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Thread: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

  1. #26
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Eastmans are real popular right now. Especially on the Facebook mandolin groups, it seems. I really cannot say what is the reason for this seeming increase in popularity. I am just glad folks are able to get great mandolins at very reasonable prices.
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  2. #27
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    It seems to me a couple things set Eastman apart.

    1 - They've been building good stuff for a good while now, and as time goes on the products continue to get better. This is pretty impressive and shows that they aren't satisfied with the status quo but are determined to grow, change, and improve.

    2 - The videos they have put out show a real shop with actual craftsmen using hand-tools at workbenches, etc. As far as I know, no one really knows who makes Loar mandolins, and Kentuckys are made by Saga which is a big operation that makes lots of stuff. So Eastman ends up coming off like a more affordable version of a Northfield or Collings. It's a very big deal to a lot of people these days to know where the stuff they are buying comes from and who made it.
    ...

  3. #28
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Thanks for all your comments. I purchased an Eastman 505. I tried a Loar. Craftspersonship of fretboard...pretty awful. Then tried an Eastman beginner model and liked it. But then tried the Eastman 505 . That was it. I am now a proud owner. So now my Mid-Missouri has a friend.

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  5. #29

    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Thanks for the update! Enjoy your new mandolin - I had an Eastman 505 for about 3 years. They're good mandolins.

  6. #30
    Registered User PlayerOf8's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Kentucky

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    Registered User Lane Pryce's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    I had #40 an early 615. It was ok, the neck was thick and clubby but the craftsmanship was great. Since then I’ve had a few other Eastmans another 615 and a 815. Both were incredible and had great setups. I’m throwing my hat in the Eastman camp. Well made, plate graduations are very good, the woods are excellent, finish is thin and the instruments are lightweight. Lp
    J.Lane Pryce

  8. #32
    That guy playing mandolin
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Having only played my The Loar, I would posit that the one advantage that The Loar mandolins have is being the cheapest typically decent mandolins. If you want a mandolin that isn't horrible but is as cheap as possible, then you can't beat them. Especially the 310f, which is 200-300$ cheaper than any other F-styles. No doubt the Eastman and Kentucky mandolins are better, and if you have a 600$ price range then most people agree they beat out the (slightly) higher-end The Loars, but with my tight budget and yearning for that F style, it was the only option. And are the others really twice as good? That largely depends, and since most people in the 500$ or so price range are beginners, we a)can't take as much advantage of a better mandolin to make better sound/more dynamics since we don't know how and b) often can't notice the differences that are as clear as traffic signs to more experienced players.
    Even with my dinky little 310f, I still occasionally have to take appreciation breaks in my practicing because of how beautiful the simple fiddle tunes are and the fact that I'm the one playing them. Being able to play an instrument is a miracle, and we're definitely fortunate in comparison to violinists, who have an even starker difference between different quality ($) instruments and much more technique to learn before making their instruments sound good.

  9. #33
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    I bought a Eastman md315 last month. Its my first instrument and I'm really happy with the fit and finish. It sounds awesome, looks awesome, over all i would recommend as a beginner instrument. This coming from a complete beginners take it as you will 😁

  10. #34
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Just for fun I did a quick count of the replies to this thread. Eastman 19, The Loar 3, and Kentucky 2. Not sure what this really means, but there seems to be significantly more Eastman owners who are willing to recommend their mando (I am one of them), than The Loar owners. Most other threads seeking advice on a quality entry level mando contain lots of recommendations for the Eastmans. YMMV.
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  11. #35
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    This might not be entirely accurate, but I've seen something over the years on the guitar forums. When a guitar player wants to dabble in learning mandolin, many times he/she will get a Rogue, Savannah, lower-end Kentucky, Loar, etc. to "get started on." Eastman can also fall into this category, but it seems like they are more for someone wanting to become a mandolin player and not just a mandolin owner.
    ...

