Eastman Guitars El Rey ER2

My ER2 was produced in 2007. It is the standard ER2 in the classic finish. Two Kent Armstrong pickups with tone and volume control. It has a tunamatic bridge mounted on top of a floating piece of ebony. Some of the reviews on here say that they don't come with strap buttons. Maybe they added these after initial production, 'cuz mine has them. They are conveniently placed.

The sound of this instrument is great. It has excellent tone for a great jazzy sound, but can still be dialed up if you want to get more heavy.

The guitar was received with a neck that is perfectly straight, with great low action. The neck is wide and flat and is very comfortable to play. The top is very nice quilted spruce and the back has beutiful flamed maple. The frets are tight in the neck and are the proper size.

Several of the reviews mention frets that are loose or extending past the fretboard. I'm not sure but I believe these are people that don;t understand the need to humidify a fine instrument. If the wood dries out it shrinks, which makes the frets stick out and potentially loosens them up. Just food for thought.

The finish that Eastman uses is very thin. This allows for the best tone, but obvously isn't as durable as a thick plastic finish. The construction is durable and the guitar feels solid. Unfortunatly, the finer a guitar is, often the more fragil it becomes. This is a balance that the player needs to take into account. If you plan to drop your guitar or bang it against a wall, then don't buy this instrument. If you are responsible and can accept that an instrument that is played regularly will get a few dings and scratches, than this is a great guitar for you.

Haven't dealt with them. Supposedly the regional sales manageer lives in my town so I should have great service. If anything ever goes wrong I suppose i'll find out.

I love this guitar.

Mine is stock, like others have described. I just put .11 round wounds on replacing the .12 flatwounds that were on it when I got it.

I've only had this guitar for a few days, so it's early times, but I love the sound so much I was prompted to review it. Unplugged this guitar has one of the most gorgeous, balanced sounds I've ever heard. I have an Eastman 805CE which is an archtop jazz guitar and I like the acoustic sound of this better. It's not nearly as loud, but the way the notes ring together is heavenly. The 805 will be on Ebay soon as I can't keep them both. It's a great guitar, but it feeds back too easily and I need a more versatile instrument.

Plugged in, I just love the tone. I've run this through a Musicman Sixty Five, Fender Blues Jr. and Fractal Audio Axe-Fx (by a long shot the best amp modeler plus FX box on earth). It sounds fantastic. Perhaps a tad thin on the high strings, but I don't mind that as it's got a luminous cutting quality to the high end.

To those who thought it overly dark, I'm not hearing it. I think it's got more brightness and shimmer than most guitars that are "jazz" oriented. For chord melody and other jazz styles, this sounds excellent. With a drive pedal I like it a lot as well. I can get some excellent blues into blues rock tones that have more dynamic responsse than usual because of the acoustic nature of the guitar.

I switched out the flat wounds (though they sounded great, too). I gave the truss rod a little tweak and that was that. The neck is wide which makes playing complex jazz chords easier. I still find it comfortable for blues/rock bending.

Playability is excellent. Fretwork is fantastic. Plays super in tune.

The wood and finish are stunning, but as noted, the finish is thin and the guitar blemishes easily. This guitar was purchased used (it's a 2007 with serial in the 400s) and there are several places where little marks can be seen. There's a little finish flaking right where the binding and body come together at the cutaway.

All that being said, I can live with the finish issues because it dropped the price well below $1000 and this guitar is a complete steal at that price for its' combination of sound and playability.

Don't know. Had pickguard issue with 805 and they paid for it getting fixed.

I just love this thing. I've had tons of guitars and gear over the last 30+ years. This is as fine an instrument as I've ever owned. I can't believe I got it for under a grand. The closest other guitar I owned was a PRS Spruce Hollowbody which was a $2000 guitar. This guitar obliterates the PRS. It is so much more acoustically alive. The PRS had an F hole and this guitar is still louder and WAY more gorgeous sounding acoustically. Electrically the PRS always sounded kind of soft and muted unless it was cranked up...to my ear darker and much less cutting than the ER2.

If Gibson or PRS made this guitar, what would it cost? $3,000-5,000?

It will feedback if too near a loud amp, but that can be an advantage if you don't play at extreme volumes. That was one of the things I liked about the PRS and this guitar is similar. I don't expect it to be an issue playing out though except as a positive.

It is early days for me with this guitar and it's possible some aspect will bother me over time and more use, but right now I am ecstatic about my purchase and excited to get to gig it for the first time in a couple of days. It was totally doing the trick at an amped up rehearsal for a blues rock band a couple of days ago.

Features are mentioned in other reviews. Mine has a 2-tone tobacco finish. I purchased it secondhand on Ebay and it did not include a case. The features are appropriate for this style of guitar...traditional and simple. Fortunately it was in near new condition. (I own 20+ guitars of varying quality so I have a good basis for comparison).

