Hi all, complete noob to the mando family.
I wasn't sure whether this post was specific enough for CBOM or repair so plumped for in between. Apologies if it's in the wrong place.
Anyway, yesterday I received a nearly new (must have been a lockdown purchase which was soon regretted), Eastman MDO305 from a dealer a couple of hundred miles away. It's a beautiful instrument but with a couple of issues. The website said it would have a setup before shipping but I don't think it has. I was therefore hoping to access the hive mind on possible causes/solutions.
Firstly, both tuners for the pair of A strings are pretty hard to turn and seem to be erratic in how much they adjust pitch. It's almost exactly what happens if the nut slots are too small and the strings are catching which is exactly what I thought the problem was as it's affecting both As. However, the strings have plenty of room. Is cheaper Eastman hardware poor or could it be something else?
Secondly, and most importantly, are the pair of Gs. Played open, they're nice and resonant with great sustain. Anything 3rd fret and above, the tone is awful. There's almost a thump of vibration through the body and neck on attack which then continues for the pretty short duration of the note. The strings sound completely dead (they're brand new). On certain frets, the closer overtones are almost as loud as the fundamental. There's no fret buzz, if anything the action is a touch high. Any ideas on a fix as there isn't a local luthier and I don't really want the hassle of returning it as I'm housebound at the moment.
Thanks
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