Eastman Guitars AR803CE

AR803CE-16D. Carved spruce top maple back and sides made with venetian cutaway. Body is a comfortable 16" lower bout and approx 2 3/4" thick. Twin set Kent Armstrong pickups with 3 way switch and dual volume and tone controls. The hardware seems solid (Gotoh tuners) and it stays in tune very nicely with only minor adjustments needed when it goes out a bit. Classic Antique finish that allows the flamed maple to shine. The supplied case is a worry point and I tend to agree with other reviews...if it goes on the road you'll need a different case. Its fine back and forth to a gig, lessons school etc but I tend to worry about it so will likely change it out.

This is where this guitar really shines. I was looking for that warm wes-tone that my ES-135 or strat just couldnt quite deliver. I have been playing blues and funk for 10 years, but recently burnt out and needed a change and started studying jazz. The neck pickup delivers thick round tone and the solid wood (no plywood here) reacts nicely to changes in dynamics. The bridge pickup is thin and begs for a bit...and a mean a very little bit...of overdrive when tunes take a bluesier turn. Its a jazz box so it can be a bit limiting with tonal range and volumes, but this little guitar does exactly what I want it to do....THICK WARM WES-TONE AND MY BANK ROLL IS INTACT!!

Fit and finish are better than I expected. I played everything prior to buying this (Gibson, Martin, D'Angelico, Epi Elitist, Heritage) and the fit and finish rival all others. I really was looking at the sunburst but the Antique finish is awesome and allows all the character of the wood to come thru...the gold hardware and ebony appointments set it off nicely. There is a small defect in the binding on the lower bout and headstock but I really had to go over it with a finetooth comb to notice it. The back is bookmatched and nicely flamed.

Frets are all polished and leveled perfectly and J Hale did a great job putting the action on the deck without buzzing or rattling. The guitar really plays effortlessly and looks great

Its a carved solid wood hollowbody...its a bit fragile and needs to be treated as such. I have no doubt it will withstand live performances but with any nice intrument you have to take care of it. I dont thrash around stage, lean it against tables, chairs or amps and always mind the bass players headstock :) Keep it around your neck, on a stand or in a case and I think it will be fine. The finish is purposely thin to allow the tonewoods to do what they do...vibrate.

I have never gigged without a backup but that doesnt say anything regarding my Eastman.

I bought this thru J Hale and they did a fantastic job!! They asked all the right questions before setting it up and it played great right out of the case. Since J Hale is in Wisconsin and I'm in Texas I was a bit worried, but have very good luthier in town if problems arise.

I havent had to deal with Eastman directly and dont see why I would have to.

I wanted a full hollowbody to start my jazz journey with and couldnt be happier with my choice. I was willing to spend much more to get a guitar that's "just right" and thought I wanted another gibson. I kept going back and playing an ES-175 time and time again but it just couldnt reel me in. It was nice but the laminate body wasnt as "snappy"...the fit and finish was dissapointing and it was $2000 MORE than the Eastman. If you want a gibson...get a Heritage.

The neck is a departure from my 135 but I adapted rather quickly and now it feels fast and comfortable in my hand. The absence of fretboard markers took a day to get used to but really adds to the clean lines and classic look of the guitar. I would definately replace it something happened to it.

This is a 15" solid carved archtop with a built in neck humbucker. The pickup is a Kent Armstrong import. There is a lot of ebony on the guitar... nice looking. The tuners are Gotoh, and are nicer than the Jinho Grover copies. The case is a neat idea, and very light, but it is bad. It can't protect the instrument any better than a padded gigbag. The guitar is good. The wood is very good. The spruce is fantastic, the maple is very nicely flamed, and the ebony is nicely striped... and dark. The quality of build is very good, also.

The sound is very good. I like the tone of set in pickups much better than floaters. I feel like I have more control over the instrument. The sound is a little on the dark side, which is odd because the 15" size normally adds to the upper partials. I play totally fingerstyle with skin, so I have to be careful about the muddiness. The natural tone is a very vibrant dark tone. You hear resonation in the pitch... bass notes, too. The honest tone of the guitar, for me, is superior to that of my old L5 Wes and Buscarino solid body jazz guitar. I don't think I like this Kent Armstrong pickup, though. I think I am in a constant battle with it to bring more tone to the low and low mid range. I don't have much luck with the tone knob. I have been using a tube mic pre into an Ultrasound 50 watt acoustic amp. It sound good... very good, but this guitar could sound a lot better. Considering what I paid for it, I have no problem putting in another pickup. I think I will grab a Bartolini 55. This pickup isn't horrible, but it isn't good. Anyway, thie guitar is profoundly good. I picked it because it sounded better than any competition within $3000, and had the potential to compete with guitars pushing five figures. This thing cost me $1300, used but perfect... amazing. I'll go 10 for potential... at any price.

