Eastman El Ray ER-M-GB Mandolin (Price inc. Custom Pro Setup Package)

I became aware of Richard's Guitars via YouTube during my search for a new acoustic guitar. I was interested in the Eastman range and reached out to RGs for some advice and guidance. I received quick responses to my questions including suggestions on the best guitar for my needs. Hats off to Jon and the team who were patient and unfailingly helpful. I chose the AC222CE deluxe in the gold burst, and couldn't be happier. The guitar looks amazing and plays like a dream - exactly what I was after. For my first guitar purchase in nearly 30 years it has been absolutely perfect. Communication from RGs was excellent and the pro set up from Chris meant it played perfectly straight out of the box. Awesome service all round!

I've been thinking of buying a second Eastman acoustic for some time. I already own a E1SS-DLX-SB which is a super guitar. The slope shoulder represents something a little out of the ordinary for me as I usually go for finishes other than sunburst (However, this model is aesthetically beautiful). I think aesthetics are important as we all favour specific guitar shapes and finishes. This can often be a big factor that influences the choice of guitar that we purchase.

For my second Eastman, I always wanted an orchestra model. that's the shape that really inspires me to pick up the guitar and play. I originally wanted an E1OM special but sadly , they are becoming increasingly rare to find. I was considering the E1OM DLX with sapele back and sides but also hadn't ruled out the E3OM DLX that features Ovankol back and sides . After a gret deal of thought I opted for the Eastman E30M DLX Ovankol model. When it arrived, I knew that I had made the correct choice; It's such a pretty guitar. The construction is excellent and confirms everything that I have read about the standard of craftmanship that Eastman applies applied to all of its instruments. I'll use this mostly for finger picking but will incorporate strumming and lead work. The timbre of the instrument is quite wonderful. I know I'll keep this guitar over the years.

Chris the guitar tech has completed a wonderful set up. Something that should never be neglected when we buy a new instrument. I waited about 6-7 weeks before the guitar arrived in the UK. I didn't mind this as I knew that my order was. in safe hands (I had previously bought a Cort Essence GA4-NSG from Richard's Guitars) and again Chris did a wonderful job on the set up of this guitar. The all 'round service and communication was excellent from Richard's Guitars was excellent; a big call out. to John for his polite and regular communication.

In summary, I adore this guitar. It's the one that I've been looking for. I've got my collection down to seven guitars. Each one, chosen for a specific purpose. I finally believe that I have an array of instruments that cover all of my recording and performance needs. Whilst I'm not planning to purchase any more instruments for quite some time, I am pleased that I chose Richard's Guitars to secure my beautiful Eastman. It's probably now, the favourite guitar that I own. Thank you.

Paul.

Hi guys, sorry it's taken a while to review.

The advice and service I received from Jon and the team is second to none. This was a remote purchase. They helped me choose the right guitar for my needs, set it up flawlessly and exactly as I wanted and my new Eastman E3D-DLX played flawlessly right out of the box. I was a little nervous of buying a guitar I hadn't played, but I'm so glad I did. These guys are great and will make sure you get the right guitar for you.

Very happy with purchase. Arrived very well packed. Came with a perfect fitted case. Must say it did sound a little "thin" on first playing, but playing for an hour or two every day the tone is definitely opening up and sounding a lot better than original. I think it will still improve over the next few weeks. The set up is also perfect.
A pleasure to deal with your shop
Terry

beautiful guitar absolutely amazing set up perfect to my liking , had several chats with richard and jon guiding me all the way .they gave me a bargain with b stock for same price as id already payed , and the ac 122 guitar was out of stock , so they advised me to get the ac322 which its a better and more expensive, only few scratches ill probly leave as its not bithering my playing at all ,, so thanks alot guys .. ill certainly be comming back again .. ive took a photo to show thanks 🤩🎸🤩

I received a faultless service from Richard guitars and I’m very happy with my purchase.

This was my second order from Richard, and once again the experience was excellent.
Any questions that arose along the way were resolved quickly, and the entire process was straightforward, efficient, and trouble-free.
The guitar arrived with all the requested setup adjustments completed, exactly as I had hoped.
The AR372 is a fantastic instrument, highly resonant, beautifully built, and a huge step up from my old Aria FA-70. The workmanship is outstanding,
and even with .012 strings it plays effortlessly.

Merci vielmals for the great service, and best regards from Switzerland!

Unbelievable Value, SetUp and Service from Start to Finish! Exceptional Staff Team. Definitely will do Business again. (Think maybe a Furch Baritone??)
The Eastman 12 String is Surreal. Beautiful Sounding Guitar.I bought this entirely based Richatds Video film review! His Energy ,Intelligence and Enthusiasm is Mesmerizing!!
Keep Up the Good Work.
I am very Grateful to You All. Thanks!
Jem. S.

A* service. Pre booked an appointment and found them very knowledgeable and helpful. Plenty of time and a space to try before you buy. Delivery prompt with plenty of updates and correspondence. Flawless transaction. Very happy customer. Many thanks.

