Eastman, older vs newer

[exterra1]

I know that for a few years people knocked the Eastmans, for thin, very easily damaged finishes. I have a 20OM that I love, it's a 2012 model that I bought in 2013, it has never left my little music room yet it's got scratches on the front of the body and what looks like little pieces of wood just below the pick guard missing, like someone dug them out with a tiny shovel, but the gloss over these pits is still very shiny. I just started learning in 2013 (at 68) and had had recent hand surgery and bought a new Mini GS in July that I started lessons with, once I got the Eastman I hated the sound of the Mini so it's just hung on the wall more or less except for a few months that my 15 year old grandson used it when he thought he wanted to learn guitar, and for a few months that my 80 yr old mother in law borrowed it to do a group thing for old folks homes. It doesn't have a scratch on it, it still looks like the day I bought it and I know it hasn't been as loved and cared for as the Eastman. I've wanted an AC722ce for quite awhile and now have a chance to buy one locally at a very good price (2016 model), but I'm concerned that the finish on this one may not be any better than the one I have now, which would really disappoint me. I like the 722 because it's the only other guitar I've heard that sounded like a Taylor 416ce, which is a very hard guitar to find in my area, and a lot more expensive but if it holds up better than an Eastman I may want to rearrange my priorities. This will be my last guitar so it needs to last, I had two knuckles replaced last year on my fretting hand, the index and middle fingers, so I'm pretty much stuck now with my learning progression since those two fingers don't spread out, they are just hinged, so barre chords are out, and more than thirty minutes of playing just kills the knuckles, so I guess I'm saying that my time with guitar is probably limited, and I want to hold on to it for as long as I can, with an instrument I like to listen to and look at. Sorry for the long sad story, I just don't have any friends or associates that even play guitar much less would know what I'm talking about. Thanks to all.

[ChalkLitIScream]

Hmm, I briefly owned a 822ce from 2017, and unless they changed the finish between 2016 and 17, its the same. I personally didn't find any weakness in the finish, but then again, I didn't own it long enough for it to suffer a ding. It had a small dent in the binding, but really did not see anything unusual. No cracking or spiderwebbing.

The lad I sold it to, who had 17 other eastmans, however, did complain about how brittle the finish can be if it gets dented.

I say as long as you treat her well, don't let her dry out too much, the 722 will serve you well.

[Paddy1951]

I had an earlier Eastman. It had some minor finish issues. It played well and I
thought it was a pretty good guitar for what I paid for it.
I swapped it for a 000 of another make.

I am not a big fan of the Eastman sound. Some say it is Taylor-like but I do think it has it's own sound.

If you like how they sound, I think the current models are very nice instruments and have been improved greatly. They appear to be very well made and are a good value.

On their sound... Just not for me but I think they sound good.

[Bear Davis]

I bought a brand new E40om last year and 5 months later the finish on the heel clouded up. I was informed by another eastman owner that this was a common problem and pointed me to a couple others on reverb with the same issue.

[exterra1]

As it turned out, the guy had a 2010 model, I found the little certificate from Eastman in the case, it did look and sound good, but my 20OM did too at one time. The guy said he paid $1400.00 for it (2) years ago from the only little music shop that sells Eastman in the New Orleans area supposedly unplayed, but I don't want to invest in a eight year old Chinese guitar, I'll bite the bullet and keep looking at a new 722ce or a used Taylor 416ce.