I play mostly fusion jazz or 70s rock styles through a Vox Valvetronix amp. The guitar sounds great regardless of the model I use...and that includes high gain settings...though I usually go for the Vox (medium bright) or Boutiqe Clean (darker) models. I disagree with some that say the guitar tone is not bright. It's definitely on the full-bodied jazz side with the middle or neck pickup selected but the bridge pickup can crank out some very bright tones. If you think it's too dark, try a brighter amp. I love the Armstrong pickups; hey have a sweet, complex character. The tone controls are useful throughout their range. One thing that I noticed immediately is the superb intonation and overall tuning contributes to the El Rey sounding so good...great workmanship.

Like others said, the finish will not stand up to any abuse due to being thin. The only minor flaw I could find was a 1/2" patch on the back of the neck that is slightly rough but hardly noticeable. All materials seem to be high quality. The El Rey is slightly top heavy...I don't notice it though even when playing for a long time.

Guitar seems solid. Like any semi- or hollow instrument you would be wise to be gentler with it...maybe a little more so with the El Ray due to the finish. I expect it will be reliable- it's about 2 years old and working great.

Haven't used it.

I've been playing 35 years. I'm completely happy with this guitar and find I play it more than my 6-7 other "regulars". The guy I bought it from said he hated to sell it but he was in debt...I think I got a great bargain. I would be willing to pay 30% more if I ever had to replace it.

solid wood construction, 2 armstrong pus, details can be read on the eastmanguitars homepage. mine was made in 2007, china and has the classic (violin) finish. comes with a very good case.

the guitar sounded and played well in the shop through several amps liek fender tube amps. however, I should have played it more acoustically, because playing it like that at home, I noticed a rattle, which eventually (after a 4 hour session in which the service guy from the shop tried to get rid of it and after he sent it back to the wholeseller) caused me to give it back.
the electric sound of the guitar didnt work well with my polytone amp, it was always to dark.
worse: when I tried the guitar in the shop, I was sitting, when I strapped it on at home I noticed it is extremely head-heavy.
lessons learned: listen to the acoustic voice even of an electric guitar and try it with a strap.

It was well set up, wonderful neck. I had some finish flaws, but the store gave me a discount for that.

I've been playing for 30 years. I own another eastman, a 8905 jazzbox, which is wonderful. the el rey just was not for me.

This is an update to my previous review. The manufacturer did in fact live up to their lifetime warranty and have replaced it for me. I'm deducting a point for the lag in communication. This process was also aided by the FABULOUS support and service of the folks at the 12th Fret in Toronto, Canada.

I've chosen to keep my post limited to this section as my feelings about this instrument line up with everything that others have mentioned. I purchased an El Rey from The Twelfth Fret a little under 2 years ago and have been absolutely stunned by its playability and tonal character.

However, I have experienced a SIGNIFICANT finish issue that is currently in the process of being resolved. I will post later on whether or not the warranty back up was really there.

The finish has been a complete dissappointment. I am a serious amateur, not a gigging musician (this particular instrument has been played in public only once) and this guitar has had ridiculously little use since purchase. Yet the finish is flaking off to an extreme point, a problem I have not experienced with my acoustic guitars, or my PRS. I am in no way an aggressive player when it comes to strumming or general right hand ergonomics and this instrument should not be wearing in the manner it is. Some wear or abrasion in and around the right hand area is in my opinion acceptable but the finish is literally flaking off not only around the "strum zone" but away from it as well. It is obvious that there is an issue with the finish on my guitar that is of a serious nature.

The finish on these instruments is purposely thin to allow the maximum amount of the tonal character of the guitar to come through. However, an instrument costing $1800.00 Canadian should not have a finish that literally flakes off of it.

I will give 3 points here for the action and fit which were PERFECT.

I emailed the point of sale and Eastman with regards to this issue and heard back immediately from the 12th Fret in Toronto (fabulous service there). Yet I have not heard a peep for a whole week from Eastman. I have as well sent two previous inquiries of a different nature to Eastman to which I have received no response. So in this area I cant say that the customer support rates very well. This is particularly ironic as it comes with a Life-time guarantee. I am seriously wondering how well they are going to back up their product.

This is the El Rey Jazz Deluxe, or ER2 model, from Eastman guitars. Mine has a sunburst finish with an ebony bridge and fingerboard, gold plated Kent Armstrong humbuckers, gold plated hardware, etc. It is a fully hollow archtop but without holes. The body is very small and comfortable. I chose this over a full-size archtop because I am a very small woman- 5 feet tall- and full size archtops tend to make my arm tired. It is a 2006 model, purchased from Rudy's in New York City. The features are just right- not so convoluted that I can't figure things out, but not so simple that I only have one or two tones. Overall, it is very beautiful. It is made in China, but certainly does not appear or sound like it.

