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Thread: Eastman md 304 vs 314

  1. #26
    Old Guy Mike Scott's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Here's my 2¢. I've had the following: Eastman 504,604; Morris Flat Top, A4; Kentucky KM272, Big Muddy MW0, M2; Low end Washburn. Those are also the only oval/round hole mandolins I've played other than a Collings M2. General observation is that each of those were different. If I had to pick the best of those tone wise I would go with the lowly 504 followed closely by either The M2 or even the POS Washburn. My advice would be to give the 304 and audition and if satisfactory just buy it (It won't be your last mandolin). If not good, I'd go with either a Big Muddy or Morris Flat top. I've never seen a Calhoun but it just seems a bit overpriced to me; although they get excellent reviews. YMMV. Good luck on the hunt.
    Thanks

    Several mandolins of varying quality-any one of which deserves a better player than I am.......

  2. #27

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Quote Originally Posted by astein2006 View Post
    Sound samples are so hard to judge from video to video. What are some of the main differences between an ova hole arch top versus flat top? I have long looked at the Big Muddy M11 also. So now the Calhoun gets thrown in. I have No way to play either of the flattops. Right now the Eastman is a viable option since I can try one but I am open. Any advice is appreciated.
    That's a hard question to answer, and I always try to play any instrument before I buy unless I'm REALLY confident it's the one I want.

    I'm with the previous poster suggesting to go play the Eastman and decide if you like it or not before shopping online. Or it may be worth going on a road trip to a store with more options.
    Last edited by milli857; Nov-29-2022 at 5:00pm.

  3. #28
    small instrument, big fun Dan in NH's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Quote Originally Posted by milli857 View Post
    That's a hard question to answer, and always try to play any instrument before I buy unless I'm REALLY confident it's the one I want.

    I'm with the previous poster suggesting to go play the Eastman and decide if you like it or not before shopping online. Or it may be worth going on a road trip to a store with more options.
    Road trips to guitar & mandolin stores are always worth it. I have several nice stories within two hours of me.

  4. #29
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    One thing about Eastman matt finishes - they're nice, but if you touch the instrument anywhere those places don't stay matt for long. My 305 has a couple of polished spots on it where I touch it lightly. One the other hand, you could then get some fine wire wool and polish up the whole thing - I think it would come up into a nice soft polished look rather than the flashy bright varnished look my Kentucky has.

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  6. #30

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Quote Originally Posted by maxr View Post
    One thing about Eastman matt finishes - they're nice, but if you touch the instrument anywhere those places don't stay matt for long. My 305 has a couple of polished spots on it where I touch it lightly. One the other hand, you could then get some fine wire wool and polish up the whole thing - I think it would come up into a nice soft polished look rather than the flashy bright varnished look my Kentucky has.
    So you prefer the gloss finish over the matte? I’ve read on various sites that the matte finish on the 304 is a nitrocellulose finish. Which I thought are reserved for higher end instruments. I must be reading it wrong. I like the 404 also. I always get worried about gloss and how thick the coating is. Can you comment on that at all in regards to Eastman?

  7. #31
    small instrument, big fun Dan in NH's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    I like the matte finish on the 300 series. I think it looks very nice.

  8. #32

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Quote Originally Posted by astein2006 View Post
    ... I’ve read on various sites that the matte finish on the 304 is a nitrocellulose finish. Which I thought are reserved for higher end instruments. I must be reading it wrong. ...
    You might try contacting Eastman directly and asking about current finishes. They've been good responding to short questions I've sent them.

    There used to be a blurb somewhere on their website about their [then "new"] finish - it even had a name IIRC - but I can't find it anymore. I believe that like many factory builders, they've moved to a catalyzing top-coat, whether gloss or matte, to speed up production and possibly reduce environmental impacts of using older types of finish. Whether gloss or matte, these are not those "dipped in acrylic" kind of "poly" finishes that were common some decades ago.
    2018 Kentucky KM-950, 2017 Ellis A5 Deluxe

  9. #33

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Well I went to the shop that had the 304 and guess who walked out of the store with it??? Yep pulled the trigger. So psyched! I kept going back and forth between the 304 and the 315, but the 304 had the sound that connected with me. And the oval hole looks so pretty. Plus the matte finish is nice. Time to play the heck out of that thing! Now I need a book, website or something to get me going. Can anyone recommend some good old time, fiddle or Celtic books or sources where I can start learning some tunes? Thanks all for your participation in my quest!

