Quality of a 2014 vs 2021 Eastman MD315

[joh]

Hi all,

Today I purchased a "new" Eastman MD315 at my local music store. I'm very happy with the tone of the instrument - as far as I can tell it was setup well. However, during checkout, the store clerk mentioned that the instrument had been in the store for a little while so he sold it to me for $700 instead of $750. I was pretty caught up in the excitement of the purchase, so I didn't think much of it at the time and appreciated the savings.

When I got home, I looked at the warranty card and realized the instrument was made in 2014! Sitting around for 7 years is quite a long time! It makes me wonder why it sat.. This is also from a year before Eastman started using the higher quality tailpieces for the 300 series, so that is at least one minus I can tell. It also has a few minor nicks, but those don't bother me too much.

I'm wondering though - how has the quality of Eastman's MD315 improved from 2014 to now? Would be I be getting an appreciably better Mandolin if I returned this one and ordered a newly made one?

Thanks for you help and advice.

[Peter Reynolds]

If you're happy with instrument you have in hand I certainly wouldn't return it on the word of some internet strangers and hope the next one you get sounds better.

I wouldn't spend any time speculating why it wasn't picked up before, you're happy with it now, and as long as it's structurally sound I would just enjoy it as a hidden gem.

[BoxCarJoe]

I just bought a "brand new" tenor guitar that says 2007 on the label.
It looks new, but 14 years in a warehouse? What?

Anyway I love it.

[maxr]

You might find that it sounds a bit better than one made a few months ago just for being 7 years old. Given that most string instruments aren't finished on the inside (I've seen Chinese made fiddles that had a sealing coat inside), those raw wood surfaces may adjust moisture level and tensions onver a period.

[Caleb]

There is surely a story there somewhere. Hard to imagine that mandolin was in that same shop for seven years. It may have been tucked away in a whse somewhere, or maybe been part of a couple different shops that went out of business. Does it have considerable wear on it for being so old? Is it shop worn at all, etc.?

EDIT: I just remembered this - when I bought my last mandolin, the paperwork was mixed up and all my documents were for another mandolin with another SN. I used to have an Eastman, though, and inside the instrument, on the label, they had a space where the year was written on there. Not sure if they are doing this anymore. Mine read "Anno 20__" with the __ filled in by hand. Does yours have this type of label?

[joh]

A quick update..

I picked up the instrument this morning and the pair of E strings had a tinny ring. I set it down, came back to ~15 minutes later and then suddenly all of the rings had the same tinny ring. Once again, I set it down for a few minutes, came back to it, and now it appears to ring much better (perhaps the E string is slightly tinny, but not as drastic as at first).. What's going on?

@maxr - experiencing how a Mandolin changes in tone over it's lifetime sounds like a good learning experience though. If I keep this instrument, I suppose only time will tell if it will still change appreciably as the wood ages.. :-)

@Caleb - there is a label on the inside of the instrument and the listed serial number matches that of the warranty card. So indeed, I believe the vintage of the instrument is 2014.

Lastly.. I chalk this up to my own inexperience, but I discovered last night (after playing to some backing tracks from Mike Marshall's online course) that the instrument was was tuned in a different key than the standard GDAE. When I tried the instrument in the store, I could tell there was a difference in tone compared to the others I also tried (an MD305 and a MD515) and I preferred the tone of this particular instrument. I didn't realize I was just hearing a difference of tuning.. Argh.

[Marcus CA]

Would be I be getting an appreciably better Mandolin if I returned this one and ordered a newly made one?

Since you basically paid the 2021 price, I wonder how the current wholesale and retail prices of the 315's compare with what they were in 2014. Even with the $50 discount, the store may have made better money than usual on that instrument.

In terms of your situation, you raise an important question, which I can't answer. I can tell you, though, that I played a bunch of Eastmans in 2007, when I was looking to upgrade from a low-level Kentucky, and was not really impressed. I ended up buying a Breedlove OF, which I liked MUCH better in side-by-side comparisons with the Eastmans around its price point. I didn't play any after that until I went to NAMM in 2013 and stopped by the Eastman booth. I liked them much better at that point. So, I can see it being possible that they have improved again since then.

If the Eastman players here consistently tell you that the mandos have improved over the past six or seven years, you might consider returning it and asking your local store to order a current MD315 for you, since you basically paid the price of a current one. However, if you're really happy with the one you have, then I'd follow max and Benny's advice and keep and enjoy it.

