. Same with the 335, as different as it may be from a Tele. My old L7 is a monster compared to a Tele yet somehow that works for me. Long story short, I think it’s the sum of many small details and for me it’s hard to predict up front if a guitar will work for me or not.
-
Ibanez GB10 (or GB10 SE)?
-
Nut width 1.692. I really like a 1 3/4 nut, that's all I ever play. Even if I go the Telecaster route, I would have to get a Warmoth neck made to my specs.
Originally Posted by frabarmus
-
I too would give it a week...if you think about it, that Eastman is only a little over an inch wider than your 00...and it's thinner.
My main guitars are a 000 and a 16" archtop, but I also play a lot of nylon string which would be about the same width as your 00...keeping all in rotation I feel comfortable with all.
-
Another vote to give it some time.
Archtops are different beasts than solidbodies and flattops.
Who knows, after a little while of playing the Eastman your other guitars might feel too small.
-
Give it some time. Put a strap on it and let it hang low. That is the only way my shoulder can handle my 1950 Epiphone Triumph AKA THE BEAST. Good luck John
-
I'm the same Oscar .... Originally Posted by Oscar67
I'm 6'2" and lean with long limbs
a 335 or a tele digs into my ribs ....
Most comfortable for me happens to be a 16" archtop
of about 2 + 3/4 width
With a thinish neck (Ibanez AF type works for me)
Comfort is THE most important thing in an instrument ....
You just got to find the type that fits touchpad shape
.... and just go with that don't fight it
You can adjust more or less everything else on a guitar
(Sound , action etc etc)
Good luck to the op
-
I know when I went from playing solid bodies to archtops I found even relatively thin archtops to be way bulkier than say a Strat or Tele. I do understand you have experience with the Martin. However, once I started seeing how Joe Pass plays with his 175 I tried that and it worked with some technique adaptations and is very comfortable. Guitar off (or in this case the lower bout on top of) the right knee, off to the side, neck up. Helped me but you gotta have a good strap. If I'm lazy I still play the 'regular' way, though
-
Expand your horizons. You can’t truly get an archtop sound, imho, or feel without owning an archtop. The 403 is an entry level instrument. But it can still play really well upon setup. As to it being too large, I don’t get it, for it’s only 2 3/4” in depth. That’s on the thinner side for an archtop. But realistically you can’t develop an opinion for or against in a day. Well, I couldn’t.
-
Give it a week and see. You should try to be comfortable on any guitar.
I have an AR503 with the same dimensions and I think of it as my small guitar.
-
For what it's worth, I got a Tele and absolutely hated everything about it, feel, sound,...everything, but, as it was my only guitar, I continued to play it,..now, 40 years later, it's the most comfortable guitar ever!
-
It's not really the size of the bout, but the depth, at least IME. I don't like playing full-depth archtops, but if the depth is only 2.5" to 2.75", they're fine for me. The deeper bodies can take some getting used to, and in my dotage I've decided that I no longer want to deal with them that much.
-
Thanks for all the replies everyone.
Well I spent some more time with the archtop today. I play a lot of fingerstyle and I found that the pickguard was in my way, so I removed it. The neck had a little more relief than I like, so I tweaked the truss rod about 1/4 turn and got that right. I had to file two nut slots that weren't where I wanted them. The bridge and intonation is perfect. I have to say, for a guitar so reasonably priced, this thing really plays nice.
So now I go back and forth between the Martin & the Eastman trying to figure out why I feel so much more comfortable with the Martin. I believe I have discovered the issue...It's the length! My left and right hands are in totally different positions when I play each guitar. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm going to have to adjust the way I hold the Eastman to get it to feel right. The Martin is much shorter and has a slightly shorter scale length.
At least now I know what's going on and I can work this out. It's amazing how when you get so used to something, the slightest little change can throw everything out of whack...at least for me anyway. I'm going to try to attach a pic so you can see the difference.
