"Are Eastmans A Good Value?"

[Steadfastly]

No, they are not good guitars for the money.

They are excellent guitars for the money.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Ditto -- double ditto -- on Steadfastly's take. Martin quality for Yamaha pricing. Superb guitars, depending on model. Which one are you looking at?

sm

[jdto]

Originally Posted by Kupuna50

Yes, Eastman guitars are a good 'value'.
The dilemma I see is that many are comparing them to the likes of Martin, Taylor, Collings, etc.
For a 'value' guitar, they are worth the money.
But..............they are NOT comparable to those mentioned above.
IMHO

You can compare any guitar to any other guitar. I have played several Eastmans that I have preferred over Taylors and Martins in similar or higher price brackets. They are guitars that stand on their own merits, rather than “poor man’s X” guitars.

[Tico]

Like beauty, what is a good value is probably in the eye of the beholder.

If you have a budget of x, Eastman probably seems a better value than if you have a budget of 30x.

[Big Band Guitar]

D.....................

[upsidedown]

I'll put my chips on D also.

I've had several East(men) over the years and have seen a vast improvement with QC in that span. I'd probably own more of them if I had any flexibility in the type of neck that I'm comfortable with.

[HAMFIST]

I have been very impressed with Eastman guitars I have plunked on and those I have seen others play. Folks cite the build quality. The fact that the ones I have seen are all solid wood I think also bears attention.

So the plus is that you have an all solid wood, well-built and very nice sounding guitar. The country of origin suggests that you should get an attractive price, and prices have been okay.

But now you have the Fender Paramount line that I think goes toe to toe with most Eastmans. And I think they are much more affordable. If I were looking, I would A-B some of these with some Eastmans and see what guitar floats your boat the most.

On another level are their archtop jazz guitars, I think. Unlike only but custom shop guitars, they tend to have solid spruce tops. They are VERY expensive, and I think that someone like Godin could come in and offer a solid top version of the 5th Avenue and give them a run for that money.

[PhilNBend]

Originally Posted by calstang66

So the question is, in general, do you think Eastman acoustics are:
a) just another Chinese made guitar?
b) pretty good guitars for the money
c) great guitars for the money
d) very good guitars at 2 times what they cost

There is a store in town that carries a large line of Eastman guitars. Every now and then I go in an look at them. Simply put, the flattop guitars by Eastman are Gibson, Taylor and Martin copies. And they do a very good job of that.

I'd approach the question another way by asking: What is my budget for buying a guitar? If the price of an Eastman falls within that budget, I'd definitely put them on the list for consideration, especially the electrics.

Sound is so subjective and dependent of a number of variables - humidity, strings, set up, room, pick, etc. For the flattop copies, definitely not a. Always b. Usually c. And, if you look hard, sometimes d (I am sure you can find a few Eastman flattops out there that sound better than the Gibson/Martin/Taylor being copied).

* * *
Edited to add: I just checked the Eastman website. The Eastman slope shouldered E20SS (a J-45 copy) with an Adirondack top (plus they don't mess up the guitar with an installed pickup) street price of about 30% of a new J-45 Vintage 2018 with a thermally aged Adirondack top. There's certainly a big price difference here.

[calstang66]

Originally Posted by Zissou Intern

By my count, I have owned 11 Martins, all 14 and 12 fret dreads. My latest was a 2016 D18. My 2017 Eastman E6D is a better guitar, in both tone and ergonomics, than the D18. My wife's AJ816 (Engelman top over carved maple back and sides) is flat out the best jumbo I have ever played including numerous Guilds and Taylors.

I've owned maybe 12 Eastmans, presently 4. I take them to a Certified Martin Luthier/Repairman for setups and adjustments. When I took my Eastman AJ816CE (engleman spruce top/maple body archback 16" jumbo) in for a set up (and he smoothed out some sloppy frets) he said he was pretty busy today but ended up playing and complimenting my AJ816 for at least 75 minutes, singing old country and blue grass songs. He also builds guitars and said he could buy the materials for what I paid for the Eastman. It has just a great rustic razzy tone, it's an archback, no bracing on the back, unless it's hidden from sight.

