Eastman 515V vs Collings MT

[RobP]

I have played my trusty Collings MT for 9 years. A couple of months ago, I played an Eastman 515 std edition at a local music store and it really spoke to me. I thought about it too long, and it was sold. Shortly after, a used-like-new Eastman 515V came available in the classifieds. I threw caution to the wind and bought it. I didn't NEED it, I just WANTED it. You know the story.

The Eastman pays and sounds fantastic! Different but as good as the MT to my ears. I posted this thread yesterday, asking for blind opinions of sound samples of the Eastman and the Collings.

Mandolin A, which most people who responded preferred, was the Eastman, mandolin B the Collings. Here are direct links to the sound clips:
Eastman 515V
Collings MT

I have to say I'm really surprised at how much I like the Eastman. I brought it to band practice the day I got it, and it sounded great with the guitar and bass. I cant wait for the next Flatt Stanley gig!

Cheers,

Rob

[J.R. Jersey]

Very cool. I love blind experiments like this that remove any potential bias.

[CES]

Congrats on getting a good ‘in! I used to have a 315 that I bought as a “beater,” but it sounded so good I was really careful with it, lol. Sold it without a scratch in a downsize a couple of years ago. Anyway, I had a MT at the time, and I felt like the Eastman had 85-90% of the tone of the MT. My MT was also a good one, and it definitely had a more complex tone than the Eastman, but the 315 stood up much better than I expected. Some of those 515v and 815v mandos are excellent!

[Bazz Jass]

Can't argue! My 515v had great chop and midrange from the start. The upper register notes were a bit tight/restricted (lacking sustain) at the outset, but now those notes are really starting to ping and sustain after a couple of months playing.

Really looking forward to see how this instrument matures

[trodgers]

I read this thread before the blind test, so I went in knowing which was which. To my ears, you have two very nice sounding mandolins! Your Eastman proves (once again) that they are not just another import brand. Very nice tone with a clear, crisp attack on each note. This would be a great mandolin in a loud setting where you need that extra bit of 'cut' to get through. The Collings sounds a little richer to me, and delivers over the length of the note. There is a really colorful resolving chord near the end of the phrase around the minute mark on each recording that best illuminates what Collings does best. The blend of the notes in the chord are so sweet.

At my house, I choose my MT over others precisely for that sweet sound. I also prefer the feel, which is a combination of neck shape, good setup and incredibly light feeling in the hands. Your experience and ears may suggest otherwise, but like I said before, both sound very, very good!

[Caleb]

I know a guy with an older 515, from back when Eastman first started making mandolins. It sounds about as good as anything in any price range. There are gems out there.

[ABmando]

I had a 515v which was amazing. I player other 515v mandos that were not as good. As to the MT- they actually vary as well.

[urobouros]

I've always been impressed with Eastmans' tone for the price but I always include the "for the price" qualifier. I find them to be really good starter instruments until you can either afford and/or justify something better. Though I would rather be a cheap date, I've always been a cork sniffer

[Mitch Stein]

I cant wait for the next Flatt Stanley gig!

Is there a thread to post gigs? I would definitely hit up an unknown (to me) band, if one of y'all was playing mandolin.
(may also post a gig or five of mine)

[Bazz Jass]

I'm always interested in the "for the money" disclaimer that precedes praise for Eastman mandolins.

I consider myself an extreme cork sniffer - exclusive buyer of American made instruments since I was 15 (that's 35 years now if I have to give away my age )

It was a conundrum for me buying an Eastman mandolin, and I recognise this is vanity on my part, and not based in logic! After years of buying vintage Fenders, Martins, banjos, I had bought a 1918 Gibson A model, got the bug bigtime, and started shopping for an F mandolin. After 6 months or so of searching got a nice player's grade 1921 F4, which is old and magical as they tend to be...

Soon after I got a chance to try three Eastman MD515vs. The first Eastman F mandolins I had encountered, and first to ever be imported into New Zealand. One of them was a standout to me, and sounded like the bluegrass records, in a way the F4 didn't. Also in a way that the other 2 MD515vs in front of me didn't quite. It was a stellar instrument. Quite plain - not really flamey on the back or anything, but just had that big old sound.

Incredible for the money right! Well yes, it was a quarter the price of the F4, so absolutely it was incredible for the money!

It took a lot to get my head around "incredible for the money" not being a qualifier - i.e. only incredible in relation to how little it cost. As if to say, if it cost twice that, it wouldn't be so good.

I did a huge amount of research. All the stories and videos I saw about the factory showed nothing of mass-production or corner cutting.

Fact of the matter is instruments cost a whole lot different to be made in different parts of the world, regardless of tools, timber, skills. Just how it is (or should I say, where it is).

P.S. Have some TOTAL cork-sniffer guitar player friends who are going crazy about Eastman electric guitars - trading in their Gibsons. And that totally surprises me!

[urobouros]

I've spent countless hours trying to find the modern Epiphone that meets or exceeds the tone and feel of my Gibsons. An Eastman 515 is a lot of mandolin for ~$1K USD but it's not really apples to apples against a Collings MT at three times the price.

I say I'm a cork sniffer because I've tried countless modern Epiphones but have yet to find one I'd prefer over it's Gibson branded competition. Rest assured, I'd much rather enjoy a $500 Epi as much as a $5K Gibby but I don't believe in unicorns anymore. I'd go for the Eastman if prioritizing cost. I don't think the average Collings buyer is nearly as concerned with the price

[RobP]

I've spent countless hours trying to find the modern Epiphone that meets or exceeds the tone and feel of my Gibsons. An Eastman 515 is a lot of mandolin for ~$1K USD but it's not really apples to apples against a Collings MT at three times the price.

I say I'm a cork sniffer because I've tried countless modern Epiphones but have yet to find one I'd prefer over it's Gibson branded competition. Rest assured, I'd much rather enjoy a $500 Epi as much as a $5K Gibby but I don't believe in unicorns anymore. I'd go for the Eastman if prioritizing cost. I don't think the average Collings buyer is nearly as concerned with the price

But did you listen to the sound samples above?

Cheers

Rob

[urobouros]

Indeed! I liked the Eastman's tone & smooth playing which I think speaks to playability. The Collings sample seemed a little tighter, like maybe new strings or a newer mandolin. I don't feel like one is better than the other, per se, just different.

For me tone & feel are inexorable linked and the best tone in the world is irrelevant if the mandolin is uncomfortable to play. I'm not speaking to only things like neck profile but the final product. Collings & Eastman exist on different ends of the mandolin market for a reason. Regardless whether one thinks that Collings charges too little or too much, I don't think anyone would argue which is the high end builder & a cork sniffer will prefer the high end every time.

That's not to argue for or against cork sniffery. I've had that debate enough to last a lifetime...just kidding honey!