Eastwood Guitars Mandocaster

Sunburst, t-style bound solid body, two strat type pickups, fat neck. Looks fantastic. Uses electric guitar strings, which could be annoying (ie having to continually buy singles with gauges 10 and 34).

I was looking for a more convenient way to swap between electric guitar and mando onstage. The mandocaster is definitely convenient, and fast to soundcheck because it goes through the guitar amp, but its sound is very bright and much less woody than an acoustic mando. I have found tone settings that make the best of it, but am still not 100% convinced it's a good onstage replacement for the acoustic. I leave the pickup selector switch in the middle position because I think it sounds best, but also because it cancels hum, which can be bad when using either pickup individually.

The setup when the mandocaster arrived (direct from Eastwood) was terrible. I was shocked, because I read that they usually take care to do a good setup. The nut was ridiculously high, and the intonation was excruciating. I had a guitar tech do a bunch of work and it plays well now. Eastwood apologized for the bad setup and offered me a future discount on something. The instrument's build quality was otherwise excellent. I didn't particularly like the location of the pickup selector switch as my hand bumps it all the time, so I have bent it away from my hand, at a sharp angle. When I next change strings I might take it out altogether, or replace it with a mini toggle switch located out of the way between the volume and tone knobs.

Seems very durable and reliable.

Eastwood is very friendly and responsive. Shipping was free.

One thing that might be an excellent addition is a bridge piezo pickup to mix in for a more woody sound. I will probably add one of these myself, to try it out.

Great finish, made in China, two passive pickups.

Good work in details. For this price!

Good sound in high frequencis, have also a EPI Mandobird wich has another sound. Again for this price - good sound!

Well setup, didnt have to do anything. With my Mandobird I had to do some adjustments.

It has a trussrod.

Deleivery time was very short!

I have been playing for 30 years, my first intrument is fiddle.

Playing music is a hobby, check out

http://www.laggards.se/

and you will get the idea of the level I play.

The mandocaster with a different sound compared to my Mandobird will be a good complement when playing mando.

Killer finish! I still can???t get over how cool it looks. It was heavier then I anticipated (in a good way). Neck is solid and smooth. Once I lowered the bridge it became very easy to play and it stays in tune, no worries. Best feature of all, IT???S LEFT HANDED!!

I plugged it into my PODxt and some altec lancing computer speakers. Dialed in a twin reveb with a simple delay and a little compression and WOW!! Total magic! All three pickup setting sound great. The neck position is my favorite. Sustain for miles! Surprisingly quite too for single coil pickups.

I dropped the bridge as low as it could go and now it plays like a race car!

Feels as durable as any tele I???ve ever played. Grovers keep it perfectly in tune.

I???ve emailed Eastwood several times over the last couple of years and they???ve always responded quickly. When they came out with the Mandocaster a while back I emailed and asked if they where going to make some lefties. They said ???not yet??? and I assumed that would be the end of it. Hurray! They heard our voices and responded in kind!

I???ve played a wide variety of stringed interments for over 25 years. The quest to find quality, unique and affordable left handed instruments has been a burden and a blessing. I truly appreciate all of the efforts the guys at Eastwood guitars have put into both resurrecting so many great instruments and giving we lefties such a big piece of the action. Thank you Eastwood, I can???t wait to see what you come up with next!

Finish: Sunburst
Neck: Maple, Bolt-on
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Pickups: Single Coils 2 - don't know what kind
Switching: 3-Way, No in-between
Controls: Volume and Tone Controls
Bridge: Tele-Style bridge
Hardware: Chrome
Needs: Not sure it needs much more
Made: Sticker says China, but I don't believe it, its too good!

Unplugged it sounds like a thin sounding mando, but thin only because this is a solid body electric. Plugged in its got lots of versatility. You won't find the traditional woody tones nor will you feel the vibrations like you do on a traditional hollow bodied mando, but you can get a very nice mandolin sound by tweaking the amp controls and maybe adding a touch of chorus. You can also rock your face off with AC/DC crunch if you want by being a little creative with effects pedals (even cleans up when you back off the volume!). Lots of creative opportunity here with the two single coils and the 3-way. The Mandocaster has a big time fun vibe.

I couldn't believe the heft of this baby when I pulled it out of the delivery box. It is beefy, yet its still a mandolin. Amazingly, out of the box it was in tune. It only needed a little nut adjustment with superglue to eliminate a very slight buzz. The finish is flawless. The bolt-on neck fits snugly, the pickguard is neatly cut and lays perfectly flat on the body of the mando. The single coils were appropriately leveled. The pots are smooth and solid. The 3-way swith is solid with little or no play. Playing action is smooth if a bit low for my tastes. Hardware is functional and not a visual distraction. I still sit here looking at it trying to find issue and I can't.

Well a week really isn't enough time to evaluate is durability, but I can tell you that the heft of the instrument and the quality of the mechanicals would lead me to believe this baby could take some abuse. I would have no problem with this instument sans backup.

Easy to order. Was initially out of stock. Customer service email me to estimate delivery time, then when shipment came in they emailed me to let me know it was process and what day I could expect delivery. They beat their estimate by a day! Couldn't have been easier.

