We've been fascinated by the new Eastwood Custom Shop website and its new approach offering innovative guitar designs through crowdfunding. So often, a manufacturer takes a big chance offering expensive runs on new models, only to take a big hit on something that looks great on the drawing board, but lackluster sales make the move a financial disaster.

This new strategy is brilliant, and not something that could have been done a decade ago. Proposed models with specs are posted in a virtual catalog form. Bids are solicited and a small deposit is required, but if enough interest is generated, money put where the mouth is so to speak, the instrument is manufactured. When a company doesn't have to waste valuable resources on unsold merchandise, pre-order pricing is more efficient and the savings is ultimately passed on to the consumer. These instruments are extremely reasonably priced, and often extra freebies are offered as a reward to the pioneer customer.

Eastwood has dabbled in the mandolin family market with a few electric mandola models, and we'd like to see them dive deeper with a wider choice of 4- and 5-string mandolins. Perhaps with feedback from our readership, we can help.

We would like to see a 335 guitar shape body with a single humbucker in a 4-string mandola tuning or a 5-string CGDAE, preferably single course and hope to pursue a private project. Let us know what you think!

Visit: Eastwood Custom Shop

Note, there is currently a long scale tenor on the project page, currently priced at $599 with hardshell case.

Posted by Ted at December 3, 2014 2:36 PM