[Jcdraayer]

A quick update..

I picked up the instrument this morning and the pair of E strings had a tinny ring. I set it down, came back to ~15 minutes later and then suddenly all of the rings had the same tinny ring. Once again, I set it down for a few minutes, came back to it, and now it appears to ring much better (perhaps the E string is slightly tinny, but not as drastic as at first).. What's going on?

How is the humidity where you store the mandolin? It could be that dry conditions are causing the top to drop just slightly and resulting in the tinny string buzz.

Try loosening tension on all strings and raising the bridge ever so slightly, retune, and see if it helps.

If you don’t have a small case humidifier, I’d recommend picking one up for winter time

[esslewis]

Knowing nothing else — and only having a pedestrian level of expertise on mandolins and their construction — I’d return it and exchange it for a much more recent model. I’d have to think that materials and manufacturing methods have improved, generally speaking, in eight years. And eight years is not at all “a little while.” On the other hand, if you’re absolutely happy with it as is, there’s probably no reason to take it back.

[Chuck Leyda]

I can't really comment on your specific mandolin but I would say this:
If you have second thoughts about the quality of a mandolin on the day you got it, you will probably always feel that way and problems with the mando will stand out.

If you love a mando when you first get it problems and maintenance will be things you fix and you will always like the mando, even if you eventually decide to upgrade.

I would take it back.

[Bill Cameron]

It needs a setup.
You bought NOS—“new old stock” at pretty much a reasonable new price. Not sure what the 315s were priced at in 2014, but I recall when 300-series came out, a 305 was under $400 Cdn ($300US) here. One must wonder why it took 7 years to sell a popular and fairly affordable mandolin—was it really never sold, or did someone own it, never play it, and finally return it to the store? Used is used. Or was it lost in the stockroom? As you have noted, the hardware has been upgraded since the line was introduced, and so has the price. Ten-fifteen years ago Eastman made a major impact on the midrange mando market because they were making quality instruments at a startling price point. (I bought a new 2009 505 for 630 Cdn). A few years in, reputation established, prices went up notably. (not unreasonably. Wages were going up in China, and that’s a good thing) This was when the 300s were introduced as their new budget line. They are certainly well-liked by their people, but I’ve always found the 300s to have that slightly tinny effect you mention in comparison to the higher-numbered Easties. I guess my suggestion would be to go back to the store and do some tune-to-tune comparisons with a new 315 or better (tuned to 440 = and then decide whether you want to do an exchange. FWIW you’ll probably always have that situation of the tuning pitch changing day to day (usually getting sharper, which ain’t sustainable...) and somedays it just doesn’t sound nearly as good as other days...atmospheric I think.

[joh]

Hi all, I just wanted to say thanks for all your sage advice! I finally determined that the tinny/buzzy sound I was hearing was the tailpiece coming slightly ajar, which explains why just setting it down and picking it up a few minutes later would could change the degree of buzz. Knowing that the newer Eastmans come with higher quality cast tail pieces and that, at least anecdotally as some have said in this thread, Eastman seems to be continually increasing the quality of their instruments over time, I decided to reach out to the store where I bought the 315 to discuss swapping it for a different one. They were very accommodatingand let me return the instrument and purchase a different one. I landed with one of the 2019 305s they had in store and haven't had any issues with this one! :-)

Going back to the original question I posed - is a 2021 (or a 2019 in my case) appreciably better than a 2014? According to the shop owner, the buzzing from the cheaper tailpieces was a common issue, hence why Eastman upgraded them across the 300 line. Beyond that, I'd say my 2019 feels a bit more playable (notes up and down the fret board or across the strings sound more self-consistent in tone) and it's a tad easier to get clearer notes. These could be differences in setup quality.. I don't really have a way to tell unfortunately. Overall, ignoring the tailpiece, I certainly wouldn't say the difference in quality of the 2014 vs the 2019 is sage though.

[Bob Buckingham]

I bought an Eastman that I played in and had sounding good. Then the truss rod broke. I didn't know then what the issue was but it started acting funny. So I took it to the dealer who sent it back to Eastman for repairs. They sent another mandolin instead of repairing the one I had. I sold it, it did not sound like mine old one. They have a widget attitude toward their products, but they are not all the same. If you find one you like, play it and play the heck out of it. I did get another one and used it for teaching for ten years and sold it when I left the store. It still sounds great for the price range.