NGD: Eastman AR610CE
 

I just picked up a new Eastman AR610CE from the local shop. It has anice burst finish on it. I was able to negotiate it down a couple of hundred dollars, so I feel like I got a decent deal. I compared it to a few other archtops and liked this one best. Currently it's strung with PB light strings. Any recommendations for strings on this guitar? I anticipate 90 percent acoustic use and 10 percent amplified.Attachment 49358

Very nice! Lovely sunburst!

Good for you! I am enjoying my Eastman archtop also!

- Glenn

Ya done it! :up::up:

I'd start with Martin Monel MM13 mediums - they're a true acoustic string that has magnetic properties (PB's don't), were the string of choice for the first generation of electric players until LaBella introduced flatwounds (lousy for acoustic tone, BTW) circa 1940, and had a loyal following into the early 1970's. On a hog-body archtop they'll emphasize the natural sweetness of the wood combination (one of the reasons the spruce/mahogany postwar Epiphone Devon is a cult favorite among cognoscenti), taking out some of the initial stridency as you break it in and adding warmth to the tone. In addition, they're endowed with the paradoxical properties of "slinky" under-finger feel and higher linear tension than 80-20/PB; I've been using them on my Godin 5th Avenue for a couple years with successful results, and IME you'll have a playing feel similar to lights, with the additional tension necessary to drive the top enough to get credible comping tone...

Use it well and often... :guitar:

Thanks guys! I had family stuff tonight so haven't gotten to play it much. Looking forward to giving it a good run-through tomorrow.

Beautiful Eastman! Across their entire line I feel very strongly that Eastmans are on the par with almost any U.S. made guitar, for a very reasonable price. BTW - what shop did you find this in? That slot head next to it in the picture is intriguing..... thanks!

Gene

Hey, Digger...I want you to know that my wife says "Thank you." I think that is the same one that has been hanging on that wall for a while and that I have talked to Hans about a few times. I can now take it off my "gee I wish I had that" list and move on and not bug my wife about it any more. It is a really nice one that I am sure you will enjoy. I am just a "play along with friends" type of player and certainly didn't need that one, but it sure was a temptation. Enjoy it!

Those Eastmans are excellent instruments and exceptional values. I tried monels on mine once, and they did not suit me. D’Addario has a large range of jazz strings, offering great range of wound or unwound third string, round, flat, or ground round strings — all giving you a little something different. So, jazz strings from D’Adario would be my suggestion.

That's a used E10OM Custom. I have played it a few times and it's a nice instrument.

Thanks, and tell your wife "you're welcome" from me. This one was a relatively new arrival but he said it replaced a similar one that he had before that. Hans is generally easy to work with so always check with him about potential discounts. I stopped by GC first as they had a Godin 5th Avenue listed on their page used. It was gone when I got there and their stock is pretty bad right now, not that I've ever seen a nice archtop there (with the exception of the Gretsch Electromatic line).

I always just play alone and will use it for recording it just having fun. It's a great sounding and playing guitar, so I anticipate lots of fun times with it.

Thanks for the string recommendations. I may try a few different types and see what works.

Beautiful guitar. Enjoy in good health.

Really nice! I play an Eastman MDC805 mandocello converted to an AR605. I suspect the mandocello models may be braced or graduated more heavily than the guitars.

I always use 13's. I really like Newtone, used them for quite a while before switching to Martin Retro monels, which I liked better.

This past year I tried out Ernie Ball aluminum bronze and really like them. They're much louder and twangier, more of an old school archtop sound. They still work ok with the mag pickup I added.

Congratulations! Beautiful guitar! I have an AR603-15. Huge fan of Eastman archtops.

You've already gotten great suggestions for strings, especially for acoustic play.

I play mostly plugged in and love Thomastik Infeld flat wounds.

Enjoy your new axe!

Thanks everyone. It is try again guitar! I think I'd like to tame the brightness just a little, so I'm going to try some Monel strings first then go from there.

Monel 13's, beat the snot out of it (it's "Play Along with Freddie Green" time :guitar:) daily for the next 3-4 months to loosen things up - IME archtops take longer to break in initially, and continue to break in over a far longer period (don't forget that the life of orchestral strings is measured in centuries) - and you should have a real sweetie there...