I play jazz, and this guitar is perfect for that. I play through a Fender Vibrolux, and the tone is very woodsy, dark, and thick. It has a very rich, full sound. However, this guitar won't produce very bright tones, which I am fine with because I mostly play jazz with a very dark tone, Pat Martino style. The top string tends to sound tinny, but that just might be my strings.

The set-up was done at Rudy's, and was just right- I didn't need to adjust it when I got home. However, the toggle switch cover tends to become loose, which isn't a major problem- it's only cosmetic. The finish is the kind they use on violins and cellos, etc., so it is VERY thin and delicate. After about a month, my guitar was covered with dents and pick marks, plus chips. The wood is very delicate as well- I bought this guitar in November and by March the neck had a major crack in it which will cost over 250 dollars to fix. Now the strings won't stay in tune. The bridge pickup's gold plating has oxidized quite a bit as well. This is a guitar to be played, not babied, because it sounds and feels great, but after a while it will look very worn. No matter how much you baby it, this guitar will show cracks, chips, dents, and the like VERY quickly. Even in the store, it had an "orange peel" spot near the strings, and a mark in the finish which showed the part where two wood pieces had been glued together...

As mentioned above, the finish and overall "looks" of the guitar won't withstand live playing that well. I have a weekly gig, and the guitar has sounded fine, but really it doesn't look the same anymore. This isn't a very long-lasting guitar, but for the price (1800 dollars), it sounds beautiful. Most jazz boxes are 4000 and up. It did not have strap buttons when I first purchased it, so Rudy's had to attach some for me, and they've been great and durable. I have been using the guitar without a backup, and feel that it is pretty dependable, except that I don't know when the neck will snap off completely.

This has a lifetime warranty, but it doesn't cover "stress-related" damage like my neck fracture. Rudy's in NYC is notorious for being snobby and unfriendly, and they certainly are that, even if you are a customer. But they sell world-class guitars and the repair team is top-notch. I have never dealt with Eastman itself, but I have heard that the man who owns it is very courteous.

I have been playing for about 2-3 years- I am in high school and preparing for conservatory. I have quite a bit of performance experience, however, due to my weekly gig at a jazz club plus other gigs, so I think I'm a decent judge of this guitar. I own a Fender acoustic, a USA Fender Stratocaster, and an Ibanez Artcore, but I never play those anymore because this guitar is so much better. It is a good price range for a student like me (1800 dollars), who is still learning but has some professional experience and aspirations. If it were stolen, however, I think I would get a more expensive guitar, probably a Sadowsky archtop, or maybe an Ovation electric acoustic, which sound great for jazz. I love the El Rey's sound, but hate its fragility. If I could change anything about this guitar, it would be a more durable finish and a stronger neck.

See other reviews. The only feature I found missing was a 24-fret neck, which may be limiting for some although it's not an issue for me. I love the dual pickups which give me the versatility I need. You can get a surprising variety of sounds using the selector switch and tone controls to dial in various sounds.

I spent months looking for guitars from several guitar stores and never found the Jazz sound I was looking for until I went to Blue Note guitars in Berkeley and spent about 2 1/2 hours playing every suitable guitar they had there with the owner. This guitar is richer sounding than the semi-hollow Gibson ES-335 yet slightly less "Acoustic" sounding than the Eastman Joe Pisano, and quite a bit less acoustic-ey than the floating pickup AR805 or Heritage guitars I tried. I also like playing some clean chorus effects with the guitar, and it resonates clearly and really brings out the individual tones. I have had to dial the bass adjustment way down on my amp to avoid overdriving it.

The action was set up low and is very suitable for me. The neck is wider than a Heritage or Gibson, which I found is too narrow for my fingers at the nut. The minute I picked this guitar up it fit in my hands perfectly and it's not a struggle to find the finger positions. The guitar is amazingly light and you can carry it around for hours without getting tired or cramped. As others have mentioned there are small imperfections in parts of the finish due to the hand-made nature of the guitar, but they are not visible to casual inspection and you will only find them by feel. All pots are noise-free and nothing rattles. Having tried so many other guitars I feel like this one and the Joe Pisano were the best quality instruments, so a 10 is justified here.

Like others have mentioned, I feel like it would scratch easily, although that hasn't happened yet. The hardware looks bullet-proof. I would use it on a gig, but I wouldn't leave it sitting around for someone to casually knock over for fear of scratching. These are fairly inexpensive, but I would hate to damage such a beautiful instrument even though it is easily replaced. If there is any sanity to vintage guitar pricing, these should be worth something in the future, so take care of them.

