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NGD - Eastman AC822ce Koa LTD
The AC822ce KOA Ltd is 1 of 10. I had seen this guitar a few months back and really liked the aesthetics of it. I spent quite a bit of time researching KOA guitars and the one concern I had was the comments I found describing them as "bright" at first. I discussed this specific guitar with Ted at LA Guitars and he stated he would not consider it overly bright and has a balanced tone. So I pulled the trigger
Aesthetic comments I like the appearance of Koa and Eastman did a fantastic job of building this guitar out of all Koa. The fit and finish is fitting of boutique builders and I cannot find one issue with the finished product. I believe Eastman did an excellent job of book matching the top pieces and continuing the theme on to the back and sides. To give an idea of the attention to detail I attached a picture of where the arm bevel meets the figured maple binding. Even the appearance of the ebony in the arm bevel, bridge and fingerboard match. It is not pure black but more variegated and each piece matches the others. The guitar is much darker than the pictures that were on LAG's website. The images attached are more reflective of the actual appearance as opposed to the reddish/orangish hues. Regardless I find its appearance stunning. I haven't had an opportunity to play it a lot. My first thought is that it reminds me of a marriage of rosewood and mahogany. It seems to project with substantial overtones but has individual note clarity and separation. One interesting observations is that it is very sensitive to pick selection. The set up is almost spot on and I haven't decided if I will even take it in for a tweek. The GA body gives it a little more low end than my 000s without being overly bassy. It is a very comfortable C shaped neck - not too thin or too beefy. The bevel on the upper bout makes for a very comfortable arm position. I don't have an opinion on the sound hole, though it's a nice touch and very well executed. The Gotoh tuners are smooth as silk and the ebony buttons compliment the headstock. It came with an LR Baggs Anthem which may take some getting use to. It is definitely different than the JJB/K&K passive pick ups. I am looking forward to how this guitar will mature. From what I understand Koa develops a very rich tone. One last comment - every Eastman I have bought I have changed out the Ping tuners (Gotoh or Schaller), changed the pickguard (Holter or LMII), added a pick up (JJB/K&K), installed the strap button, had a professional set up and added a John Pearse armrest. With the exception of installing the strap button and a clear pickguard, this one was ready to play right out of the box. I would like to thank Ted and Helene at LA Guitars for a very pleasant transaction. If you are in the market for a new guitar, Eastman or other, you owe it to yourself to at least reach out to LA Guitars. TomC Last edited by tomcstokes59; 12-24-2019 at 07:17 AM. |
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Superb! What a great collection you’ve got. Thanks for sharing.
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Claren Guitars Quality Guitars for Discerning Players |
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Beautiful guitar. Congrats, Tom!
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"It's only castles burning." - Neil Young |
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Sweet looking guitar! Enjoy!
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Alvarez AP-70 Squire Contemporary Jaguar Kustom Amp (acoustic) Gamma G-25 Amp (electric) |
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Very beautiful Eastman - congrats!!
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Eastman E1SS-SB Eastman PCH1-OM-CLA |
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That is a seriously beautiful instrument! Congrats!
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Treenewt |
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Beautiful. Let’s us know how it sounds!
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Schenk Grand FingerStyle, Richard Gilewitz signature Emerald X7 Taylor 555 |
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Simply gorgeous!
Did it come with the black buttons on the tuners? I recently got my AC722ce and, also from Ted and Helene, and the first thing I did was purchase ebony buttons to replace on the gold tuners. It's engleman spruce over rosewood with all the bindings being wood. Like yours, it's not overly anything, it's piano like with a toned down bass player in the background. If you're as impressed with yours as I am of mine, I'd keep it just to look at if I didn't like the sound! Congratulations on that one, it's the nicest looking Eastman I've seen to date, I would have considered myself if I'd known of it! Thanks the pictures.
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Eastman AC722ce Taylor Mini GS Eastman 20 OM Hagstrom Swede Fender Amer Strat-Honeyburst Epiphone Pro ES 339 |
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Whoa! Tom, that’s a stunner.
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Peace, Jimmy Optima dies, prima fugit |
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VERY nice! Congrats!
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Walker Clark Fork (Adi/Honduran Rosewood) Edmonds OM-28RS - Sunburst (Adi/Old Growth Honduran) |
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Thanks
Thank you everyone for the comments. I am quite pleased with it.
Exterra1 - the ebony buttons came with it when I bought it. |
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of course it's subjective, but that's one of the coolest looking tops I've ever seen.
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Martin DX1AE LH Taylor 114ce LH Alvarez AP70L |
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Back pics added
Figured out how to resize picture files and here are a couple of the back. I also added them to the original post.
Last edited by tomcstokes59; 12-24-2019 at 07:56 AM. |
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That is one beautiful guitar. Is it an OM size? I don't see it on Eastman's website.
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon |
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Size
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ac822, eastman, koa |
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