What is the quality really like in these new Chinese Acoustics... - Page 5

RP · #61 08-01-2019, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleeperservice

Nope,I just aquired a pair of Chinese copies ( as part of a bass deal) and cleaned them up and put some decent machine heads,nut n saddles, restrung them and set them up.and although my guitar mate's could spot them for what they were,the sniffers,(blokes I knew, but not close mates) saw them at jam sessions and done their stuff, much to my initial enjoyment, followed by my guilty feeling for fooling them.the guilt however has not been enough to stop me fooling others if they happen to claim they know all there is to know about guitars.

With all due respect, this explanation says more about you than it does the "replica" guitars or the "pickle sniffers"...

sleeperservice · #62 08-01-2019, 12:49 PM

I should know better at 64 years.

Pickcity · #63 08-01-2019, 02:20 PM

I've played some good Chinese guitars. Yamaha makes some very good instruments for the money. I may take some heat for this one, but I have played a number of Eastman guitars, and have never been very impressed with the sound. They play pretty good, and fit and finish are good, but every one I have played (several) has been missing something in the sound. I own an Eastman mandolin and my experience with it is exactly the same. Looks good, plays good, but only sounds OK...It is a good value for the price, I suppose...I played a Blueridge dreadnought earlier today and it was a really nice guitar. There are some very good Chinese made guitars, IMO, but the best thing they have going for them is the prices. If/when their guitars reach prices of some of the US guitars, not a chance. Not from me, anyway.

daddio307 · #64 08-01-2019, 02:28 PM

I own 3 Alvarez and one Eastman guitars. All bought used, and half a grand is the most I payed for anything. Great guitars. I would , and do, take my Alvarez AD70 or my Eastman E60OM on stage anytime and they sound and play fantastic, both acoustic and plugged in. So glad I took the plunge on Chinese made guitars.

RP · #65 08-01-2019, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickcity

I've played some good Chinese guitars. Yamaha makes some very good instruments for the money. I may take some heat for this one, but I have played a number of Eastman guitars, and have never been very impressed with the sound. They play pretty good, and fit and finish are good, but every one I have played (several) has been missing something in the sound. I own an Eastman mandolin and my experience with it is exactly the same. Looks good, plays good, but only sounds OK...It is a good value for the price, I suppose...I played a Blueridge dreadnought earlier today and it was a really nice guitar. There are some very good Chinese made guitars, IMO, but the best thing they have going for them is the prices. If/when their guitars reach prices of some of the US guitars, not a chance. Not from me, anyway.

I think their dreads are the cream of the Eastman crop...

Pickcity · #66 08-01-2019, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RP

I think their dreads are the cream of the Eastman crop...

Maybe. They are good instruments, but I have yet to play one that gave me the "wow" factor in any way. In contrast, I played a Chinese made Blueridge this morning that was insanely good. It wasnt inexpensive ($1k) but it was leaps and bounds better than any Eastman I have played. I have also played some other Chinese guitars that I liked better than Eastmans, and they cost substantially less. In my opinion, and it is only one guy's opinion, the best thing Eastman has going for them is their looks, fit and finish.

This is only my opinion, so take it for what it's worth, which isn't much.

Charmed Life Picks · #67 08-01-2019, 03:05 PM

Everyone has a different experience. However, I've been floored by my Eastman E-10SS for over three years now.

Some of you have seen this clip. Here's that guitar perfectly set up, new strings, played live into an SM-58 with a really good pick. Even through a little one-inch computer speaker, it's hard to top this for an $850 (used) Chinese guitar.

Enjoy! sm

rstaight · #68 08-01-2019, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hat

This is kind of my gripe in a nutshell? (pickleshell?) Being from Indiana, the first time I heard of Indiana brand guitars, I was excited about them! I had to find out more, because here was a home state guitar builder!!! WRONG!
Eastman is a fine name, and their instruments are first rate. They do not pretend to be something they are not - they just produce very good quality instruments. But to recycle old names such as Loar, Recording King, and even my home state of Indiana in an effort to invoke a false sense of value is wrong, IMO. Just as bad as the Chibson knock-offs. Go ahead and build great guitars, just call'em what they are, not what they are NOT.

