Which Guitar...Eastman, Blueridge, Recording King, Loar, Seagull...

[fregly]

I played a couple Blueridge not too long ago and thought they were both excellent. Solid tops, laminate b&s. If they make an all solid I bet it'd be excellent and a bargain. I preferred the Blueridges that day to the more known big makers I tried.

[Baron K]

I just bought an Eastman E10om and I have to say it is absolutely amazing, not just for the money but just amazing. I have a Martin 000-15 and have owned/played a lot of great guitars, and I have to say the Eastman can give any one of them a match. The adirondack top just sings for ever, and the craftsmanship is excellent. I can really recommend it to anyone.

[dancingfool1979]

Originally Posted by roylor4

You can see what I own in my signature.

The RK - ros10 is a good guitar but not in the same class as my Eastman soundwise. Neither is their more direct equivalent - the RO-10. They are exceptional for the money though and probably 90% as good as my Eastman.

I like the Seagull brand in general, but their smaller sized guitars have never done much for me - even the all solid ones.

That leaves the BR 163 and the E10OM - apples to oranges IMO. Different woods.

The 143A is the basic equivalent to the E10om. Adi over mahogany.
143=E6om
163 = E8om
163A = E20om

I actually preferred the E6om to the E10om. The Adi top wasn't as sweet or as loud straight out of the box. I tried all the Eastmans listed above and preferred the E6, but I have a strong preference toward mahogany.

I don't think you could go wrong with either an Eastman or a Blueridge. A few things to consider:
1) BR has a thinner profile neck - Eastman is quite similar to a Martin
2) BR has poly finish, Eastman - nitro. The poly is much hardier.
3) The 'a' series OM (Adirondack) BR's have a 1.75 nut - the others have 11/16ths. All the Eastman OM's have 1.75" although their string spacing may be slightly tighter than some.
4) Eastman has satin neck. BR is full gloss.

I like a thicker neck and loved the sound of the Eastman immediately. Loud, full and responsive. I have NOT played the BR counterparts but most people that get 'em hang on to 'em.

Hope you find this helpful to some degree.

Appreciate your time to write down your thoughts. Definitely good points to consider. I dont have a Blueridge or Eastman dealer near me so cant hear them. I'll do some research on youtube to listen. Amazon sells Blueridge which would make it easy to return if i dont like the sound.

[dancingfool1979]

Originally Posted by Rmz76

Since you mentioned Ed Sheeran as an influence I would like to point out that he has played a Little Martin most of his career. However he recently switched to a Martin custom shop Parlor which sounds amazing... You can hear it pretty well in this video



If you like the tone of the smaller scale Parlor guitar, the best one I've found on a budget is the Alvarez 66SB. These are going street for around $450 and imo well worth it, they sound amazing. I will eventually own one.

Thank you for your reply. I remember Sheeran playing the Little Martin and tried one and hated it but knew he had some custom electronics and usually was plugged in when I heard him. Did not know he switched so good to know. I'll check out the Alvarez, have not heard of it before.

[dancingfool1979]

Forgot to add in my original post, I am hoping to do a few gigs at coffee houses this year as an amatuer musician so ideally would like it to be good mic'd or get it setup with pickup or have pickup. Also with my play acoustic pedal at home, want it to work well with that, even if through condenser mics. I have outgrown the Washburn D10 I still have so ideally looking for my all in-one solution no matter what type of music I like to play. We are downsizing houses so dont have too too much room to get a serious case of GAS.

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by dancingfool1979

Appreciate your time to write down your thoughts. Definitely good points to consider. I dont have a Blueridge or Eastman dealer near me so cant hear them. I'll do some research on youtube to listen. Amazon sells Blueridge which would make it easy to return if i dont like the sound.

What can you easily lay hands on?
I don't like to buy guitars sight unseen.
Too many times have I played every guitar in the shop and found a few I liked, but nothing that a HAD to take home.
Three of the guitars in my sig...I knew from the moment I played the first few notes that they would be going home with me.

Play every guitar in your price range you can.
When you find the one that would make you punch your best friend in the face if he decided to buy it out from under you....you found the one for you.

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by dancingfool1979

Appreciate your time to write down your thoughts. Definitely good points to consider. I dont have a Blueridge or Eastman dealer near me so cant hear them. I'll do some research on youtube to listen. Amazon sells Blueridge which would make it easy to return if i dont like the sound.

