Eastman Mandolin Tasting

[John Flynn]

I went to the Eastman mandolin tasting at Flanagan's pub in Bethesda, MD last night. I had a really good time. I got to play some great mandolins, hear some great music, meet some people whose "handles" I see on the Cafe' all the time and drink some free beer. Thanks to Gordon and company! Well done. BTW, Gordon is a fine guitar player and pretty good on the mando also. FYI, he gave a little talk on the history of the company which was very interesting. I won't repeat it all, but maybe Gordon will or maybe its on thier website. I will just sum it up by saying that Eastman is obviously not your typical PACRIM import operation.

The highlight, of course, was the mandolins. I didn't count them, but I think they had over 20 Eastman mandos there, which I think is more of a single brand than I have ever seen in one spot. Also there were two Rose mandolins there which were excellent. In addition, there were a couple Eastman guitars. I gave up trying to play everything. Two that stood out for me were a 600 series oval and an 800 series "F-5." The oval really had that "tubby" oval sound and was a lot fun to play. The F was very well balanced with good volume and a good chop. Fit, finish and set-up were perfect on every one I tried. They also have thier own solid tailpieces now, which look great and are very distinctive.

I hope the others who were there will post also.

[Jeff Hoelter]

Wish I could've made it, but the stars just didn't align...maybe next time?? #Sounds like I missed a good time...


Jeff

[John Flynn]

You may have another chance. I heard they were going to it again soon. What about it, Gordon?

[EastmanGordon]

Mando Johnny is, as always, correct.

By the way it was great to finally put a face to so many names, we had a lot of fun and played a lot of mandos. Some of the mandos that people brought with them were spectacular, my favorite being that little backpacker mando. I want that so badly.

Yes we are going to do it next month. We have a bunch of instruments arriving in the next couple of weeks that we are going to be exhibiting at the NAMM Show in Anaheim in late January and we thought it might be nice to let you all get your grubby hands on them before we take them out there. They will in fact be the state of the Eastman art so you will have a really good feel as to where we are going with this and we can also get some good feedback from you. The guys at Flanagans were really wonderful last night and they went out of their way to make us welcome and comfortable. What do you say we do it there again in January which will make it easy on me and if we do another after that we can move closer to home for some of you that travelled so far.
I will get the date to you all as soon as possible.

Thanks again to everyone that turned up, see you all next month,
Gordon

[peterleyenaar]

How about Calgary ?

[Mando Mark in Indy]

I would be happy to host a "mandotasting" at my store or even at the Brew Pub around the corner here in Indianapolis. #Great mandolins and a pint of ale....what could be better! #If you can't wait, come and see them now...I'll even buy the first pint!

Mark Kurkowski

www.franksviolins.com (http://www.franksviolins.com)

[Onesound]

I'll second the expressed opinions! A great time, beautiful mandos, lovely music, friendly faces. I was really impressed by the workmanship and finish quality of the Eastmans. Significantly surpasses all the MKs and other Pacific Rim boxes that I've seen. Tone and volume is right up there with the big buck instruments, too. BTW, Alan had a killer lefty Old Wave f hole A. Dissapointed that I didn't have a chance to see the Rose up close, but it sure sounded pretty.

Thanks Gordon for hosting the event. Hope "Closer to Home" means I won't have to drive 2 hours next time! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Cheers,
Brian

[Steve Perry]

Hmmm... How about doing one of these in Nashville right before or after NAMM?

Steve Perry

[Rob Powell]

Sorry for the delay in posting but I've been swamped...it's a sad, sad tale indeed http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

As Mando Johnny said, Gordon had trucked out a "mob of mandos." Some of them were recent (as in came out of the box that morning) and some were earlier models.

While I'm certainly no expert since I only barely know "Red Haired Boy", there were many more talented pickers there and I did get to hear them played as they should be played.

From what I could hear played and what I heard said, the consensus was that the building keeps getting better all the time. A number of people have said it before but I'll repeat it anyway...these are NOT your typical imports. In fact, I would almost hesitate to even call them imports. They were beautiful to see AND hear. They truly seem to be an outstanding value.

