Eastman's gypsy prototype

Mitch

I hope they'll kee the spirit and avoid bad taste, like putting some jazz guitar headstock or tailpiece or anything like that...

Tubaphone

Mitch wrote: »

I hope they'll kee the spirit and avoid bad taste, like putting some jazz guitar headstock or tailpiece or anything like that...

Eastman has a great track record in this area, in my opinion. They create instruments that are really stunning homages to classics, such as their Whyte Laydie banjo:

https://eastmanguitars.com/others-banjo-ebj-wl1/

They could have easily adopted modifications that made it more modern or cheaper to make (like metal coordinator rods inside the pot rather than the wood dowel). Instead they made a reproduction of a classic 100+ year old banjo, down to little details like the tortoise shell binding in the rim and engraved inlays.

I have no reason to doubt Eastman on that front. I think the sound will be the crux... Getting a guitar to sound like a Selmer seems much more challenging than getting a banjo to sound like a banjo. I have no reason to doubt Eastman here either, it just seems like a tougher piece of puzzle than making it look right.

Kyle_M_Imlah

Alot of people say really good things about the Eastman archtops. I've played my friends 'John Pisano' model a couple of times. Sounds great, not really nice to play though. It'll be interesting to see what they do with these gypsy's.

mcgroup53

People need to understand that Eastman Strings is unique. It's not a Saga-owned assembly line manufacturing site like Gitane. It's much more like what Gibson was in Kalamazoo in the 1920s and '30s; a relatively small shop of people dedicated to making great stringed instruments. They started making flattop guitars about 10 years ago, and they have worked with US designers to get all the aesthetics right in addition to making the guitars sound and play like a Martin dreadnought or a Gibson slope-shoulder. They wouldn't be doing this if they weren't intending to make a gypsy jazz guitar that can stand with the best in the world (and MUCH better than any current Chinese-made copies). It'll spark the debate about buying a PacRim guitar over something made in Europe. But I'll be very surprised if these don't turn out to be very high quality instruments that play and sound like an instrument a professional player could use and endorse.

gitpicker

Hi guys, I haven't been here in a while. I work with Eastman in Beijing and I just want to put the buzz out that the first edition Eastman gypsy guitar will finally be at our booth at NAMM next month! What I can say is there will also be more gypsy goodness coming out in the near future as well but next month's NAMM show will release our first standard model. If you guys are there be sure to stop by and check it out!

I won't be there unfortunately, I'll be in China during the show

Stringswinger

Doug, if you have had some imput on the Eastman Gypsy guitar, I predict it will be a game changer (if anyone can point Eastman in the right direction an expert Gypsy jazz player who owns two Favinos can!).

There needs to be an intermediate guitar between the entry level Gitanes and Alta Miras (Good guitars for the money, but not top drawer Selmer style guitars by any stretch of the imagination) and the expensive luthier built guitars. Here's hoping that the Eastman Gypsy guitar is a good one, priced well and a successful venture for the Eastman Company.

Russell Letson

I'd say that the price sweet spot is somewhere around $2K street--maybe a skootch more if Eastman manages to get the same kind of faithfulness-to-the-type that they do with archtops. (I have both an Eastman 805CE and a '46 Epiphone Broadway, and the Eastman does not have to hang its peghead in that company.)

gitpicker

All the details will be out in the open next month at NAMM. As mentioned, the first GJ guitar is a pretty standard model and there will be others coming out in the near future too. Also, Eastman is not afraid to make revisions or changes based on customer input, so in time as people play the guitars, we all really want to know what people think. One detail I can mention that I'm happy about is finally a factory guitar with a really good bridge!!

Bones

Nice, will u be at NAMM. I'll try to make it down there. Will the new model have a bent pliage?

gitpicker

There is no bent pliage at this time. However, no idea is off the table, so we will see what the future holds.