Old Eastman quality, and repair possibilities

[NBMgreg]

I have a 2015 Eastman E10D that I love, but has numerous fit/finish issues that I’m wondering if it’s worth having fixed or not (photos attached). I bought this guitar used a few years ago from the original owner knowing it had some blemishes but it was priced correctly and the sound is incredible. I know nothing about guitar repairs and what’s possible, so looking to get some opinions on the issues at hand:

1) the fretboard has a separation from the neck at the first fret. When I received this guitar, it had a slight lift on the fretboard with some finish cracking on the neck (my guess is from shipping climates) but quickly corrected itself and has been stable for the last couple of years. It doesn’t seem to affect playability, but I know it’s there.



2) some of the fret ends have divots in the finish, is this due to a poor refret job or just early Eastman quality? Again, does not affect playability but looks bad when nitpicking.


3) there is some significant checking in the finish on the top… I took the guitar with me to a cold mountain climate once and must have not let the guitar acclimate, this is the result. This is fine as long as the wood itself is intact, correct? This doesn’t actually bother me, I know it significantly decreases the value/desire for the guitar but I think it gives it a bit of character. This was also the trip that my wife and I revealed to our parents that we were expecting our first child, so these marks have a good memory attached.

4) has anybody seen or tried a neck reset on an Eastman yet? It doesn’t need it, but if it’s going to be an issue in the future like some of the vintage epoxied guitars (Yamaha, Yairi etc) then that might help me decide if this is worth putting money into.

Also if anybody knows of a good luthier in the Los Angeles area that might be able to tackle this stuff, any recommendations are appreciated!

[DickHutchings]

I wouldn't bother with most of this stuff, but it appears that the nut is leaning forward. Are there any intonation issues?

As for the fretboard, I don't know how anyone would get any glue in there. The fretboard might need to be removed to fix it.

The fret ends need some filling if it bothers you but as I said, I wouldn't. It's a guitar/tool that works as it is. If you need something perfect, than buy another guitar instead of putting a lot of money in to this. Just my opinion, that's what I would do knowing how involved an expensive these types of repairs could be. If it was a Martin, I might think different.

[Fathand]

It mostly looks cosmetic to me, some people work very hard to replicate finish cracks as found on old Gibsons as part of the "relicing" industry. Enjoy them.

Fret end divots can be addressed at next fret job.

Your nut is leaning but if it plays in tune and seems to be stable, I'd leave it.

I don't think you have to worry about a neck reset for a long time, looks like you have plenty of exposed saddle that can be lowered if the action gets too high.

[NBMgreg]

Originally Posted by Fathand

It mostly looks cosmetic to me, some people work very hard to replicate finish cracks as found on old Gibsons as part of the "relicing" industry. Enjoy them.

Fret end divots can be addressed at next fret job.

Your nut is leaning but if it plays in tune and seems to be stable, I'd leave it.

I don't think you have to worry about a neck reset for a long time, looks like you have plenty of exposed saddle that can be lowered if the action gets too high.

Haha, I’m proud to say I did not pay money to have my guitar relic’d! The guitar stays in tune and no intonation issues, but I’ll double check the nut because it does look odd in that photo.

Sounds like this one is just going to be a workhorse with the scars to show for it. Really the only thing that bugs me is the fret ends, it seems like an easy fix so I’ll definitely have that addressed when it’s due for a refret.

[Howard Klepper]

"Fit and finish issues" usually implies flaws that are original to the guitar. This guitar did not leave the Eastman factory with any of the issues you have described.

The fretboard is loose above the first fret because of a repair that was done. I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the wedge of mahogany that was added to the neck below the headstock on the treble side. That is not original--it was done to repair a headstock break. And there appears to be a newer crack going through the wedge. Good photos of all sides of the headstock are needed to get an idea of how it broke and why that wedge was added. But after the repair there should not have been any lifting of the fretboard, and the nut should have been seated properly.

The guitar has very likely been refretted, and possibly either the finish was broken out at the fret ends, or the new frets may have been glued with an adhesive that dissolved the finish at the fret ends. Another pretty good possibility is that the entire neck was refinished, and the glue under the fret ends caused the finish to fisheye. The scratches that show on the transition from the neck barrel to the heel were not likely left there by Eastman. Again, more photos needed of the neck, and the neck heel where it joins the body.

The finish checking is very likely the result of exposure to cold, as OP suggested.

Last, 2015 is not early for Eastman. Their fit and finish were excellent years earlier.

[DickHutchings]

Howard, you have a better eye than I do, no, I didn't even notice that wedge, or if I did, it completely confused me. Of course, haven't but .001% of your repair experience. If that.

[NBMgreg]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

"Fit and finish issues" usually implies flaws that are original to the guitar. This guitar did not leave the Eastman factory with any of the issues you have described.

