Class of 2013: Eastman Guitars – The Long-Term Approach

Though they’ve been an industry leader in violins and band instruments for decades, the Eastman Music Company has quietly built a reputation for dependable archtop guitars and mandolins. Recently, the company has doubled down on efforts for its guitar segment, introducing a new line of flattop guitars. The move is setting the company up for a breakout year as it evolves into a manufacturer of six-stringed sleeper hits.

Eastman’s president, Saul Friedgood, explains that the increased focus on guitars is a natural progression for the company, which began building archtops using its expertise in the violin market.  “The knowledge we built in our previous years of production and manufacturing the orchestral strings led to our archtop guitars and mandolins,” he says. “We understand what it takes to produce hand-carved tops, while there are still many companies that do not.

“Over time, we established a real trust with players on the archtop side, which then allowed us to launch our first line of flattops.” Friedgood says he’s made effort to distinguish the brand from a burgeoning market of “boutique” guitars by making a few fundamental decisions about the products. For instance, Eastman purchases woods from the same sources as larger companies like Martin, Taylor, and Bourgeois, as a way to build with premium tonewoods at desirable price points.

The company’s core band and orchestra divisions – Eastman Strings, Andreas Eastman Woodwinds & Brass, and the 125-year-old William S. Haynes Flutes brand – continue their strong performances, but Friedgood says that the timing is just right to make aggressive moves in guitars.

“Citing the continued overall guitar sales growth in the industry has been a major contributing factor to us honing in on those instruments,” says Friedgood. “But at the same time, we’re not just following trends. Our discussions have revolved around our thought that the acoustic guitar market is still relatively open.”

Eastman is also an example of an MI company that’s built a successful manufacturing program overseas, operating a network of factories in China focused specifically on its own musical products. “The most important differentiation to understand is that our factories make our musical instruments, and only our musical instruments,” says Friedgood. “We are a privately held company and we own our factories.” The company also maintains a QC team of over 40 employees in its Pomona, California headquarters, as well as in-house setup shops to work on every piece before they ship to retailers. This year, they completed a major expansion on a factory dedicated solely to their own flattop guitar production.

All in all, it points to a carefully planned “We’ll continue to be aggressive and selective, while paying high attention to detail,” he says.

“We’re a sound all our own.”                        

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