Eastman Guitars 810E

I've owned the 810CE for under a year, but I've already played several jobs with it. This has 22 frets on a bound ( 5 layers) ebony board. A Kent Armstrong pickup floats over a close-grained carved spruce top. Said PU is operated by a single volume control thumb wheel, the edge of which protrudes slightly from beneath the ebony Chuck Wayne style pickgard. If you're a country boy, you have to make your peace with this arrangement. It's like turning a knob, only different. The 810 is like most 17" wide single cutaway archtops but for one singulary important feature...the archtop and carved, arched back achieve a wonderfully LOUD and resonant tone. Neck is comfortable(not too fat...not too skinny) Tuners look like Grover Imperials but say"Jinko." They work smoothly enough. Stairstep buttons are easy to grab. Finish and wood selection were fine. The woods in the 3pc maple neck don't match up all that well. Two of the pieces are flamed like mad, while the piece under the treble side is not at all. Maybe if you spring for the "professional" model( 'bout a grand more) the wood selection improves. That's what THEY say, an' I'm sure it's true. Mine has the violin finish (nice glossy reddish brown), a carved, adjustable ebony bridge, and solid flamey maple sides and back. The fiberglass case always draws a few looks and comments. The solid white one looks like a Star War movie prop with its black weatherseal strip around its side. Very modern. I'm not sure that I'd use it as a flight case, though. Included is a strap system that go with lugs provided on the case allowing one to actually wear the whole thing like a backpack, though I've not done this, yet.

What we're talking about here is the guitar's best and singularly amazing feature. I gave just under $1800.00 for this guitar, but it SOUNDS (and this is most important) as good as or BETTER than a good many professional grade guitars costing 2 or 3 times more . If this guitar said "the ever sacred and universally revered G word" on the headstock, it might, an' likely would cost several. I played a new L-7C at a guitar show recently, and the Eastman Uptown 810CE kicks its booty nine ways to Sunday. The new L-7 is $4,000.00. I love playing it unplugged. It is a jazz guitar, meant for playing the good stuff. It sounds fine plugged straight into a smallish Fender tube amp, but you could easily add a little chorus or light distortion for variety. Occasionally I hit the vibrato switch for the bridge of a tune; I set the speed on "0" and the intensity on "10." Anyway, this guitar sounds great. It's a good thing that when the company decided to enter the archtop guitar market they refrenced Bob Bennedetto's video "How to Build an Archtop Guitar."

There were a couple of small finish blems, but, hey, ask me if they matter. With tone like this you don't really mind. You also quickly get over the whole "yeah, but it's made in China" thing. It came from the factory with 13s,round wound. With a little tweaking ( 'bout a quarter turn on the truss rod, position the bridge a little for correct intonation, and a new set of Thomastik 12s) it just took off. The Kent Armstrong floater sounds warm and clear.

I've played probably 25 jobs with the "uptown". No problems. Get a cord with an elbow jack on one end. This is important. Having the jack sticking straight out is weird, dangerous, and strange looking. I'd much prefer having the jack on the side of the lower bout. I'm pretty sure this guitar will be around long after I'm gone.

It did come with a warranty. Also, the company is, I believe, supposed to send owners a new ebony and steel tailpiece to replace the somewhat cheezy (albiet totally functional) factory original. I see these advertised on EBAY, and I always suspect they came off one of these guitars. Bottom line though, they SOUND fine. I don't forsee having to exercise the warranty. I'd be afraid to ship this guitar somewhere.

I've been playing since 1960(the year I graduated from HS) If this guitar were stolen or lost, I'd probably look at their 804CE. I hear that they're even louder! This represents a chance to own a first rate, solid wood, carved archtop guitar for about a third of what you might pay. I would hate to compete head-to-head with these guys as an American builder. Our time is worth too much.

I bought the guitart in June, 2003, so I assume it is an '03 model. This guitar has a solid, carved spruce top & maple sides/back/neck. The fretboard is ebony & it has a 24 3/4" scale. The tuners & tailpiece are gold. It has a narrow (Chuck Wayne style?) pickguard & a single floating Eastman humbucker pickup with a hidden volume control. It came with roundwound strings. The finish is blonde; but, it's pretty dark. It looks good, though. The bridge is ebony. The top has f-holes and a pretty high arch.

The guitar is amazing, but the case that comes with it is odd. It came with a fiberglass case--it's the softest "hard" case I've ever seen. The case also will not stand up--you have to lean it against something or lay it flat on it's back. It's still an incredible guitar. I'll probably replace the case sometime soon.

I primarily play jazz, and some rockabilly/country. The guitar is perfect for jazz. The sound is very full, much fuller than most guitars under $10k...in fact, it's better that some of the $15k+ guitars on the market! The sound is amazing, either acoustic or electric. Depending on the strings you use, you can a range of electric sounds from a Wes-like tone (flatwound strings & using your thumb) to a bright Johnny Smith sound. My favorite sound is using roundwounds & playing acoustically. The guitar has an incredible dynamic range. It really roars if you want be heard over a large group, or you can play very softly. The sound is very balanced from the lowest note to the highest. Keep in mind, this is a new guitar, and it will probably open up even more. I did play 3 or 4 other Eastmans, too. They were all great, but the sound did vary...as did the finish color.

The guitar is easy to play. The ease of use & the rich sound make it hard to put down. The action & intonation are dead on.

The finish & detailing on my guitar was fine. It's a beautiful guitar.
I have seen some inconsistencies with the Eastmans, so be sure & look them over for minor cosmetic flaws, if you're worried about that sort of thing. They are getting better. Regardless of the cosmetics, the sound & playability have been great on all of the Eastmans I've seen. The sound will vary from guitar to guitar; but, it's always a great sound, just a little different from one to another.

It's hard to tell about the reliability, as this is a new guitar. Everything looks to be pretty solid. If anything happens, I'll re-post with an update ;-)

I didn't really deal with Eastman at all; but, if you're going to be dealing with Bill Fender at Legato Guitars, I know he's great from other past business.

I've been playing guitar for 20 years, and I've owned more guitars than I care to admit. This is probably the best buy I'd ever made on a guitar. The sound & playability are incredible. The guitar is beautiful, too. The only downside is the case, but that's easily replaced. Remember, too, these guitars are about $2k. Not that that's not a lot of money, but it's a fraction of what you'd pay for a guitar of this quality from most other manufacturers. I bought this guitar as a backup/gigging guitar to use instead of a very, very expensive archtop. I like this guitar so much that it has become my main guitar. It's great.

2001/2002 hand-carved in China at the Eastman violin factory.

Carved, solid spruce top, carved, solid maple back, solid maple sides.
One volume control under the pickguard.
Ebony fretboard, position markers only on the side.
One Kent Armstrong clone pickup.
Three piece maple neck, nice chunky neck like a Paul Reed Smith.

10 for "bang for the buck"

Not so great unplugged but nice, warm tone when plugged in.
Nice tight bass, not flabby or unfocused.

Action is fine. The two 'weaknesses' seem to be the tuners, not
the best and the metal tailpiece that adds a bit of metallic ringing to the overall tone.

Seems solid enough, it's not a fragile guitar.

Not dealt with them yet. Lifetime warrenty to original purchaser.

Price archtops. Even laminated Gibsons cost 5000. Entry level models from others *start* at 5000. Asian laminates are in the sub 2000 range. All solid carved woods for less than 1500. Awesome value.