Later
-
familiarity. if you owned the Eastman first you might feel differently Originally Posted by J.C.
-
I have a Martin 000, and I've had it the longest of all of my guitars, but I still feel very comfortable with a 16" or 17" arch top. For some reason I can't get that comfortable with my D28, it feels very big and the strings seem to have a lot of tension. Which is odd because a D35 was my first good guitar and the one I developed a lot of my chops on.
I'm fine with my solid bodies but I don't like them as much for jazz playing. Overall I think I just got used to adapting to many guitars for different purposes.
Really, I think that 16" is the sweet spot for a lot of people, but 17" sounds fuller to me of the ones I've tried.
-
Yes indeed! I've regularly gigged with a Tele, a full depth 16" archtop, a thin 16" archtop, a full depth 17" archtop, a fat (4") 16" flattop, a Les Paul, and an ESP solid body for years. I've also had and frequently played a Martin 016-NY, a Larrivee parlor guitar, a '69 D28 and a pair of PRS Customs (22 and 24), plus a host of oddballs. I much prefer to play sitting, and the smaller solids are a bit difficult for that. But the rule is "the right axe for the right gig", and I do what I have to do. Originally Posted by bluejaybill
Early on, I discovered that a strap can make otherwise uncomfortable guitars much easier to handle. I use the classical position with the guitar on my left thigh and a foot rest when sitting, even on blues and pop / rock gigs. I can hoist a small body high enough to put the neck in the same position and at the same angulation whether sitting or standing, which makes playing a lot more comfortable.
-
Give it a week or so (maybe even 2 weeks). If it still feels clunky to you, than maybe you're just more comfortable playing smaller bodied guitars. I don't mind 16" archtops (my Ibanez AFJ-95 has a 16" wide body), but having played dreadnought acoustics for a long time, and 17" wide Gretsch Country Clubs for about a decade, I will admit that I have a fondness for 17" archtops - now if I could just find one that didn't have a thin neck, at least a 1.720" wide nut, and didn't cost a bundle, I'd be all over it.
-
Eastman.now if I could just find one that didn't have a thin neck, at least a 1.720" wide nut, and didn't cost a bundle, I'd be all over it.
Looking at the pictures, the Eastman appears to be wider than the Martin, and that may be the issue. Ideal guitar size and depth are very subjective.
-
With time, maybe you will appreciate that a different size, thickness, neck width, strings, pick, pickup, amp, strap, etc, can inspire you to play differently. I make a mental transformation when I sit down with a tele, vs. strat, vs. L5, vs. nylon, vs. Martin, etc. Even the hard edge of a tele in my ribs prompts a different attitude than a contoured solid body. ( I still want a slab bodied strat one day, WITHOUT the contour cut... they are just too cool!)
As people have already said, give it time, you have to adapt to every guitar and you might value this new voice enough to decide it's worth the small sacrifice.
-
I LOVE Eastmans (I've been playing Eastman acoustics for a few years), and they have great necks (I like their thicker necks, and many of them are wider than the typical 1.688" nut width), but the one 16" wide Eastman archtop I had (a Pisano model) didn't do much for me. I'd love to have a 17" bodied Eastman, or even better yet, a 7-string Eastman, but the 17" bodied Eastmans aren't that common, and cost a fair amount more than I can afford. The 7-string Eastmans are no longer shown on the Eastman website, which leaves me to believe that they have been discontinued. Besides, they cost way more than I could afford. Originally Posted by sgosnell
Guild makes 17" bodied archtops, and the prices for some of them are within my range affordability-wise, but they have thin necks (I tried one out a couple of months ago).
-
Eastman has stopped all 7 string production. Even Guitars 'n Jazz has been unable to get more of the Jazz Elite 7 that Lou designed for them. I've wanted an El Rey 7 for a few years, but there are no new ones, and used ones are as rare as hens' teeth. Originally Posted by EllenGtrGrl
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos