Allow myself to introduce...myself...
My name is Dan and I'm a long time Eastman guitar owner!
My first Eastman was an AR805ce, bought used in (or around) 2005. I was amazed by this thing. It had a big, acoustic sound. I was able to use it in jazz duo and trio settings without an amp. Ultimately, I stopped doing these small duo/trio, acoustic jams and needed something that would be a better fit in a full band electrically/amplified without feeding back...and moved on from the AR805.
My second Eastman was an El Rey 2 bought new from Jeff Hale's shop in 2006. It was one of the first ones and had a very early serial number (I think it was 003 IIRC?). I actually had Otto D'Ambrosio do a setup on it because at the time he had a shop in Providence, RI which isn't far from where I live. This guitar worked very well in large jazz group settings. But then I got the urge for a wider body, little more traditional type jazz guitar and moved on from the El Rey 2.
My third Eastman, of which I still have, was an AR403 bought in late 2012 from Bernunzio music shop. This guitar has been a jazz workhorse for me and has seen alot of gigs. I love the size...it's thin enough to be comfortable yet has enough depth to give a full hollow body jazz guitar type tone from Grant Green to Peter Bernstein. I'm playing less straight ahead jazz these days, but I still have the AR403 as my jazz axe.
My fourth Eastman, of which I still have, was an T386 bought in 2014 from Bernunzio music shop. I love this ting and it has been a workhorse for me in my funk, non-straight ahead jazz, and rock bands and gigs. I had no real problem with it stock, yet gear GAS made me replace all the electronics and I went with Gibson 57 Classic pickups. The guitar is fantastic and one of my favorite I've ever had. These days, I'm wondering if there's an Eastman that might be a step up from my T386 though. Like the T59, T186, etc.
My name is Dan and I'm a long time Eastman guitar owner!
My first Eastman was an AR805ce, bought used in (or around) 2005. I was amazed by this thing. It had a big, acoustic sound. I was able to use it in jazz duo and trio settings without an amp. Ultimately, I stopped doing these small duo/trio, acoustic jams and needed something that would be a better fit in a full band electrically/amplified without feeding back...and moved on from the AR805.
My second Eastman was an El Rey 2 bought new from Jeff Hale's shop in 2006. It was one of the first ones and had a very early serial number (I think it was 003 IIRC?). I actually had Otto D'Ambrosio do a setup on it because at the time he had a shop in Providence, RI which isn't far from where I live. This guitar worked very well in large jazz group settings. But then I got the urge for a wider body, little more traditional type jazz guitar and moved on from the El Rey 2.
My third Eastman, of which I still have, was an AR403 bought in late 2012 from Bernunzio music shop. This guitar has been a jazz workhorse for me and has seen alot of gigs. I love the size...it's thin enough to be comfortable yet has enough depth to give a full hollow body jazz guitar type tone from Grant Green to Peter Bernstein. I'm playing less straight ahead jazz these days, but I still have the AR403 as my jazz axe.
My fourth Eastman, of which I still have, was an T386 bought in 2014 from Bernunzio music shop. I love this ting and it has been a workhorse for me in my funk, non-straight ahead jazz, and rock bands and gigs. I had no real problem with it stock, yet gear GAS made me replace all the electronics and I went with Gibson 57 Classic pickups. The guitar is fantastic and one of my favorite I've ever had. These days, I'm wondering if there's an Eastman that might be a step up from my T386 though. Like the T59, T186, etc.
