Eastman guitars vs Recording King vs. Blueridge
 

I am currently living in Atlanta Ga and do a great deal of acoustic work. I went to school for Classical guitar years ago and have began the switch to more steel string fingerstyle. My question is if you were going to spend 600-1000 bucks on an OM guitar, would you go with

a.) Eastman 412 ($XXX)
b.) Eastman tradition OM20 ($XXXX)
c.) Recording King RO-227 ($XXX)
D.)Blueridge BR-73 ($XXX)

And what is the general consensus on the feel of the RO-227 V neck. Does it feel the neck you get now on a Martin OM28 V (the modified V) or does it feel like a tree stump?

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I've only played the OM20 and BR-73, and the Blueridge gets my vote. We can't discuss prices here, but you can get one considerably less online compared to the price you quoted.

Of those, I would go for the Eastman AC412 for fingerstyle.

But an even better choice might be one of their Engelmann-topped models, like the AC512 or AC712.

Another Blueridge Contender
 

Blueridge recently came out with the BR 72. Acoustic Guitar Mag. gave it pretty high praise.

http://www.acousticguitar.com/articl...rticleid=25652

Another idea maybe one of the Larrivees they make both the OM and L series models that many people think well of. Good Luck

Well, I've played RK's, sitka Blueridge's, and Eastman's.

As far as I know, the sitka topped Blurdige guitars all have a real narrow nut and string spacing at the saddle (the adirondack ones have a wider nut). Perhaps the specs on the BR-73 are different than the other sitka topped ones - I haven;t played that particular model. But generally, the neck profile on sitka topped Blueridges is slim AND narrow. The string spacing feels narrower than on a Martin standard 000 - too narrow for me, especially fingerpicking, but YMMV.

The RK's are too chunky for me, but then I don't like V necks, so I'm not the one you should probably pay attention to on that. Anyway, I can't play them comfortably so I don;t know a lot about them.

I'm familiar with both the Eastman E10-OM (mahogany) and E20-OM (rosewood) and I like them. Real comfortable to play with a 1-3/4" nut and a 2-3/16" string spreads at the saddle. The string spacing feels comparable to a Larrivee (perhaps very very slightly narrower), but is narrower than an Martin OM. The neck profile is a low oval. Feels good for finger or flatpicking for me.

The Eastman's seem to have a consistent and unique tone. They are definitely bass heavy and are very lush with a lot of overtones, in my experience. It's a tone you like or don;t like. Some people find them boomy or muddy, others love them. I like them a lot, but I found I liked the mahogany much more than the rosewood models I played - the rosewoods were a bit too much of a good thing for me. The mahognay was very lush with a lot of overtones and excellent sustain, but still had some clarity to it. A very pretty tone. My spouse ended up getting one.

Anyway, I'd say give the Eastman's a try and see what you think. I like the adirondack tops, the string spacing and neck profile, and the nice thin nitro finish too.
Heck, go crazy if you have the opportunity, and try them all out!

I'd love to try both blueridge and Eastman. I have had nothing but a positive experience on both the ros-16 and the ros-627, I bought the 16 loved it and decided it warranted investigating the 627. I love the chunky mod-v style neck, it's really suited to me.

They might not be the thing for you, only you can tell. Do give them a try if possible, I can't fault the quality for the price-point and the sound makes me guess a larger number if I was blind testing.

and...
 

I have owned an Eastman, Blueridge and currently a Recording King. I like all three. LoMa's evaluation of the Eastmans with Mahogany back and sides seems to fit with my experience. I would take mahogany over rosewood in an Eastman. But as he said - Eastman is a bit of an acquired taste.

Blueridge and Recording King are built with Martin Golden Era models in mind. The BR series of parlor guitars and the OM series with Adirondack tops have an 1 3/4 inch nut width and are very playable and I like them very much.

But I ended up with a Recording King - the tone worked for me. I said in another post that in order to make these guitars work, you may need to invest in an action job/set up and play around with different sets of strings. All three are quality guitars and give great value for the money spent.

You can find Eastman's at a much better price if you shop around.

To be fair, I am biased towards RK...If price remains a consideration, don't forget Silver Creek.

john

Welcome to the AGF. Those are all pretty good choices. BTW - the mods will tell you that there is "no price discussion" allowed on this forum... and there is a valid reason for it. Just so you know...