They are hand built and hand finished. I believe it was Gordon who said that the only power tools used were a bandsaw, a drill press and one other I foget at the moment. They are all solid woods and the wood is impressive, even in the lower end models. Given the above and that it's Eastman's shop, does this really qualify as being labelled an import? I mean, it's an American company that has it's primary shop in another country...

The guitars and mandos show attention to detail. And Gordon and Sol really showed us that they are not only listening to what we say but want as much input as we can give. They're kinda like custom builders who happen to have a lot of luthiers at their diposal. They are truly after making the best instruments they can make. I'm really looking forward to seeing the selection in January.

Now if they will only radius the fretboard and drop the fretboard extension on the A models, they'll really have something! (Sorry Gordon, couldn't resist http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif )

The other mandos there...as mentioned, Alan Burrows had his recently acquired Old Wave which was outstanding in every way...didn't get to hear it much but I know Alan was really happy!

Darby brought two Rose mando's which were also beautiful to look at and awesome to hear...one of them was just, as some ebay ads say, "a Gibson Killer." I've never heard a Loar but that Rose was what I imagine a Loar sounds like. Keep up the great work Darby!

Mando Johnny had a two point travel mando which was pretty cool...

Tim had his Gallatin which I only saw from across the room and I believe he also had a 'cello which I caught a glimpse of....

I had my Breedlove KF which I passed to a couple of real mando players to get an evaluation and it got good marks...

Ron from the Druthers (Gordon's band) was playing his KF and a zook as well. There was a Stahl that I spied and since I was looking so hard at the mando to see what it was, I never saw the owner http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

I'm sure I'm missing some here but there were so many mandos and pickers and so much beer to be consumed, you'll understand my slight memory lapse...

Can't wait for the next one....hoping to see everyone again and meet some more cafe members...

[Stephen Perry]

NAMM in Indianapolis next year, not Nashville. But a good idea.

[Lee]

Seems these Eastmans are the real deal, but y'all are being kinda tight lipped. Appears that only Onesound, Beergeek, and Mando Johnny escaped to tell the tale.
How about somemore IMHO's??

[Eric F.]

The others are still in the Eastman "secure facility" having the microchip implanted in their brains.

[ffxcowboy]

I can clearly see, missing the event was a big mistake. When & where will the next DC gathering be?
Best, Ron

[wayfaringstranger]

Okay. Someone asked for humble opinions, so here's mine:

I was there (I met one cafe-person there; beergeek, I think), but I had to leave early. I apparently missed the free beer http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif , but did get to play a few good mandos, Eastman and otherwise. :-)

Here are my thoughts, for what they're worth:

I really liked the mando-tasting concept, thought it was fun, and hope that folks try it again. I especially liked the choice of venue, as it was smoke-free and only a ten-minute walk from my place.

I do have two suggestions for next time. These might come across as complaints, but they're not meant in that spirit; it was a neat event and I hope to see more things like it.

1) Skip the formal talk / sales pitch and just let people play the instruments and ask questions as they come up. Nothing wrong with it, per se, but if people are taking the time to show up, they've probably already heard or read about the instruments and the company that makes them. I found myself getting antsy because I had to leave early and really just wanted to see how they sounded for myself.

2) Having a band there (especially an amplified one) felt really awkward. I came there to test out some mandos, and it was really hard to get a good feel for how they sounded with a plugged-in acoustic guitar drowning everything out. Maybe do the tasting first and the band second (or the other way around)? Trying to mix the two was frustrating for me as a mando taster, and I suspect it was probably weird for the band to have a bunch of people plunking about while they were trying to play. Having an acoustic jam circle or two would probably be a much more inviting and efficient way to taste the mandos.

Now, the instruments: The Eastmans I saw were nice, quite beautiful and the value is really much better than anything coming out of the Pacific Rim (except for a few builders like Sumi). I expect that they'll take a big chunk out of the low-to-medium-end market, and deservedly so. I'd be nervous if I were a company like MK. Heck, I'd be nervous if I were gibson; these instruments were a *much* better value than Gibson's low-end models.

