Are Eastmans really THAT good?

[Jaxon]

I have their 2017 E10 OM and 2022 E10P...few changes I'd like to see Eastman do...A little thicker neck and thicker tone on my OM and make an all mahogany model which they refuse to do. Need another setup on my Parlor as it's lacking in playability in different neck areas and start posting the dang neck depth on their specs as it does mean a LOT to some players!

The only way I could say they're as good or better than anything else is I would have had to owned and played every other brand and it would still be just my opinion.

[Bluenose]

Allow me to paraphrase what the great author John Cheever said about opinions in one of his books I read along time ago and can't recall the title. He said opinions are like a part of the human anatomy, everybody has one and they all stink.

Opinions are basically all we have here so yours is as good as mine really.

[Br1ck]

If anyone wants to play, like, and buy one, I'm not going to mind. If I had four or five large, walked into a store and bought a guitar, it would not be an Eastman. I had a mandolin that was good enough to get me hooked on playing, but lasted less than six months after I realized I had the habit. That is a very worthy purpose IMHO.

[kizz]

Originally Posted by davidd

I just bought a 2 year old E8D-TC. Very impressed.

I really don't care about other peoples opinions because who knows what they appreciate in a guitars tone and playability? I only care about what I think. Too many know-it-all players who are all hat and no horse for me to worry about.

Now it's a forum where people discuss this sort of thing and are asked for their opinion, so if you don't care about other people's opinions, why give it attention? You also give yours, don't you?

[movehome]

I had an E1D recently which sounded great but I couldn't stand the rough open pore nearly-unfinished neck. My hands sweat and it felt really gross.

I also briefly had an AC222CE (ovangkol back and sides) which had a nicer, smoother neck, but sounded flat (very little resonance or overtones) so I sold that one too.

I also had an E20 00 12 fret for a few years but didn't play much since I wasn't playing guitar as much when I had it. I think it was the best of the three though. Nicer neck and really nice sound. It had the kind of sound that I would enjoy just picking a few strings and listening to it ring.

One thing about the Eastmans is the bracing inside always looks really pristine and well done, even on the low end models. They look nicer inside than Yamahas in the $300-1500 range that I've seen.

[PeterD18DK]

For looks go for Eastman.

For tone I would go elsewhere. I owned a few Eastman guitars and when recording them. They could not even compare with my Blueridge BR-43. But they were looking way more authentic, Martin'ish, true to the guitar-religion and sometimes looks have more weight than music

[iCGM]

For the price, Eastmans are very good. Are they for everyone? No.

I tried out a lot of Eastmans last year, 1 in particular I really liked but walked away. Went back to the store some time later and it was still there, and came home with me. Out of the 10 or so I tried, the AC308LTD and 1 of the E8OM's were stellar. The other ones were good too. I would choose them any day of week over a lot of other brands.

[Golffishny]

That is the opinion of the player. When I was looking at 000 guitars I played Taylor, Eastman and Martin. The sound of the Eastman to my ears was between the Taylor and the Martin. The playability for myself favored the Martin first and the Taylor last. The thin neck profile caused hand cramping for me. The workmanship of the Eastman I played was not as neat as the others. Each brand has individual guitars that are better than others in its group. As it's been said many times, you have to play them. Good luck.

[davidd]

There are opinions here by players who post videos of their playing. The skill level should tell you something about their blanket statements concerning the quality of a guitar brand, Nuff said...

[RJVB]

Originally Posted by Golffishny

The playability for myself favored the Martin first and the Taylor last. The thin neck profile caused hand cramping for me.

Thin (or shallow) neck profiles do that to me too, so I'd be interested to know if you had this with only the Taylor or also with the Eastman.

[kizz]

Originally Posted by davidd

There are opinions here by players who post videos of their playing. The skill level should tell you something about their blanket statements concerning the quality of a guitar brand, Nuff said...

You are right, it says something about "their" opinion, but they are few, so what is the use of it...

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by davidd

There are opinions here by players who post videos of their playing. The skill level should tell you something about their blanket statements concerning the quality of a guitar brand, Nuff said...

I respectfully disagree, David. The number one customer (in terms of sales volume) for a company like Martin, for instance, is not the Tony Rice's of the world but the enthusiastic (or even beginning) guitar player. To stay on the Martin comparison, the D-28 has been the icon and go-to guitar in Bluegrass for almost 100 years. They own that segment, and no one will ever take that spot. Does that mean that every Martin dread owner is one of the top flatpickers in the world?

By the same logic, Martin owners (and a larger percentage too) are average or below-average players, including yours truly. Does that make Martin a lousy brand because they are mostly played by mediocre -- and below -- guitarists. You're presenting a logical fallacy.

Does everyone who drives a Ferrari or a Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera having the driving skills to join an Formula One team? And if not, does that make them an inept driver?

scott memmer

[movehome]

I just got a new Eastman E2 OM.

In standard tuning played with a pick it has a very strong attack, very loud and in your face. Very resonant and shimmery. Kind of unpleasant so I had to tune it down 1.5 steps and now it sounds really great and is fun to play. Very balanced and it handles downtuning better than many other guitars.

Fingerpicked it will sound great in any tuning.

It's cedar top.. so I imagine the spruce top would be even brighter and more unpleasant when picked in standard tuning.

[jontewright]

I recently got a used E10-00.
I'd previously only played one other Eastman, an E10P. I really wanted to like it but it sounded thin and boxy imo. It could have been the strings, could have just been a bad one but it really didn't sound good.
The E10-00 is different again. Loud and punchy with a nice big neck. The Adi top on this one really gives it some power.

[SalFromChatham]

I can’t remember what I may have posted on this thread… and I’m too lazy to go back and peruse!

But I do care enough to clarify my thinking now.

1) the Eastman E2D cedar and Om cedar are in my opinion fantastic. If you buy those, I’d also stay away from the special editions that have a gloss finish and stick to the less expensive satin.

2) the Eastman slopes pre TrueTone in my opinion are better than the current ones.they sound deeper with more 3D character. I base this on my experience owing the nitro versions, and the newer TrueTone versions. I played an E10SS/V for several days a month back. I paid $1500 or $1600? (And returned it). You can buy a Gibson J-50 60s Reissue right now that will much more likely steal your heart for $1700. That seems like an easy decision to me.


I wish I had more experience with their OMs… because I do have Martin experience in that arena… I’d like to compare. But the E2OM-cd is fantastic.