How to inspect a used Eastman?

[Perpetual Student]

Hello everyone. I'm very new to mandolin and have been playing around on a used Rogue RM100A that I picked up off Kijiji for $40 Cdn. I'm enjoying it, and looking around a bit more I recently saw another posting for an Eastman and I'm wondering if it would be considered a good enough deal for me to try to pick it up.

I think it's being advertised by a pawn shop, so definitely not my preferred source for an instrument, but I can see in from the pictures that the headstock says Eastman, it's an A-style and it has f-holes. I'm assuming it's probably an MD 305. The price of these new appears to start at $629 Cdn, and this one is being advertised for $400 Cdn. (Being in Canada, it's harder for me to look at purchasing off the classifieds here.)

What do you guys think? Would that be considered a good deal for a used Eastman MD 305? If I make it to the store before it's been sold, I know enough to check over the body for cracks, and sight down the neck to make sure it's not bowed or twisted or anything.

Anything else I should check? I assume action would be adjustable, so I'm less concerned about that then the things that can't be adjusted. Do I need to worry about it being a fake or anything? Are there fake Eastmans?

I hadn't been planning to upgrade yet, but I could swing this price if it's something that seems worth snatching up. If this is considered high for a used instrument, or something that would be considered common/easy to find again in the future than I'll probably wait a bit longer. I'm definitely experiencing a bit of "fear of missing out".

I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks.

[OneChordTrick]

Assuming the condition is OK I'd say that the price sounds reasonable for a second hand instrument.

I'd do the checks that suggest and then play it up and down the neck. Check for buzzing strings etc.. If the action is OK check that hasn't been raised or lowered to one extreme or teh other to make it playable.

I wouldn't worry about it being a fake, the Eastmans (Eastmen?) are nice instruments but probably ubiquitous enough not make it worth the effort of faking one.

[Bob Buckingham]

Play it. Does it sound good? Does it look good? Are there any cracks or other damage that might come back as a cost to you later on? If you like it and it speaks to you get it, otherwise searching for instruments is like fishing. You got to cut them loose and throw some back. In other words, don't settle.

[colorado_al]

I'm a fan of the Eastman md305. One of the best mandolins for less than $800. 400CAD is a great price. I'd pick it up

[bigskygirl]

I'd give it a look over for any major issues with the neck. Things like tuners, bridge, even a crack can be fixed or just lived with. I wouldn't concern yourself with it being a fake, the price is good and you'll have it a long time. I got my MD315 years ago new for $400 and I could probably sell it for that now so go for it and enjoy. Have fun!

[Northwest Steve]

Along with the above mentioned check the frets. If the frets are worn and need dressed you should take that in consideration in the price (it is a pawn shop after all so start low). If the frets are worn to a point they need replaced or at least a partial refret then I would pass. If it needs nothing more than a minor setup it is a fair price. Be advised that newer Eastman and Kentucky mandolins are in general better, so if you are looking at something from 2005 I might look from something newer?

[Br1ck]

This is akin to buying a used car when you are not a mechanic, so does it look well cared for, with only play wear and minor dings, or does it look twice its age?

Many of us have a fairly advanced knowledge of mandolin geometry, but many newbies will need to trust the overall appearance. Plan on a setup regardless, and don't pay guitar shop prices from a pawn shop.

[belbein]

Get a dental inspection mirror and a small flashlight and check every square micrometer of the interior. Check all of the braces for cracks. Check the inside of the top for any damage. Hold it up so you can site down the fretboard and make sure it's straight on the x axis. But like OneChordTrick says: check it up and down the neck. Play every string from fret 0 to fret 18 and make sure every one plays clean. If they don't, you may have a problem.

[Bill Cameron]

It’s an Eastman so the build quality is good. It’s a 305 so it’s not that old. (The 300 line was started about 2011, at least that’s when they showed up in Canada).

The only thing that’s a possible deterrent is the condition of the frets. If it’s been played a lot for several years there may be notable fret wear to the point where a fret job is required for basic playability. So check for grooves in the lower position frets. Mine were worn right out after eight years of hard playing on a 505, so I had a partial refret (1st 12 frets) at a cost of over $200 Cdn. Within a year there were wear grooves showing on the new frets. Eastman uses narrow frets (on all of their mandos I think) and that is my only complaint with them.

That is a decent price but it’s not a screaming bargain. It’s about what they went for new when they were introduced—about $50 more in fact. So you should check for fret wear (a little is to be expected unless it’s lived in a closet) and other playing wear, and haggle it down to three something. It’s a pawnshop, they expect that.

