NAMM 2025: “This innovative neck-to-body construction delivers more tone, sustain, and stability”: Eastman debuts the FullerTone series – all-new bolt-on electrics with a retro vibe and innovative neck joint
The FullerTone neck joint is a bolt-on with a long tenon that offers three times greater neck to body contact
NAMM 2025: “Our goal was simple,” says Eastman Guitars. “Shoot for the stars and build a guitar too good to be true, too good to put down.” And the result of this mission statement is Eastman’s all-new FullerTone Series, a bolt-on electric guitar that promises more tone, sustain, and stability thanks to its the groundbreaking neck joint that gives the range its name.
You might have heard about this neck joint before. It has previously been used by Eastman on its D’Ambrosio Series, and it has a two-bolt, long-tenon neck design that offers three times as much neck-to-body contact, ergo giving you all that extra sustain and whatnot.
There are two models in the Series, the FullerTone SC ’52 singlecut and the DC ’62 doublecut, and each is available in Moss Black, Desert Sand, and Ice Blue Metallic finishes – all solid colours given a lick of Eastman’s Truetone Satin Gloss.
Eastman’s master luthier and designer Otto D’Ambrosio says he wanted to design “a modular bolt-on neck system that performed, looked, and felt better than what is commonly seen on the solidbody bolt-on market”. After careful examination of a number of neck joints in solidbody electrics, he came up with this.
“The FullerTone neck system integrates a small structural heel and tenon hidden underneath the neck pickup,” he explains. “The matching geometry of the neck and body securely locks the two pieces into place and is mechanically fastened together.”
The FullerTone SC ’52 and the DC ’62 both arrive with an all-new Tonerider electric guitar pickup set, with the singlecut fitted with a Tonerider soapbar neck humbucker with gold-foil cover and an angled Tonerider Noiseless stacked single-coil at the bridge. The bridge pickup sits in an ashtray-style bridge with three Aumsen brass saddles, much like an old-school Telecaster.
The FullerTone DC ’62 has an HSS pickup configuration with that Tonerider soapbar/gold-foil at the bridge, and the two Noiseless single-coils at the bridge and middle positions.
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The pickups are all wired to premium CTS pots and Orange Drop capacitors. You can get whammy bar action on the DC ’62 – its tremolo sits on a brass block. Eastman promises tip-top intonation and tuning stability.
Both guitars have a solid body of roasted black limba. Necks are roasted maple. The SC ’52 has a 12” radius maple fingerboard, while you get rosewood on the DC ’62. Eastman has given these smart gold or silver anodized aluminium pickguards and witch’s hat-style controls.
They look pretty nice. And the price isn’t bad either. The DC ’52 will set you back £799/$999, while the DC ’62 is £899/$1,125, and they both ship with a padded gig bag.
For more details, head over to Eastman Guitars.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.
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