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Mandolin

Eastman MD515

Name: Eastman MD515
Brand: Eastman

Eastman · MD515 F-Style Mandolin

Price: 845 EUR – 1.699 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 6/10 (Common)

A step up from the MD315 in appointments rather than tonewood: the same hand-carved solid spruce/maple F-style build, finished in gloss with named Pingwell tuners, D'Addario strings and pearl headstock inlay as stock equipment.

Where available? Go to the best price – 849 EUR About this instrument

About the Eastman MD515

The MD515 uses the same core recipe as Eastman's MD315 - hand-carved solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides, F-style body, 13 7/8-inch scale, ebony fingerboard at a 12-inch radius - so the jump in price over the MD315 buys refinement rather than different wood. The finish moves from satin to gloss, and appointments step up across the board: named Pingwell RM-1583NE-26A tuning machines rather than generic hardware, D'Addario XT Phosphor Bronze strings specified as stock equipment, and a pearl headstock logo alongside the pearl dot fingerboard inlays.

Construction details carried over from Eastman's full range include the adjustable compensated ebony bridge, cast aluminum tailpiece, single-acting truss rod, and ivoroid binding. The MD515 ships with a hard case rather than the gig bag that accompanies Eastman's lower-tier mandolins, reflecting its position as a genuine step-up instrument rather than a first mandolin.

Where to buy

Platforms

eBay 2 Reverb 5

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Reverb 849 EUR Best price View details
Reverb 975 EUR View details
Reverb 1.427 EUR View details
Reverb 1.616 EUR View details
eBay 1.669 EUR View details
Reverb 1.699 EUR View details
eBay 1.699 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/98436607-eastman-md515l-f-style-left-handed-mandolin-w-case-2015

Sound character of the Eastman MD515

Same hand-carved solid spruce/maple recipe as the MD315, so essentially the same bright, resonant bluegrass F-style tone at its core. The switch from satin to gloss lacquer adds a slightly thicker finish coat, which can marginally damp top vibration versus satin - a small effect compared to the tonewood itself, not a different tonal character.

Bright Resonant Crisp

Technical data for the Eastman MD515

Top	Solid spruce, hand-carved
Back/Sides	Solid maple
Body style	F-style
Fretboard	Ebony, 12" radius
Scale length	13 7/8"
Tuners	Pingwell RM-1583NE-26A
Finish	Gloss
Case	Hard case included

Price history for the Eastman MD515

Cheapest seen: 845 EUR · Most expensive seen: 1.699 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Eastman MD515

The MD515 sits in the middle of Eastman's numbered mandolin tiers (MD3xx/MD5xx/MD8xx broadly tracking appointment level rather than a change in build method), aimed at players who have outgrown an entry mandolin but aren't yet buying a fully professional handmade instrument.