Eastman Mandocello -- Six Week Road Test Report
Well, I've been playing my Eastman MDC805 (F-hole), which I purchased from The Mandolin Store, for just a couple days short of six weeks now, so I thought I would share my impressions of this instrument.
Initial Reaction:
Very nice case
Very well-finished. The red finish would not be my first choice in color, but it certainly isn't unattractive.
And the extra bridge in the pocket of the case is a nice touch.
The action was not high, but I did lower it just a tiny bit at the bridge. The action at the nut was fine. The intonation was just fine.
No problems tuning up. The tuning machines seem of adequate quality. After playing for few days, I noticed two things -- both predictable. 1) The stock strings are way too light, especially the "C" strings. The 805 is very bright, almost brash (Note, this is not a criticism, just an impression). From what I could tell from sound-clips and demos and the like, comparing the 805 to some other new, and vintage mandocellos, this, too, was not a surprise.
I almost immediately ordered a set of round-wound stainless-steel medium strings from the Cafe, which mellowed the tone a bit, yet seemed to be every bit as loud as the stock strings, if not more so. After a couple more days, I switched out the medium gauge low "C" strings for some .075's (I think they were), and the mandocello became a veritable sonic canon. And, I did not deem it necessary to change the nut, so that was a nice surprise. YRMV.
I still didn't have quite the sound I was after, so, yeah, I did order the TI's. I am pretty sure I detected a slight drop in perceived volume, but the tone was rather more complex and interesting. Since I don't typically play with a group of musicians, usually just with my wife and perhaps one other person, the loss in perceived volume was not important. It's not going to sound like a K4 or one of the wonderful instruments made by some of our better luthiers, but that is not a criticism, either - it's the nature of the 805 being based on an archtop guitar, so the sound is different. Frankly, I love the sound.
Overall tonal impressions: Rich, full, complex, and "cuts through the crowd" very well. Full chords above the 7th fret tend to get rather muddy. Given that my hands are not large, nor is my finger-strength enhanced with steroids, I tend to use mostly two- and three-string chords up-the-neck, anyway. Note: after playing this for just a couple of weeks, I did notice that my mandolins played much easier to play. The mandocello is sort of like a "Stair-Master" for the fingers.
Playability: As far as the string-spacing and nut width, it's identical to my HD 28, and I don't see any need to change either of them. Again, YRMV. The mandocello takes a bit more finger-strength than my short-scale electric base, but after a few weeks, I don't even notice it. And I am 63 y/o, for what it's worth.
Hardware:
I had read somewhere that the Eastman tailpiece was hinged, and that a few had broken. The tailpiece on mine is not hinged, which might be the upgrade. Not sure. It makes changing strings a little more tricky, until you figure it out. Minor inconvenience.
Tuning machines. Adequate. With the large "C" strings (.069's), the machines are a bit clunky and don't work to perfection, but they do the job. And the 805 holds its tuning much better than I expected. Part of me would love to see eight, gold-plated mini-Schaller's or the like on that peghead, but it's not necessary.
Amplification: I don't use amplification a lot, but sometimes it is necessary. I have been using AT Pro-35's on my mandolins and mandolas, utilizing the standard clip-on, and running them through Carvin AC200 with the extension speaker. It did not work so well with the 805 -- much too prone to feedback. After getting some good advice from another forum member on electronics to counter this, I realized there was one thing I was forgetting. I still remember seeing bassists wrapping up a Shure in a light cloth and wedging it beneath the strings and behind the tailpiece, of an upright bass. So, I removed one of the 35's from its bracket and found it wedges very nicely (gently!) under the strings, just behind the bridge, in front of the tailpiece. This helped reduce the feed back to tolerable levels. It sounded great, In fact, I took a feed off of the '35 direct to my DR, and played it back on my computer. It sounded completely, absolutely, terrific. I could not possibly hope for a cleaner sound.
Overall, especially considering how few carved-top type mandocellos are available, I think Eastman has a winner. Do I still yearn, secretly, sometimes, for a Weber Yellowstone K-style? Sure, but I really doubt I will ever get one. If I had heirs to leave my instruments to, well, maybe.....
Al
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Originally Posted by NotMelloCello
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