opinions on eastman ac 122ce

[jersey]

ive read a lot of good things about eastman om's but i haven't seen much on their laminate back/sides models. anybody play an ac 122ce or similar? How is it plugged in? your comments are greatly appreciated

[jersey]

surely somebody must have some experience with one of these. unfortunately there are no eastmans in my area for me to try. how's the fishman pickup??

[patticake]

i believe this is one of the eastmans that is not actually made by eastman, although i could be wrong. i tried several of the non-eastman eastmans, and they didn't stand out from a wall of lower to mid priced solid top, laminate back and sides guitras. they weren't bad, but the all-solid eastmans made at the eastman factory that i've played are special guitars with great tone.

if i am wrong, i presume someone will pop up shortly and let us know

[mr beans]

I've owned an Eastman AC222 in the past and now own an AC322. There is a HUGE difference between the two. The difference between the two I've owned is a lot bigger than the difference between a laminate B/S and solid wood Taylor or Seagull (both of which I've had experiences with).

The AC322 is a wonderful instrument while the AC222 left a lot to be desired. I was surprised that there was such a big difference between the two. I may have had a dud on the AC222 so YMMV.

[joelhunn]

I own an AC222 and it sounds pretty darned good for a $300 guitar. I didn't realize how good until I played several seagulls and Taks in the same price range and none had the tone of the Eastman. It is not the end all, be all but for an entry level guitar, it is pretty good.

[SeattleCard]

If you can spend just a bit more, I too recommend the 3 series models. Amazing guitars for the money.

[leehop71]

Eastmans, unplugged, are stellar and rank right up there with the best. The plugged in sound leaves a lot to be desired with the Fishman Matrix, but I believe someone in here said they were upgrading the preamps in them soon.
Jack

[jersey]

thanks for the responses. the eastmans are attractive to me because of the wider string spacing. I'd be happy with a taylor 114ce or 214ce but the 1 11/16 nut width has become an issue for me.

[hardycreek1]

I just purchased a used 2010 Eastman AC-122 and am hugely impressed with the fit, the finish, the sound (unplugged - doesn't have a pick up.) It has laminate saeple back & sides with solid spruce top, bone Nut & Saddle.

I can't put it down. It has a crisp, clear resonate sound with lots of sustain that sounds beautiful when strumming gently and starts to growl when I dig into it.

Quite amazed, really.

The price? $300. It sounds (almost) as good as a lot of Taylors, Martins & Gibsons.... for $300? Amazing.

I had an attitude problem of buying something made in China, but after seeing the quality and playing this OM model, I'm hooked.

[shadow714]

My local guitar shop, Alto music in middletown NY had a bunch of Eastmans years ago. Went in with $1000 to spend and the salesman turned me on to Eastman. Bought a AC522. Still one of my top 3 guitars(Eastman AC720, Martin D-28). I did not like the 100 or 200 models, 300 and 400 models were better but no where near how good the higher models sound. Pure opinion.

[musicwu]

Eastman guitars below their 300 series are not good choices and IMHO, they don't deserve the Eastman logo on their headstock. I agree with Patticake on this point that they are probably subcontracted guitars that are made in other factories.

But I've also heard that actually the Eastman workshop makes lots of other brands as well. They simply use other names on the headstock but mention 'made in Eastman work shop' on their sound hole label.

I cannot verify these but the fact is Eastman sub-300 series guitars really look like toys (sorry to say this) compared to their over-300 series. If you are really serious about guitars and looking for a quality one with budget in mind, 'just get a Yamaha' (said by a local luthier in a Japanese city I've live in for a while).

The few points that I think cheaper Eastman guitars are not good enough:

finish
neck angle consistency
sound quality
look (this is subjective)


oh and also the pickup:
it depends on what you use it for. Factory installed fishman pickups at this price point just do the job but don't expect anything beyond 'do the job' . I mean, they produce the sound on stage for sure, but they don't sound good if you would like to play some complex tunes plugged in. Just like lots of pickups, they don't sound natural. Lots of folks actually love that sound but it doesn't reproduce the acoustic sound.

However, when you buy an acoustic, I suggest you not worry too much about the electronics. After all, you can always get a better pick-up later.

[andyspur]

I tried an AC122ce a couple of weeks ago after hearing good things about Eastman. Afraid I was very unimpressed, didn't realise they were not actually manufactured by Eastman. Hope to get the opportunity to try a 300 series or better soon, but am not tempted by the 100 series....