The link sounds great and the AR88 looks a beauty! I was very interested in your comments because you sound similar to me in your requirements. There's a 610 available over here that is totally acoustic in the old Gibson style - I imagine that may mean the unplugged sound is good, but although the electric sound is less important to me, it would be a shame to lose it - Thanks for your post. The electric tone sounds very good (on videos), but there's not a lot out there of the unplugged sound. The 805ce is a model I'm seriously considering. It seems they can be a bit 'hit and miss' for sound quality too - some come out really good for the money, great even, others less so. My main concern is that there seems to be a lot of negative comments about their build quality online. I've heard of the Loars but not seen one, they are only available mail order over here. I'm not necessarily after the Gibson sound, but I referred to that as it's a benchmark everyone knows.

Your remarks were very - Thanks for your comments and links. Not having seen any Eastman instruments in person, this is one of my main concerns as not all instruments from China are of the best quality, but the better ones have improved so much in recent years they deserve consideration. Thank you for the replies - Thanks for your comments on build quality. I hope you get the chance to play one eventually. Loars were mentioned in that thread, which focused on guitars for rhythm playing like the Gibson L-5. If Gibson is the sound you are looking for you might be better off looking at Loars. Hopefully others with lots of experience with archtops will give you their opinions because I was told over on the AGF that Eastmans are built more along the line of a Benedetto (a more refined sound) and not old Gibsons. Rich Severson has some nice demos of the 880 model: IMG_0233.jpg You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.Р”Р‡rets are slightly taller and much wider than the standard Martin frets. I almost always play without picks of any kind and very little nail and I still find the Eastman to be quite playable. Most of my acoustic guitars have had 2-1/4' to 2-3/8' string spacing at the saddle and I prefer the wider, but the 880 is OK especially when using a pick. Here's a thread on the 805 from way back: The Kent Armstrong humbucking pickup is mounted to the top - not floating like on most of their deeper bodied, all solid wood archtops like the 805ce as played by Richard Thompson. I find it bright and clear with a touch of natural reverb, but without much sustain played without amplification. Despite that lack of depth I like the acoustic sound. Measures only 2-3/4' deep all away around the perimeter. The 880 (and the mahogany based 680) have 1-3/4' nut width and 2-5/32' string spacing at the bridge, which seems to be standard on a lot of guitars in the Eastman line.

The neck and the action were perfect as received. The only reasons I could find that this guitar was considered 'B' stock is that the nicely flamed back is not book matched and the finish around the F-holes was put on kind of thick and looks a little like drops of maple syrup in spots. The 880 has solid maple back, sides, and neck with a spruce top. I own a 2016 Eastman 880ce John Pisano model 'B' stock, which is the only archtop I have any experience with aside from an old Vega I helped repair for a friend of mine. Well, there's none anywhere close to me, and getting to anywhere distant is still a problem for me as I'm in one of the Covid 'at risk' categories which are still effectively locked down here. You're probably asking yourself why I don't just go and try one.

I believe it's narrower than the old D28 standard of 2 1/8. Also, as a fingerpicker, I'm slightly worried about the narrow string spacing at the bridge. However, I'm wary of buying anything on the strength of a video, so have any members any hands one experience of them? How do they compare tonally with traditional brands? What's the build quality like? although a fraction of the price of a Gibson they're still expensive for a Chinese made guitar.Р”Р„ couple of things to add - I'm principally interested in the acoustic sound, though plugged in opinions are also solicited.

But Eastman seem to keep showing up online and they don't seem to sound too bad on youtube. I've long wanted a decent archtop but prices of US archtops this side of the pond make them out of the question.

Eastman guitar reviews archtop