Eastman Guitars Jim Fisch AR604CE-ES

This is a 2007 Eastman Jim Fisch AR604CE-ES, made in Korea. It is a hollow body archtop electric 6 string archtop with a sunburst finish and gold hardware. This model has an oval hole instead of the usual f holes. It has a black, floating Eastman humbucker with volume and tone controls mounted under the rosewood pickguard. The body has a single rounded cutaway with a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. The finish is lacquer. The neck is solid mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. It ihas a 24 3/4" scale. The top and back are carved, not laminated. The bridge is a floating, adjustable (height only) compensated rosewood type. This is a Jazz box.
Eastman makes some very fine jazz boxes that are quite affordable (around 1200 -2700, street prices). You can buy cheaper jazz boxes, but they won't have this level of quality. I've tried them.
The most amazing accessory for any Eastman is the case. This one came with a sturdy fiberglass form fitted and well cushioned case. If you have ever seen a good Cello case, you have an idea of what this is. It is possibly the best guitar case I own.. Check out the Eastman guitar site for more info.
As for feature wars, that is not relevant with jazz boxes. Less is more. This guitar has everything a working jazz musician needs. So I'm rating it a 10.

I was looking for a good mid-range jazz box. I tried the Gibson L5, the Martin jazzbox, the D'Angelico re-issues, other Gibsons (old and new), every Eastman I could find,several Gretsches, a Hofner, and more. (Someday I may get an Eastman Pisano, but that's another story.) I've even played a wide range of hand-built jazz boxes - Commins, Hopkins, and others. I will not claim that this guitar is better than all of them. The $10,000 hand built guitars outshine everything.
But in the $1k - $4k range, the Eastman guitars beat Gibson and Martin - mostly on price, but also in sound and playability.
This one is a bit odd. Most traditional jazz players will go for tan instrument with f-holes . (Howard Roberts was an exception.) This was the case for me. But I was intrigued by this guitar when I saw it. When I played it, I had to own it.
The typical jazz box with f-holes tends to sound a bit nasal when played acoustically. They acceentuate midrange tones at the expense of the low and high end. Of course, they sound great amplified., and the better jazz boxes sound truly great.
With the oval hole, this guitar has more of a bottom end when played acoustically and is a bit more satisfying to play that way. When amplified, it also sounds great and stands up to my other traditional jazz boxes. The sound is just a bit fuller in the low end, without being boomy. It has a rich, full sound. But if you want to play real loud, this may not be the right guitar for you. It can feedback pretty quickly when facing an amp.
I love the sound of this guitar. I pulled the round wounds off of it and replaced the with half rounds. I haven't tried it with flats, but will soon and expect it to still sound great.

The fit and finish is excellent. Eastman has been building instruments for a long time and they know what they're doing. My local guitar shop does their own setups on every guitar, so I can't speak to the factory setup. The guitar plays beautifully and sounds great.It is a beautiful instrument to look at and play. I love the way that the black floating pickup visualy vanishes against the oval hole. Most people think it's just another acoustic with a funny oval hole. It can function that way, but it is also a killer jazz box.
I found no flaws. This has been the case with every Eastman I've tried in the last two years. Of course, my local shop is poicky and will send guitars back if they don't meet spec. However, they tell me that very few of these go back.

I've had this guitar about 6 months without a problem. I don't expect one - as long as it is well taken care of. This is not an instrument to bash about. If you respect it, it will last. I only rated this a 9 because I don't know what would happen if you kicked it down a flight of steps.However, it is solidly built and will withstand live playing.
I highly recommend Eastman jazz boxes to anyone looking for a good mid-range jazz box. You will not be disappointed.

I've not had to deal with Eastman and hope I never need to. They are in Korea...

I've been playing for over 40 years. Jazz is new to me, I've only been studying it a little over a year. I am still exploring the world of jazz boxes, but already have a Gibson Herb Ellis, a D'Angelico Excel EX-1, a Gretsch Electromatic, and this one. I've played a lot of others and my tastes keep shifting in this space. I still haven't gotten the requisite Polytone amp, but do have a Fender Super and a Roland Cube 60.
If this guitar were stolen or lost, I might replace it, or go for the Eastman Pisano. Either way, I hope it doesn't get stolen 'cause I like it too much. I like the sound, the look and the playability. In my stable of 45 guitars, this one is still played regularly.