Eastman Guitars

[leew3]

Originally Posted by mercy

If its not a Martin or Gibson it wont be a lifetime guitar. As far as being as good as, a few years ago I played some new ones and they didnt strike me as being so. I think they would be good enough though for your situation. Also why compromise your values for someone else? It should be his decision informed by your knowledge.

I guess I'll have to sell my Taylors and Larrivee that I was planning to keep for a lifetime....on a less facetious note, I'm a relatively late comer to the Eastman camp. I own Taylors, a custom Martin and a very nice Larrivee in addition to my Eastman E20 D. The Eastman keeps up well with these major brands in terms of tone and build quality. I don't plan for it to be a lifetime guitar for me as it was purchased as a gift for someone else. I predict that it will last him a lifetime.

[Goat Mick]

I'm admittedly a bit of a "headstock snob" myself. My lifetime guitars are a '59 Gibson J-45 and a '94 Taylor 710. That being said, I've got a buddy that has several Eastmans and I'm thoroughly impressed with them. Their solid wood guitars are downright amazing and if I happened upon the right one, I'd own it in a heartbeat. Oh BTW, my lifetime guitars have nothing to do with brand or country of origin. The Gibson was my dad's and came to me after he passed away in '79 and the Taylor was a gift from my wife in '94 when she was pregnant with our daughter. I wouldn't care if they were Zagers, the story on the guitars are the reason they're lifetime instruments.

[AHill]

I too, prefer to buy domestic, but when I was looking for an OM / 000 size guitar with spruce over mahogany back and sides, I just couldn't overlook Eastman. I ended up paying less than half what a new Martin 000-18 would cost. That's a lot of cash that can be used for better purposes.

So, how's my Eastman? It's a stellar guitar, and I'd stack it up against any Martin 000-18. The fit and finish are very good (not perfect, but just a hair under excellent), and the sound is amazing. I don't think there's a better deal, cost-wise than an Eastman guitar. Some will argue that the resale value isn't as good as a Martin, but I'd argue that you will lose more $ in depreciation off your Martin than I will off my Eastman. And I didn't buy it with any intention of selling it.

[SecondCity]

I was looking to upgrade to a solid wood instrument from my Yamaha FS700s, something with wider string spacing and a bit more bass response. I got the Eastman in my signature. Its a GA model, which wasn't precisely what I was looking for, but I love the way it sounds and it priced in at like 1/3 of the comparable Taylors. To my novice fingers, it sounds fantastic. I can honestly say that it is my favorite thing I've ever owned. Smells great, looks great, and sounds wonderful, either strummed or fingerstyle.

I briefly owned a Martin OM-1, but never bonded with it, so I returned it and got the Eastman instead. I didn't tell my guitar teacher about the swap. We played a few songs, and he asked me "What did you do to the guitar? New strings or something? You've never sounded that good before." I smiled and handed him the new instrument, which he liked very much, despite now knowing the brand. I took his "blind" response to be a strong endorsement. Also, the (used) Eastman cost about half of what I had paid for the (used) Martin. My teacher was shocked that someone would trade the Eastman straight up for the Martin; imagine his surprise when I clarified that I had in fact gotten money back as well.

Consider me a fan. I'd really like a Martin 000-18, and love them to death. But I don't think I'd buy one without playing an Eastman E6om and E10om. The Eastman is good enough that it at least deserves a tryout when you're about to drop that much coin.

[ChrisN]

Originally Posted by SecondCity

I can honestly say that it is my favorite thing I've ever owned.

And you can't put a price, or country of origin, on that - this sentiment is what the gear part of guitar stuff is all about, to me.

[bdjansen]

They have great customer service too. I bought a new 505 mandolin and the case had a defective latch. I emailed Eastman and they asked for my address and send me a new case within the week. Not only that but the new case was an even better case than the original.

[73Fender]

I would not hesitate. I started to hear about Eastmans not too long ago, saw one on my CL, an E20 OM and was shocked, brought it home for $750 and am very happy. I have owned Martins and Guilds and have been a brand snob, the Eastman is my first MIC guitar and my first short scale acoustic, love it. Only problem is my teenage son has taken a liking to it and he has it more than me now. Which is a nice thing as I would not want to give him anything that cost thousands. There is another OM Eastman on my radar though.

