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  #31  
Old 09-04-2013, 04:53 PM
Silly Moustache Silly Moustache is offline
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Originally Posted by upsidedown View Post
I figured it was something like that .
Just check out the neck angle before you buy.
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  #32  
Old 09-22-2013, 03:33 PM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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[QUOTE=Oceanlover;3609932]
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Originally Posted by upsidedown View Post
Wow! I must've gotten lucky. Or was the beneficiary of a positive inconsistency. Or something. Because my AR605 is just perfect, in terms of fit and finish. Eastman flattops are notoriously inconsistent in terms of specs of nut size and string spacing, but that's another story.


Good for you. Just don't breathe on it too hard as the fragility of Eastman archtop finishes is typically off the charts.
Okay. Bumped headstock against something last night. I'll admit I'm not as careful as I could be, but it wasn't that hard a knock. This resulted. I'm TICKED!

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  #33  
Old 09-22-2013, 06:18 PM
Bluemonk Bluemonk is offline
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[QUOTE=upsidedown;3632880]
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Originally Posted by Oceanlover View Post

Okay. Bumped headstock against something last night. I'll admit I'm not as careful as I could be, but it wasn't that hard a knock. This resulted. I'm TICKED!

The unbound corner of the back of the headstock is pretty fragile on any guitar. You could probably make that virtually unnoticeable with one of those wood touch up pens.
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  #34  
Old 09-22-2013, 11:02 PM
upsidedown upsidedown is offline
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[QUOTE=Bluemonk;3633090]
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The unbound corner of the back of the headstock is pretty fragile on any guitar. You could probably make that virtually unnoticeable with one of those wood touch up pens.
Thanks for talking me down, Blue.
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  #35  
Old 09-23-2013, 02:40 AM
louparte louparte is offline
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[QUOTE=upsidedown;3633331]
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Originally Posted by Bluemonk View Post

Thanks for talking me down, Blue.
I've never been interested in one of their archtops or flat-tops for that matter.
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  #36  
Old 10-06-2013, 08:04 AM
mhs mhs is offline
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As the owner of a few rare (given to me because I could never afford them) Gibson archtops of the 50's, and some others that I never play anymore, I think Eastmans are the best thing to happen to archtops that a person with a normal sized wallet can afford.

My 603ce is great for gigs, a ball to play and as far as finish stuff goes , I could care less. The entire back of my neck is raw wood by this point and it feels better than the thin varnish did (or whatever used to be there). It's about 7 years old.

Eastman is my favorite. I've probably played over 50 different ones (during my search to find one I really hit it off with) and liked each one. None had any neck angle problems.
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  #37  
Old 10-12-2013, 01:46 PM
modgar modgar is offline
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What is string spacing at the bridge on an Eastman compared to a vintage Gibson?

Thanks,
Gary
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  #38  
Old 10-12-2013, 05:51 PM
Dr. Jazz Dr. Jazz is offline
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Originally Posted by modgar View Post
What is string spacing at the bridge on an Eastman compared to a vintage Gibson?

Thanks,
Gary
'36 Epiphone emperor 2.09"
'37 Gibson L-50 2.106
'66 Gibson L-5 2.107"
'50 Gibson L-4 2.107"
'11 Eastman AR-905CE 2.126"

'hope that helps.

Incidentally, I think the Eastman 8 & 9 series are a stunning value.
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  #39  
Old 10-13-2013, 11:36 PM
T. Sphere T. Sphere is offline
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A couple of years ago I bought an Eastman 905. It's a 16" acoustic, non-cutaway model. It's a beautifully made guitar that plays and sounds great. The price was also very affordable as archtops go (just north of 2k), so it seemed like a good first archie.

As I have no experience with other archtop guitars -- I had played several before buying mine, but just to try them out -- I can't offer any serious comparative analysis. That said, I was also considering seeking out a vintage model but in the end went with the Eastman because, 1, I felt that I didn't know enough about vintage archtops to made an informed decision, and 2, prices of the lower-end models I was looking at were generally 1 1/2 to 2 times what the Eastman was going for, and mine is one of their higher-end models.

If I had to do it all over again, I would probably still go with the Eastman, unless a fabulous vintage model suddenly appeared at a price that couldn't be beat. As I said, it plays and sounds great, and fit and finish are truly very nice. If you're looking for a first archtop, you could certainly do worse.
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