[Zissou Intern]

Originally Posted by calstang66

I've owned maybe 12 Eastmans, presently 4. I take them to a Certified Martin Luthier/Repairman for setups and adjustments. When I took my Eastman AJ816CE (engleman spruce top/maple body archback 16" jumbo) in for a set up (and he smoothed out some sloppy frets) he said he was pretty busy today but ended up playing and complimenting my AJ816 for at least 75 minutes, singing old country and blue grass songs. He also builds guitars and said he could buy the materials for what I paid for the Eastman. It has just a great rustic razzy tone, it's an archback, no bracing on the back, unless it's hidden from sight.

My wife has 2 Eastman jumbos. Her AJ816 is a fully carved back back. She also has an AJ817-12 string that is also carved maple, but the top is Sitka... equally impressive in every way. I have owned 5 Eastman including my E6D.

Originally Posted by Charmed Life Picks

Ditto -- double ditto -- on Steadfastly's take. Martin quality for Yamaha pricing. Superb guitars, depending on model. Which one are you looking at?

Scott has a killer E10SS. It used to be mine. It's as good as any slope shoulder I have played, but it has its own tone. It does not sound like a Gibson. It sounds more Martin to my ear.

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Stop it Keith, your making me want to buy an E6D. As you know I have a new D18 and you're scaring me.

I tried for a long time to get used the D18's thin (front to back) neck profile, and I just couldn't make it work. The E6D neck is a full C or D shape, and is a true 1 3/4". It's a great neck. Tonally, it is not as warm, but it has better note separation. It is new, so tighter than the D18, and opening up every day. I love it.

[Pura Vida]

I'd vote C and sometimes D. They knock it out of the park with their dreads, and they pull out all the stops with their "40" series guitars. I started with an E40D, and now I own six Eastman guitars (and I can't imagine parting with any of them).

As Jamie mentioned, they're all hand-crafted, so comparing them to Martin or Taylor is apples and oranges (unless we're talking Martin CS). Their build quality is better and more consistent than ever, but found that every guitar is unique, which I say in the best way possible.

[Sagebrush Tom]

Are they a very good value? Very much so. I think they fall into the strong C category. It's not very often that a pac-rim guitar company is able to create a sound pretty much their own like Yari models did and still do.

Fender Paramounts were mentioned but i personally think they fall a little short of Eastman's quality and tone. JMO
Tom

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Zissou Intern

I tried for a long time to get used the D18's thin (front to back) neck profile, and I just couldn't make it work. The E6D neck is a full C or D shape, and is a true 1 3/4". It's a great neck. Tonally, it is not as warm, but it has better note separation. It is new, so tighter than the D18, and opening up every day. I love it.

I too have not exactly bonded with the D18 neck and I like the Eastman necks better. I have small hands but I would like a little more beef on the backside. The good news is the one I own is really a honey tone-wise so I will suck it up and keep it. I say that partially in jest, the neck isn't awful, just not my favorite.
My fretting hand gets tired quicker on it.
The one thing Eastman excels at is exactly what you said, "note separation".
The bass in their guitars is strong but cleaner or clearer or however you want to say it than a Martin.
I actually may eventually succumb to an E10D because I am a sucker for those Addy tops. If I could get my hands on a used one that was in excellent condition, I might be tempted to buy it.

[AgentKooper]

A lot is often made of Eastmans being “100 percent handmade.” What does that mean exactly, and what is the benefit of this? They’re still mass produced in a factory, no?

I’ve played a bunch of Eastmans in a local shop on various occasions, and, while I think they’re nice, I didn’t see much difference in build quality between them and my Blueridges. And my 00-18 is a nicer build than both, IMO.

[jdto]

Originally Posted by AgentKooper

A lot is often made of Eastmans being “100 percent handmade.” What does that mean exactly, and what is the benefit of this? They’re still mass produced in a factory, no?

I’ve played a bunch of Eastmans in a local shop on various occasions, and, while I think they’re nice, I didn’t see much difference in build quality between them and my Blueridges. And my 00-18 is a nicer build than both, IMO.

I’d put the E10 and up Eastman series above the midrange Blueridge. I have a BR-160-12 which is nice, but my E10om was a cut above in terms of quality. Tone, as always, is subjective. I haven’t seen a 200-series Blueridge to compare, but the E40D I played was pretty fantastic (and also priced quite a bit higher than the E20D. The 00-18 is a nicer build, but also costs double (at least here in Canada it does).