New member--also, Eastman 305 vs 515

[Mark Miller]

Hey folks, I just joined, this is my first post. I started learning mandolin about 9 months ago--picked it up as a secondary instrument to my Martin OM-21, thought I'd just monkey around on it for a few minutes every once in a while....but it has taken over my life. Now I only use the Martin for old-time country blues fingerpicking--any time I feel bluegrassy or Django-y or anything else that I would do with a pick, I reach for the mando, and it's the guitar that I only visit every once in a while.

Anyhoo, my mando is an Eastman 305. I chose it over the Kentuckys in the same price range because it had a woodier tone. The only downside I have found is that it's hard to get a full sound out of the E string, especially as I go up the neck. I figure it's partly due to the instrument and party due to my as-yet undeveloped technique. Last week when I was in the music store where I have bought all my instruments (Different Strummer, here in Chicago at the Old Town School of Folk Music) I tried out an Eastman 515. Wow! It was smoother, easier to play all over, and I had no problem at all getting the volume and sound I wanted out of the E string. In fact it was louder and clearer, period. So I bought it.

Then I took it home....and yes, it was more playable and louder than the 305, and had a nice sweet tone to it. But the 305 was still woodier, more "hollow" sounding, in short more Monroe-sounding. I had promised my wife I would sell the 305 to help finance the 515, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The tone of the 305 just had more character than the 515, which head-to-head now sounded bright and clear but a bit bland. So I returned it, a bit reluctantly, but I don't have the cash (or the skills, yet) to justify two mandolins.

All this by way of introducing myself to you folks, but also to solicit any other experiences along these lines, as well as advice: do you think if I got the setup tweaked on the 305 it would help with the E string, or is it just the limitation of an inexpensive instrument? The action seems set at a reasonable height, as well as being even across the strings, which is about all I can tell about the setup.

[choctaw61]

Welcome to the cafe Mark.(Mas) is brutal.as folks around here will tell u. Kinda like the old Lay's chips comercials.U can't have just one!

[allenhopkins]

You're finding what many of us took a long time to learn: every instrument is a bit different, even two of the same make and model. Plus, there are the variables of string composition and gauge, set-up, playing technique. One MD-305 may have a first string that rings like a bell, another may sound more muted. One may be throaty and woody, one more balanced and rounded, one with a cutting clear treble.

Consensus here seems to be that the Eastman "300" series mandolins are a good value for the price, and, in some cases, superior in sound to the higher models. But it varies, instrument to instrument. Definitely you can experiment with set-up, perhaps put a heavier gauge "E" string set on, and check to see if the sound improves as your technique develops.

Just doing some guesstimation, it may be that the same qualities you like in the 305, the "woodier character" that you prefer, speak to a bassier emphasis that makes the treble strings seem less "clear." But there are loads of experiments you can try before conceding that you need a different mandolin to get more treble.

In the end you may buy a different mandolin (many of us do) that is more like what you want to hear. Betcha it'll cost you more...

[MikeEdgerton]

Sometimes it's as simple as changing the string gauge. What strings are you playing?

[multidon]

You have been playing the 305 for nine months. The 515 is brand new. You need to play it in. I know people argue about that here but many swear an instrument improves the more you play it. It's so new it still thinks it's a tree.

[colorado_al]

You might try going to the Daddario EJ75 strings. A lot of folks use them to accentuate the high end.
I think the satin finish on the MD305 contributes to the wood sound, but also the A vs F shapes do have different sounds. I think the additional solid wood of the F style scroll and points, and the way they attach to the top cause the top to be tighter and produce more response in the high end.

[Mark Miller]

Thanks folks. I use EJ 74's. Also the 515 was used, so I'm not sure about the new vs broken in issue. The satin finish on the 305 may have something to do with it. Maybe I'll try a thicker E set and see what that does.

[darrylicshon]

When you try out other mandolins it is best to have your mandolin with you, that way you can tell if it is better or not , every room changes the sound some.

[Caleb]

Lots of folks (myself included) have put Cumberland Acoustics bridges on our Eastmans. It took the overall sound of my 505 to another level. (Eastman mandolins do vary a lot; my own sounds more contemporary than what you describe yours as.) The bridge and a pro install ran me just over $100 combined.

I only suggest this to people who actually love their instrument and plan on keeping it though. Since you already like yours, and just want to improve its tone/sound, I'd say go for it. If you were doing the upgrade in hopes that it would cure the want for another mandolin, I would advise against it. All the CA bridge-equipped mandolins in the Classifieds over the years prove this point.

[MikeEdgerton]

...also the A vs F shapes do have different sounds...

I think there are a whole lot of people that will argue that isn't true.

[roysboy]

Your experience with Eastmans are exactly like mine . My 305 was woodier , fuller and more responsive than any 500 series F or A style I've played. I also struggled with a very thin sounding E string . A heavier gauge string will help with that . The 305 and 315 are in many opinions the fullest warmest Eastmans .

[Bill Kammerzell]

I owned an Eastman 305. Big price jump to a 515. I was going to get a 315 until I got a real bargain on a Loar LM 600. That woody hollow sound must come from that satin finish on the 305. Doesn't the 315 have the same finish? I went to Daddario EJ75 strings on the Loar 600 (Nitrocellulose finish), and it's begun to sound the way I like it. Nice bark on the chops and a great tone on the solos. I sold the 305 to pay for the Loar 600.