Eastman neck profiles? Dread owners please...
 

I LOVE my Eastman E8D. Simply love it. They are all they're said to be, the AGF love is deserved. EXCEPT:

I have smallish hands (despite needing "medium" in gloves) and so the full "traditional even C" is just a hair too beefy for me. Not much, but it it is. And it bugs me, no matter how much I love everything else about it. By comparison, playing my wife's Guild DV52 (also 1-3/4 nut) that D profile is REALLY comfy -- I don't have to "work" at wrapping my thumb or playing various barres for an hour or so.

Does anyone know if any of the other "traditional even C's" are slightly thinner? A quick look at their website and it seems like ALL their guitars, at least the dreads and GAs, are the same neck profile. Is there variance?

I’m not sure about today, but in the past Eastman’s did vary a bit, largely because the necks are made by hand.
If you ever have the opportunity, just for fun, play a J45.
I have small hands and it’s the easiest guitar to play I have ever owned.

Compared to the E8D I owned, almost everything would be considered slim, including Martin ModV.

Try the slope shoulder models
 

1 11/16" nut a little thinner on the neck, especially the E10SSv version. Like previously stated - Eastman necks can vary (more so in the past as opposed to newer models) and this may not always be true.

The necks on my E1OM and E6D are pretty much the same... OM is slightly flatter. Personally, I find them about the most comfortable necks I have on any of the guitars I own.

Eastman neck profiles? Dread owners please...
 

I have a 2020 E8D with a neck on the thinner side, .84” at the first fret I believe. It feels to me slightly thicker than the Martin MLO.

Thanks guys.

RokDog and Tom, I need to stay with 1-3/4 nut though. It's the profile, the back of the neck that concerns me. I still need the fingerboard width.

bkan, interesting, mine's from fall of 2019. when you say .84 inch, what exactly are you measuring? (And how, micrometer?)

Just a week ago I sat in a Boston-area music store and played an E10D and an E20D. The E10D’s neck was nearly perfect for me (and from your description of your hands, I suspect ours are very similar); the E20D was so thick that despite really liking its tone I just couldn’t buy it. The difference was so pronounced that the store staffer who was helping me said he could see it without putting his hands on the guitars.

So yes, the variation is real. (My E10OM is somewhere in between the two dreads I played — a tiny bit chunkier than I’d prefer, but not at all a problem.)

With the strings off I measured (with digital calipers) from the face of the fretboard to the back of the neck, right in the middle of the first fret.

My E10D is right at .90” and my E6OM is .86”. I personally prefer the thicker necks.

Cool, good to know. And somewhat disheartening. Of course buying a guitar without being able to play... but if I had known I needed to specify, "Yeah, give me the E8D with the skinny neck." Anyway...thanks for the input. I'll see if I can find a caliper and measure mine.

Yes, folks are posting actual neck thickness measurements just as "bkan" described. They can be hard to get from the manufacturers and do sometimes vary on the same models. With descriptions of neck shapes being very subjective, the actual measurement can give a little extra info to help narrow the choice. I measure this, nut string spacing, string "gap" spacing method, and string set-in from fretboard edge on every guitar I audition. An inexpensive set of digital calipers does the trick. You can get pretty close eyeballing with an action guage as well.

For me, there is a better chance I will enjoy the instrument if the neck thickness at first fret is under around .83". Isn't always set in stone, but is a good rule of thumb. For the more common, Martin's MLO is .80" and most Taylors are .836" or so. A member posted the other day that Gibson slim tapers are .80-.84. I've seen shape profile graphs from a member that suggest USA Breedloves are fairly thin but I don't have a number. My kid's Breedlove import is a a super thin .775, which is almost Ibanez wizardesque. We have an older Korean Breedlove here that is "thin" and will get the calipers this week. Sure there are others, but the Martins are certainly the most prevalent.

Like you, I really like Eastmans, and I don't remember being uncomfortable with the neck when auditioning. Yet, I quickly moved on to something else. Every time I hear one I start wishing they had a spot in their line for a few smaller neck profile models. They are such good guitars. Perhaps, you might be able to find a Martin close to what you like in your Eastman. Best of Luck.

Regards,

Mac

Mac, yes thanks. Revisiting this. I did get digital caliper and measure: sure enough dead on .84 right at the "middle" of the first fret. But that doesn't tell the whole story...

There are two (quality) dreadnaughts in my house, my E8D and my wife's '98 Westerly Guild. They have both exactly 1.75 nut, exactly 1.5 spacing at the nut, and exactly .84 thick at first fret. But guess what? They feel like night and day. When I play the Guild, it almost feels "flat" on the back of the neck, compared to the fully rounded Eastman, which has more "meat" in the shoulders. For my size hands it makes a world of difference, both in thumb-wrapping and also in fatigue when playing barre chord heavy music. (I know...you're not supposed to play that namby pamby bar chord stuff on a bluegrass geetar!)

So...my solution will likely be: I need an ADDITIONAL guitar, with a skinny flat neck!

A 12 fret dread all hog from Eastman with a slotted headstock is all im asking for:)

Maybe it's just me but I don't think Eastman varies much from their standard neck carve. I have a E2D-CD, E10OM-TC, and E20D-TC and all three neck profiles feel the same to me. Full C which is fine for me but I can see where it might be a "hand full" for some? If switch out to a Martin MLO I feel like I'm on vacation!:D

If you love the guitar and it is a keeper, take it to a luthier and have the neck shaved to match the one you like.