Eastman delight

[Ron McMillan]

A recent thread discussed all the phrases that members hated most of all. Mine, by a long shot, was 'plays like butter'.

I hate that phrase with a passion. Nothing dumber was ever written about a musical instrument.

Then today, in a rare (for me) encounter with quality instruments, I suddenly understood the stooopid phrase.

At CC Music in Glasgow, I had a chance to play an Eastman 814 (I think that's the model number - an 800-series F-model round-hole) that was easily the nicest-feeling instrument I have ever had my inexperienced hands on.

Specifically, it was the feel of the instrument's fretboard and frets and action, how smoothly it played, how slick it was to the touch of the left hand (I am right-handed). This was a whole new experience for me. The damn thing played so smoothly it might have been dipped in melted butter.

So I take back the unstated scorn for the phrase, even if I can't bring myself to say it out loud.

The other interesting experience was being able to compare apples and oranges by, immediately afterwards, playing a Breedlove Quartz, another 'first' for me. It was about $500 more expensive than the Eastman, but didn't sound nearly so good, nor play anything like so smoothly. I'd take the Eastman any day - or, at least, take an Eastman that played so beautifully, but didn't look like a frozen confectionary item (the model I sampled came in Popsicle Orange).

I wonder what it was about the Eastman that felt so good? This was my first experience of a radiused fretboard, but the Breedlove also had this feature, so I don't think it was that. Hmmmm.

ron

[GDAE]

Ha...I too loathe the phrase "plays like butter" but I have to say when I got my Morris A4, I instantly knew what it meant. That said, there HAS to be a better way to describe that smooth, easy playability.

[Charley wild]

Ha...I too loathe the phrase "plays like butter" but I have to say when I got my Morris A4, I instantly knew what it meant. That said, there HAS to be a better way to describe that smooth, easy playability.

How about "smooth, easy playability"?

[MikeEdgerton]

You could try dipping your fretboard in butter and playing it. I'm going to guess it wouldn't be the same.

[Bernie Daniel]

You could try dipping your fretboard in butter and playing it. I'm going to guess it wouldn't be the same.

Then you would get butter fingers! Not advised. That is now Monroe broke his scroll.

[Perry Babasin]

New improved aerosol "Finger Ease", now with Butter!

[JEStanek]

I Can't Believe It's Been Set Up! Look for it in the non-dairy case!

[Perry Babasin]

A whole new meaning to the phrase "Butter Fingers"... Sorry I couldn't help myself...

[Ron McMillan]

You could try dipping your fretboard in butter and playing it. I'm going to guess it wouldn't be the same.

Funnily enough, I wasn't going to try it. And the stupid phrase still makes my teeth grate, but jeez louise, that Eastman played like, ehm, ....., like nothing I ever played before.

br

[Ivan Kelsall]

I know that you were after another Mandolin Ron,but could it be worth your while to maybe have another play on the Eastman & if it's really as good as you say,put a deposit on it ?. This one sounds as though it's too good to let it get away. If i ever found an instrument like that,i'd even be tempted to get a small bank loan. The Eastman instruments that i've played have all been nice,but i believe that they can vary in quality ie.one of an identical pair can be 'better' than the other. One such as you describe,to me, would be a 'have to have it' ,
Ivan

[Ron McMillan]

Hi Ivan. The one thing stopping that even being a consideration is it is easily the ugliest Eastman in the range (in my opinion, of course). It is in a very unappealing popsicle orange, so unattractive that no amount of wonder at its sound would make up for that.

I think I might one of these days get to a store with a range of Eastmans and play them all, then choose one that plays as well as that one did (or as close to it as is available). It certainly set a benchmark for playability that is way outside my limited experiences to date (and far exceeded that of the more expensive Breedlove).


ron

[Tracy Fleck]

Its interesting that you say its the ugliest, because I just bought an 815V which I was thinking may be the ugliest. I had only seen pictures when I bought it. It's yellow (really yellow) with the brown sunburst. It plays very well, not quite like butter (Parkay maybe), and the sound really opened up after about 6 hours of playing on it. I played it a lot over the past weekend. I went back to my Breedlove Cascade and it felt like playing a baseball bat.

[8stringthing]

Hi Ron, I work about a 10min walk away from CC music so dropped in at my lunchbreak today. The Eastman is a 514 and I agree it looks horrible. it is nicely set up and plays very well but I found it to be very weak in the mid ranges. still a nice mando though. I played the Eastman for about 15minutes and it was pretty consistent over that time. I also played the Breedlove and noticed a big improvement in tone and volume (it was pretty loud to start with) I also preferred the wider neck on the Breedlove.. The action needs brought down a bit but imho it was by far the better of the 2. I guess we all have different ears! I saw in another thread you were asking about "The Loar" mandolins in Britain. I have a 600 and a 300 which I bought from Thomann in Germany. Both excellent mandos. PM me if you want to have a look at them in Glasgow. that way you would have a better idea what to expect.

keep on pickin

David

[Jason Kessler]

I guess that's what it's all about, when it comes to picking an instrument. It's about finding one that speaks to you. Ron clearly has. But the same instrument ain't speaking to David. C'est la vie, vive la differance.

[Ron McMillan]

Hi Ron, I work about a 10min walk away from CC music so dropped in at my lunchbreak today.

Hi David,

My mistake on the model number - no idea how I got it into my head that it was an 800 series. Different strokes for different folks indeed, though I fess up to a lack of experience and therefore a lack of sophistication in such matters, so I am interested in your differing views. I didn't play the Breedlove long enough to get it to warm up for me, but I confess I didn't notice the wider fretboard (i.e. the fretboard on the Eastman played so comfortably that I found no immediate benefit or improvement in the Breedlove).

I have indeed been asking about the The Loar LM400 and LM300, and would be interested to hear your thoughts on the 300. I have a work-in-progress 30-year-old Japanese F5 that I am having upgraded with all new components, and which satisfies any 'need' for an F-scroll for now, but a pretty A has real appeal, and I am very intrigued by the The Loars, daft name or not. I corresponded with CC by email from Thailand and with the UK importer, and it is clear that there is no intention of importing either the 300 or 400 into Britain. (The parent company in the USA didn't even bother answering requests for information, which was disappointing; people in the know on the Cafe say that demand in the USA far exceeds supply, but I would have thought that a would-be customer asking for information might at least have merited a response.)

Thanks very much for the kind offer of a chance to see your mandolins. I'll PM you.

ron

[Shelagh Moore]

Hi Ron,

Are you still in Scotland at the moment?

Richard

[Ron McMillan]

Hi Ron,

Are you still in Scotland at the moment?

Richard

Hi Richard,

Still in Scotland. I sent you a PM with a little more info.

ron

[Ivan Kelsall]

It still might be worth trying to get your hands on a Kentucky KM-505 to try out. At £400 UK,they wouldn't break the bank & with a bit of careful tinkering i think one could be set up to sound fine,all the basic requirements are there ie.solid,carved wood top etc.
Ivan