New & Improved md-315

[eastman_315]

98826

My new MD-315 with Grover tuners, Eastman cast tailpiece, C.A. armrest & Levy strap.

I'm happy. :)

Frank

[Randi Gormley]

Classy.

[Charles E.]

Did it come that way or did you add on the upgrades? Ie the tailpiece and tuners.

[eastman_315]

Hi Charley,

I added the upgrades. I know there are folks here who think I probably should have just moved up the chain to, say, the md-515, instead of doing the upgrades on the md-315, but I was able to do my entire "beginner's package" [md-315, hard case, tuners, tailpiece, armrest, nice Hercules stand, $35 (yikes! :-) Wegen pick assortment, strap & 3 packs of D'Addario strings] for less than the $1K it costs. (I would have done the "slight blem" md-515 for $800 @ the Mando Store in a heartbeat instead, if it had been available, though.) Had I gone for the md-515 instead, I'd still have needed (wanted) most of the stuff anyway to get started from scratch & that would have pushed my budget well beyond the $1K limit I had set.

That said, it sounds great! It was a great bang-for-the-buck mando without upgrades & now I see it as just a great mando, period!

Take care,

Frank

[eastman_315]

> Classy.

Thanks Randi,

Gotta love those "entry-level" Eastmans!

Frank

[tablaninja]

That looks great. I'm on board with these upgrades as well. I found an MD-305 on my local Craigslist last week for $300. The tailpiece cover is missing but the instrument itself is mint. I just ordered the same tailpiece you have there and was contemplating the Grover tuners as well cause it does seem to have a little trouble staying in tune, although it may just be the strings breaking in. I can't believe how good this thing sounds! and loud too. It's so fun to play (never had a radiused fret board) I've already put a semi-gloss finish on the neck cause I can't put it down.

Question. How did you remove the endpin to change out the tailpiece?

[eastman_315]

Question. How did you remove the endpin to change out the tailpiece?

Well, lets just say the endpin will never be quite the same. :-)

I had to twist it with pliers. I had wrapped it up pretty good with a cleaning rag but I did take off some of the end that keeps the strap on before it finally released. I'm not sure but I think it had been glued in. It is still serviceable but I'm sure I'll replace it soon. If one of my old guitar endpins doesn't work I'm sure I can find a replacement.

The Eastman tailpiece is not an exact replacement so be prepared to drill a couple of new screw holes.

Good luck,

Frank

[Charles E.]

Frank, thanks for the reply. I have a 315 and I upgraded to an Allen tailpiece and a Webber Trad. bridge. I am getting a bit tired of the tuners so will likely upgrade to Schaller or Grovers soon. I destroyed the end button on mine getting it out but fitting a new one was no problem. I really like the tone of this little beast.

[shortymack]

Nice Frank! I concur, the 315 is a great lil mando regardless of the price and especially with the upgrades (most impotantly the tuners IMO). How do you like the armrest?

[eastman_315]

Charley,

I've been a Grover fan for a long time, especially since its a Cleveland-based company. :-) The OEM tuners seemed to work OK but the Grovers are really smooth! Here's a picture of them side-by-side I took during the install:

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Here's a shot with both sides done:

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I think they're pretty, too!

Frank

[eastman_315]

How do you like the armrest?

I've been using John Pierce armrests on my guitars for quite a while so I thought I might as well try it on the mando. So far I think it does keep my arm off the top & maybe puts my hand at a little better position over the strings. I'm still just getting started, though, so I really can't say whether its a help or not with playing.

I do think the tuners are well worth it, even on a brand-new instrument. I also consider myself fortunate, though, to be able to afford this mando as my personal "entry-level" instrument. That said, a smooth set of tuners really does add to my enjoying the experience of picking up my mando, tuning it up, & playing, even in my super-beginner's way.

Frank

[Charles E.]

Frank, I think the Grover tuners actually fit the peghead better then the production ones. Thanks for the pic's.

[eastman_315]

Frank, I think the Grover tuners actually fit the peghead better then the production ones.

I agree Charley. The OEM tuners seem to run off the bottom. They didn't actually but they were close.

FYI - The holes between the shafts lined up pretty good but both top & bottom holes had to be plugged & re-drilled. Pretty easy to do, though.

Take care,

Frank

[eastman_315]

Thought I might as well post pictures of the tailpiece swap I made to my new md-315 to finish off this thread.

Here's the original tailpiece:

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Here's the Eastman tailpiece I added:

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There you have it! My first mandolin:

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Frank

[Charles E.]

I posted this a while back, but here is my 315 with the upgrades I did. I added an Ebony infill to the Allen tailpiece.

[eastman_315]

Charley,

I really like the Allen tailpieces! That's really cool with the insert!

What armrest do you have? I'm thinking I might move mine a little further away from the tailpiece. My arm seems to hit the body a little higher than I thought.

Frank

[Charles E.]

Thanks Frank, I made the armrest my self.

[eastman_315]

Wow! Nice job on the armrest! Did you buy the parts to attach it to the mando? I can't see how it is held on.

Frank

[lsu_gunny]

How difficult was it to replace the tailpiece on the MD 315? Also, where did you purchase the replacement tailpiece from?

Thanks,
Roby


98826

My new MD-315 with Grover tuners, Eastman cast tailpiece, C.A. armrest & Levy strap.

I'm happy. :)

Frank