Eastman Guitars: Reflections of an Eastman Owner, Four Years In - Page 23

Jaxon · #**331** 08-25-2022, 06:32 AM

I own the E10-OM and DT30-OM. The DT is a beautiful guitar and has a nice rich tonal sound. Both builds are exceptional. Thinking about selling the DT30 because I'm looking for a drier, woodier tonal flavor as in my E10 plus wanting a small body Parlor/0/ 00. I'm just a home player now so couch volume is a plenty for me. For quality builds, tonally and playability Eastman more than satisfies.

Charmed Life Picks · #**332** 08-31-2022, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaxon

I own the E10-OM and DT30-OM. The DT is a beautiful guitar and has a nice rich tonal sound. Both builds are exceptional. Thinking about selling the DT30 because I'm looking for a drier, woodier tonal flavor as in my E10 plus wanting a small body Parlor/0/ 00. I'm just a home player now so couch volume is a plenty for me. For quality builds, tonally and playability Eastman more than satisfies.

Bingo. I have two guitars and one mando. They rock.

scott memmer

turtlejimmy · #**333** 08-31-2022, 06:24 PM

Eastman guitars are absolutely lovely. I've owned several of them over the years because a local guitar shop was one of their dealers. I've played dozens of them.

The last one I owned was one of the OMs .... I truly loved that guitar but it was so LOUD that I eventually gave up trying to sing with it. I replaced it with a far more singer friendly beast (Martin D35).

From seeing so many of these guitars over the years, I've always been struck by how beautiful they are, visually, often with unusual and sometimes spontaneous artistic touches not found on any other guitar. I was told from someone who visited the factory several times that they encouraged (at least at one time) their guitar techs to get creative. Use their imaginations in the finishing of these instruments. I once tried out three of the same model, each one looking slightly different because of this. I thought that was a very cool way to run a shop.

They used to be really cheap. Those days are long gone.

TurtleJ

vintage40s · #**334** 09-11-2022, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turtlejimmy

... The last one I owned was one of the OMs .... I truly loved that guitar but it was so LOUD that I eventually gave up trying to sing with it. I replaced it with a far more singer friendly beast (Martin D35)...

Hah! I went the other way. I got a new 2018 E20OM because it was easier to hold, played just as easy, and sounded better than my brazilian D35. I had owned the D35 since new but after 2 setups the break angle at the saddle was rather flat so it needed a neck reset. So I sold the D35 for 3x what the OM cost.

BoneDigger · #**335** 09-11-2022, 07:25 PM

I'll also state up front that Eastman sells great guitars. I recently purchased an e10ss and have owned others in the past. Perhaps one of the greatest things though is how Eastman has made other brands step up their game a bit. There was a time, not so long ago, where you had to pay premium for solid woods and were left with "not so great" in the lower tiers. Eastman and Blueridge helped turn that around. Now you can get a quality all solid top/back/sides guitar from several manufacturers that are much better than past offerings in the ~$700-$1,300 range.

JHey! · #**336** 09-11-2022, 07:30 PM

Love my E10ss. I have a handful of nice guitars and the Eastman gets the most playtime.

blakey · #**337** 09-12-2022, 01:10 AM

E1ss Ltd here. Luv it to bits. End of GAS. My bro has a Gibson J50 but I much prefer my Eastman for both sound and playability. It replaced a Martin 000rs1, but I've no regrets at all.

Charmed Life Picks · #**338** 09-23-2022, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHey!

Love my E10ss. I have a handful of nice guitars and the Eastman gets the most playtime.

I was on a podcast yesterday from the folks who run the Santa Cruz Forum, and their eyes lit up when I mentioned Eastman. They're doing some real special work at the factory in China.

scott memmer

Bluenose · #**339** 09-24-2022, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JHey!

Love my E10ss. I have a handful of nice guitars and the Eastman gets the most playtime.

I have a 2012 E10SS that I love too. It's a real quality piece that seems to be improving with age. I'm generally a fingers guy but when I flat pick the E10 is the guitar of choice. Some people prefer guitars with a 1 3/4" nut but I can get along just fine with the I 11/16".

JHey! · #**340** 09-24-2022, 12:25 PM

I don’t mind the 1 11/16 on mine, either, especially for the bluegrassin’.

Mandobart · #**341** 09-24-2022, 12:53 PM

I've perused this thread for a while and figured I ought to chime in on my Eastman's (Eastmen?)