  10. #34
    small instrument, big fun Dan in NH's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Nice. Congrats.

  11. #35
    Registered User Eric F.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Congrats on the new instrument. You can get started at mandolessons.com

  12. #36

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Congratulations! Now come check out the newbies social group and make some music!

  13. #37

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Congratulations on a nice mandolin

  14. #38
    Registered User Ed McGarrigle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    The Online Academy of Irish Music has very affordable video lessons which got me off to good start before live lessons. I liked the ability to rewind over and over ( and over and over). Congrats, it’s a whole big world of fun!

  15. #39
    Registered User Bob Buckingham's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Depends on which 304 or 314. Sound is the key not shape. If it sounds good and plays easily, that's the one you want.

  16. #40
    Registered User Owl Hoo Hoo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    I have both F and A style Collings mandolins with oval holes. I can't detect any notable difference. I will say that yes the points on the F-style allow you to position the mandolin a bit better on your lap if you play without a strap. My A-style strap is tied around the headstock and you easily get used to it. Without the strap on the A-style, the mandolin wants to rotate and roll on my lap where the headstock drops toward the floor. I honestly don't need both but ended up with scroll envy.
    Steven

  17. #41

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Yes the F-style basically gets you a built in $2000-$5000 strap holder and nothing more. Anyone who tells you it makes the instrument sound different either has alien-good ears that can hear stuff that no normal human can hear or they’re hearing something different than the F is creating IMO… Play and buy what sounds nice to you and is in your budget.

  18. #42

    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Carved tops have a more complex, fluid sound. Flattops are naturally resonant when built correctly, the more so since they are almost all oval-hole. A carved-top, F-holes, (body style irrelevant) has a more focused projection, that bluegrass chop or bark. (I actually hate all these combative metaphors—I don’t want to cut or kill a banjo or guitar, I just want to hear and be heard.) You can often drive it harder than a flattop or carved oval-hole, but it depends on the individual mandolin and setup.

    The thing about volume is this: it’s not an absolute, it’s a potential. I play a lot of sessions where I can see a mandolin a couple of chairs away but can’t hear it. I’m the opposite, I play too loud and too much (in a roomful of Cape Breton fiddlers.) Actual playing volume is mostly determined by the player. I recently played a fiddler’s new 304 and was blown away by the setup and playability, (the tone less so but it was fine) I asked and sure enough it had been setup by a master of setup and regulation, Rufus Stewart in Vancouver. (Rufus’ Guitar Shop, recommend.) So, I’m rambling, but…you got the player’s style, the setup, and for that matter the environment. They all affect volume and tone, possibly more than the specific design features we like to go on about.

    To further muddy the waters, I’d say “don’t limit yourself to oval holes just because of the style you’re playing.” An F-hole can be just dandy for Irish, as long as it’s the right F-hole for you. These days my two always-ready mandos are a Collings MTO (oval) and an Eastman 505 (F-holes). Love ‘em both. These days the Eastman gets more session time than the Collings, which cost five times as much. I just find it supremely comfortable and dialed-in, and as a result I get a very good sound out of it.

    Just two more suggestions: 1. when you have a chance, try Eastmans in the 500s and up numbers. The sound potential is definitely higher than the 3s and 4s.
    2. If you’re considering Calhoun etc which are about a grand, you also might like the bent-top Martin mandos—they are really quite delightful and relatively affordable.

    Welcome to MAS, eh.
    2009 Eastman 505
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    Mandoline or Mandolin: Similar to the lute, but much less artistically valuable....for people who wish to play simple music without much trouble —The Oxford Companion to Music

  19. #43
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Eastman md 304 vs 314

    Every mandolin sounds different than every other mandolin. Can that difference be attributed to F or A body shape? Likely not.
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

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