How do the Eastman Oval Holes compare to the F hoe Mandos?

[soliver]

I've been working toward saving for my # 2 which I want to be an oval hole. I'm very drawn to the pancake A/N mandos and have been saving towards a Crystal Forest, but I'm curious about Eastman's range of Oval holes... I really want my # 2 to be something that sounds different from what I already have, but there is something appealing to me about the Eastmans... I currently play an MD305, and I don't want to get something that sounds too similar.

Also I'm just legitimately curious.... how does the sound of the Eastman Oval Hole mandos compare to their F hole instruments

Thoughts?

[Sterling]

I have an Eastman 615 and a f hole Eastman mandocello. I really wanted to like the oval hole Eastmans. They didn't project to my ear when playing. Might be a matter of taste. Crystal Forrest Mandolins are very nice, different. I have #20 and I haven't quite dialed it in yet intonation-wise. Not worried, just need more time to get acquainted.

[Eric L]

I have played 2 Eastman f hole and one Eastman oval. The oval sounded really weak in comparison. The 2 Fs sounded more like a really good oval to be with more of a round sound rather than bark.

[Caleb]

I know you're asking about Eastman, but if I were in the oval market, I'd not forget to take a look at Mid Mo/ Big Muddy.

https://youtu.be/4EKFWjSU-wc

[colorado_al]

I'm not sure what your budget is, but one of the best Army/Navy style mandolins that I've played recently was a Sawchyn BeaverTail.
https://sawchyn.com/index.php/mandol...-tail-mandolin
$1000 Canadian.

Redline Traveler is also superb!
http://cumberlandacoustic.com/produc...-traveler-112/
Also $950

A flat-top oval is going to have a very different sound than a carved one.

You could pick up a Morris A4 carved top for the same money:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/113042#113042

You can sometimes come across an Eastman MD-304 used for $300-$350, or a MD-504 for around $500 used. I also like them. They will usually have a more bass heavy sound than the MD-305 or MD-505 that I have played.

Edit-
Oh yeah! Found your next mandolin!
Not sure how far Tucker, GA is from you, but this 1993 Flatiron 1N for $400 is a good deal for a great flat-top!
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/m...240413204.html

Elderly has a 1994 1N for sale at $700.
https://www.elderly.com/instruments/...on-1n-1994.htm

[indexless]

I hadd a 514 that I wish I had back and I just played an 814 at McCabes in Santa Monica that I wish I had not played, it was really really really good

[F-2 Dave]

F hoe? (snicker)

[soliver]

F hoe? (snicker)

Oh boy

[Mike Snyder]

The oval-hole instruments will not be in your ear as much as f-hole instruments. Even the good ones. You'll need to have someone play it at you from some distance. That, more than the real or perceived lesser volume of an oval, is what makes them appear to disappear in session. Quite often, with a quality mandolin, you may feel that you've been swallowed up when in reality you are well in the mix with the other players. Fs and ovals are quite the different critters, with different dispersal patterns of sound waves. Eastman makes some fine instruments, perhaps a bit hit-and-miss. Find a good one and Have fun.

[MikeZito]

On page two of this forum, there is a review of an oval hole Kentucky KM-272 - you might want to consider one of those as well.

[Capt. E]

Personally I like the Kentucky ovals better. The 272 is nice.

[Br1ck]

A Flatiron 1N is sweet.

[soliver]

Thanks everyone for the replies... to answer a few questions and thoughts that have arisen:

I did give serious consideration to a Big Muddy/ Mid Mo'... but I honestly really dislike their look.

I have played a KM 272 and actually REALLY liked it. It was actually the impetus for my desire for an oval hole. I know it is a great instrument, but at the end of the day, the radiused board hooked me and I bought my current Eastman. But now that I've placed it for a good while, I want to add that tonal quality to my arsenal whilst keeping up the preferences which I have developed.

I have done a fair amount of research on the available Pancakes mandolins and am very familiar with all of the builders who make and sell them. Sawchyn, Poe, Flatiron, Crystal Forest and a few others... what I read about this breed has me REALLY wanting one and I have been seriously tempted by that CL Flatiron in Tucker, the price is great, buuuuut I am really trying to hold out for something a little "fancier"... plus my preference is a radiused fretboard... I have been back and forth with that and might be willing to sacrifice for a flat board if another Flatiron 3M comes up at the right price. There was one identical to the one in the classifieds on the local CL, but it was out of my current available price range.... saving as I can towards "THE #2"

My leanings are still towards Crystal Forest due to the customizabilty for a very affordable price, but with my extremely limited discretionary spending, raising the funds is slow moving (every Armrest sold inches me a little closer). So with impatience being an ever present symptom of MAS, I find myself constantly loooooooking and wondering if I'm passing up something great for my druthers.