I bought my 2007 MDC805 back in 2010 or 2011. It's built like the AR605 but braced to be an 8-string mandocello. I played it as such for a few years and loved the warm tone. Eventually I had a custom 10 string F4 style mandocello built, and I decided I didn't need two mandocello's. But I always wanted an archtop guitar. So I bought a new bridge and nut and converted the MDC805 to an AR605. I added both a twin head JJB piezo SBT and a Kent Armstrong floating neck magnetic pickup. This guitar plays and sounds great unplugged or plugged in. I play it a lot for old time C&W, jazz, fingerstyle or with a pick. Just a great sounding, great playing instrument. I like medium monel strings on it. I've used Martin retro, Newtone and most recently Curt Mangan. I've also strung it up with Ernie Ball aluminum bronze mediums. Pretty cool twangy sound for rockabilly.

Just a year or two ago I bought a gently used E2OM-CD from a fellow AGF member. I figured I would like it but man it is such a great sounding and great playing guitar it's the one that gets more playing time than all my others. For just $500 (maybe $650 now new) I don't think it can be beat.

I'm not really looking for any new instruments at the moment, but I wouldn't hesitate to get another Eastman down the road.

Charmed Life Picks · #**342** 09-24-2022, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mandobart

I've perused this thread for a while and figured I ought to chime in on my Eastman's (Eastmen?)

I bought my 2007 MDC805 back in 2010 or 2011. It's built like the AR605 but braced to be an 8-string mandocello. I played it as such for a few years and loved the warm tone. Eventually I had a custom 10 string F4 style mandocello built, and I decided I didn't need two mandocello's. But I always wanted an archtop guitar. So I bought a new bridge and nut and converted the MDC805 to an AR605. I added both a twin head JJB piezo SBT and a Kent Armstrong floating neck magnetic pickup. This guitar plays and sounds great unplugged or plugged in. I play it a lot for old time C&W, jazz, fingerstyle or with a pick. Just a great sounding, great playing instrument. I like medium monel strings on it. I've used Martin retro, Newtone and most recently Curt Mangan. I've also strung it up with Ernie Ball aluminum bronze mediums. Pretty cool twangy sound for rockabilly.

Just a year or two ago I bought a gently used E2OM-CD from a fellow AGF member. I figured I would like it but man it is such a great sounding and great playing guitar it's the one that gets more playing time than all my others. For just $500 (maybe $650 now new) I don't think it can be beat.

I'm not really looking for any new instruments at the moment, but I wouldn't hesitate to get another Eastman down the road.

Oh wow, Bart, I never knew you were an Eastie. I have to resist pulling the trigger on another.

scott

Silly Moustache · #**343** 09-24-2022, 05:08 PM

I bought my firstEastman in 2007, and had to wait some time for it. Back then AFAIK, they only made archtops. It was an AR805e in "classic" finish which on mine was more like cherry red.

When I eventually traded it for a Waterloo WL12, and thought "I'm trading an immaculately built archtop, for a copy of a cheap flat top!"

Shortly after I started a search for another, and found a beautiful one in a lovely sunburst from the same year.

In 2020 I boight ny first Eastman flat top - a size "0" :

almost a year later (2021) I managed to catch an E40-00 which is rather special, although I am very fond of them all.

turtlejimmy · #**344** 09-24-2022, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vintage40s

Hah! I went the other way. I got a new 2018 E20OM because it was easier to hold, played just as easy, and sounded better than my brazilian D35. I had owned the D35 since new but after 2 setups the break angle at the saddle was rather flat so it needed a neck reset. So I sold the D35 for 3x what the OM cost.

Yep, they can be great guitars. My friend who used to travel there to visit the Eastman factory told me, some years ago, that one time they took him out with them to select trees that they wanted to cut down. He said they took along a metal baseball bat to whack the trees with ..... And then listened to what ring they'd get (he was a character, I wouldn't put it past him to make that up). But, they had their own mill ponds and just huge amounts of really good wood.

Turtle

Wellington · #**345** 09-24-2022, 09:04 PM

I have played 1 great Eastman and the rest have been good or alright. Not sure what I'm missing concerning the craze with these guitars, however that E20ooss still haunts me, and the bloody thing is still for sale at the shop I played it at last year. 2 grand though, but man it was the best sounding L-00 type guitar I've played. Still considering selling my LL16 and S&P for it. Then I still have a rosewood and a small body, 2 birds with one stone. I'm just not sure I'd play it enough as I can never get enough of my Guild. Debacle.