I own another Eastman, an AC722CE (acoustic electric single cutaway) that I aquired after finding the OM 20. I met the owner (CL deal) in a GC acoustic room. Compared it to a new comparable Taylor and was dumbstruck when the Eastman easily sounded better acoustically. The Taylor was an upper range model, north of $3k. It was beautiful, more of a work of art, inlays etc but that Eastman sounded better to me and came home with me for FWIW. Maybe the Taylor had older strings, I don't know. The strings on the Eastman were obviously on for a while though, no where near new.

For me at this point they are a good option. I have way too many electrics and have just started downsizing my collection and do not want to put too much more $ into my collection at this point. Good luck to the op.

[73Fender]

Originally Posted by bdjansen

They have great customer service too. I bought a new 505 mandolin and the case had a defective latch. I emailed Eastman and they asked for my address and send me a new case within the week. Not only that but the new case was an even better case than the original.

I have heard that their customer service is great too. My AC722CE was a free warranty replacement to the original owner. He was very happy with the service but was unable to keep the guitar as he had limited funds and needed an electric, or so he said. I did believe him though as he had the box it was sent in from Eastman directly to his home.

[BoneDigger]

I own two Eastman mandolins but have never owned one of their guitars. My local shop just started selling Eastman so I've had a chance to compare them extensively to some Martin, Taylor, and Blueridge guitars. I think Eastman and Blueridge are in the same ballpark, and I've owned and played some great Blueridge guitars. If the tone is right and you can afford it, go for it! I don't think you will be disappointed with your purchase.

[nymist]

I played some all solid Eastman guitars at a local shop and compared them to the others that were available. They definitely have their own voice. Whether it's to your liking or not is a matter of taste. The sound is not a copy of Martin or Taylor or anything like that, it's different, so definitely try it first.

[Bear Davis]

I have their flagship finger style model (e40om SB) and it was great purchase. It's doesn't have as much low end or raw volume as my 000-28ec but I am happy with it.

[00Buck]

I have an E15ss that will be surrendered when I'm dead. I also had an E20P that I dumped pretty quickly. It seemed to be nothing special. I had an E10P that sounded great but I got screwed by a dealer in Mass who sold me a guitar with a neck so bad that the truss rod was useless. It was still OK for someone who plays cowboy cords, so I gave that one away. The tone and comfort of the E10P is stuck in my brain, so I ordered another one from a more reputable dealer (I hope).

The shop I generally use dropped Eastman supposedly because quality problems required them to return too many guitars. My firsthand experience with the three I owned and the few more I've played leads me to believe they make decent guitars. Like anything else you have to inspect it. (The last Taylor I bought had fret ends almost sharp enough to cut my fingers - Taylor paid to fix it.)

Bottom line: If you see one you like, buy it. My E15 is a good as the Taylors and Martins I own.

[Watt]

New, as others have already said, they are very nice guitars at a reasonable price. Over the last ten years I've owned several and played a bunch. I haven't played one that I didn't like.

Used, you have to exercise care if the guitar is more than a few years old. (Admittedly, the same could be said for used guitars generally.) I have two Eastmans, an AR371 and an AC550. They are both wonderful guitars, but both have extensive finish cracks and are prone to chipping. I've had other Eastmans from that same time frame, same issue. It's a problem that Eastman appears to have resolved in recent years. Obviously, the less-than-stellar finish doesn't bother me; I bought both guitars used, knowing that the finish was compromised.

[Charmed Life Picks]

Always great to talk about Eastmans. Thanks to the OP.

I own some very fine dreads: HD-28, Yairi, and a few others. Eastman owes no apologies to any of those brands, or anything else out there that I've played in that price range.

Here is an E-10ss playing a song I wish I wrote: "The Dutchman," by Michael Smith. Not bad for $850 clean, used.



This guitar, essentially a J-45 copy, is pretty dang good. I prefer it over my HD-28 for fingerstyle, as it has more "snap" and a slightly wider nut.

It will be with me for the rest of my life.

scott memmer

[rusty string]

Originally Posted by mercy

If its not a Martin or Gibson it wont be a lifetime guitar. As far as being as good as, a few years ago I played some new ones and they didnt strike me as being so. I think they would be good enough though for your situation. Also why compromise your values for someone else? It should be his decision informed by your knowledge.

yea sorry but thats a joke. I got rid of my gibson ae that is just under 2 grand and bought a eastman acga-2c that cost me 500 new. both solid wood and both play like butter. eastman is every bit the guitar that the gibson is and american eagles are fantastic guitars. but i prefer the eastman by a mile. Thats me and sorry but to say only martins and gibbons are lifelong guitars is sort of crazy.