Eastman Uptown Archtop Jazz Guitar

This 17 1/2 inch wide guitar weighs 5.80 lbs. and has a very fat nut width of just over 1 3/4 inches and a scale length of 25 inches. Solid carved European spruce top, European flamed maple back and sides, three-piece maple neck, and multi-bound ebony fretboard with 22 jumbo frets. Multi-bound body, triple-bound f-holes. Multi-bound headstock with inlaid pearl "Eastman" logo. Jinho tuners with stairstep metal buttons. One Kent Armstrong floating humbucking pickup with an output of 7.67k. Ebony pickguard. One volume control on the underside of the pickguard. Black plastic knob. Ebony bridge and Gibson-style ornate trapeze tailpiece with diamond on cross-bar. All hardware gold-plated. Serial number ("00399") on an oval label inside the bass f-hole (Made in Clarksburg, Maryland). This guitar is in mint (9.50) condition. Housed in the original J.W. Eastman blue fiberglass hardshell case with maroon velvet lining (9.50). Complete with the Certificate of Authenticity and original strap.

"During the 1920’s, Lloyd Loar sparked a revolution and ushered in the Golden Age of guitar making. Instruments from this period are coveted for their brilliance of tone and beauty of craftsmanship. The luthiers at Eastman Strings, famous for building some of the most highly regarded violins and cellos of the late 20th century, have now turned their attention and time honored skills towards the handcrafting of archtop guitars. If you are searching for unequaled tonal brilliance, ease of playing and beautiful woodcraft you will find all these things and more in the Eastman Uptown. Welcome to the New Golden Age!" (Eastman Uptown professional archtop guitars at http://www.eastmanstrings.com/eastmanguitars/uptownpro/uptownpro.html).

"All Eastman Guitars feature tightly grained book matched (x-braced) spruce tops, and highly figured maple rims and two-piece backs. Necks are three-piece maple, with unadorned ebony fingerboards. Bridges, truss rod covers, headstock veneers and pickguards are also ebony. All metal parts are gold plated. The AR805 (*), like its big brother the AR810, is adorned with large stair step style tuners that provide an elegant, yet precisely functional flourish to the flared headstock. Likewise, they share sturdy metal tailpieces, similar to that of a Gibson Byrdland...The fingerboards and headstocks are opulently bound in 5 layers of black and white celluloid. The f-holes are triple bound, while the bodies sport a full seven plies of neat black and white. The AR810 CE is a 17” jazz box that exhibits a decided Benedetto influence, particularly in the shape of its headstock, pickguard and f-holes...It features a 25” scale length. The skilled luthiers at Eastman start out with the concept that all of their guitars function optimally as acoustic instruments, whether or not a pickup is installed. So, it was no surprise that their tradition of violin carving manifested itself with the first chord I struck on this axe. It was loud, yet balanced with a rich tone that can only be obtained from precisely graduated plates. Single notes and arpeggios spoke with clarity and sparkle. Plugged in, the floating Kent Armstrong humbucking pickup manages to amplify the guitar’s acoustic attributes, for a clean, warm and mellow, classic jazz tone. It is controlled by a single 'roller' volume control, discretely located beneath the pickguard...The cord jack can be found at the base of the body, where it does double duty as the strap endpin. The list price of $2,495.00 (w/Eastman hard-shell case) is about what one would expect to pay for a top brand plywood electric archtop, but needless to say, is an absolute steal for a hand made guitar with carved top and back, especially one of this quality" ("Product Review: The Eastman Uptown Professional AR810-CE" (Reprinted from: 20th Century Guitar magazine, January 2004, Vol. 15 / No. 1) at http://www.eastmanstrings.com/eastmanguitars/reviews/reviews.html).