Yamaha FG3 vs Eastman E1D

Sixstring Scott · #1 02-08-2023, 06:40 PM

I'm looking around for an all solid wood spruce top, mahogany back and sides dreadnought. So far I've narrowed it down to the Eastman E1D and the Yamaha FG3. I've tried the FG3 instore and really liked it. Unfortunately I've never played an Eastman guitar but I do have great appreciation for Eastman quality thanks to my 305 mandolin.

The Eastman is slightly less expensive, but sentimentally the yamaha speaks to me as my first real acoustic was a yamaha.

Anyone have any direct experience with these two guitars that could offer opinions?

Thanks!

YamahaGuy · #2 02-08-2023, 09:46 PM

No direct comparison but I do own an FGX5 and I used to own an E1OM. The Eastman neck is thicker and more C-shaped. The FG neck has a shallower D shape. If you use a capo, intonation issues have been noted with many FGX5 users including myself. Shaping the saddle and a good setup helped a bit but the issue remains slightly.

BoneDigger · #3 02-08-2023, 10:40 PM

I have owned the Eastman and also owned an FG5. I hear the FG3 is similar in tone and workmanship to the FG5. If so, I would take the Yamaha over the Eastman, 100 percent!

Cibby · #4 02-08-2023, 10:46 PM

I have an FG5 and 2 Eastmans one is a E20D the other E2D cedar top. The E20D neck is a handful made in 2016 when every neck could be different.The E2D cedar is last years model and the neck is not as beefy. However the FG5 is the best of the three flawless workmanship and sounds so good and better volume than my Eastmans. Yamaha makes some good acoustics as Eastman does. Unless you were looking at the E10D or E6 with torified top I’d go with the. Yamaha.

Railroad Bum · #5 02-09-2023, 02:12 AM

That's a hard call. I would probably lean toward the FG3, but I really love both of those guitars. Either way you go, yo have made the right choice, lol.

Wellington · #6 02-09-2023, 07:21 AM

You know, I'm gonna get mocked, but I'm starting to recommend the Fender PD-220e, super good looking and nice playing and sounding dread, all solid. If you get a chance to try one, give it a go.

emtsteve · #7 02-09-2023, 08:38 AM

I don't have any experience with the Yamaha, but my E1D is outstanding in all respects. One of the best $500-ish guitars I've ever bought.

gr81dorn · #8 02-09-2023, 08:54 AM

The FG3 is sorta unbelievable and unbeatable for the money. When they first came out, they had some inconsistency in quality from my experience, but the ones in the last year or so are unreal. They sound and play and just feel like something 2-4x their price. While the E1 is very nice, the Yamaha is a step up in most respects in my opinion and you'd need to compare it to an E6D-TC to really be more apples to apples and even then I think the FG3 wins.

llew · #9 02-09-2023, 09:13 AM

Either one is a fine guitar but my one take away (as I notice you're not looking to plug in) is in my experience the Eastman will be a little louder than the Yamaha. I'm on my second FGX5 and while it's a great guitar in it's own right it is a little more dampened volume wise compared to a similarly priced Eastman. (E1D) Nothing wrong with that...just an observation...no more or less.

gr81dorn · #10 02-09-2023, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llew

Either one is a fine guitar but my one take away (as I notice you're not looking to plug in) is in my experience the Eastman will be a little louder than the Yamaha. I'm on my second FGX5 and while it's a great guitar in it's own right it is a little more dampened volume wise compared to a similarly priced Eastman. (E1D) Nothing wrong with that...just an observation...no more or less.

It's funny that you say that... I have had 4 of the Red Label guitars, 2 with and 2 without electronics, and the ones with the pickup system were WAY quieter than the ones without. Could just be a coincidence or it could be the impact of the pickup system's components on the bridge, the overall weight, etc. I definitely noticed they didn't project or boom the same way as the purely acoustic ones.

llew · #11 02-09-2023, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr81dorn

It's funny that you say that... I have had 4 of the Red Label guitars, 2 with and 2 without electronics, and the ones with the pickup system were WAY quieter than the ones without. Could just be a coincidence or it could be the impact of the pickup system's components on the bridge, the overall weight, etc. I definitely noticed they didn't project or boom the same way as the purely acoustic ones.

Well the "X" models do have an under saddle transducer along with the mic and body sensor. I can see where there could be a difference. I typically don't care for UST's but wanted one "plug & play" guitar and the FGX5 fits the bill. I haven't played the FG5 w/o electronics (which I will say are quite good) so I don't have a basis for comparison?

JTFoote · #12 02-09-2023, 11:55 AM

I helped a friend pick out a guitar from a music store in Greenville, SC. We had already gone to a couple of places prior to that in NC, the local GC and another well-regarded store in Black Mountain, but nothing had turned him on in his price range (or me, either) for that matter.

Neither of us had spent much time playing Eastman guitars, but this SC shop had a wide variety. An E1D was the standout guitar in the store, period, and definitely belied the price. It's a fine guitar, with wonderful resonance, and records really well.

I've played some excellent Yamahas in the past, (my first guitar was a Yamaha, one I recall with some nostalgia) bought one for another friend years back, and always thought of them as a reliable guitar, often very playable right out of the box, especially nice for a beginner, but my buddy's Eastman E1D has to get my vote. We both play it regularly, and with no regrets. As they say, it punches well above it's weight.

... JT

Martyn Eden · #13 02-09-2023, 05:52 PM

They are both outstanding.
I have been playing my E1d every day for 4 years, but I've also been fortunate to try a 3 series Red label.
Wonderful guitars!
Both of them. You can't go wrong with either.

Sixstring Scott · #14 02-09-2023, 09:27 PM

Thanks for all the great feedback. You’re definitely make me further lean towards the Yamaha. Just more of a known quantity for me and it sounds like it hold its own against the Eastman.

Now I’m starting to wonder if I should be trying to decide between the Fg3 and the Fg5!

Cibby · #15 02-09-2023, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sixstring Scott

Thanks for all the great feedback. You’re definitely make me further lean towards the Yamaha. Just more of a known quantity for me and it sounds like it hold its own against the Eastman.

Now I’m starting to wonder if I should be trying to decide between the Fg3 and the Fg5!

FG5 is well worth the extra money..