Eastman MD514 vs Eastman MD614

[calvindebeverly]

Hi, hope everyone is making beautiful music out there. I am not. LOL. My Kentucky KM-805 has worn out! The frets are down to the ebony in the first position and there is a big crack (although) repaired right down the middle of the top bowing out the top like the Blue Ridge Mountains. And still it sounds awesome regardless of super annoying Buzzzzez! So I am thinking about getting an oval hole this time. When comparing the Eastman MD514 with the MD614 the only real difference (besides cosmetic) is that the top of the 614 is made from (SOLID YAY!) Adirondack Spruce while the 514 from solid Spruce. Another difference is Body Back/Sides:Solid Highly Flamed Maple on the 614 and Body Back/Sides:Solid Maple on the 514. I am figuring that the "Highly Flamed" is just cosmetic but I don't know that for sure and I never trust the word of a salesman. Hey, sorry all you salesmen and women out there but it's your job to bend reality like the warped space around a black hole. I do go on. Point being what to chose in terms of performance?

Adirondack Spruce - vs - Spruce
Highly Flamed Maple - vs - Maple

Paying a thanks ahead for any comment well appreciated.

Calvin De Beverly

[Charles E.]

It looks like there are one of each in the classifieds from the Mandolin Store......

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/125245#125245

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/125562#125562

The 614 is used and looks nice. In addition to nicer back wood it also has binding on the back. It also has a K&K pickup installed at the factory.

The 514 is new and looks nice too.
There are sound clips of both to help you decide and they are the same price. If the 614 sounds as good as the 514 I would go for the upgrade even if it is slightly used.

[rcc56]

I just looked up the 514 and 614 on Eastman's website. They list both models with solid spruce top and solid maple back and sides. The only difference that I can see between them is that the 514 has binding on the top only [although the picture shows an instrument with a bound fingerboard also], while the 614 also has binding on the back and around the peg head.

The extra binding adds $350 to the list price of the instrument.

The only mandolins in this series that are listed with Adirondack spruce and highly flamed maple are the 814 and the 814/v-BLK.

The subject of Adirondack spruce versus other varieties is a matter of frequent debate. FWIW, Lynn Dudenbostel has told me that the best spruce he currently stocks comes from eastern Europe, but he doesn't use much of it because most of his customers want Adirondack spruce instead.

The last time I saw John Arnold, he told me he had harvested a couple of Adirondack spruce trees and that they had yielded several hundred tops. When I asked him if any of it was any good, he said "Yeah, I kept about 50 tops. The rest I sold to [name of major US instrument maker deleted]."

I don't know where all of the current Adirondack spruce is coming from. Trees that are old enough and large enough to yield instrument wood are not very numerous, and many of them are inside the borders of national forest land and could only be cut by special permit.

As far as the difference in tone between plain or lightly figured maple and highly figured maple, there is not necessarily any difference. It depends on the stiffness of the individual piece of wood and how much trouble is taken to graduate it. Figured wood is prettier, though.

I had a 10 year old Eastman 505 [f-hole model] go through my hands recently. It was quite a good mandolin, certainly good enough to gig with. It was a better mandolin than many of the Gibson A-50's that I have played.

If you want an oval hole mandolin with an Adirondack top for under $1500, there are a couple of Gibson style A mandolins in the classifieds.

[Charles E.]

And of course there is always Weber.......

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/123167#123167

[Folkmusician.com]

RE: 514 vs 614

These are very close as far as actual tone. Playability is of course identical.

Pickup: Worth $150+ if you paid to have it installed.
Case: Nicer oblong case, worth at least $50 extra.
Binding
Higher Grades of Wood


I wouldn't say one is going to be a better value than the other, it just depends, if you have a use for the pickup and care about the case and cosmetic upgrades.

[allenhopkins]

In general, the main differences as you go up the Eastman line are cosmetic -- nicer woods, gold hardware, more binding, etc.

The 614 has a pickup, which is great if you need it, irrelevant if you don't. I trust Robert's summary above of the differences he's seen as a dealer.

The differences among individual instruments can well outweigh any overall differences based on construction specs. Each piece of wood differs somewhat from the next piece of wood; two instruments of the same model, made within a day or two of each other, can sound quite different. So, if you have a chance to play individual 514's and 614's, I'd pick the one that "spoke" to me regardless of model.

When I bought my Eastman mandola, I had a choice of two 615's and an 815. I picked one of the 615's because I liked the sound better. If cosmetics are important to you, the "600" series are definitely fancier. Otherwise, as my old instrument-shop boss Eldon Stutzman used to say, "If you can't tell the difference, buy the cheaper one."