Eastman Frank Vignola model?

capefisherman · #1 05-26-2023, 06:33 AM

I keep telling myself its just a case of GAS but I am intrigued by this model from Eastman. If you own one I'd really appreciate your input or played one for more than a strum or two.

Please help my GAS with solid info, thanks!!

Gene

tbeltrans · #2 05-26-2023, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capefisherman

I keep telling myself its just a case of GAS but I am intrigued by this model from Eastman. If you own one I'd really appreciate your input or played one for more than a strum or two.

Please help my GAS with solid info, thanks!!

Gene

I have the FV-880CE-SB model. Once I had it professionally set up, it is rapidly becoming my "goto" archtop because it is so comfortable to play - smaller body and wider string spacing than the typical archtop.

To be clear, I don't think that the FV-880 generally needs a professional setup fresh out of the box, but I prefer the action as low as possible, and that is what I got.

My preference for acoustic sound is still my Gibson Citation, but the FV-880 has plenty of acoustic sound, just brighter than the Gibson (a bit like comparing a Taylor acoustic to a Martin).

Plugged in, the FV-880 sounds as good as most anything with its floating Lollar Johnny Smith floating pickup.

As I understand it, the original from which this model is a licensed copy, cost $30k. It was built by Ryan Thorell. If you have any other archtops in your collection, this one will definitely NOT be a duplicate of any of them, and would therefore be a fine addition.

I think it is a very worthwhile purchase, and to really be a true AGF'er, what else can you do but buy, buy, buy!

Tony

srick · #3 05-26-2023, 07:10 AM

Gene -

I'll state the obvious (and please forgive me if it sounds snarky as it's not meant that way). The Frank Vignola model will not turn you into Frank Vignola. BUT, if it inspires you to practice and enjoy the instrument, then it is a good investment. Or, you can take my wife's advice (ahem - commandment) which is, if you buy one, sell one.

IMO, many of us go through periods of GAS when we feel that we need to improve our skills, or need inspiration. And we all know that you can't buy talent, but... in the great scheme of things, a guitar is not that expensive a purchase - certainly less than a boat or car, about equivalent to a high end bicycle, and far less than a vacation home.

The FV looks gorgeous! And I'm sure that its design is just what Frank wanted to see. Just looking at it, I am inspired.

An old maxim that my family uses when contemplating such a purchase is: "You'll be dead a long time." So whatever decision you make will be the right one. Enjoy.

Rick

tbeltrans · #4 05-26-2023, 09:12 AM

Eastman archtops represent a very good quality instrument for relatively low money. The FV-880 as I previously stated has a smaller body for an archtop, yet sounds quite good acoustically as well as amplified. I find that the playing comfort this design presents is definitely inspiring me to play every day. Also, the wider string spacing is nice for those of us who play fingerstyle.

Once we have one guitar that we enjoy playing, do we really NEED any more? Probably not. For a long time I only had one guitar, and that was a classical except when I played professionally and then I had a Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean that paid for itself since I was a full time working musician at the time.

But since getting involved in these forums and the jazz guitar forum, I have been exposed to a much wider variety of guitars than I might otherwise and have garnered a nice collection of instruments. The money spent on these guitars has never come from our budget, but instead either from bonuses, the sale of other guitars, or (in retirement) contract engineering work that constitutes extra income.

I assume that when somebody posts asking about a specific model of guitar, what s/he is looking for is opinions based on actual experience with that instrument, so hopefully that is what I have provided. As for advice regarding whether or not to buy it, maybe that is a discussion for one's spouse and/or financial advisor.

Tony

mr. beaumont · #5 05-26-2023, 10:03 AM

Basically a copy of his Thorell, right? Very cool guitar.

tbeltrans · #6 05-27-2023, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Basically a copy of his Thorell, right? Very cool guitar.

Yes, Eastman licensed the design from Thorell. Legend has it that one or more of the luthiers at Eastman were trained on building that model from Thorell. I say "legend has it" because I don't know if it really is true, but I like to think it is.

It is a very nice instrument, but then so are all of the Eastman archtops I have played. For some reason that I can't put my finger(s) on, I have not cared much for their acoustic guitars though. It isn't the quality, since that seems to be uniformly high, but something about their feel as a player.

Tony

ericwall · #7 10-01-2023, 03:14 PM

I had heard that the Eastman necks are rather thin. Is that correct? D-shaped?

Sam Sherry · #8 10-02-2023, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ericwall

I had heard that the Eastman necks are rather thin. Is that correct? D-shaped?

Some are. Some aren't.

I had FV-880CE for a bit. In brief:

> It's a nice guitar. I liked it but didn't love it. The neck on the FV-880CE is not thin by any measure. The point of trying it was 15" x 3.2" x 25.3" and that works very nicely. It delivers a good acoustic archtop sound and didn't tax my shoulder like a full-depth large jazz box.

> The Lollar JS-shaped pickup really works. The FV-880 is a very successful modern electric jazz guitar.

> Conversely, the FV-880 is no kind of Manouche machine whatsoever. You can play Django on it if you want to but the design is different from a Selmer Maccaferri in almost every dimension and respect. The FV is designed from the ground up as a floating-pickup electric jazz guitar.

> IME guitars with light headstocks generally, and open headstocks in particular, tend to be more susceptible to wolf notes and there are some notes on the FV-880 which don't sustain as long as others. You either work with that or move on.

67goat · #9 11-07-2023, 05:53 PM

I have a 680 and I really like it. I have a few archtops, but have never played any super fancy archtops, so I don't have much to compare it against. I like the way it sounds. I like the way it plays. When looking, most comparable archtops were quite a bit more money, but maybe I just wasn't looking in the right spots.