This is a mint Eastman AR371ce which is directly inspired by Gibson’s model ES-175.

This guitar features a 16-inch body with a Florentine cutaway and a 24 3/4-inch scale length. The all-Maple body is laminate (top, back and sides) and fitted with a set three-piece Maple neck. The fretboard is Rosewood, with 175-style parallelogram inlays. 

Whereas more expensive Eastmans feature wood pickguards, carved tailpieces and fancier tuning machines, the AR371CE offers more economic hardware and adornment, but not at the cost of functionality or sound.

The neck has a slim-‘n’-sturdy C-shape that’s comfortable for long stretches. It has just the right combination of neck profile, width, string spacing, scale length and fret wire gauge to make you feel like you’re never ‘fighting’ your guitar.

This model carries a single Kent Armstrong Designed Humbucker pickup at the neck, which Eastman probably chose because of its relative neutrality and nicely balanced sound. The tuning machines are high quality, providing easy and accurate adjustment. String intonation was spot-on and I had no issues getting this guitar in tune and keeping it there. The plastic pickguard is well positioned and stays firm. And the guitar’s burst finish showcases the wood grain, handsomely framed by pinstriped white binding. 

I own a Gibson ES-175 Steve Howe made in 2006 (also for sale) and you can get get into a similar ballpark with the AR371 simply by using a tube amp and rolling down the bass and treble, rolling up the mids if available, and then playing a bit with the volume and tone knobs. The 371ce also has a surprisingly nice ‘acoustic’ quality, whether it’s amplified or not.

It really is a wonderful looking and great playing instrument. To find a jazz guitar of this quality priced less than $1500 is very unusual. It’s the perfect first jazz guitar or a great gigging guitar for pros who aren’t looking for a lot of bling.

Check out these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQjj4361l1A 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37RWYtPQTTE 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udPas3TXYk