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Mandolin

Eastman MD815V

Name: Eastman MD815V
Brand: Eastman

Eastman · MD815

Price: 2.196 EUR – 2.430 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 2/10 (Very rare)

Eastman's professional-tier F-style mandolin: Adirondack spruce top (the same wood Gibson used on its original 1920s F-5s) over highly figured flamed maple, finished in hand-applied varnish rather than lacquer.

Where available? Go to the best price – 2.208 EUR About this instrument

About the Eastman MD815V

The MD815V moves up from Eastman's standard MD-series spec in tonewood and finish rather than fundamental construction. The top is solid Adirondack (red) spruce, the wood used on Gibson's original Lloyd Loar-era F-5s before wartime shortages forced a switch to Sitka spruce, prized by bluegrass players for a stiffer, more headroom-heavy tone under hard picking. Back and sides are highly flamed maple, chosen for figure as much as tone.

Where Eastman's other mandolins use a sprayed lacquer or gloss finish, the MD815V is hand-applied varnish - a slower, more labor-intensive process associated with pre-war Gibson instruments and higher-end contemporary mandolin builders, often finished with a distressed or antiqüd look. Appointments include abalone pearl "flowerpot" peghead inlay (a direct reference to Gibson's own F-5 ornamentation) and pearl dot fingerboard markers, full ivoroid binding, and a violin-style poly-foam hard case rather than a standard rectangular case.

Where to buy

Reverb 2.208 EUR Best price View details
Reverb 2.208 EUR View details
Reverb 2.430 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/93540566-eastman-md815-classic

Sound character of the Eastman MD815V

Adirondack spruce is stiffer than the Sitka spruce used on Eastman's standard models, giving more headroom and volume under hard bluegrass picking before the top compresses or breaks up. The thin, hand-applied varnish finish is generally considered to damp top vibration less than sprayed lacquer, adding to a louder, more resonant, dynamically responsive voice than the rest of the range.

Resonant Punchy Full-bodied

Technical data for the Eastman MD815V

Top	Solid Adirondack spruce, hand-carved
Back/Sides	Highly flamed maple
Neck	Maple
Fretboard	Ebony, 12" radius
Scale length	13 7/8"
Finish	Hand-applied varnish
Inlay	Abalone flowerpot peghead

Price history for the Eastman MD815V

Cheapest seen: 2.196 EUR · Most expensive seen: 2.430 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Eastman MD815V

The MD815V represents Eastman's mandolin range at its most vintage-reverent tier, aimed at players and collectors who want the tonewood choices and finish process associated with 1920s Gibson F-5s without buying an actual pre-war instrument.