I love the vibe of this Mandocaster. Its meant to put fun over seriousness, however. This baby plays really nice and has a nice array of useable tones. It still cracks me up play some crunchy, overdriven, chords. I wouldn't play this in a bluegrass band, but alongside some country and/or rock, this could be a very hip way to bring something new to some songs. Look, everytime I pick this thing up I start smiling - this is just fun to play!

Very nice appearance. Good fit and finish! Binding and finish are all first-rate for the price.

I really hated the sound of this thing. The output from the neck pickup was about half what my Epiphone Mandobird put out. The bridge pickup seemed pretty useless and with both pickups together the sound was very weak. I emailed Eastman and they said "raise the pickups" ... that didn't help much. I had a cheap Fender A-style mandolin with one pickup near the neck that sounded much much better.

Setup was ok ... Neck was awful, like the fat end of a pool cue! Way too deep and U-shaped.

I traded it after 2 gigs (one before adjusting the pickups and one after)

Eastwood just told me to adjust the pickups! I can't believe that no one else had this problem !

I've played electric mandolin on stage for nearly 30 years. I've owned and played several cheap electric mandolins and a couple of expensive ones. This one is very nice looking, however they missed the boat on two crucial things: Neck and pickups. The neck is ridiculously fat and clunky and the pickups are weak. I really don't think double unison courses do well on a magnetic pickup instrument. The sound of an 8-string mandolin is from the sound of two slightly out of tune strings and the natural 'chorus' effect created by the strings and the body.

Looks like a shrunk, sunburnt Telecaster.
2 pickups
3-way switch
Made in China, as I understand
What can I say? It has all the necessary features.

Generally, when I use a mandolin, I play in more traditional styles, but the Mandocaster is great or playing mandolin with louder bands and doing other, more beat-driven styles.
It has a very versatile sound, depending on which pickup configuration you use and where you pick. Also, I tend to run it through effects.
You can even get some synth.like stuff out of it by using a fuzz and a pitch shifter.
Love it all around. I haven't been able to get a straight up, full-bodied, acoustic mando sound out of it, but then I haven't really tried all that hard.

It may need some adjustment soon. Cheaper instruments always do. Not owrth complaining about...

It has done very well so far. Most of the parts feel pretty solid. I'm not worried about it...

Haven't had problems, but did order it to Finland from Canada. Communication and other considerations from Eastwod have been top-notch.

If I lost it, I would definitely replace it.
Can't compare with anything, bcause I've never delat with an instrument like this before. I bought it because miced acoustic mandolins in a band where you've got electric bass, MPC, horns, guitars, drums, etc. is a pain. This little freak of an instrument solved all those problems.

Colours: Antique Sunburst, Black
Body: Solid Alder
Neck: Maple, Bolt-on
Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers
Scale Length: 14"
Width at Nut: 1 3/16"
Pickups: Two Single Coil pickups
Switching: 3-Way
Controls: Volume, Tone
Bridge: Fully adjustable Tele-Style bridge
Hardware: Gotoh Nickel/Chrome
Strings: #10-#34
Case: extra
Unique Features: Intonatable bridge saddle, solid body electric

This is an 8 string electric mandolin that looks like a mini tele.

This instrument sounds great! Very versatile for all different styles of playing. Plugged into my studio through my Great River preamp, and a Urei 1176 it is truly stunning to record!!! Amazing. It also sounds tremendous through everything from a little Fender Pro Junior through a Roland JC120. Just plug it in an play your stuff.

The finish is outstanding, really first rate. I have the sunburst model. In some of the pictures online it looks like a 2 color sunburst, and a bit dreary. That's just the fault of the photo. It is actually a 3 color burst that will make your eyes jump out of their sockets. It is so beautiful, and with the white binding, it looks like the little brother to my vintage Fender Esquire Custom.

I have never bought a new instrument that right out of the box was set up as well as this. (And before I started doing sessions and producing records I was a guitar tech for Mick Jagger, Nile Rodgers, Todd Rundgren and many others!) I am an expert at setting up an instrument and there was not a thing for me to adjust or even slightly tweak on this one. That is amazing.

I have not used this axe live yet but plan to be playing it up at some of Levon Helm's rambles soon and I will let y'all know after I do that. But from what I can see in the week I've been recording with it, I do not forsee any problems whatsoever. This is a very well made mandolin.
Telecasters can withstand lots of punishment, This one is a scaled down version, with the same solid feel.

I called the company a couple of times and they immediately answered the phone, knew what they were talking about, and were very helpful and nice. They return emails promptly. No problems there.

i have over 30 years of professional experience. Producer / engineer / session player / songwriter. I am very picky with my instruments. This one passes the test as well as any. It is the best electric mandolin out there (I have tried them all)! For the street price of $299.99 it is the bargain of the year as far as I'm concerned. I love everything about it, and above all, it just has a great vibe. You just want to play it, and it is soooo easy to play!!! If you need an instrument like this, don't even think twice - order one, it ships fast from Canada and in 3 days you will know exactly what I mean. If you don't have a professional need for an electric mandolin, but just think it's cool - you're right, it is cool. Treat yourself. You will have fun with this one.