Talk me into or out of an Eastman E10SS, sight unseen

[baw3]

Totally agree. I've had my Eastman E20om very a little while now and have been playing it a lot. The other day I got it out and started playing it and I swear the guitar was sounding better than it ever has. My E20om is not going anywhere.

[Charmed Life Picks]

What a great discussion.

It makes sense that Gibson would have its own vibe. After all, they been making round-shouldered guitars for close to 100 years.

And yes, the Easties sound fab, but do have their own distinct vibe, also lovely and detailed.

I used to talk about women when I was younger.

sm

[Cromwell]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

And you know that how?
Have you played “many,many” or are you basing that on the here-say on this forum or elsewhere.
I didn’t find that to be the case at all and I played quite a few over the years. There were a couple I wouldn’t have bought, not “many, many”.
The J45 owners on the forum will support me on this.

You know what I think the issue is, I played 8 or 9 if I can remember, and the sound just wasn't for me, the lack of sustain just made them sound dead to me, there was a couple that stood out, but just didn't do it for me, and that's my personal taste, nothing more.
Also, may I add, that I live in the UK, and from what I have been told, American made guitars don't tend to send there best ones over here, they save them for the American stores.

[JHey!]

Agreed - fun discussion. When I started my search for something “in the spirit of the J-45” (as I put it in the initial post), I was open to any number of possibilities and was fine getting something with its own vibe. Eastman got my interest because I seemed to find so many positive reviews, including from the fine people on this forum, some of them on this thread. I wasn’t looking for a J-45 knockoff, per se, but for a good balance of quality and affordability (so long as it was spruce/hog, short scale, and slope shoulders on a dread). The E10ss emerged for me as an obvious choice, the only drawback being my inability to try it before I buy it. I think J-45s are cool, and maybe one day I’ll own one. I played a recent Gibby J-45 vintage something or other not long ago at the local music store and it floored me. I called a guitar playing buddy right when I left the shop to tell him how amazing it sounded. The thing is, it cost several times more than I was looking to spend. So, for now, I’m content to focus on the Eastman. Maybe one day I’ll add a J-45, Kopp and/or a Fairbanks. You’ll all be the first to know! Well, maybe my wife will, but you’ll all be next.

[baw3]

To Jhey, Just curious what you think of your Martin om-21. I have been listening to some of the video reviews of this guitar and was wondering if they really capture the way it sounds when played in person.

[JHey!]

I haven’t seen too many reviews, and any I watched would’ve been a long time ago, so I can’t really say whether mine is consistent in that regard. Also, I’m bad at describing sound. Anyway, I love my OM-21. It’s got what I would call a big or full sound. When I brought it home, I still had a Taylor 114ce. I played both side by side with my wife listening. We both agreed the Martin had noticeably more depth than the Taylor. To both of us, the Taylor sounded a bit thin and bright in comparison with the Martin, which was interesting because I didn’t think of the Taylor that way until I played it side by side with the Martin. Shortly after I bought it I took it back to the shop and asked their guy if he could lower the action a tad, as it was a bit high for my liking. He agreed that it was a bit high. When I got it back I marveled at how great it felt. I like all of my guitars, a lot. The Martin doesn’t in my opinion give up anything to my two more expensive guitars. They’re both smaller and amazing in their own right - fit and finish, playability, sound. But the Martin just feels and sounds great to me. I think it’s visually a beautiful instrument, as well. It’s not flashy but to me it looks timeless, it feels like a quality instrument, and it sounds big and full to me. And I love the smell of the rosewood. While I might add to my collection, I don’t see myself getting rid of the OM-21. I’d eventually like to get a 28 style Martin dread. I’d be interested to see how much the OM gives up to a dread in terms of sound.

[baw3]

Hey, thanks a lot for your input. I have been thinking about getting a Martin OM for a little while. I will have to wait for a while though. I actually have a Eastman E20ss and an Eastman E10om-tc on order. So I will have to get those paid for first, but I will seriously be looking at one of the OM-21's down the road.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Cromwell

You know what I think the issue is, I played 8 or 9 if I can remember, and the sound just wasn't for me, the lack of sustain just made them sound dead to me, there was a couple that stood out, but just didn't do it for me, and that's my personal taste, nothing more.
Also, may I add, that I live in the UK, and from what I have been told, American made guitars don't tend to send there best ones over here, they save them for the American stores.

Hey, sorry...didn’t mean to press you. I’m overly sensitive about Gibson detraction so don’t take me seriously.
The fact is a lot of people don’t get the J45 vibe ...it’s certainly not for everyone.
The one I own is as nice as I have ever encountered. That doesn’t mean you would like it.

[JHey!]

Originally Posted by baw3

Hey, thanks a lot for your input. I have been thinking about getting a Martin OM for a little while. I will have to wait for a while though. I actually have a Eastman E10ss and an Eastman E10om-tc on order. So I will have to get those paid for first, but I will seriously be looking at one of the OM-21's down the road.

Happy to give my perspective! Congrats and good luck with your Eastman order!

[Cromwell]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Hey, sorry...didn’t mean to press you. I’m overly sensitive about Gibson detraction so don’t take me seriously.
The fact is a lot of people don’t get the J45 vibe ...it’s certainly not for everyone.
The one I own is as nice as I have ever encountered. That doesn’t mean you would like it.

I'll tell you what though, I once played a Gibson songwriter, and my god that guitar was like an angel singing to my ears. I unfortunately wasn't in a financial position at the time to purchase it, but it was the best sounding guitar to me I've ever heard along with my current e10ss. I'm actually a huge fan of Gibson acoustics, I love hummingbirds and j200s too. I prefer them over Martins, it's just for my personal use the j45 doesn't do it for me, but I can certainly appreciate the sound.

[baw3]

Whoops, put the wrong guitar on my post. I mean't the E20ss instead of the E 10ss.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by baw3

Whoops, put the wrong guitar on my post. I mean't the E20ss instead of the E 10ss.

No biggie. Just for edification folks, the E-10SS and E-20SS are the same, except the 20SS has rosewood back and sides.

sm

[Kaydee]

I am just old fashioned but I would personally never buy a guitar that I hadn’t had the opportunity to hold play and listen to.I have watched hundreds of reviews on guitars that I was close to buying but held off until I could try it,I have been disappointed far more often than I have been impressed.
On a significant number of occasions I have found myself surprised at cheaper guitars which I felt sure I would hate and underwhelmed by expensive models which didn’t live up to the hype,and sometimes the expensive ones comprehensively trashed the budget ones ,but not as often as they should.
That being said I have a number of dealers quite close by and I know some of you guys don’t have that luxury,so have to buy differently.
All the best

[JHey!]

Thanks for the edification, Scott!

Kaydee, you’re not alone in feeling that way. I’ve been fortunate in that my two sight unseen purchases got me two great guitars. In this instance, if I’m not happy, I’ll have the option to return it, but I’ll lose my 10% deposit. So there’s risk, but my fixation on the E10ss won the day.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Originally Posted by JHey!

Thanks for the edification, Scott!

Kaydee, you’re not alone in feeling that way. I’ve been fortunate in that my two sight unseen purchases got me two great guitars. In this instance, if I’m not happy, I’ll have the option to return it, but I’ll lose my 10% deposit. So there’s risk, but my fixation on the E10ss won the day.

JHey, I may have missed it, but did you report back on your Eastman? It appears you pulled a trigger on the E-10SS.

Thanks,
Scott Memmer