Eastman AR403CED Archtop  

Eastman

Eastman was founded in 1992 by Qian Ni, a Chinese musician who had moved to America. He realised there were few professional instruments available at the time, which is why he decided to start his own company. Quality is still Eastman’s priority. Every instrument is made by hand and goes through an extensive process to ensure that the instruments will stand the test of time and can be used quite intensively.

Archtop Guitars

The AR403CED is a stunning professional archtop guitar from Eastman. An archtop guitar means exactly that; the body has a slight curve to it, instead of being completely flat like most guitars. Another aspect of an archtop guitar is that there are two F-holes at either side of the bridge. This construction was inspired by violins and produces an amazing sound. The two symmetrical F-holes make it easier for the sound to vibrate and to project. With F-holes, an arched construction is necessary, as the soundwaves will not properly move without a round edge. This also means that archtop guitars are hollow, otherwise the archtop construction will have no effect. The archtop construction is quite popular because the added resonance and projection produces a beautiful, airy, and full sound. Whereas solid body guitars predominantly produce sound with the vibration of the strings over the pickups, with a little added resonance on the top of the body, hollow body guitars have more resonance and will thus also sound less ‘flat.’

Materials

The AR403CED is also made of amazing materials. The guitar has a three piece maple neck, which makes the neck quite sturdy and comfortable to play. The neck also has a traditional C-profile, which is generally considered to be the most comfortable and efficient neck shape. The body is entirely made of laminated maple, which means the guitar not only looks beautiful but is very rigid and has a loud projection. The guitar has two Kent Armstrong HPAG-1 humbuckers. These humbuckers are inspired by the famous 1957 humbuckers and are made of the exact same materials. The humbuckers thus sound fantastic and authentic, especially with the archtop construction.