  12. #36
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Quote Originally Posted by Caleb View Post
    This might not be entirely accurate, but I've seen something over the years on the guitar forums. When a guitar player wants to dabble in learning mandolin, many times he/she will get a Rogue, Savannah, lower-end Kentucky, Loar, etc. to "get started on." Eastman can also fall into this category, but it seems like they are more for someone wanting to become a mandolin player and not just a mandolin owner.
    I was once told by a guitar player that they thought Eastman Guitars were more expensive than others, so they were surprised when I told them that the MD305 I had at the time was one of the more affordable Mandolin options
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  14. #37
    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Quote Originally Posted by soliver View Post
    I was once told by a guitar player that they thought Eastman Guitars were more expensive than others, so they were surprised when I told them that the MD305 I had at the time was one of the more affordable Mandolin options
    I've heard that said (from a guitar player) before as well. I wonder where folks get that information though??? Because from all I've seen, Eastman Guitars (and Mandolins for that matter), at every build level, are incredibly affordable.... A lot of bang for your buck.

  15. #38

    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    I have entry-level Eastman F-style that is pretty hard to beat.

    M&M

  16. #39
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Quote Originally Posted by Pappyrich View Post
    J... the replies to this thread. Eastman 19, The Loar 3, and Kentucky 2.
    Which makes "Kentucky" the winner, considering that it was not in the title as a choice!
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  17. #40
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    Question Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Going to the importer's warehouse and auditioning dozens ,

    you would find; even those looking the same - model & finish,

    will each have different sound , though perhaps subtle differences ..

    Good Luck ...

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  18. #41
    Registered User Bob Buckingham's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Eastman has been the consistently best buy in the under $2000 range. They have their own factories so their quality is better than the Loars and Kentucky. That is what I recommend and if I was in the business would be willing to sell. Eastman has a better infrastructure behind their products. Loar cuts corners in design and Kentucky always needs more setup work and less consistent than Eastman. I don't care what you buy but Eastman is a product I can recommend. I've sold a couple of nice this past year, and am getting one from a friend who works with a top bluegrass band but is liquidating excess instruments due to not working much during the pandemic.

  19. #42
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    I think it depends on the sound you want, and of course the individual instrument. I’ve plsyed several Eastman, and on my opinion they are well built, very balanced and I’ve not played one I like. To me they have a modern, almost harsh sound, I’ve played a few The Loar even owned one for s while, fit and finish not perfect, set -up TERRIBLE. but by and large an older, more woody sound. I also agree that the Kentuckys are better than both, IMHO

  20. #43

    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Kentucky. Not always as pretty as Eastmans, but on the whole, after trying both many times over the years, they seem to play and sound better more often than not, in A-B comparisons. Most but not all comparisons were of the A-styles; the 150, 250 and 500 series vs. comparable Eastmans. Not to mention the 900 series which I don’t think have an equivalent in the Eastman line, but which start approaching “pro level” territory. Apologies to the OP for breaking the original comparison!

  21. #44
    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    Eastman has its own shops, and their mandolins are equal in quality to any other shop-built mandolins. "Loar" is just a badge, a brand.

  22. #45
    Bill Healy mrbook's Avatar
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    "Yes I know they are not the best choice..." Don't spend your money if you are going to look down on them. I think the Eastman mandolins are good, and have a 505, 514, and an 805V. I like and play them all. All the the The Loar mandolins I've tried have had a thick finish that seemed to kill the tone. I tried one a friend owned that sounded not too bad, but not as good as any Eastman I've played.

  23. #46
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    Default Re: which is better mass produced mando...Loar or Eastman

    I suspect thick finish kills tone. This is OT, but years ago my boy bought a cheapish Epiphone 'Zakk Wylde' Les Paul style guitar. The guitar top was 'painted' a fetching shade of moss green with white and black concentric circles. He wanted the finish stripped, so a local guitar tech took a heat gun to it - and that finish came off in an acryllic layer nearly 2mm thick in places. It did sound better after, even if it looked even worse...

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