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NGD - Eastman T184MX Lil Smokey
I'm an acoustic rhythm guitar player and singer who got the itch for an electric guitar that would suit my style (mostly roots music - blues, country, rockabilly, with some rock stirred in for seasoning). I had previously bought a PRS S2 Standard 24 for my son, who since decided that he will add piano as his second instrument instead of guitar (he's a terrific jazz trumpet player), so I sold the PRS.
After lots of research and playing, I narrowed it down to a thinline semi-hollow, with specs that would be close to my acoustics (1-3/4" nut, 25-ish inch scale, medium C-ish neck). It turns out that those specs aren't so easy to find in an electric guitar. I finally decided to buy a NOS Eastman T184MX, and got a good deal on a Lil Smokey (solid maple top over sides/back routed out of a single piece of solid mahogany - 14" lower bout, 25" scale, 1-3/4" nut). The difference between the LS and the standard T184MX is in the finish (satin all-black, which I think looks really nice and, unfortunately is also a smudge monster), and the pickups (the LS comes with a Seymour Duncan Jazz SH-2 neck, and a JB Sh-4 bridge instead of the SD 59's). I shipped a set of DR Pure Blues 11-50 to the dealer and they promised a full setup. My tech pronounced the workmanship as "great", with the setup done by the dealer as "outstanding". After a couple of days with it, I really like it how it plays. It'll take a while to dial in the tone, with the darkness of the neck pickup and the clarity and bite of the bridge pickup complementing each other really nicely. Just one photo for now (or it didn't happen).
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Barry Last edited by Long Road Home; 07-12-2018 at 08:53 PM. |
#2
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Congrats on the T184MX. Those are great guitars.
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"It's only castles burning." - Neil Young |
#3
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Congratulations Barry!
I love the look of that satin black finish. Enjoy!
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2017 Alvarez Yairi OY70CE - Sugaree c.1966 Regal Sovereign R235 Jumbo - Old Dollar 2009 Martin 000-15 - Brown Bella 1977 Gibson MK-35 - Apollo 2004 Fender American Stratocaster - The Blue Max 2017 Fender Custom American Telecaster - Brown Sugar Think Hippie Thoughts... |
#4
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Thanks. This one's a keeper (no... really... I mean it). The satin finish is most definitely a two edged sword. I really like the look because it appeals to the minimalist in me (and it shows smudges like no other guitar that I've ever seen).
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Barry Last edited by Long Road Home; 05-15-2018 at 11:38 AM. |
#5
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I always think of gloss finishes as showing smudges, so it's really interesting that the satin finish shows them even more.
BTW, I am also a minimalist, when it comes to most things, although I seem to be contrary to that with my guitars.
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"It's only castles burning." - Neil Young |
#6
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I had a "big smile" day yesterday with the Lil Smokey.
First, a friend who is an outstanding guitarist came over and played it. His reaction was "This is an incredible guitar" (big smile #1). Then I took it to a mostly electric open mic that I've been playing at (acoustic plugged in) for the past 9 months. When I took it out of the case, the host said "What a gorgeous guitar" (big smile #2). Then, the lead guitarist in the backing back got his hands on it and didn't want to give it back (big smile #3). I plugged in and took it for a bit of a rockabilly outing (Rock This Town by the Stray Cats and C'est La Vie by Chuck Berry... only time for 2 songs because this is a really popular open mic). I had a blast, and got compliments on the sound (big smile #4). Still smiling just thinking about it.
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Barry |
#7
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That's awesome! So glad you're liking the LS so much. There was just one on eBay for auction, and it sold at an incredibly low price. The timing wasn't right at home, or else I would have jumped all over it.
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"It's only castles burning." - Neil Young |
#8
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That looks nice... congratulations!
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#9
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Congrats on a beauty. It looks so cool!
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#10
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Quote:
Thanks. I forgot to mention that my lead guitar playing friend told me that he would be giving me gold stars for this one... not because of my playing, but to stick on the fretboard (I don't mind just having the side markers).
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Barry |
#11
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Congratulations on your new guitar days!
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#12
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Very cool guitar! Congratulations
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#13
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Thanks. I've been playing it more lately, and really liking it.
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Barry |
#14
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A quick update. I plugged my T184MX straight into my Carvin AG300 last night, and got great clean tones out of it, playing rhythm. That's really good to know, since there will be times that I will probably need to go straight into the house PA at one open mic (it's a very good PA run by a very good sound man).
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Barry |
#15
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Congrats on the fantastic guitar. Have a blast!
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