The Loar LM-400 vs Eastman 305/505. Anyone tried them both?

[qendl]

Looking at getting a The Loar LM 400 or Eastman 305 or 505. Has anyone had experience with both? Read some posts from a few years back saying that a few folks who had tried or owned both brands felt like the Eastmans were nicer instruments overall (though with less volume than The Loars). Also read tons of posts raving about the 400, so I'm not sure. I've listened to what I could find online but unfortunately I couldn't find any good recordings of the 400, and only a couple professionally recorded demos of the 305. 305 sounds nicer in what I've found, but recording quality is everything so it's hard to really know.

Didn't see any existing threads comparing these two. Figure quality may change over time also, so just looking for some input. Thanks everyone.

[qendl]

Should add - I also read three different reports of caving tops on the 400. Wouldn't want that happening. Not sure if it was a quality issue that may have been resolved at this point though.

[Folkmusician.com]

Of the handful of warranty claims I have had with The Loar (thousands sold), I believe two were LM-400 with tops that were carved too thin. Both were from the early productions made somewhere around 2011.

[Charles E.]

Eastman all the way. Never played a The Loar I liked but have played many Eastman that I did.

[Eric Platt]

Not directly applicable - I have a The Loar LM-220. And I've tried out a number of Eastman 305 and 505 models. They are all good. I like the neck on the Eastman, but like the larger frets on The Loar. The Loar has better tuners than the 305. Off all the three, I prefer the matte finish of the 305. While probably not thinner, looks like it is.

Don't think you'd go wrong with any of them.

[George Henry]

I've owned both and like different things about both. The tone of the LM-400 is about as good as any of that maker. I played a MD-305 the other day which was just great. What I don't like about the LM-400 is the dipped looking finish. I used light strings out of concern for the unbraced top, but it sounded great anyway. I've experienced more issues with Eastman truss rods and delicate finishes.

I used to be a set up tech for TML (the Loar) and did sets ups and repair for an Eastman dealer.

[Bill Kammerzell]

Owned the 305 and a Loar 600. I got a great buy on both and I was satisfied with both.

[EricLopez]

I haven't been able to try a 505, but I have tried a 305 and an LM-400. It's hard to speak definitively from trying only one of each, but I thought the Eastman had a little more volume than the Loar, although the Loar still sounded really great for the price. I think the differences in tone between the two are small enough that other factors may become more relevant (price, finish, etc).