Eastman AC722CE-DF

The Eastman Strings brand was founded in 1992 by Chinese flutist Qian Ni after graduating from the Boston University School of Music. Over three decades, the company's portfolio has grown to include acoustic, semi-acoustic and electric guitars (Eastman Guitars) and with it the brand's fame, so that the company's players include such luminaries as James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers), Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth). In the case of Eastman instruments, you can rely on superior craftsmanship, demonstrated by features and techniques such as hand-cut ribbing or individual tuning of the instrument's soundboard.

The Eastman AC722CE-DF is an all-massive Grand Auditorium-style electro-acoustic guitar. The front of the guitar is made of European spruce, while the back and sides are made of rosewood. The distinctive rosewood grain is enhanced by a glossy lacquer finish (Truetone Gloss).

The mahogany neck with a pleasant "C" profile is glued to an ebony fingerboard with 20 frets. The rounded lower body cutout ensures good matching at higher fretboard positions, while pearl position markers (Abalone) facilitate fretboard orientation. The resonance of the top is supported by hand-reduced ribbing (Scalloped X).

The strings are mounted across the bone fretboard in Gotoh SG301 tuning machines in gold finish and ebony fingerboard. The luxurious craftsmanship is accentuated by a soundport opening in the guitar's bellows providing musicians with instant feedback and traditional features in the form of a comfortable rosewood shoulder rest, rosewood perimeter body, fingerboard and headstock flange complemented by imitation tortoiseshell lines, a mother-of-pearl rosette (Abalone) with tortoiseshell inlay, a centre strip on the back, a tortoiseshell pickguard, ebony pegs to the neck with mother-of-pearl eyelets (Abalone) and a mother-of-pearl motif and company logo on the headstock.

The guitar's sound system is handled by LR Baggs Element EAS VTC electronics with an underbody pickup and Volume and Tone controls discreetly placed in the instrument's soundhole. The guitar comes in a carrying case.