That is a good find, generally, in Canada. Most of the mandos in pawnshops and small non-acoustic-specialty music stores are named after states (I don’t mean Kentucky) and any playable Eastman is a far better pick.

[gtani7]

I've owned a couple and played many (like dozens, i tried about 6 at Wintergrass last week) On reverb, you can use the filters on left to choose sellers willing to ship to Canada, which there aren't many of in U.S. They mostly seem to be in border states, you could also look at Kentucky and The Loar that could be shipped to you

All above info is good, like dental mirror and fret wear, oftentimes you'll have to bring your own strings to test play w/decent strings, which will make it brighter than its normally very bright sound. Eastman's serial number should tell you year of production (1st 2 digits).

[Perpetual Student]

I want to thank everyone for your feedback so far. It's some very helpful and reassuring advice.

Shortly after I posted here I ended up sick for a week and then out of town for a week, so I haven't had a chance to go check out the mandolin yet, but I hoping to try to get there this weekend. I'm hoping it's still there.

[Bill Cameron]

Perpetual, if you’re interested, PM me with your approximate location for more Canada-specific suggestions, our purchasing/tryout environment is much different than that of our American friends.

Bill
Ontario/Cape Breton mando guy

[Perpetual Student]

Update:

So the mandolin ended up having already been sold at the pawn shop, but that's worked out in my favour I think. I took another look around and found someone selling an Eastman MD305 in the Facebook marketplace for $325 with a hard case instead of the standard Eastman gig bag. The instrument is about 3 hours from me, but from the pictures and sellers description it seems to be in basically mint condition. I found a friend who's travelling there this weekend and agreed to meet the seller and transport the instrument for me.

There was another 305 posted in the Facebook Marketplace for only $200! But it was 6 hours away, only has a gigbag and the seller didn't post pictures of the actual instrument, just a stock screenshot from a music store. They said it was missing on E string and had "a chip" on the front so I was a bit worried that whatever caused the chip could have caused some other less visible damage, so in the end I decided to skip that one, despite the really great price. (It would also have to have been shipped, so extra cost and damage risk.)

I know it's a risk purchasing without trying first, and obviously is kind of opposite to my original reason for posting, but I seem to have gotten infected with MAS...

I'm still hoping that the advice in this thread will be helpful to someone else in the future if they're wondering about how to purchase a used instrument.

Thanks again everyone. If all goes as planned, I'll hopefully have a 305 by Sunday evening. . .

[OneChordTrick]

Congratulations! I hope that you enjoy it

[Perpetual Student]

UPDATE:

I purchased the used Eastman MD305 from the person on Facebook Marketplace but ran into some issues with the plans I had made to have the instrument transported from the sellers city (3 hours away) to me. The mando was in the hands of a friend of mine so I knew it was safe, I just didn't actually receive it myself until this past Monday. It may have taken a while but I'm very happy with my purchase.

The mando appears to be in mint condition. I can't find a scratch or anything on it. So far there's no sign of any fret buzz or anything concerning like that either. There are some sharp fret ends that could be addressed at some point, but mostly up close to the body so i wan't be playing a lot up there anytime soon I don't think. I also think I understand some of the complaints I've heard about the tuners being stiff, but I plan to put a fresh set of flatwound string on it, so I'll put some graphite in the nut slots when I do that, to see if that helps nything.

Interestingly, when I opened the case I found the seller had left 6 finger picks inside. I know that's not unheard of, but it doesn't seem very common for mandolin.

I purchased the Eastman because I've heard almost exclusively good things about them on othis forum. I also happen to have an Eastman EU3C ukulele that I've been enjoying for about a year an a half. That didn't really play any part in the decision to buy the 305, but it's nice when things work out.

Now I have Eastman siblings.



Now the next challenge is finding a teacher. . .

[Br1ck]

First thing is to at least get Rob Meldrum's free eBook on setup, and some measuring tools. Find out for sure where you are on setup. Eastman does a pretty good job from the factory, but things can change. A few thousandths on the nut slots can make a world of difference, especially when starting out. The tuners might not be the smoothest, but they will work.

If you don't want to do the setup yourself, it's worth getting a pro involved. You overall satisfaction depends on a good setup.

[gtani7]

That's really a great deal, but don't play w/metal fingerpicks, you'll gouge the top unless your technique is better than mine. Here's how to get Rob M's book https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ums-free-ebook

I don't remember if RM's book talks about tuner bushings but that's one thing to check, that they don't allow the top of tuner posts to be pulled toward the nut unduly. So get a precision ruler, take some measurements and play alot! I also had Eastman triplets but i sold the mandolins and kept the viola