[Caleb]

Thanks everyone for the replies... to answer a few questions and thoughts that have arisen:

I did give serious consideration to a Big Muddy/ Mid Mo'... but I honestly really dislike their look.

Ah, different stokes etc. It's the look of them that appeals to me a lot. They look like something a Hobbit of the Shire would play. Very minimalistic etc. Those diamond inlays on the Eastman oval models would be a deal-breaker for me. All different strokes. Plenty of room for everyone though.

[colorado_al]

I have bought several mandolins that have has flat fingerboards thinking that I would get used to it. I still haven't and those mandolins were sold or traded. I think you should go for a used Eastman MD-404 if you're looking for a radiused board and carved oval hole. Pick one of these up for $450 (or maybe make them an offer for $400)
https://reverb.com/item/6113659-east...-mandolin-mint
https://reverb.com/item/6113701-east...-mandolin-mint

That is a good price on one. They have solid carved spruce tops and solid mahogany back and sides.
It will be very different sounding than your Eastman MD-305, but will have the same easy playability that you're used to.

PS-One of my mandolin teachers plays an Eastman MD-504 and has Thomastik-Infeld Mandolin Flat wound (heavy) strings on it. That thing sounds awesome and is a joy to play. Those strings are pricey though. You might try D'addario flatwound strings on it to get an additional change in tone. I really like them on all of my mandolin family instruments

[Trav'linmando]

Soliver, I have a 404 that I just love. Vastly different sound compared to the 305 or 815 that I own. Yet it still has that (for me at least) comfortable Eastman neck. Plus I really appreciate the different look to the 404.

[soliver]

Thanks for the input... I am a little hesitant though if for no other reason other that wanting to get fancy... Custom built just seems so cool and its not devastatingly far away from affordability. For all intents and purposes, I very well could afford the 404 now, but I hesitate for the above reason plus wanting to go a more different route with #2... is that crazy?

Can anyone tell me how a Pancake style mando compares to the like of a 404?

[colorado_al]

I think you'll get a fuller sound out of a carved top vs a flat top. But I have both and like them both. The flat tops that I have played can be very loud, but the lack the depth and nuance of a good carved top. I have relegated my flat tops to mostly travel mandolins, and will routinely play the carved top instruments more.
Here's a good review of the Redline traveler series:



In this clip from Steve Perry at Gianna, you'll hear more of the low end that a carved top oval can give

[colorado_al]

Here are some more on the Eastman oval

[colorado_al]

If you're looking to spend up to $1000 you could buy a Morris A4. Hand built in OR.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/113042#113042


Radiused cocobolo fretboard. They are great mandolins.

[Johnny60]

Hey Al, that's a nice sounding A4! Even on my crappy iPad speakers I can tell that there's a lot of tone and depth.

[colorado_al]

Hey Al, that's a nice sounding A4! Even on my crappy iPad speakers I can tell that there's a lot of tone and depth.

Those aren't any of my instruments. Just some samples I found on youtube. The Morris A4 and A5 are some nice mandolins for not a lot of money.

[soliver]

Thanks Al, I actually watched all of those videos right after posting that, except for the Morris one that is... while I think the Eastmans all sound ok, I was more pleased with what I heard of the Travelers. Also, here's one of a Crystal Forest that sounds really good to me:



I'd love to hear from someone who's actually played both a carved top oval (i.e. Eastman or Kentucky) as well as a flat top to hear their impressions. But I am thinking the answer to my initial question is to continue to save for a pancake because the feedback I am hearing is not great about the Eastman Ovals (still LOVE my 305 though). There's a couple of Travelers on reverb I'm watching or I'm another 1/3 of the way towards a Crystal Forest.

[colorado_al]

If you're set on an Army/Navy, I'd at least go play that Flatiron 1N to see how they sound in person

[JeffD]

I think you'll get a fuller sound out of a carved top vs a flat top. But I have both and like them both. The flat tops that I have played can be very loud, but the lack the depth and nuance of a good carved top.

I know what you mean, but I am not sure. If one is after that iconic bluegrassy tone, then yes, the flat top typically does not deliver. But a flatty can have a wonderful rich tone of its own.

I love my Weber Aspen II, which has a beautiful ring-a-bell tone to it, and sustain for weeks. Its distinctly not bluegrassy, and distinctly not Gibsonnish, but it is a wonderful sound, that works well in every other type of music. There is a clean crispness to the tone. My Big Muddy M11 has a really nice mahogany warmth to the sound, and a non-muddy brightness I love.

And they are free of the weight of knee jerk bluegrass association. Don't misunderstand, I love bluegrass. But when you are not playing bluegrass or related styles, then its nice not to sound like it.