The fretboard is loose above the first fret because of a repair that was done. I'm surprised that no one has yet mentioned the wedge of mahogany that was added to the neck below the headstock on the treble side. That is not original--it was done to repair a headstock break. And there appears to be a newer crack going through the wedge. Good photos of all sides of the headstock are needed to get an idea of how it broke and why that wedge was added. But after the repair there should not have been any lifting of the fretboard, and the nut should have been seated properly.

The guitar has very likely been refretted, and possibly either the finish was broken out at the fret ends, or the new frets may have been glued with an adhesive that dissolved the finish at the fret ends. Another pretty good possibility is that the entire neck was refinished, and the glue under the fret ends caused the finish to fisheye. The scratches that show on the transition from the neck barrel to the heel were not likely left there by Eastman. Again, more photos needed of the neck, and the neck heel where it joins the body.

The finish checking is very likely the result of exposure to cold, as OP suggested.

Last, 2015 is not early for Eastman. Their fit and finish were excellent years earlier.

Thanks for the input! Interesting you mention the sanding marks near the heal, I noticed those too and wondered what work had been done. That wedge you’re referring to might be a scarf joint, it is apparent on both sides in person, but not in photos. Here’s another example I saw on the Eastman forum:

[JonWint]

I can't see evidence of the scarf joint on the bass side of the neck of your guitar.

The mispositioned and/or misradiused pick guard made me cringe. I don't think it left the factory like that.

[NBMgreg]

Originally Posted by JonWint

I can't see evidence of the scarf joint on the bass side of the neck of your guitar.

The mispositioned and/or misradiused pick guard made me cringe. I don't think it left the factory like that.

it is, in fact, the original pickguard supplied by Eastman. They’ve come a long way since 2015

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by JonWint

I can't see evidence of the scarf joint on the bass side of the neck of your guitar.

The mispositioned and/or misradiused pick guard made me cringe. I don't think it left the factory like that.

I see it in the first pic, blow it up and look a bit to right of centre of the red oval. I dont see a line so much as bits of grain intersecting. The colour matches well and It is hard to see.

[Big-E]

99.99% certain that's an unrepaired scarf joint. It just doesn't show up as well on the other picture. Whist the pick guard may have come from Eastman, I think they sent the wrong one-it's not like any E10D pickguard I've ever seen and has the wrong radius. I'll stand to be corrected though.

[mirwa]

The only real issue I can see, is the fretboard has come loose at some stage near the nut,if it has been reglued, then its a bit of an average job, i kind of suspect thats still a loose section of board.

There is no wedge of wood up their on the headstock, thats simply a scarf join, if you follow the headstock grain its consistent along the side of the headstock up too and under the first fret, consistent with all visible areas that i can see, on both sides of the neck, the lighting has simply made it more evident on side.

The dobs of epoxy or glue used on the ends of the frets to fill the voids in I find hard to believe are ex factory, I would suspect they have been done by someone during a possible refret of the neck after maybe said loose fretboard issue

The body finish cracks, you will have to unfortunatley live with them, that is a big repair to fix for a purely cosmetic reason only

The slipped pickguard is not an uncommon thing, i have had to repair many and I mean many, brand new guitars which have been shipped to stores and have arrived with a slipped guard prior to being sold
Steve

[DickHutchings]

I don't know what photo you're looking at, but there is zero evidence of a scarf joint on the bass side. The grain lines are all parallel to the fretboard. The side of the headstock must be glued on ears because the grain lines don't follow any direction the would indicate a scarf or normal.

[NBMgreg]

Originally Posted by mirwa

The only real issue I can see, is the fretboard has come loose at some stage near the nut,if it has been reglued, then its a bit of an average job, i kind of suspect thats still a loose section of board.

There is no wedge of wood up their on the headstock, thats simply a scarf join, if you follow the headstock grain its consistent along the side of the headstock up too and under the first fret, consistent with all visible areas that i can see, on both sides of the neck, the lighting has simply made it more evident on side.

The dobs of epoxy or glue used on the ends of the frets to fill the voids in I find hard to believe are ex factory, I would suspect they have been done by someone during a possible refret of the neck after maybe said loose fretboard issue

The body finish cracks, you will have to unfortunatley live with them, that is a big repair to fix for a purely cosmetic reason only

The slipped pickguard is not an uncommon thing, i have had to repair many and I mean many, brand new guitars which have been shipped to stores and have arrived with a slipped guard prior to being sold
Steve

What’s the best way of safely removing a pickguard? Run fishing line under it? If it’s something simple, maybe this is a good candidate to try my hand at and get something correct on there.

[DickHutchings]

Never mind, I finally zoomed in enough to see the changing grain lines. I was wrong.