Eastman AR503CE NOS

[Boze]

I'm hoping I like how it sounds better once I swap the stock SDSL for a 57 or the Fralin Pure I got recently. Wondering if the 57 will be less clear with the resonance of a carved top and thinking of trying the Fralin first

I wanted something light and comfortable to play standing and this works better on a strap for me than my Emperor or Zephyr. Currently the Zephyr has a 57 and has more bottom while the slimmer Emperor sports the Pures which don't have those tubby lows to deal with

Excuse the missing truss rod cover: I was putting flats on it and doing some setup.

[AllanAllen]

I’m interested in the swap. I’m not a fan of mine through an amp. Love the acoustic response though.

I should have known better, I never met a Humbucker I got along with.

[omphalopsychos]

Nice ax. I think the 57 would sound great in it and tame the inherent Eastman brightness.

[Cunamara]

Well, now, that is just a beautiful guitar. What a warm, friendly color!

[DanielleOM]

I have (2) AR503CE guitars. Unplugged the guitars do not sound the same. I like the older one the best unplugged. I did swap the original Eastman pickup to a Benedetto A6. The newer one came with the SD SL. Although I would be hard pressed to say why in detail I like the one with A6 better. When the A6 was installed pots, cap and wiring were done with a push pull pot as shown on the SD web site.

[339 in june]

Congrats on your AR503CE
I have one, too, and I strung it with Phosphore Bronze, so I only play it unplugged. Very nice acoustic sound
A very good guitar (and, no, I won't add "for the money", it's a very good guitar, period)

[2bornot2bop]

I’d be interested in a Cremery pickup for an AR503. Check out member Rob’s.

[Boze]

Sounds sweet and looks cool too, thanks for sharing this.

I’d be interested in a Cremery pickup for an AR503. Check out member Rob’s.

[jads57]

After owning several different Eastman Archtops 810CE,880JP, 803CE,.etc I’ve found that that are just bright sounding guitars,probably due to the thinner plate carving.

Great guitars ,especially for the money, but I just prefer that older Gibson darker tone. Which probably has to with the thicker carved top and back.

[Boze]

After owning several different Eastman Archtops 810CE,880JP, 803CE,.etc I’ve found that that are just bright sounding guitars,probably due to the thinner plate carving.

Great guitars ,especially for the money, but I just prefer that older Gibson darker tone. Which probably has to with the thicker carved top and back.

Thanks, yeah I'm curious what kind of tone I can get with a different pickup. With any electric I need time alone to dial in the fit and this Eastman had high action with the bridge bottomed out and round wounds so it was a bit of a leap of faith. I knew I'd be more comfortable with the weight and depth of the 503CE. I also knew I'd want to change not just the strings but also the pickup before deciding if it works for me.

[Oscar67]

Wow, what a beauty! Congrats!

[DanielleOM]

Thanks, yeah I'm curious what kind of tone I can get with a different pickup. With any electric I need time alone to dial in the fit and this Eastman had high action with the bridge bottomed out and round wounds so it was a bit of a leap of faith. I knew I'd be more comfortable with the weight and depth of the 503CE. I also knew I'd want to change not just the strings but also the pickup before deciding if it works for me.

High action with bridge bottomed out is something I have seen before with Eastman guitars. Perhaps they are intentionally making sure that there is not too much thumb wheel shaft exposed with the expectation the selling shop will modify for customers that require low action.

[John A.]

Thanks, yeah I'm curious what kind of tone I can get with a different pickup. With any electric I need time alone to dial in the fit and this Eastman had high action with the bridge bottomed out and round wounds so it was a bit of a leap of faith. I knew I'd be more comfortable with the weight and depth of the 503CE. I also knew I'd want to change not just the strings but also the pickup before deciding if it works for me.

A few years back I tried two, one was an older one with a Kent Armstrong and the other was newer and had a SD SL. The SD was a little brighter sounding, and I thought the KA actually sounded a little better in that guitar, but it wasn't a dramatic difference. A 57 would probably be a little darker and more mid-rangey than either of those, but this guitar has a very distinct inherent sound that I suspect is hard to change via a pickup. Worth a shot, though, because there's a lot to like with an ar503: great unplugged sound and form factor, and some people sound really good with them (not I, though).

High action and a bottomed-out bridge would concern me. Hopefully it's fixable by sanding down the bridge.