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  #1  
Old 08-01-2014, 09:04 PM
Pheof Pheof is offline
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Default Consensus on Eastman mandolins?

I recently bought an MD515 for a grand. I know nothing about mandolins, but I'm learning quickly, being a veteran guitar player.

Any opinions on the Eastman models? I've had a few before this one, and they all had truss rod issues, even the one I spent $1,400 on. My current MD515 seems good.

Here's the spec's and an audio clip that sounds exactly like mine. Mine has about 8 times the flame as the one in the pics:

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idproduct=7539
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Old 08-02-2014, 05:00 AM
JCook1 JCook1 is offline
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If you go over to the Mandolin Cafe forums the consensus on Eastmans is that they are quite good, and great mandolins in the lower price range. A number of members over there have Eastman mandos and it's rare to hear anything bad about them. They have been criticized for having thin finishes, but by and large they are well thought of. I played one in a shop some time back and it was very nice, played easily and sounded good. The workmanship on them seems to be very good. I wasn't in the market to buy one then so I didn't buy it, but they are on my list of choices to someday replace my Kentucky 150S.

Jack
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Old 08-02-2014, 05:30 AM
Dotneck Dotneck is offline
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I've had an MD 904 for a few months now. My first toe into mandoworld so to speak. I think Eastman mandolins are similar to Eastman guitars (and their other stringed instruments). A great bang for the buck. You can get better but you'll spend more.

I think their mandolins can sound pretty bright...but after all they ARE mandolins...
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Old 08-02-2014, 09:54 AM
GerryinAZ GerryinAZ is offline
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Even though they are going up in price (along with everything else) I think they still are the best bang for the buck out there.

I live ~30 minutes away from The Mandolin Store, and Dennis is the top selling Eastman dealer in the Country. As a result, I have had the chance to own 4, or 5 Eastmans and test drive dozens more. They really are an excellent avenue for someone to get into the "World of Mandolins". Shoot, their guitars ain't so bad, come to think of it!

I wish they were around when I picked up my first mandolin back in the mid-70's. I would probably be a much better player than I am today. That first one I had was pressed laminate with action high enough to bust any callouses I had from playing the bass. It was a chore to play it and I didn't pick it up very much.

There are others out there that aren't bad for students, from beginner to advanced, to have as their first instrument; Kentucky, The Loar, an Epiphone here and there, but I would probably put Eastman at the top.

*Edit* I have to add that I am currently the caretaker of a 514 (oval-hole ff style). They don't have a way to keep it properly humidified, so I get the benefit of having it around to play. It's a great little instrument. I like the chance to do a little playing on a flat board from time to time.
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Last edited by GerryinAZ; 08-02-2014 at 10:13 AM.
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Old 08-02-2014, 11:22 AM
Teleman52 Teleman52 is offline
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All their instruments are great really. They make good violins, bows, acoustic guitars, archtop guitars, mandolins, and mandolas.

I'm a fan of anything eastman makes. They build very much the same way a small american shop like collings would but they do it in china to keep costs down.

Genius IMO
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Old 08-02-2014, 04:17 PM
Coffeeaddict Coffeeaddict is offline
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I bought one earlier this year and have no complaints. Well built and the price was excellent for solid wood.
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Old 08-03-2014, 08:38 AM
bkepler bkepler is offline
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I played (well...not quite) an awful lemon of one at a music teachers' convention. Their sales rep had mostly their orchestra instruments, but also this one mandolin. The bridge was all the way up, but the strings were still resting on the upper frets, making it unplayable. The finish was also very "glooped" around the back joint. Just a disappointing experience. I know it's not typical.

As for their orchestral instruments, their solidly built (maybe a bit over-built) and good for a student orchestra. Not much character, but good. My issue with the orchestral stuff is that the finish is about a year shy of fully curing when they're shipped and are noxious for quite a while. Not issues that keep me from recommending them, just pet peeves.
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Old 08-03-2014, 08:44 AM
HHP HHP is offline
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I used to play a lot with the local mandolin orchestra, a bunch of those guys had Eastmans. Consensus was that they were about the best of the imports. At the upper end of their range, the pricing gets close to what you can get a used Gibson or Weber for and that's a big step up tonewise.
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Old 08-03-2014, 12:58 PM
GerryinAZ GerryinAZ is offline
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I'd probably put Northfield on top of the PacRim heap for fit and finish. They don't have the breadth of models to offer that Eastman has, but they are a bit ahead on the actual material and build aspect. They are also quite a bit more expensive than Eastmans.

I was on a Weber kick for a few years and went through about 6 or 7 of them before i realized they just don't sound all that good. Their nitro finishes are way too thick and the necks are overbuilt because of the double truss rods. Frickin' baseball bats. Some folks like that, and good on them. Not my cup o' tea.

I haven't owned that many Gibsons but have played enuff of 'em to know they, in general, are one trick ponies and the standard for bluegrass mandolin. Their ff holed instruments, anyway. Of course, their oval-hole A styles from era's gone by are their own thing as well. I currently have a 1925 AJr in the stable and just love it. It's as sweet sounding as any I've played. I would think that any Gibson you can get for the price of an Eastman stands a good chance of being outperformed. It's hard to compare them. Apples & oranges. Gibson are the dry, high-lonesome sound and the Eastmans tend more towards the modern thing.

That being said, I have owned and played Eastmans that have outperformed any of the Webers I owned. I actually traded a Weber for an Eastman DGM3 mandola and was very happy with the trade.
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Old 08-03-2014, 07:01 PM
icuker icuker is offline
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The wet lacquer issue mentioned above is interesting. I went to a store to buy a mandolin and they had like 3 or 4 new eastman 505's in stock. Pulled them all out so I could pick the best of the bunch. Some smelled more of the lacquer than others so I knew they were a bit newer and "wetter". Anyway, the one I picked sounded just a bit better than the others and I've been very happy with it (they all sounded good to my ears though).
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Old 08-04-2014, 09:50 AM
mutantrock mutantrock is offline
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I got a MD 505 from Elderly and I really like it after about 6 months of playing it. Sounds and plays great. Always tuning it but the tuners are not too bad.
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Old 08-04-2014, 12:06 PM
GerryinAZ GerryinAZ is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mutantrock View Post
I got a MD 505 from Elderly and I really like it after about 6 months of playing it. Sounds and plays great. Always tuning it but the tuners are not too bad.
There's nuthin' wrong with your mandolin. A good bit of time is spent tuning in between tunes. It's a common event.

A mandolin player spends 50% of their time tuning and the other 50% playing out of tune!

Funny, but pretty close to the truth.
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Old 08-04-2014, 12:41 PM
Mooh Mooh is offline
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I've played lots of Eastman mandolins as the local shop carries them and usually has 2 or 3 in stock. They generally sound and play pretty good, look nice, and are well set-up when delivered. Some individual tweaking might be necessary. A friend has one he really likes that's well played in, and frankly, it sounds fantastic from where I sit.
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Old 08-04-2014, 05:09 PM
Teleman52 Teleman52 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mutantrock View Post
I got a MD 505 from Elderly and I really like it after about 6 months of playing it. Sounds and plays great. Always tuning it but the tuners are not too bad.
Take a pencil and rub some lead off in your nut slots (wow that sounds wrong)

That will help most tuning issues and new mandolins pretty much always need it, I reapply probably once every 3 months
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Old 08-05-2014, 11:27 AM
K-vegas K-vegas is offline
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Here are a couple that sound fine to me. Of course these guys could make any mandolin sound better. And they've since moved on to other mandolins but at one time they looked the mandolin world over and choose an Eastman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cm50tiwKPM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NE2bwNZpvU
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