I to live in Indiana. The name is on the guitar because the distributor is in Indiana.

I was at a guitar show in April near Indianapolis having a conversation with one of the luthiers. He not only did repairs but was an Indiana dealer. Why, because he went to school with the owner of the distribution company.

Your logic says don't buy a Chrysler New Yorker because they aren't built in New York City.

GlenGurian · #69 08-09-2019, 03:06 PM

My Breedlove Solo Concert CE is China-made but QC'd in Bend Oregon. It gets played as much or more than my Martin, Gibson and US-made Breedlove.

Best $800 I've ever spent.

vintage40s · #70 08-09-2019, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pickcity

... I have played a number of Eastman guitars, and have never been very impressed with the sound. They play pretty good, and fit and finish are good, but every one I have played (several) has been missing something in the sound... .

I had the opposite experience. I picked an Eastman OM off the wall last Spring and was so pleased by its sound that I bought it on the spot. It plays perfectly, and the sound compares favorably to my old Martin.

tippy5 · #71 08-09-2019, 05:10 PM

Love my PRS SE A55E cutaway.
Some specs...round 11.81" radius, bigger frets, rolled fretboard (ebony) edges, great tuners and bone saddle, real good tone for a GC maple. Thin solid spruce top. Great ab birds and perfling. Has a fast feel. PRS has upped their game on the 2019 SE acoustics.
https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php...l/se_a55e_2019

Kitkatjoe · #72 02-22-2020, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomcstokes59

I am a late learner as I only started 2+ years ago. In that time I have owned 3 Martins (000-18, 000-15SM and GPRS1), 3 Taylors (514ce, 516 Fall LTD and GS mini), 1 Rainsong, 1 McPherson Touring, 1 CA Cargo, 5 Eastmans (E8D, E10 00ss/v, E40OM, E10OM-TC and E10D-TC) and 1 Cort Parlor. I have bought most of them used and flipped them because I preferred something different or had issues with the neck/nut and in one case went with something less expensive. I currently have the last three Eastmans and the CA Cargo. The reasons they remain - I like the way they sound. I like they way they play. I can afford them. The interesting thing is the COO never played a factor in deciding what came or what went. I think that it is amazing that you can find stellar guitars from Ireland, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Canada, USA, Japan, Korea, China, Australia etc etc. You can just as easily find dogs from each of those countries.

Maybe I am lucky in that I didn't grow up playing guitars and wasn't influenced that "It has to be an X" or "Only a Y is good enough". I am enjoying the variety regardless of the COO. Just my 2 cents.

If we can get past the obvious mental roadblocks, maybe we can hear guitars that we have discounted in the past.

Michael Watts · #73 02-22-2020, 03:16 AM

There are some very impressive instruments coming out of China these days and with brands like Bourgeois and Eastman announcing partnerships I think we can look forward to even higher standards of quality.

I interviewed luther Howard Feng (ex Roberto-Venn, currently working with Ray Kraut) to learn more about Chinese guitar making. You may find what he says very interesting, I know I did!

All the best

Michael

guitargabor · #74 02-22-2020, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hat

My opinion is that a lot of the Chinese guitars are very nice. But they do have a lot of QC issues. Improperly glued bridges that come loose, neck wood that is not properly cured and ends up twisting, finish issues galore, and in general not quite as 'clean' a build. If you get a good one, they can be very good, if you don't - well good luck.

\

Agree completely

Steve DeRosa · #75 02-22-2020, 10:42 AM

IME the best of them can successfully compete with - and surpass in certain specific instances - the bread-&-butter models from the major American manufacturers, and if you're an archtop player looking for a brand-new, old-school all-solid/all-carved instrument at a Working Joe/Jane's price, they're the only act in town...

The worst of them - which includes some major brands - are what they've always been: eminently disposable wooden boxes gussied up with inch-thick high-gloss poly finishes, designed for maximum "curb appeal" to Mom and Dad looking to buy Junior his/her first guitar...

The middle ground is where it gets dicey: real bargains to be had if you've got a sharp ear, a careful eye, and a few bucks to invest in a post-purchase setup - and real clunkers if you don't...

Caveat emptor...