Sell my GS6 and buy an Eastman ac522 or ac822?

taylorman22 · #1 03-11-2011, 08:44 PM

I played an Eastman ac322 yesterday and was really impressed. So impressed that I'm seriously thinking of selling my Taylor GS6e and buying either an Eastman ac522 or ac822. I love the sound of my Taylor, but I'm just having a bad case of GAS and really wanna try an Eastman. I've never played a 522 or 822, but love the look. Can anyone describe the tone for me? How does it compare to the Taylor? From what I've read, they're very similar in sound. I like my GS6 because it's a full sound, unlike most Taylors I've owned in the past.

Anyway, am I crazy for considering selling my GS6 for an Eastman?

epaul · #2 03-11-2011, 09:07 PM

No.

You would be crazy if you ran naked across the North Pole singing "Won't You Be My Neighbor". But wanting to buy a new guitar just means you like to buy new guitars.

Some people like to get a different car every so often even though the one they have is perfectly good. Sounds like you would like to get a different guitar. Guitars are, in most cases, quite a bit cheaper than a new car, so, if you work at it you could even make a reasonable case that, compared to some people, you are being quite sensible.

So, there is no harm. You will get to try out a new guitar. Someone else will also get to try out a new guitar, your old Taylor. And you will make a guitar dealer and some guitar builders happy.

And if it turns out you don't like your new guitar as much you liked your old guitar or some other yet to be guitar, then you get to buy yet another new guitar. And make even more people happy.

By some perspectives, your not buying a new guitar would be selfish.

patticake · #3 03-11-2011, 09:30 PM

i'd sell a GS6 to buy the AC822 in a heartbeat. the AC822 won me over with its tone - very nice, and i preferred the tone to the GS6. you can find me raving about the AC822 on other threads. i also REALLY liked the AC608CE, which is much warmer than most people would expect considering the maple and the size, but it was wonderful. there are some other eastmans i also liked, but these two are at the top of my list.

jlwoodall · #4 03-11-2011, 10:06 PM

I am a huge Eastman fan. My AC722 with Rosewood back and side and Engleman spruce top sing like no other I have ever heard. Mine has a much deeper fuller tone than a Taylor. I am a fan of Taylors and Martins but I really love my Eastman becasue it's the best of both worlds.

As far as selling your Taylor to get an Eastman... I can't really tell you what to do. What I can say is I would not sell my eastman to buy a Taylor. Like I said, I'm a big Eastman fan!

Play2PraiseHim · #5 03-11-2011, 10:10 PM

I have learned alot through owning many guitars. The most important is not to let the name on the headstock & label decide if I like a guitar. Same goes for the price and the country where it was made. If it meets my needs and I like it, I buy it, I play it, and I enjoy it.

If you prefer Eastman to Taylor, get the Eastman. Play what YOU like & LIKE what you play.

Glennwillow · #6 03-12-2011, 11:00 AM

I have heard good things about Eastman on this forum but never had an opportunity to play one. If you Google Eastmans for sale you won't find very many places where you can buy them. The good thing about Taylor is that you (mostly) know what you are buying.

I certainly trust Patticake's opinion but I sure would like to play one myself.

- Glenn

taylorman22 · #7 03-12-2011, 01:27 PM

I have a local Eastman dealer here and they have a 320 and 522. I'm gonna go play the 522 today. I guess one of the guys that works there loves the 522 and takes it home with him on a regular basis. That's the one I'm most interested. Always wanted a hog guitar, but didn't want the cedar/hog combo that comes on the Taylor 500 series. So, curious to try the spruce/hog combo.

gitnoob · #8 03-12-2011, 01:41 PM

Does this mean you'll be changing your name to Eastmanman?

earwighoney · #9 03-12-2011, 02:03 PM

I wouldn't sell a guitar I like. If you like the sound of your Taylor then you should keep it, irrespective of how good a Eastman may sound. Try to put off the gear envy and enjoy playing your guitar which you already like!

Not that I have anything against Eastman guitars. I'm still in regret for not buying one when I had the chance to do so...

taylorman22 · #10 03-13-2011, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gitnoob

Does this mean you'll be changing your name to Eastmanman?

LOL.....oh yeah, didn't think about that. If I changed my name every time I changed guitars, I wouldn't be able to keep my name straight!

momanbilly · #11 11-22-2013, 09:52 PM

youtube video compares Eastmans AC522 with a Taylor 512...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck9auN9jdw4

Glennwillow · #12 11-22-2013, 10:02 PM

That was interesting. He plays with the same playing style that I use -- thumb pick and fingernails, though his nails must be longer than mine, because his tone is a lot brighter. Both were really great sounding guitars. Pretty impressive...

- Glenn

sjino · #13 11-26-2013, 01:00 PM

I have an AC522, and it amazes me every time I play it. There's something magical about the Englemann top and cedar combo. It's light but resonant, loud for an OM guitar, and fantastically easy to play.

Even if price were not a consideration, if I had to choose between my AC522 and a GS6 in a store based only on tone, I would not hesitate to buy the 522. (For reference purposes, I had and sold a GS7 with cedar/mahogany, so I'm familiar with the GS shape even though mine wasn't maple like the GS6. That was a great guitar and louder than my 522, but I'd still choose the 522 over the GS.)

I was so impressed with the 522 that I bought an Eastman E10D adi/mahogany dread, and it's a tone monster.

mattwood · #14 11-26-2013, 02:13 PM

This is pretty high recommendations for the 522.

http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...hlight=eastman

momanbilly · #15 11-26-2013, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sjino

I have an AC522, and it amazes me every time I play it. There's something magical about the Englemann top and cedar combo. It's light but resonant, loud for an OM guitar, and fantastically easy to play.

Even if price were not a consideration, if I had to choose between my AC522 and a GS6 in a store based only on tone, I would not hesitate to buy the 522. (For reference purposes, I had and sold a GS7 with cedar/mahogany, so I'm familiar with the GS shape even though mine wasn't maple like the GS6. That was a great guitar and louder than my 522, but I'd still choose the 522 over the GS.)

I was so impressed with the 522 that I bought an Eastman E10D adi/mahogany dread, and it's a tone monster.

The Eastman AC522 has an Engleman spruce top, but it doesn't have a cedar body, the body is mahagony. It's not an OM body shape, it's the Grand Auditorium that has the same body depth (4 23/32") and the same lower bout (16") as a standard dreadnought. I'd been a rosewood body only fan until I first played an AC522, a sock-blower-offer.