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 Guitar

The T49D/v 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 on 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 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 produce 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

Furthermore, the T49D/v is made of the best materials. The guitar has a three-piece maple neck with an ebony fretboard. This is a great combination, as it makes the neck really sturdy, it’s comfortable to play, and it looks beautiful. The comfort is partially the result of the traditional C-shape of the neck. This shape is regarded by most as the most comfortable shape. Additionally, the body is made of laminated maple. The maple sounds quite bright and the fact that the wood is laminated will increase resonance and projection. Last but not least, the guitar has two Seymour Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers. Seymour Duncan produces some of the most popular pickups and is considered to be the best to date. Consequently, it is quite special when they team up with another company to produce a guitar with their pickups. The Antiquity Humbuckers are just that; they are high-quality humbuckers that are inspired by the original humbuckers. This means they sound beautifully authentic, especially with the archtop construction.