I played a few. Liked some. Didn't like others as much. I think that the A models were probably the best value; there was a nice-sounding and wake-the-neighbors-loud oval-hole A model that I liked. I think it was between six and seven hundred bucks. Wow. That's a great value; might have to get one of those for myself someday. The F5s I played were kind of like snowflakes: no two sounded quite alike. Each had different combinations of volume, balance, tone, etc. They were all good mandos, though none of them really rang my bell. Still, they're definitely worth checking out. Especially the lower-cost models.

More than anything, I was really impressed that the Eastman folks were so responsive to feedback from customers and players -- A friend of mine talked to Saul (Sol? Sorry, don't know how to spell his name), and said that they had a whole list of things that they were tweaking or planning on tweaking based on player comments (see "radiusing fretboards and dropping fingerboard extensions" in the post above). That's smart business.

Oh, and the archtop guitars were cool. Killer chunky rhythm sound. Would have liked to have played one in a quieter room.

This is an Eastman thread, so I won't spend too much time describing the other mandos that were there, only to say that there were some good ones: I missed the Old Wave, regrettably. Got to hear a beautiful Lawrence Smart F again. And I played all three of the Roses that were there. Very nice. I really like Darby's mandolins: he's building one for me that ought to be done very soon. That new Rose he had with him is quite sweet.

Hope to make it again in January. And thanks to Gordon for organizing the event.

[Lee]

WayFair, seems like very valid comments. I would expect the Eastman's will become more consistant.
I received a sound-clip from this event. There was a hidden mike. It's mostly inaudible, though I could make out Eastman Gordon's voice, "You will like this Eastman. To resist is futile."

[wayfaringstranger]

I'm not sure that *any* maker is all that consistent, and I certainly wouldn't want to fault Eastman for not having a roomfull of mandos that sounded exactly alike. There are just too many factors that can change the sound, especially if you're not using CNC and all that fancy stuff.

I guess the moral of the story (at least for me) is that when you buy a mando (or guitar, or whatever), you're buying an individual instrument, not a model number. So it's always best to try a few until you find one that grabs you and won't let go. The Eastmans seem to me to be worth checking out if you're going through that process, especially if you're on a tight budget.

[JiminRussia]

All those folks there and nobody had a camera? WE are still witin for some photos, any photos o the oval hole F styles.Please, pretty please???

[neal]

Y'know, I'd love to see a photo of their low-end A style with an oval hole, the one for around 600 bucks. I went to the Eastman site and only the upper had photos. Are these as good as they look?

[John Flynn]

They didn't have any oval F's a the event, unfortunately. In fact, they only had one oval, which was a 600-series, orange in color. Fit and finish were excellent. I played it a fair bit and I liked it. The bass was outrageously good, very loud, boomy and "tubby." The mids were OK. The treble end sounded slightly harsh to me. However, in fairness, it was a brand new instrument played in a noisy bar with a lot of people playing mandolins all at once. I have played one just like it under more ideal conditions 10 months ago and I thought it was very well balanced. They had something like J74s on the instrument I played this week. I have mixed feelings about TI strings, but this would have been an instrument I would try them on, because thier strengths seem to fit with what this instrument needed. I was very impressed with the 800-series F5 I played the most that evening. I could find no fault with it at all.

[barricwiley]

Anyone happen to have Eastman Gordon's phone number?
Gordon?
Thanks for the help,
Richard

[ab4usa]

Eastman Strings in Clarksburg, MD 240-686-2050

[barricwiley]

ab4usa,
Thank you, very kind!
I am looking forward to the next get together hopfully in January.
I will have my compass well tuned up.
:+} Richard

[EastmanGordon]

Just had a chat with John at Pickers Supply in Fredericksburg Virginia and he asked if we could do a mandotasting at his store in February. They have a concert hall attached to the store that can seat up to 300 so there should be plenty of room. I will update you all very soon with the date and time so you can all arrange your flights etc. We will be laying on bus transportation from Dulles Airport for those that need it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

I will have the date shortly for the second dc area tasting, the mandos for NAMM arrived this morning so it's all set to go. You guys will get the first look at them.
Looking forward to seeing you all there again and meeting some new faces in F-Burg.
Gordon

[brandon]

Thanks Gordon.....for everything.