I bought this from Maple St. here in Atlanta, and they did just fantastic with the setup. I have no idea how the factory setup was, but it was two wheel turns away from perfection for me. There are no build flaws I can see. This is rare with a totally hand made instrument. The neck and frets are all happening. Infact, somebody properly adjusted all 12 of the pole pieces on the pickup. That really saved me time and trouble.

The guitar has been doing very well. I do three solo jazz (Joe Pass style) and teach 70 students every week. I also practice about 3-4 hours a day. This guitar keeps up fine. I am careful with it, but it cost $1300. Is there a better guitar out there to really USE? I bring along my G&L Bluesboy Semihollow no f-hole as a backup, I like to get paid.

I had a great experience at Maple St. Guitars, and fully intend to buy again from them. I don't have any contact with Easman directly.

I have been playing since I was 4, and now I'm 27. I am a full-time pro. This is the most valualbe, to me, instrument I own. It will be with me forever, I suppose. I am going to get a better pickup though. I feel like most people don't dig the imported Kents. I also need a new case. This thing is terrible. If it was stolen or something, I would get another, but I'd need to play it first. I just can't believe I got this for $1300. I was ready to spend $5000 for the right box. Now, I have more money. For those who are curious, I was considering the top laminates by Sadowsky, Buscarino, Benedetto, Moll, and Unger/Martin. I was also looking at the Heritage Sweet 16, L-4 with maple, a couple 1960's 175's, and the new D'Aquisto boxes. This guitar sounded and felt better, and it had far more potential. I can put $200 into a pickup and $200 into a case and be at $1700. I recomend it, if quality and sound mean more to you than where it was made.

Made in China .Carved spruce top,maple sides,back, neck w/ebony board

I use a fender hot rod deluxe amp and a roland cube 60 for jazz. The guitar sounded good once I did some adjusting of the pickup pole pieces.

Where do I start.... I bought this from J hale who sets up guitars before they go out.
They did install my favorite strings on the guitar. The action was adjusted well but there was a fair amount of buzzing when digging in just a little harder on frets 7-12 . Also there is not alot of fret hieght to get more than one fret dress.The fingerboard is said to have a 12" radius. To me it felt as if I were playing a strat with a stock 10" radius.I prefer a flatter finger board.The nut was way high on the low e string and didn't follow the radius of the fingerboard. The tone pot was not working. Worst of all to me is the neck was pencle thin.I like necks that are chunkier like 50's gibsons.This neck was like a toy.

I sent this guitar right back. I'll see how I'm treated and post an update.

I've been playing guitar for 40 years.Iv'e been playing for a living for 25 years. I have owned
hundreds of guitars in my life but currently have about 12 for all styles. As far as playing jazz I'm playing an epiphone joe pass model with upgraded tuners,pickups and bridge. I also play a Grestch g3161. I was looking for an upgrade to my joe pass some what more of a real carved archtop. This model eastman did not do it for me . I might try one of the more expensive models.

Single Venetian cutaway 15" carved arch top 2 3/4" deep, single set Kent Armstrong pickup, ebony bridge, ebony covered brass tailpiece, made in China, Gotoh tuners. Spruce top, flamed maple back and sides.

If you've got the chops, sound like Wes, Benson, Kessel, Pass...or some inner spirit of your own. Has what a traditional and modern jazz player needs. I've got a Roland cube 60 and it sounds perfect. The only limitations are the 5 fingers on my left hand.
Still experimenting with strings; 50-11 with a plain 18 Gibson vintage reissue set now. Will try DR pure blues and PRS 52-12 in that order. It's a jazz guitar; uptown blues ala Burrell.

Purchased from Guitars 'n Jazz in Summit NJ, Lou will take as much time as you need to get it right for you. A jazz guitar gentleman, patient and knowledgeable. Adjusted action, changed strings and allowed a 20 minute jam session and 1 hour "try time"

Only 1 month experience; hand carved archtop, not an oar or broom. Needs a certain degree of care, but seems gig-ready.

Guitars 'n Jazz is my contact and I know from my purchase experience I'm covered in the event of trouble. No factory dealings required at this time.

At this price I can't imagine a better deal. People used to say the Japanese couldn't build guitars, then George Benson showed up playing one. He still does. So the Chinese are also showing they have world-class builders. I wish I could afford a Gibson L-5 but...can'ttify a second mortgage or home equity loan to buy Gibson.