• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MEMBER’S AREA
    • JOIN
    • FAQ
    • MEMBER LOGIN
    • Member Monthly Lessons
    • Member VIP Area
    • Member-Practicing with Neff
    • Member-Brecker Alternate Fingering Lessons
    • Member-Killin’ Altissimo Lick Lessons
    • Member-Monster Lick of the Day
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT
  • SUPPORT
You are here: Home / Reviews / Sax Reviews / Andreas Eastman EAS640 Alto Saxophone

Andreas Eastman EAS640 Alto Saxophone

August 13, 2011 by Steve 11 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Andreas Eastman EAS640 gold lacquered alto saxophone.  This is another great saxophone that is manufactured in Taiwan.  I had never heard of Eastman saxophones until a couple of months ago when I received an email asking me if I would be willing to review them.

Andreas Eastman EAS640 Alto Saxophone

Eastman Musical Instrument company started out with violins, then evolved into a full string line.  They next added brass instruments, bought the Haynes Flute Company, and are now expanding to include saxophones.  Here is a quote from Roger Greenberg who is helping to develop these saxophones:

“Our priority with these saxophones is to capture the best of some of the great vintage horns and combine these features with modern technology, etc. to make the finest horn possible in all aspects including response, sound, intonation, ergonomics and construction.  I’m feeling very good about these new horns.  We have two very different models, one more traditional in sound and response, and the other more adventurous with rolled tone holes and an amazing response combined with a huge sound.”

This Eastman alto saxophone is a gorgeous gold lacquered sax with detailed engraving on the bell and neck. It has a high F# key on it and the key work is ergonomically smooth and efficient.  It doesn’t have rolled tone holes like the tenor I recently reviewed.  I have to add that the case it came in was one of the coolest cases I have seen for an alto sax. It is shiny black and is closely wrapped around the body of the sax.  I think it’s the smallest case I’ve seen.  When I first opened the box, I thought they had sent me a curved soprano by accident.  I can’t vouch for how protective it is but it is pretty cool looking.

The key work was  great and I felt like I could get around the horn well.  I have a history of tendonitis so I prefer a pretty light spring tension on my saxophones.  I found the spring tension to be a bit too strong for me but that can be adjusted by any competent repair person.  The bottom Bb table of keys was a bit hard for me to get around but that is due to the stronger spring tension.  The placement of the keys and the mechanism looked fine.  It had resonators that were metal with rivets in the middle. I’ve heard a few repair techs say these aren’t the best resonators but I’ll leave that discussion for another day as everyone has different opinions on resonators. (Especially sax repair people)

The tone of this saxophone was bright and clear sounding.  The scale was very even up and down the range of the sax.  I really liked the upper range of this sax.  The notes really sung out and the intonation (which I will talk about next) made it really easy to play.

The first thing I check when I try a saxophone is the intonation. I tune the middle B and then see how the octave B tunes in comparison. If the high B is sharp or out of whack I usually just put the sax back in it’s case and move on. The octaves were great on this sax. The intonation was as good as I have seen on any modern alto saxophone. The octaves were in tune and the high notes weren’t sharp at all. I really enjoyed playing this saxophone.

I played an Ishimori Woodstone hard rubber mouthpiece on it with a Woodstone #3 reed. The sax played well with this setup and felt pretty close to the resistance I get with my Selmer Reference 54 that I play most often. It wasn’t as fat sounding as my Reference but I believe it was a little bit brighter and more focused sounding.

The true test is to play the sax with music and this saxophone passed that test. I played it with a couple of recordings and it was easy to play in tune at louder and softer volumes. The tone was very flexible and felt like I could play with it while still staying in tune. When I played at 95% volume it still kept the same tone and I didn’t feel like I could out blow it.

I have provided a video clip below so you can see and hear the sax for yourself. Anyone can write great reviews about a sax but the true test is to see and hear it for yourself. The final test is for you to play it yourself.

If you are interested in a Andreas Eastman saxophone you can click on http://www.eastmanmusiccompany.com/ .   I am told that the saxophones aren’t on there yet but they are in the process of redesigning their site to include them.    Let me know what you think in the comments below.    Thanks, Steve

Andreas Eastman EAS640 Alto Saxophone

Filed Under: Sax Reviews Tagged With: Alto Saxophone, Andreas Eastman, EAS640, sax review

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarRoger Greenberg says

    August 18, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Just letting you know that Eastman has already made the decision to upgrade the resonators.

    Reply
  2. AvatarGerardo Avila says

    August 19, 2011 at 10:08 am

    Hi Steve

    You say that you don´t change anything on your embrochure when you push the octave key. I tried that with my Yamaha Custom alto sax, and really got scared! If I don´t change anything, I mean anything, not even a little thing, on my embrochure, what I got when I push the octave key is a tremendous flat note, more than 37c. The tunner even tries to go to the next note. I did the same with my soprano and tenor, which are pretty good horns too, and the same happened. I have the mouthpiece very “in”, in the cork, so I´m not bitting the mp eather.

    Could you give me a hint on this?
    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. AvatarVP says

    July 27, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    You have to push more air and focus it in order to raise the pitch. Clamping down on the reed will only muffle the harmonics and fullness in your tone.

    Reply
  4. AvatarRenee Lechner says

    November 7, 2013 at 3:06 am

    Hey Steve,

    I was just curious as to what brand/model your main alto that you use is?
    Thanks!