[zookplayer]

Okay. Someone asked for humble opinions, so here's mine:

I was there (I met one cafe-person there; beergeek, I think), but I had to leave early. I apparently missed the free beer http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif , but did get to play a few good mandos, Eastman and otherwise. :-)

Here are my thoughts, for what they're worth:

I really liked the mando-tasting concept, thought it was fun, and hope that folks try it again. I especially liked the choice of venue, as it was smoke-free and only a ten-minute walk from my place.

I do have two suggestions for next time. These might come across as complaints, but they're not meant in that spirit; it was a neat event and I hope to see more things like it.

1) Skip the formal talk / sales pitch and just let people play the instruments and ask questions as they come up. Nothing wrong with it, per se, but if people are taking the time to show up, they've probably already heard or read about the instruments and the company that makes them. I found myself getting antsy because I had to leave early and really just wanted to see how they sounded for myself.

2) Having a band there (especially an amplified one) felt really awkward. I came there to test out some mandos, and it was really hard to get a good feel for how they sounded with a plugged-in acoustic guitar drowning everything out. Maybe do the tasting first and the band second (or the other way around)? Trying to mix the two was frustrating for me as a mando taster, and I suspect it was probably weird for the band to have a bunch of people plunking about while they were trying to play. Having an acoustic jam circle or two would probably be a much more inviting and efficient way to taste the mandos.

Now, the instruments: The Eastmans I saw were nice, quite beautiful and the value is really much better than anything coming out of the Pacific Rim (except for a few builders like Sumi). I expect that they'll take a big chunk out of the low-to-medium-end market, and deservedly so. I'd be nervous if I were a company like MK. Heck, I'd be nervous if I were gibson; these instruments were a *much* better value than Gibson's low-end models.

I played a few. Liked some. Didn't like others as much. I think that the A models were probably the best value; there was a nice-sounding and wake-the-neighbors-loud oval-hole A model that I liked. I think it was between six and seven hundred bucks. Wow. That's a great value; might have to get one of those for myself someday. The F5s I played were kind of like snowflakes: no two sounded quite alike. Each had different combinations of volume, balance, tone, etc. They were all good mandos, though none of them really rang my bell. Still, they're definitely worth checking out. Especially the lower-cost models.

More than anything, I was really impressed that the Eastman folks were so responsive to feedback from customers and players -- A friend of mine talked to Saul (Sol? Sorry, don't know how to spell his name), and said that they had a whole list of things that they were tweaking or planning on tweaking based on player comments (see "radiusing fretboards and dropping fingerboard extensions" in the post above). That's smart business.

Oh, and the archtop guitars were cool. Killer chunky rhythm sound. Would have liked to have played one in a quieter room.

This is an Eastman thread, so I won't spend too much time describing the other mandos that were there, only to say that there were some good ones: I missed the Old Wave, regrettably. Got to hear a beautiful Lawrence Smart F again. And I played all three of the Roses that were there. Very nice. I really like Darby's mandolins: he's building one for me that ought to be done very soon. That new Rose he had with him is quite sweet.

Hope to make it again in January. And thanks to Gordon for organizing the event.
reply regarding having the amplified band there...

it was a bit awkward being in the band. especially playing mandolin with all of you all out there!! :-)

we thought it seemed like a good idea to do something like that to give the event a bit more structure and I did have a great time - especially talking to a number of you after we stopped playing - but I agree with your comment(s).

lookin' forward to the next one and NOT performing! :-)

[fatt-dad]

Please provide more information on the Fredericksburg gathering in February - fatt-dad wants to go!

f-d

[sweetmusic]

I'm sorry I missed it too...

I'd be interested in hosting one up in my neck of the woods, maybe at the Harp, an Irish pub in Amherst, MA. There's a lot of interest in the mando in the Boston area, but not much BG any more out in western MA. Since Pickin' in the Pines BG festival closed down a few years back, there hasn't been much of anything going on. Maybe some members here remember the Iron Horse in Northampton used to have a lot of good BG bands coming through I guess back in the 80s it was pretty popular. Really too bad. But I do what I can, and hosting a mandolin tasting is right up my alley http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Where do I sign?

Adam

[Rob Powell]

Hmmm... Hey Gordon...NAMM is next weekend...we gonna have a mando/beer tasting at Flanagan's this week?

Just bustin' yer chops a bit http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

--Rob