Eastman

Founded in 1992 by Qian Ni, a flautist who graduated from Boston University, Eastman started as a string quartet workshop in Beijing, dedicated to violins, violas, cellos and double basses. Building on its expertise in carved tops, the workshop extended its catalog to archtop guitars in the early 2000s, then to acoustic and electric guitars and mandolins.

Each instrument is still hand-assembled by a team of luthiers, with scalloped bracing, tap-tuned tops and carefully chosen woods, carrying on the standards inherited from the string quartet tradition. From the workshop's perspective, Azzato values Eastman for this rare balance between handcrafted construction, tonal accuracy and accessible prices, a coherent range from student model to stage instrument.