I purchased my Mandolin at first because of the great price. Best choice I ever made as the customer service is second to none, friendly and knowledgable. Nothing is too much trouble and they reply very promptly, even if oit of hours! If you are going t buy a guitar, you will not find a better place to buy it from!

Great guitar, setup perfectly 👌🏼

Superb 12-string, huge sound with long sustain. Easy to play. Set up as good as expected. Excellent, very solid hard case as well.

Great service, communication, and ease of online ordering.

Extremely good service and helpful team throughout the process. Thanks to Jon and Jake for answering all my queries.

The staff at Richards Guitars gave me great service and Eastman make very good guitars.
The chaps at Richards sorted delivery of an Eastman E20 OM-MR-TC to their showroom to suit my travel timetable and arranged an appointment for me to check it out and to part exchange my E10. The E20 was perfectly set up by Chris ant Richards and I even got a discount because he noticed a slight cosmetic flaw on the guitar. All done painlessly. Many thanks.
I had my E10 OM as a working guitar for five years or so and was very pleased with it, but came to realise I prefer the sound of rosewood guitars to mahogany - neither is better or worse, it’s just personal taste. But this E20 is in another league - I don’t know if it’s the Madagascar rosewood or the torrefied Adironak top or something else, but it seems to have all the best features of rosewood and mahogany. It plays like a dream too. I have a forty year old Martin M36 and a 30 year old Gibson Advanced Jumbo and I can assure you this brand new Eastman is already playing in the same league.

What a completely wonderful experience dealing with real people👍🏼,informed all the way on progress.And boy it was worth the wait! What a guitar🎶
Thanks again everyone involved
Pete😉 ps I’ll be back🤣

Really happy with both the guitar and the service. Richard’s Guitars kept me in the loop the whole way through with updates and good advice. They actually listened when I had questions. I sent over some bone bridge pins I wanted fitted and they installed them without any fuss.

The setup is spot on. It feels great to play straight out the case. No factory buzz or clunky action. It plays exactly how it should. The guitar itself is stunning. Honestly I cannot fault them. It felt like they genuinely cared about getting it right rather than just boxing it up and sending it off.

Would definitely go back for my next one.

I bought this guitar just over a year ago and posted a very quick review within hours of owning it so I thought it might be helpful to post a few more thoughts in greater detail after owning it for a year.

This is actually the second guitar I have bought from Richard, the first being my first proper acoustic, a Faith Venus, back in 2007. A while back I started trying to master fingerstyle blues guitar on a Vintage V300MH guitar, which is a surprisingly good all mahogany parlour considering it is under £200. Even though this guitar was probably more than sufficient for my skill levels I had a significant birthday coming up and decided I wanted a quality acoustic to mark the occasion. Initially, I was looking at an Auden parlour but after having a telephone conversation with one of Richard's staff he convinced me that Eastman might be a better choice for the style of music I had in mind. Most of the Eastman range are, if I recall correctly cheaper than the Auden I was looking at so this was clearly a recommendation based on my needs rather than an attempt to upsell.

The E20p TC that they had on their website looked ideal and at a price that was almost too good to be true. Actually after ordering it online it it turned out the price was an error on the website! The price quoted was for the non-TC version (torrified top) which was the one they had in stock. The TC version was not in stock and a bit more expensive. Well, mistakes happen but it's how they are handled that is important. In this respect, Richard's guitars get five stars. They gave me three options: a full refund, The non TC version that they could despatch immediately or if I was prepared to wait they would order a TC version for me at the lower price I had already paid. Given that I was in no rush for the guitar this is the option I went with! They did warn me that it could be quite a long wait and it was indeed several months but when it did arrive Richards Guitars even gave me a £120 Walsall leather guitar strap as a thank you for waiting so long. What with the reduced price and the free strap Richard can't have made much money out of me in this instance (sorry Richard).

But what of the guitar? Well it's said to me a copy of a Martin Marquis Collection 000-28VS. A guitar I am probably never going to be able to play in real life because it is now discontinued (or 'retired' as Martin prefer to call it) and even second-hand examples are going on Reverb for between £3600 - £4800. I'm led to believe that the Martins just have a sitka spruce top as well whereas the Eastman has the superior Adironack Spruce. When I think of Chinese guitars I think of the cheap Gibson copies (or Chibsons) with overly bright colours and varnish and cheap-looking components. All a bit tawdry. The Eastman is the exact opposite. It is the most restrained and tasteful guitar I own with beautiful, flawless inlays and binding, a superb satin neck with ebony fingerboard and such a beautifully resonant tone. I cannot yet do justice to the guitar but every time I pick it up I am blown away by the sheer quality and inspired to try harder.

I am aware that many people are wary of buying Chinese guitars but I would urge you to set aside such doubts. If the name on the headstock is really important to you (and I'm not saying that's wrong) then by all means buy a Martin but be prepared to pay at least double for a second-hand guitar (I believe even now Richard is only asking about £1600 for the Eastman). All I would urge you to do is at least try an Eastman before you make that decision. I am sold on Eastmans and looking for to my next purchase from Richard which will probably be a T186 or T59/V