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I've been playing since I was a kid, but very casually until now. I'm taking a variety of lessons recently, and play with a drummer once in a while. If it was stolen or lost I would definitely get another one. I love the sound and versatility, but I wish it would hang level from the strap when it is around my neck. It is neck-heavy due to the lightweight body. My favorite feature is the dual-humbucking pickups. I compared it to every other carved-top jazz guitar I could find including Gibson, Heritage, Epiphone, Ibanez, Guild, and other Eastman models. I chose this one due to the incredible sound and fit (neck and light weight). I can't think of anything I wish it had. This is a steal of a deal.

Nitro finish ( very light, and easily scratched ), les paul style body but wider, wooden bridge w/gold style tuneomatic, gotoh (grover style )tuners,1&3/4" width, 25" scale med/thin elliptacle ( feels even no taper), carved spruce top,flamed maple 3 piece neck as well as back and sides, 22 frets med/jumbo? 2 Kent Armstrong 12 pole piece p/ups, 3 way switch, comination metal tailpiece w/ ebony cover.

This guitar sounds wonderful, archtop sounds to semi hollow but more lows and highs. Can get pretty loud w/ a band before feedback when using overdrive sounds. I emailed Otto D`Ambrosio ( designer ) and he informed that the El Ray 3 w stop tailpiece and maple top resolves that issue.

Aside from the finish scatching easily as on all Eastmans, it`s well built and beautiful, especially the classic finish. It easily as nice as any custom shop Gibson, ( I have 2 of those instruments, Pat Martino, Johnny A.) It came set up perfectly aside from swittching strings to 12-52 guage. Only deducting a point for scratching so easily.

Didn`t come w/ strap buttons, but that was easily fixed

This is where this company shines. Being small and new, they have really good customer support. They fixed my other eastman ( John Pisano) for me after it developed a crack in the top w/ out any ?`s and fairly quickly.

I doubt you will find any instrument on the market this good for these prices. There are some great guitars out there now, especially some of the smaller builders, but you definetly pay for it. So this is a great alternative for players that don`t have the $.

I actually have an El Ray 1 with a single pickup and an ebony jazz tailpiece. My guitar has a violin cremona colored finish. The body is mahogany and I can see the grain right through the finish. The top is carved spruce and it has a very classy but subdued color to it. It has a gold tunematic bridge on a ebony base. The fingerboard is real nice smooth ebony. The inlays on the neck are unique and possibly pearl. It has a different shaped headstock which is wood bound like the body is. The logo is aged pearl, Eastman and the designers signature, Otto Ambrosio. It is very art deco in shape and is so classy looking. It has the usual Grover gold keys. This guitar is hand carved and is actually hollow with no F-holes so it is very resonatant light and balanced. It has no pick guard but I play without a pickguard. The single pickup is Kent Armstrong with double pole pieces. All woods on this guitar are solid. Made in good old China where this company is known to make violins and cellos. It came in a gray violin shaped case.

It has a very warm acoustic jazz tone to it. Maybe because of the Kent Armstrong pickup, the humbucking does not sound dark, muddy like Gibson. It totally has a different tone to it. It is very refreshing to here a different tone. I play light jazz and pop tunes and Hawaiian style music with a George Benson kick to it. I play mostly straight into a Mackie board but have an Evans or Centaur which the guitar sounds equally good. The action on this guitar is excellent. It's low but the tension feels right. It has a 25" scale like PRS. It has a very nice shaped neck. I can get jazz and rock tones with a slight acoustic tone. It only has one volume and tone but it works for me. I use no effects or pedals. I just use a coiled cord, pick and my fingers for my tone. Old school they say.

Looks like a very expensive custom shaped guitar. I did have a John Pisano but this guitar is more versatile and can play in different venues. It is smaller in shape and very light. Easy to play while sitting if you use a strap. I think the body is about 2 inches deep, 15" across. I just like the different shape of this guitar. Looks a little like the Klein guitar shape of the past. People always ask me what kind of guitar it is. The guitar stays in tune for days on end. Action is perfect and the sound is acoustic but electric jazz and very resonant.

I just play this guitar on the gigs since I bought it. It is supposed to be an advanced edition NAMM guitar so it has no serial number. This guitar has excellent tone and takes the jazz guitar to another level. Not very expensive and it comes with a very nice case. It's light and comfortably shaped. The top is spruce so some care has to be taken. The tension on the strings is good for me, 25" scale.

I've had no reason to contact the builder. I bought it from Ed Romans and he was very helpful and polite.

I've been playing for 45 years and have owned every guitar you can think of. This guitar is different with excellent tone and playability. I like the distinct shape and lightest of this guitar. I can play it quietly in my living room and enjoy it's vibe. It's not expensive and the workmanship is top notch, guys. It's classy and art deco.