You should go to Maury's Music: http://www.maurysmusic.com/home3

He is an AGF sponsor, has better pricing (or as good) as Amazon, has a generous return policy, good reputation and video clips of most BR guitars. He even has direct comparisons to their Martin counterparts. Well worth looking at.

FWIW, BR guitars do have a similar tone to Martin. Eastman and Seagull has their own unique sound.

I did a direct comparison to my buddys Martin OM-28V and it sounded just as good (to me - again, I prefer Mahogany). Different but equal in tone and projection. He was pretty surprised.

[aknow]

The best guitar I've purchased for the money in the last few years
is a Yamaha L Series (2014) ARE LS 16

Infinite sustain, really well balanced sound, esp. compared to older Yamaha's I've owned, attractive, high quality construction, yet lighter than older/similar models. Includes amplification system.
A LOT of guitar for < $700.

[Ted @ LA Guitar Sales]

I picked up Eastman as a lower priced alternative to our high end lineup a few years ago and have not regretted the decision, so for me and my store Eastman is the clear choice. These guitars compete with brands costing two to three times as much, they are fantastic. Having said that, the Recording King's I have played were quite impressive given the price.

[bobster7]

Personally I'd look towards Sigma, Eastman, Blueridge, Freshman, Faith, Crafter Guild GAD and any of the Godin line.

The new Sigma SOMR-28MLE is one hell of a guitar for the money (recently bought the dread version). An all solid Adi/Madi Rosewood OM. They list at $1800 but knowing how little you pay for guitars in the States you could probably get one for around $1000.

Enjoy the hunt!

[expo21]

I'm new to the site but not to buying guitars. Just Purchased a Blueridge Parlour BR-341 yesterday. Been chasing parlours for about 5 months. Was looking to upgrade from my Alvarez AP-70. Served it's purpose. Strictly for country blues. But this Blueridge is something else entirely. It actually has more bass and sustain than my Martin OM -28v. I go back and forth between them just to prove it to myself. I've tried every factory parlour I could get my hands on .

Alvarez, Eastman,Breedlove, Larrivee, Washburn.

BR-341 blows them out of the water. Now you can easily pay over $4000.00 EX: Goodall, Foggy Bottom, Santa Cruz. Those will all be custom and you won't know what you've got until they build it and you pay for it.

There is a compromise between the Blueridge and some of the other factory Parlours.

The neck and nut width on all of the Blueridge parlours (341,361,371) are the same (1& 7/8) and that neck is wide. Very different from my OM-28 and especially the Alvarez, so you have to adjust to it. But the bass is worth the money alone

[kiva238]

I had a chance to play a Recording King RO-310 today, offered as a partial trade for a high end guitar that I'm selling. Learning experience for me for sure.
It's a 000 style 14 fretter with solid Adirondack top, solid African mahogany(sapele?) back and sides, scalloped bracing, mahogany neck, rosewood fingerboard, 1 3/4" bone nut and saddle, Grover tuners. Sounded really good and the price point is under $550 new!
I'm not sure how the Chinese do it, but it is a serious guitar. It's not a Martin or Collings, but still. . . . Ted is right.

[dancingfool1979]

Guy at Sweetwater had the following comments for me (since they do not carry any of the brands I was looking at). He suggested the Martin 000RSGT or Composite Acoustics.

I tried the Alvarez Parlor at Guitar Center did not like it.

Should I try to get an Eastman, Blueridge, Recording King, etc with electronics preinstalled or get a fishman/k&k installed (or install myself) or just try to mic for live performance in my mancave?

[kiva238]

K&K. Sounds great, no battery, lightweight, no plastic under a bone saddle, easy to install, under $100. No brainer.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by dancingfool1979

Hey all. I am looking to buy a few guitars and want best bang for the buck. Had surgery a few months ago and sold several to pay for it and now rebuilding. . . . . Have not really been a Taylor fan for some reason or Martin for all that matter, guess I like being different and love best bang for the buck instead of name.

For the price of two or three of those (you said you wanted to buy several) and considering that you do not like Taylors or Martins I would suggest that you consider buying a guitar of a lifetime like a Collings or a Goodall.