Eastwood Building Series I Guitar

[sonicus]

Speaking of Aria ,
A few years ago I purchased an Aria bass that has Alembic pickups and Electronics . I was told that they were installed by Aria .

[gearhed289]

Speaking of Aria ,
A few years ago I purchased an Aria bass that has Alembic pickups and Electronics . I was told that they were installed by Aria .

Yes, they did do a run of Alembic-equipped basses.

[cozmik_cowboy]

New e-mail from Eastwood today; next they're copying the Martin EM-18.

Peter (who would be more interested if it was the F-55)

[edwardofhuncote]

New e-mail from Eastwood today; next they're copying the Martin EM-18.

Peter (who would be more interested if it was the F-55)

April Fools' was last month there, Grand-dude. 

Of all things, why the ham-sandwich copy those... maybe because even Martin doesn't care? 

~Gregory  (who would also dig an F-55, but still be okay with a C-1)

[lbpesq]

I had a Martin F-50.  The only thing “Martin” about it was the neck.  The rest was made by someone else in upstate New York, as I recall.   Amazingly uninspiring guitar.  I traded it for a motorcycle.

Bill, tgo

[edwardofhuncote]

Curiosity strikes Bill, because I have never seen one in the wild or held one, I have zero experience, so I'm relying 100% on my Longworth Bible... which lists F body electrics style 50, 55, and 65 cataloged in 1962 after having built 15 prototypes of each in 1961.


The GT-70, and 75 electrics superceded the F series in 1965, (after a couple prototypes) and were equally short-lived, but I don't see any footnote saying that either line was built anywhere other than the Nazareth, Pennsylvania factory. I'm wondering where you may have seen or heard this?


I wouldn't be totally shocked if the bodies were outsourced, but Mike was working there around that time, and it seems like he'd have mentioned that. They were after all, offering a line of amplifiers and cabinetry too... no idea who was manufacturing those. I've never seen one of them either. Just curious... been a Martin geek my whole life, well... almost.

[edwardofhuncote]

Here's a link to what Coz mentions. https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/eastwood-em-18-deposit

As usual, it looks like Eastwood 'borrowed' a picture of a real one, and is trying to get enough deposits to build a few. If you want a real one, you don't need to wait. https://reverb.com/item/32122701-martin-em-18-1980-natural-electric-guitar

I have played one of these... they're okay. Heavy. Bright. I like the basses better. I'd like them better still if they had shorter scales.

[lbpesq]

My F-50 experience was back in 1977 or ‘78.   I don’t remember where I obtained the info, (though I’m pretty sure it wasn’t google), but I seem to remember finding an article on the Martin electrics in some guitar magazine or book.  As I recall it used a DeArmond pickup (my F-50 had but a single pickup).

Bill, tgo

[edwardofhuncote]

So interesting. Martin made quite a few instruments for other firms as an outsourcing agent, but at that time, I am not aware of who they'd have used for these. I thought of Vega, but that deal wasn't until 1970.


In the pictures they do look like DeArmond pickups though Mike's book doesn't specify that. I know later on they used DiMarzio electronics on the EM lineup.


I'd love to see one and play it just to say I had. I just posted a thread over on the UMGF to see if anyone knows any more about them. https://umgf.com/martin-electrics-f-series-styles-50-55-65-t212687.html (I figured best not to troll those guys over the Eastwood thing, just for mean-ness...  )

[cozmik_cowboy]

So interesting. Martin made quite a few instruments for other firms as an outsourcing agent, but at that time, I am not aware of who they'd have used for these. I thought of Vega, but that deal wasn't until 1970.


In the pictures they do look like DeArmond pickups though Mike's book doesn't specify that. I know later on they used DiMarzio electronics on the EM lineup.


I'd love to see one and play it just to say I had. I just posted a thread over on the UMGF to see if anyone knows any more about them. https://umgf.com/martin-electrics-f-series-styles-50-55-65-t212687.html (I figured best not to troll those guys over the Eastwood thing, just for mean-ness...  )

Do you use the same handle over there?  I haven't seen you.

A friend had the 2-p/up F-55 when we were in high school; I do seem to recall it having DeArmonds - but don't quote me on that.  Granted this was before I took to actually trying to play much, but I thought it felt pretty good, and he made it sound good, too. 

Peter (who also liked his Gretsch Atkins Super Axe)

[edwardofhuncote]

Yep, same Ed of H everywhere. I don't post very often at UMGF, just read along, occasionally comment. There are a couple luthiers whose opinions I value. I keep a WTB thread trying to find my first Martin guitar, D-16H #518842... so far, no dice. I have seen you there a time or two.

[cozmik_cowboy]

OK, after some discussion over on the UMGF thread Greg started, followed by some time with my close personal friend Google Images, I am now of the opinion that I disremembered some details, and my friend had not an F-55, but rather a GT-70; it looked sorta like a Gretsch 6120 with some Tele-like DNA in the upper bass bout.  The F-50 & F-55 were shaped like an F-model acoustic archtop, but with a sort-of-almost-Macceferrian cutaway, while the F-65 & GT-75 shared a symmetrical body, with said cutaway doubled on the bass side.  GTs, I have learned, superseded the F models (and were almost as quickly decataloged).  Unlike the Fs they had an adjustable truss rod & colors other than sunburst (my buddy's was black).  GTs had one of 2 different headstocks (one a snakehead, one a splay-sided, concave-top, 2-pointed thing), while the F used the classic Martin headstock we all know and love.  Electronics were the same on all but the F-50 - which, as Bill noted above, was a single-p/up model; all the others were 2-p/up (All DeArmonds I do believe).

And I will cease my ramblage now.

Peter

[altgrendel]

https://eastwoodguitars.com/collections/custom-projects-list/products/eastwood-sp-i#features-specs


Bill, tgo

That link is giving 404 errors now.

[edwardofhuncote]

That's pretty funny. I mean, as far as 404 pages go.    Then, I'm kinda' havin' one of those days where I think- yeah... being a hood ornament would get me outta' here faster. 

[lbpesq]

Here's the current link for the proposed Eastwood Carlos Alomar copy.

Bill, tgo

https://eastwoodguitars.com/collections/custom-projects-list/products/eastwood-sp-i-1