Some of it depends on what attributes you prefer that "define" 000- and OM-style guitars, as some of the other responders have mentioned. """, because sometimes 000/OM are treated as synonymous, but traditionally there are a couple of key differences. Pay attention to nut width, which can vary from 1-11/16 to 1-7/8", and string spacing at the bridge, which can vary from 2-1/8" to 2-5/16", depending on make and model. I believe the Blueridge at least has narrow nut, and narrow string spacing, as noted above. Coming from a classical background, you may prefer the wider/widest options.

Another option is a Guild GAD30, or an Epiphone EF-500. Another option that might appeal to you is a 12-fret guitar.

All the guitars you mentioned seem like quite good guitars. If you are willing to spend $1000, it is not unreasonable to be thinking about a used Larrivee OM, or a Martin OM-1 or OM-16, etc.

I used to have a Johnson Carolina JO-27, which was the predecessor to the Recording King RO-27. I'm presuming that the RO-227 has the same neck profile. I found this neck profile to be incredibly comfortable for fingerstyle work and the slighly short scale length, coupled with the 1 3/4 inch nut, made it very easy to play.

Personally, I would add the RO-27 to your list as well, because the Englemann spruce top may well suit you for fingerstyle work........ and it's cheaper!

Blueridge guitars seem to cost more and in the BR-73 you'd only be getting laminated back and sides. I'm not saying that you should necessarily be put off by that, but I would always buy an all-solid Recording King ahead of a laminate back and sides Blueridge at around the same price.

Personally, though, I would probably go for an Eastman if I could afford it. They seem to be very well made, with my only slight reservation being the finish, which seems to be quite easily damaged.

Paul

Eastman hands down and a few places in Atlanta carry them including Maple street guitars. I prefer the Rosewood on the Eastman but the Mahogany is great also. I strongly recommend the E series.

Does Eastman make a 000 rosewood strummer? or maybe an rosewood OM with a 1 11/16 nut width? I've been looking all over for a reasonably priced one, and the only two options are the Martin OMJM and the Blueridge BR 163, and I definitely can't afford the OMJM lol.

Right! I think it creates GAS! :eek:


:D

Gotta say if it absolutely has to be rosewood then I'd be looking at a Larrivee OM-03R in that price range. If if doesn't have to be rosewood, the Martin OM-1GT or the OM-16GT.

I know they aren't on your list, but you might kick yourself later if you didn't check them out.

If you're going to buy new, warranty is something to think about. Larrivee and Martin provide excellent warranties for original owners.

In that price range I'd go for a Guild GAD 30-R. Actually, well below the top of your range price wise.

All solid woods, including the binding, bone nut/saddle, 1 3/4 nut and, if I recall correctly, just under 2 1/4 string spacing at the bridge, comfortable C shaped neck profile. Excellent sounding/playing guitar. What's not to like?

D.

In this pony race there is no hands down winner. We all should know that brand purchase is at best unreliable and unpredictable. The buyer needs to sample the instruments available to him and made a decision based on what sounds and plays the best for him/her on any given day.

I've played a couple of Recording Kings in stores. Not sure if I played that particular model. The ones I've played had a very thick v-shaped neck that I found to be kind of awkward. I guess this is meant to be a vintage feature. I've seen posts where people say they've gotten used to it and now love their guitar, but if you're going to move back and forth between this and another instrument it might be an issue.

It's a take on the Martin 000-28vs basically, I have this neck profile on the ros-627 and also on my Martin 0-28vs, when using either of them and switching to a non V-neck there is no issue at all.

As someone else said, I believe the answer you're looking for is Larrivee.

At the price range you mentioned I would be looking at the the Larrivee 3 series guitars. Check out www.larriveeforum.com for more information from Larrivee-heads.

Or if you're interested in a Guild GAD-30 I'll be happy to sell you mine! It's spruce/mahogany with the antique burst finish that they don't make anymore.

and...
 

I find myself in agreement with this, but the logic has evaded me until this moment.

With the lack of stores or outlets in my area, it is hard to get a first hand acquaintance, so my only defense is to go for quality - percieved quality (or to drive several hundred miles).

john

There is no answer, just opinions.. Mine would be Eastman, but the guitar that speaks to you is the one you should buy. Another opinion from me is.... I've played quite a few BR and RK guitars, but they have never spoken to me, so I have an Eastman... it did :)