Eastman ER-M-GB Goldburst El Rey Mandolin #0625

The Eastman ER-M-GB El Rey mandolin throws out the traditional bluegrass body shape entirely, built around a solid maple top and a solid one-piece mahogany body that has more in common with a solid-body electric guitar than a porch-picking acoustic. Developed with luthier Otto D'Ambrosio, its asymmetrical, swooping silhouette and Truetone Goldburst gloss finish make a statement before you've plugged it in.

A custom-voiced Lollar mandolin humbucker sits in the sweet spot and puts out a fat, warm electric voice with real sustain — nothing like the thin acoustic chirp mandolin players are used to hearing through a pickup. Because the body is solid rather than chambered, you can run it through an overdriven tube amp or a full pedalboard without fighting feedback, and it holds a punchy midrange with articulate, rounded trebles suited to jazz fusion, modern rock, or a mandolin solo out front of a band.

The solid maple neck carries an ebony fingerboard with a 12-inch radius and a 1 3/32-inch bone nut, so fast single-note runs and wide chord stretches stay comfortable across the neck. An adjustable compensated ebony bridge and cast aluminum tailpiece keep intonation solid under heavy playing, and it ships in a hardshell case — built for the mandolin player ready to plug in and explore territory the instrument rarely goes.

Serial #N2500625 — this listing is for the exact instrument shown in the photos above.