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Old 06-19-2019, 02:50 PM
RichardP RichardP is offline
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Default Played an Eastman AR610ce today

I was in my local mom & pop store today and saw an AR610ce. I am a lifetime flat top non-performer player, but have been curious about archtops. I tried to "love" my Godin Kingpin, but could not get used to its acoustic sound. (On top of that, it demanded a precision that my 70+ year-old hands didn't want to give.) This Eastman, however, was a different story. I only tried it unplugged, and it sounded great. Not exactly like my D18, but with a bit more of what I was used to. It is LARGE with that 17" you have to get around, and it is obviously heaver than the Godin. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience. If it could make me play better, I would start working on my wife to make her understand how much I "need" this one.
Richard
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Old 06-21-2019, 06:37 PM
billyg billyg is offline
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I think they are very good guitars. I had an AR605, but when I was trying several out there was noticeable acoustic difference in the 16” vs the 17”. I didn’t want to handle the 17, so I went with the 16”. They play well and sound right, I think.
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Old 06-22-2019, 08:05 AM
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Livingston Livingston is offline
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I've owned 2 x Eastman guitars. I do think they are very nice archtops, especially for the money.

Haven't played the AR610CE, but I see that it has mahogany back and sides with spruce top and a floating pickup, volume and tone controls mounted underneath the pickguard. I'll bet that guitar has a wonderful acoustic tone.

While many archtops use maple in the back sides, Eastman has several models that use mahogany. I happen to have the AR603CE-15 which shares the same solid wood specs as the AR610CE. However, the AR603CE-15 has a top mounted PAF with volume and tone pots mounted to the top as well. This, along with a 15 inch lower bout and a 2-3/4 inch body depth, does not necessarily make for loud, resonant acoustic tone. I will say that my guitar is really designed to be plugged into an amp.

Having said that, the AR603CE-15 has an okay acoustic tone and is fairly loud, especially when you consider it has a top mounted PAF, top mounted vol/tone and small body. I attribute its acoustic loudness and resonance, despite its dimensions and setup, to the mahogany back and sides.

I can only imagine how beautiful that AR610 must sound.
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Old 06-22-2019, 10:17 AM
Big Band Guitar Big Band Guitar is offline
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I have the non cutaway non electric AR610. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I play in a big band but I have taken it to a fiddle jam and it held its own for volume with the fiddles.
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