Anybody using medium gauge strings on their Eastman OM?

[Lonesomedave]

Anybody using medium gauge strings on their Eastman OM?
I was wondering if this would allow me to play a little harder rhythm guitar without out "crapping out"?
I don't actually own a Eastman OM btw....just considering one..

[Wade Hampton]

Dave, I haven't owned any Eastman OM's, but I've owned and still own a number of OM's built by other manufacturers. I've always used medium gauge strings on mine, and they work superbly as rhythm guitars when strung that way.

When I bought my Martin OM-21 new about ten or twelve years ago, I strung it with mediums. Martin's official policy at that time was that any Martin guitar could handle medium gauge strings just fine.

In the years since then, Martin's policy has changed, even though the bracing pattern on the OM-21 has not. So now they tell you not to use mediums on that guitar.

My recommendation is that if you buy an Eastman OM, string it with mediums and see what it does. It seems likely to me that you should be able to use them, but until you know for certain, keep an eye on the instrument for a little while.

Even if the guitar really does not respond well to them, if it yanks up the neck or whatever, the good news is that you can remove them without any real harm done. Any distortion to the neck or body that might occur won't be permanent unless it's allowed to sit that way for a while.

So, in other words, don't string the guitar with mediums, then leave it in the closet and not look at it for the next six months. Watch what it does carefully for the first few hours and days. But if there are any problems, all you have to do is remove them and go back to lights.

Since becoming active on this forum, I've been made aware that there are quite a number of guitarists these days who themselves have never used medium gauge strings in their lives, yet feel duty-bound to warn the rest of us that using medium gauge strings is about as dangerous as handing a loaded handgun to a group of sugar-crazed Cub Scouts....

Particularly if (gasp!) they're used on an OM or similar smalbody guitar.

It's not true. What IS true is that some OM's sound better with mediums than lights, some better with lights than mediums, and a relatively few which truly shouldn't be strung with mediums for structural reasons.

That last category is much smaller than most people assume, though, MUCH smaller.

So, short version: string it with mediums, see what it does. If you like the tone you get with mediums and the guitar itself seems stable with them, go ahead and use them.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[pickinray]

Originally Posted by Lonesomedave

Anybody using medium gauge strings on their Eastman OM?
I was wondering if this would allow me to play a little harder rhythm guitar without out "crapping out"?
I don't actually own a Eastman OM btw....just considering one..

I bought an E20OM last week for my son. I did some strumming on it with a heavy pick and thought it sounded good with the light gauge EXP16's that it came with, but maybe I don't strum as hard as you do. The sales guy, who I think is very knowledgeable about Eastmans and acoustic guitars in general, recommended sticking with light gauge strings. But that might just be his opinion, and not necessarily what Eastman recommends. The only thing I might add to Wade's comments above would be to check with Eastman to make sure their OM's can handle mediums from a structural standpoint.

[mattwood]

I have an Eastman E8 OM and it is my understanding that you should stick with light strings due to the thinness of the tops. This was a subject that came up on the UBGF and Pat who was the Eastman rep recommended this from what I remember. To be honest, this guitar is loud enough with lights!

[jpd]

Originally Posted by Lonesomedave

Anybody using medium gauge strings on their Eastman OM?
I was wondering if this would allow me to play a little harder rhythm guitar without out "crapping out"?
I don't actually own a Eastman OM btw....just considering one..

Dave..I have a phenominal E15SS prototype(modeled after the Gibson LG-2/B25) and I use 13/56 on her. I tune down one whole step. It is an Adi top, rosewood b/s and it just screams. Tone, bass response, sustain, ....out Gibsons, Gibson. J.D.

[pickinray]

Originally Posted by mattwood

I have an Eastman E8 OM and it is my understanding that you should stick with light strings due to the thinness of the tops. This was a subject that came up on the UBGF and Pat who was the Eastman rep recommended this from what I remember. To be honest, this guitar is loud enough with lights!

I made the same observation on my son's E20OM. Eastmans have good tone and plenty of volume. They are excellent guitars for the money.

[Lonesomedave]

Its not so much the tone & volume for me, but being able to play a little harder.
I played rhythm in a bluegrass band for a while and I tend be heavy handed when playing faster rhythm stuff.
I don't want to use the guitar for that exclusively or I'd go with the dread, but I want to be able to back up another flat picker with it occasionally.

[Jamie9]

Well I'm one of those lilly livered mummie's boy's that Wade speaks of so fondly. I've got a handmade 000 that I put mediums on for a few months and nearly wrecked the guitar (according to the luthier). I hadn't been playing that long and thought that I'd get used to the extra finger pressure needed.
That guitar was designed with lights in mind. The maker was horrified.
Get in touch with Eastman, ask them and tell us what they say.
You might get away with a Bluegrass set... med bottoms /light tops