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Hey everyone,
Forgive any typing mistakes - I’m writing this on my phone. I was just curious if anyone has shared this experience...
Five years ago I purchased a used T386 from a shop in Minnesota. I’m a professional jazz guitarist and music teacher in Nashville, TN, so I bought it sight unseen and had it shipped. I fell in love with the thing and eventually bought a new T486 from a local dealer three years later, thinking that I needed a backup and that the 486 should be even cooler.
Present day, two years later still, I still gig (and practice, and teach) with the 386 constantly. The 486, while prettier, is not nearly as acoustically vibrant, or warm through an amp - once again, I’m coming from a pretty “jazz” esthetic.
I’m just wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience with these two models. Of course, the 386 has been played much more than the 486, and they are at least five years apart in production date, but it still continues to amaze me that the new, more expensive one is just ok to me, while the older, less expensive one is amazing (outside of the cheap tuners?.) I know the Pu’s are different, but is there another design difference that I may be missing?
Thanks in advance,
Adam
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Hey, Adam! Welcome to the EGF. I'm not the expert in this area, so I'm sure others will chime in. But generally speaking, I thought the T386 vs. T486 differed in pickups and aesthetics, but body materials were the same. One has flame laminate, but they're both still the same materials.
Acoustically, the differences would likely be how they were built. Even though they used the same materials, wood is organic and reacts differently on different instruments, especially ones that are hand-crafted. For differences plugged in, it could be the instrument, or it could be the different pickups.
And sometimes the sound simply defies the price point. And those are usually the keepers.
"It's only castles burning." -- Neil Young
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Hi Adam,
Your observations echo mine.
I played a 386 before I bought my 486, and I liked the 386 quite a bit, enough so that I bought the 486 over the web "assuming" it would be "better" across the board.
When I got the 486, even though it's a "better" git with upgraded woods and pups, it was lacking something mostly because I felt the SD "jazz" neck pup Eastman picked for it (IMO) was a bad choice. Playability on the 486 is excellent but it still missed something the "jazz" pup wouldn't deliver, because it's pretty bright sounding. The 59 in the bridge position is a good choice, Eastman would have done better installing two 59's.
At any rate, I think the neck pup and the different FB material are the biggest contributor to the different sound of the two so I replaced the A5 magnet in the neck pup (as recommended on the SD users site) and it made enough of a difference to make it much more playable.
You may want to try replacing the magnet on the neck pup.
PS to PV, earlier 386's had a rosewood FB, current models have Ebony. I'll bet Adam's is rosewood.
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Regards,
Gary
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Adam
It could very well not be a 486, 386 difference. A different 386 may not give you the tone your current one does.
Glad you found a guitar you really like.
Pura Vida likes this post
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Nothing to add, as I am not familiar with either guitar.  But, I happened to search your name on YouTube. You're an excellent guitarist! Hope to hear/see more of your stuff in the future!
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Hey everyone, thank you for the insights. I figured that there was no single explanation but wanted to put it out to the experts just in case someone had an insight.
Gary, I definitely think that the SD pickup isn’t really to my liking, but the acoustic difference between the guitars is so significant that it think it may affect the plugged-in sound as well. Also, the board is rosewood, which may be part of it.
And thank you Wildfield! I still perform a bunch, but with a couple of small kids and a decent teaching gig, I keep it pretty local nowadays I’ll hopefully have a record to show off in the next year or so (just have to write a bit more first...)
Best!
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David
I looked ya up also. Wow! Yur way outta my league.
This is an Eastman site, but I noticed you playing jazz on a Tele.
I love that. I think my Tele with the Lollar Charlie Christian pickup I put in the neck position might be my sweetest sounding guitar.
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I really appreciate this post. I was trying to find a 486 , everyone I found left handed was sold . A 386 at a great price popped up and I got it . Of course I second-guessed myself. Good to hear of your experience.
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Zeiss, I thought just like you that the 486 would be the one I'd want (never having played or heard one, of course), and I'm a lefty too. Earlier this year, I happened to stumble on to a new 386 at a local store while I was there one Saturday for a blues workshop. The store let me play it for the workshop. I liked it so much, I traded my LP Studio for it. A lot of folks on the forums dismiss the pickups in the 386, but I think they sound great.
Enjoy!
-John
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John you know I was thinking about what I didn't like about the stock pups in the 386 ? Well it's not that there bad , but I think they flavor the natural sound of the guitar too much. I don't know if that makes sense . The other thing is the 386 with the phat cat in the neck sounds so much different then the carvin 550 with same . Stock the 386 sounds like alot of guitars I've owned with the pickup change I'm hoping it has more of its own voice and hopefully inspires me along with the it .
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