Eastman Guitars El Rey 1

Hand carved hollow body - no sound hole, 16 frets clear, single kent armstrong pick-up, single cutaway and classic finish. One tone and one volume knob overall a fairly simple set up which is why the rating of 8. The neck is fairly fast which is a little surprising given size of the neck (1 3/4" nut width - not sure of the radius.

Nice dark woody tones and sounds great strung with 12's. Has great string to string defintion but that took some adjusting of the pick up height. Not going to get a lot of broad ranging tones like you would with a dual pick-up configuration, but you can dial a number of very sweet tones from dark to fairly mid rangey and cutting depending upon your amp and effects. Electronics are very quiet. This is a jazz box all the way

The factory set up was ok but I suspect the dealer tweaked it a bit. Intonation was spot on but I did have to have the action lowered a bit. The finish is great, no drips, runs or weird bubbles or anomalies I've seen on other Eastman guitars. I believe this one has the laquer finish which is two light coats of laquer over a hand varnish. The finish is quite light and somewhat fragile so you've got to be careful if you want to keep it perfect. I generally maintain guitars pretty well and this one has taken a few finish dings but nothing that I can't live with.

After a year of playing the hardware and electronics are fine. It will definetly withstand live playing but it is a hollow body with basically a varnish finish so one needs to be careful ie; keep it in the case when you're not playing.
It's designed to be played while sitting so it did not come with strap buttons which I had installed after the fact as I sometimes like to stand.

never used them

I've been playing guitar for about 14 years and this is my first dedicated jazz guitar. My favorite aspect is the tone - nice and rich (impossible to describe tone so i won't even try) but it can be adjusted to cut if needed. Favorite feature is the 25" scale and 1 3/4" nut width. Adjustability of bridge and pick up heights is also a plus and the weight is very light which I've come to appreciate.
Everybody comments on the price point as respects Eastmans. I actually had a larger budget but this one felt and sounded right so to say it's great for the money (which is true) isn't entirely accurate - it's just a really good guitar. Are there better guitars? - probably, but this one is no slouch. Would I buy another if this one disappeared - probably, but I had to kiss a few Eastman frogs before I found one I really liked.

To review the features of this model, consult the Eastman website. Suffice to say, it is a single p/u, spruce top instrument designed and built for jazz players. The body and neck are made of mahogany and the binding is done in a lovely curly maple. The guitar does not come with strap buttons, which may reflect a real awareness of the unlimited personal preferences of real guitar lovers, or a need to keep the costs of building down so as to focus on the more important features of the instrument.

I am an older jazz guitarist who has always preferred and played full-bodied archtops, with and without solid spruce tops. This guitar appealed to me by virtue of its design and I purchased it with the condition that upon its arrival, and after I had a chance to appraise it, it met my expectations. Relative to its sound qualities, and comparing its output to such instruments as a 1950 L4C, an 1990 Guild Artist Award, etc., it produces a very fine voice, through my Polytone Mini Brute amp and my Fender 1963 Vibroverb reissue the an Alesis Nanoverb effect. The voice of the guitar itself is well balanced and can be tweaked to come through the amp as you like it. I use heavy gauge flat wounds that work just fine.

Upon receiving this guitar, I was struck by the high action that I dislike. My intention was, with the understanding of the dealer, to bring it directly to a luthier who would appraise it in terms of those many and varied things that make a guitar worthy of ownership. He (Ron Blake of Torrington, CT) has a positive impression of the Eastman guitars he has handled, and spend considerable time with this guitar. His analysis told me that the truss rod was not sufficient for the kind of adjustment I require (viz., very low action) without some reworking of the fretboard (approximately $400.). Recognizing that this guitar, for which I paid a litte over $1200., could be made a "perfect player" for a total investment of $1600., I determined to keep the instrument and, as is my passion, to customize it over time. I know this will be one of the finest players in my collection.

I use this guitar for solo, duo and ensemble settings; it's fine. My taste in jazz is straight-ahead in the style of Kenny Burrell and that generation of great players. The guitar was built in July of 2006, it is now January of 2007: who knows what slowly manifesting problems will surface? Who knows under what conditions the woods were harvested, processed, stored and assembled. Reliability is a matter of faith, unless you have intimate knowledge of all the conditions of its history. Like a child, no one knows how even those raised in the most auspicious circumstances will develop. I believe this particular guitar (serial number 191) will mature very nicely. Mr. Blake installed to appropriate strap buttons in a few minutes; they are fine.

I've played this guitar exclusively since November: it's solid as a rock.

I tried to access the Eastman company to on its website, but the connection kept failing. Is this a common reality with guitar companies? Going through the dealer (Woodbury, CT) I was provided the information about the date of manufacture.

The warranty is called a Limited Lifetime Warranty. That translates to me as caveat emptor.

Customer Support: too soon to tell.

I've been playing for over 50 years. I own some of the sweetest jazzers you can have, most of them are customized to play soft and easy. This guitar will join them without any apologies or allowences for playability and those many qualities that we want in a good, solid working tool. I would replace it if it were lost, broken or stolen, possibly with a custom make ax of the same size and design. I plan to add a fingerrest type of pickguard (keep this a secret) and will use it for most of the things I do. It is a wonderfully different instrument to add to your collection of traditional archtops. At this point, considering its cost, its quality, and the likelihood that it will maintain its integrity, it is a fine value. Ron, CT