Blueridge vs Eastman vs Recording King

[Jeff56]

I've tried all three and think they all put out quality guitars but the Eastman is the only one I own (E10) so it gets my vote.

[GibbyPrague]

I find this poll a bit silly as Eastman is miles ahead in terms of quality and value for money than the other. As the poll seems to testify ..

[patticake]

i didn't vote, because if i'd have chosen blueridge AND eastman, recording king coming up third but i still think highly of their guitars, and i like that they came out with excellent value entry level-priced all solid dreads and 000's.

i own a blueridge, and i find its tone to be exactly what i'd want it to be, and it has no finish or other issues. due to often visiting a store that has stocked a lot of eastmans, i've seen enough eastmans to see some with minor issues, just like other guitar brands in their price range. i think eastmans are fine guitars, and i often recommend them, but i love the tone of the blueridges, too - a bit more traditional, to my ear. more of the eastmans seems to have a wider nut, though, which i find a plus.

since the question wasn't which guitars do we like better but which company, i'm wondering how many people here have dealt with eastman support, 'cause i haven't yet sent them a question. i have heard from the blueridge folks over and over, with answers no matter how silly my questions were, and support from recording king (the music link) went the extra mile to give me info they didn't have at their fingertips.

Originally Posted by GibbyPrague

I find this poll a bit silly as Eastman is miles ahead in terms of quality and value for money than the other. As the poll seems to testify ..

[steveyam]

What about Silver Creek? Aren't they a very similar brand? In fact I'm led to believe they are made in the same factory as Blueridge.

[patticake]

i've heard that several brands of guitars are made in the same factory as silver creek. being made in the same factory doesn't mean the same quality, designs, hardware or standards - in at least some cases, the guitar companies supply the factories with their own designs and hardware or hardware specs. silver creek does not offer even half the models that blueridge does - they don't offer a parlor, among other things.

Originally Posted by steveyam

What about Silver Creek? Aren't they a very similar brand? In fact I'm led to believe they are made in the same factory as Blueridge.

[gibbyguy]

I would be interested in the number (ratio) of guitars that are returned because of issues. It would be great to see which company treats their customers the best. I don't have any experience on this. I do know on another guitar forum Recording King replaced a guitar a ROS-626 (12 fret 000) that had a bridge that pulled. As far as sound goes, The E10D-20D Eastmans will be hard to beat, however I doubt you would be able to see a big difference between the RK's - RD-316/327. I just wish RK made an Adi top OM series to compare. The Eastman OM Adi's are holding their own.

[sublro]

All but a couple of the maybe 12 blueridges ive owned were flawlessly executed, and the flawed ones were very early on, almost ten years ago. Eastmans are great but still a higher percentage of flaws as they work it out. Eastman are most boutique-ish because they are handmade. That's also why they are still a little more inconsistent than blueridge in my experience. But they are fabulous guitars. Honestly a poll like this is way too simplistic to mean much for anyone trying to figure out these brands, all of which have many people pickin and grinnin. What do i own of the 3? Blueridge. Their 1 3/4 neck profile is perfect for me...

[HHP]

Aren't Recording Kings and Blueridge made by the same people?

[dmcowles@comcas]

Originally Posted by HHP

Aren't Recording Kings and Blueridge made by the same people?

No, Blueridge is made by Saga Music and RK by the Music Link. The confusion comes from the fact that Greg Rich was involved in design and development of both those lines.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by dmcowles@comcas

No, Blueridge is made by Saga Music and RK by the Music Link. The confusion comes from the fact that Greg Rich was involved in design and development of both those lines.

Are they the actual manufacturer or the importer?

[patticake]

have you seen a lot of blueridges and recording kings? they're not similar in a number of ways including design, construction, finish and parts.

Originally Posted by HHP

Aren't Recording Kings and Blueridge made by the same people?

[steveyam]

Originally Posted by patticake

i've heard that several brands of guitars are made in the same factory as silver creek. being made in the same factory doesn't mean the same quality, designs, hardware or standards - in at least some cases, the guitar companies supply the factories with their own designs and hardware or hardware specs. silver creek does not offer even half the models that blueridge does - they don't offer a parlor, among other things.

Well, how many guitar models they make didn't seem to be part of the OP's question, "which one is your favourite company?". My angle was simply that like the others in the poll, Silver Creek are Chinese manufactured instruments, based largely on Martin models and with a quality slant. I was merely posing the question that they too should be in the poll, as I'm led to believe from posts on here, that Silver Creek are of a very similar genre to the other three - based on what I just said. But you don't seem to think that they do based on their limited range, and an inference regarding (poorer?) quality. Makes no difference to me personally, I don't own any of them, nor am I likely too, just interested in the poll and the brands concerned.

[HHP]

Originally Posted by patticake

have you seen a lot of blueridges and recording kings? they're not similar in a number of ways including design, construction, finish and parts.

I understand the designs are different, but many of the factories in China are building to an importers spec. The Blueridge brand, as an example, has been built in at least 3 countries and my understanding was that the actual manufacturing facilities were not owned by Saga, they were contracted to build to their spec.

[mrkpower]

Originally Posted by HHP

Aren't Recording Kings and Blueridge made by the same people?

Can happen as the garment and toys imported from China.

[Watt]

I can't respond to the poll; I have a fair amount of experience (all good) with Eastman, but none with Blueridge or RK. I have not required service on my Eastmans, but I had a few questions. I received emailed responses from both an Eastman Service representative and the Eastman dealer within hours of submitting questions. Both stuck me as being very attentive to customer needs.