    Renee

    Reply
    • stevesteve says

      November 13, 2013 at 9:44 pm

      Renee, I use a Selmer Reference 54 alto saxophone. I used to play a Couf alto sax back when I was in high school and college but ended up selling it when I switched to tenor sax. (That was stupid) Later I wanted another alto sax and I tried old Couf’s, Yamahas, Yanigasawas, different Selmer’s and some other brands. One day I played this Reference and I knew it was the one for me. I’m always on the lookout for something better but so far the Reference is a good fit for me. Steve

      Reply
  5. AvatarDan Kusz says

    January 11, 2014 at 2:56 am

    I played cannonball horns for many years and made the switch to my Eastman 52nd street alto this year and I couldn’t be happier – I don’t see myself buying a new horn for a long long time. Everything about this horn is amazing – the action, the key placements and great ergonomic feel, the tone and the big sound I get is killer! They did a great job engineering this horn and I would recommend it to all of the professional horn players out there to try! Kudos to the Eastman team, job well done!

    Reply
  6. AvatarDan Kusz says

    January 11, 2014 at 3:04 am

    and just for reference…I play a dukoff metal mouthpiece and vandoren java reeds

    Reply
  7. AvatarSheryl says

    October 12, 2014 at 10:16 am

    If you have a chance, try the 52nd Street model. I have one and I love it. The local dealer was selling off his instruments due to focusing primarily on instrument repair and I just couldn’t resist buying it for the price he offered. Anyhow, I thought this horn was more resonant, vibrant, fuller, and darker (warmer) sounding than the other Eastman saxes I tried and the bigger bell helps to produce a bigger sound. The 52nd Street is unlacquered. I’m not sure how much being unlacquered influences the sound or quality of sound or timbre, but I like the sound and just went with it.

    Reply
  8. AvatarVidal says

    February 10, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    Yes. I agree with Dan & Sheryl. I have a Cannonball Raven, but just tried an Eastman 52nd Street unlacquered and played it with 2 metal mouthpieces that I own. It sounded best with my Dukoff D8. My Jodyjazz Superjet 7 works best with my Raven alto.

    Reply
  9. AvatarVidal says

    February 10, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Of the two combinations, I prefer the Eastman 52nd Street w/Dukoff D8.

    Reply
  10. AvatarSandra Presley says

    August 22, 2017 at 11:34 am

    How much should someone pay for Andrea’s Eastman Sax that is 5 years old?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

BRAND NEW BOOK!

Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues
Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

Hi Steve, I can’t express just how much I appreciate your teaching. My playing has improved so much over the past year since I have been studying and practicing with your lessons. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, these lessons are proof! Thanks, Michael Byington
Michael Byington

I must say again how much I appreciate all your material. Including the video tutorials. It help keep me focused and knowing what to aim for. And your laid back teaching style appeals to me too. 

Thanks

P

P
I want to let you know that your instructional material is transforming my playing.  It is an immense pleasure to learn and play now, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am. The instructional material I got from you is by far the best of any I own (and I have over 100 books, DVDs, and what not). I literally can’t thank you enough! Deric
Deric

After reading your story I will never feel quite right about complaining about any of my MINOR health issues!!    God bless Steve and I really hope that your health doesn’t stop you from fulfilling your calling.    These books have been such a help to open up my jazz vocabulary…   Thanks so much for sharing your story and for providing these great teaching tools…   John Leclerc   Saxophonist / composer/ EWI player and professional working musician of 35 years….

John Leclerc
I can see from your instructional videos that you are a fantastic teacher – one that can truly relate to all ages – humble yet very positive in approach – never coming across as superior and yet so totally capable of demonstrating the principles and techniques that you seek to impart to the students. I have gained so much confidence in my playing from “pouring over” time and again these invaluable lessons. Invaluable not only in musical content, but also in human interaction content. I am absolu… Read more
Ron

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph

Thank You Steve. I think that I will be busy for years. Thank You for your great contribution to jazz music. Your books, more than teaching “how to play jazz”, actually teach “how to speak jazz”. I wish I found your methods years ago.  

Jean-Eric
For anyone living in remote areas away from live jazz sax teachers, Neff is the way to go. In fact this is a great resource for anyone seriously interested in mastering the sax. I’ve never been disappointed in a lesson.
Oliver
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 $14.99
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.90 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY AND SAVE BIG ON EACH LESSON!

Best II-V-I Patterns Book
Best II-V-I Patterns

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Lloyd Whitty
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Murray Middleman
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Paul
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Az Samad
  • Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ryan

Jazz Improvisation Books

Mastering Altered Pentatonics
Mastering Altered Pentatonics
Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk
Devastating Dominant Lines for Jazz & Funk
Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale
Mastering the Minor ii-7b5 V7b9 Bebop Scale
Dominant Bebop Scale Book
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale-Book 2
Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale-Book 2
The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer (Major)
The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer (Major)
Mastering Major Diatonic Patterns
Mastering Major Diatonic Patterns
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz & Funk
Devastating Minor Lines for Jazz & Funk-Thirty 5 Star Reviews!!!
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 2-Dominant Chords
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 2-Dominant Chords
Best II-V-I Patterns Book
Best II-V-I Patterns
Approach Note Velocity Book
Approach Note Velocity
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 1-Minor Chords
Mastering the Blues Scale Vol. 1-Minor Chords
Major Bebop Scale Book
Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Paul on Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
  • Murray Middleman on Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
  • Lloyd Whitty on Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
  • Brent G. on Alexander Superial I Jazz 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Jason Mingledorff on 100 Must Know Jazz Tunes Consensus List

Top rated products

  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • One Bar Blues Licks and the 12 Bar Blues Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Round Midnight Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Sax Intonation Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Beginner Jazz Improvisation Lesson 8B-Tenor Sax
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2023