Eastman E10OO vs E20OO, Perhaps E40OO

[mrbeans26]

I've narrowed my search to the Eastman E10OO and the E20OO.

Unfortunately, I am unable to find them in a guitar shop near me to try either of them out, and was hoping the the fine folk here could help me with as I make my decision. I play mostly fingerstyle but not particularly blues stuff. I am planning on getting an all-mahogany guitar in the future, and would love if the Eastman could be a good complement to it in my arsenal.

In addition to the different S/B woods and a little more aesthetic details on the E20OO, I noticed a post for the E10OO at LA Guitar Sales has a "20 year Old Adirondack Spruce" top. I'm not sure if that top would make much of a difference, and whether I should be taking that into consideration.

Bonus question: I also saw the E40OO that Silly Mustache talked about. It's much more outside my budget, but I'm willing to figure it out if it is really worth it. I've read that more "premium" guitars also get more "premium" woods. Beside the added bling, would there be much of a difference between the E20 and the E40 in terms of sound?

[KenL]

Don't know about the 00s, but I've had both the E10P and E20P, which are just a little bit smaller.

The woods on both lived up to their stereotypes. The mahogany -10 was very woody and dry, while the -20 was darker and more lush.

Both were lively and resonant, and great fun to play. I would have to say that I preferred the -10, but I am a confirmed fan of the mahogany tone. I wish I had kept that -10. Plus both were sunburst, and Eastman does an excellent job with that. Both were outstanding guitars, can't go wrong with either one.

I've never had the chance to play an Eastman -40, but I would be surprised if the upgrade was not worth the extra $$$.

[Goat Mick]

I just pulled the trigger today on an Eastman E1OOSS-SB today. I think it's going to make a great barroom brawler. I already have a Baggs M1 passive ready to go in it, just have to sweat out the shipping time waiting for it to get here. I really don't think you can get better bang for the buck for total solid wood construction for $549.

[67goat]

I have a bunch of Eastman guitars. I do not have any OOs, but I have E10s and E20s from other sizes.

The tonal differences of the back and sides are noticeable, but slight. More significant than the difference between two of the same model, but not like a completely differently voiced guitar.

As for the E40OO, it is not currently in production. Some places still have few of the limited run ones available, but who knows when they will sell out. OM is the lowest size they currently offer the 40 specs in. So if you do want one, you'll need to act fairly quickly or wait for a used one to come up.

People that own E40s say they can hear the difference between an E20. But whether the difference is better, or even really due to it being a 40 model over inherent differences between two guitars, I could not say.

I will say that the 40s usually have AAA tops. That is better wood from a looks department. But that rating has nothing to do with tonal characteristics. You could have a very beautiful AAA top that is tonally dead (not that I think Eastman would ship a tonally dead guitar) and a A top that is plain but sounds like angels. Ultimately, I think the difference is mostly bling. Which is fine if you want bling.

But I don't think you miss out on anything by getting an E10 or E20.

Also, I am sure you know since you have been looking, but their OO slope shoulder models are 14 fret and the standard OO models are 12 fret.

So far, the worst part I have found about Eastman is that they are such good guitars it is easy to buy more of them than you need.

With the 10 you have the option of the E10OO-TC which is their torrefication. I like my E20D-TC a lot. That being said, even if you don't buy te TC version, there is a chance that you get a TC top. Eastman has even released a few PCH models with TC tops that weren't in the specs. Apparently sometimes they have more TC top material than not and will use it for any guitar.

I think the RW one are just a little brighter and clearer, which lends them to fingerpicking quite well. However, it's not like the mahogany ones are muddy messes, so they will still work, IMO.

[67goat]

Originally Posted by Goat Mick

I just pulled the trigger today on an Eastman E1OOSS-SB today. I think it's going to make a great barroom brawler. I already have a Baggs M1 passive ready to go in it, just have to sweat out the shipping time waiting for it to get here. I really don't think you can get better bang for the buck for total solid wood construction for $549.

Also Eastman guitars are very consistent. It is one of the brands that I don't worry too much about buying online. I prefer to play acoustics before I buy, but the variances among Eastmans of the same model are not nearly as large as some manufacturers. They aren't quite Taylor consistent, but I don't worry about not getting to run the racks.

[Myopic Squirrel]

Mrbeans - you might want to post your Q on the Eastman Guitar Fans forum to get additional opinions.