The AC622CE that I had on order from Dave's Guitar Shop arrived Thursday afternoon. Opened the box per the 24 hour wait yesterday. Haven't taken any pictures yet, but here are some observations. It's a beautiful guitar, but there are reasons it was only $1350 and not more expensive. None of them are fatal flaws however.
  Scale is measurably longer than my E40D and AC722CE that I got new a year ago. The intonation is a bit flat on all strings but the 'D'. On my Super Snark tuner it's one half to one segment low. The side marker dots in the maple neck binding aren't plastic or shell, they are dark black and most of them are smeared. Some small finish blobs in the maple body binding. The high 'E' side of the top is noticeably darker than the low 'E' side. It will change a little with light shift. The high E string is shifted a little to the right as is the low E string. On the two afore-mentioned Eastman's they're perfect. It sounds good, but I don't hear any difference from my AC722CE. Very different materials used in those two guitars, with the 622 predominantly maple. 
  Will I keep it, yup! I'm hoping that as it breaks in that a different sounding guitar emerges. I thought that it would be brighter than the rosewood 722. The 722 has surprised me all along because it's quite mellow for Rosewood. It sounds more like Mahogany to me. I think the sound holes have an effect here.
  No Eastman COA was included, however Dave's included a 4X6 heavy card stock 'Quality Certification' in the case with my name, model, etc. The neck is about dead-straight relief-wise. A tiny amount of relief on the low E and about none on the top strings. Fret level is good. No neck twist. The back of the guitar is stunning flame-maple! The sides are good, but not as beautiful as the back. Worth $1350...absolutely!!!
  I don't think this was in the hands of another buyer before me. Didn't someone post here that these Dave's Shop used Eastman's come from Eastman?
  Lots of saddle, 6/32" to 7/32" exposed at the bridge. Action is 3/32 at the low E and down to 2/32 at the high E at the 12th fret.

Browsing the Eastman site I came across this model and was really impressed with the specs and slotted head stock so wanting another Eastman I ordered one from the Acoustic Shoppe in Springfield MO.  I played it for a couple hours tonight and so far I'm impressed but undecided whether it's a keeper yet or not.  It started out really tight with an anemic bass but started opening up at the end.  I've experienced this with other brand new guitars though and have learned to reserve judgement for a few days to weeks.  I've had what I was sure were dogs only for them to transform in as little as a day.  Construction, fit and finish are first rate though and I have a feeling this is going to be one of those transformers.  I'll report back as things develop.

Since wood is the traditional five year anniversary gift item, it seemed like a good occasion to recognize my five year anniversary with owning Eastman guitars.  Many of you know the story, but the recap is that I was about to purchase a Martin CS dread in late 2016, when a friend encouraged me to check out Eastman before I handed over my credit card.

I found a nearby dealer (decent selection, but wouldn't budge on price) and ultimately ordered a new 2016 E40D from LA Guitar Sales.  Only nine were shipped in the first year, and this may be the first one sold in the U.S.  This was when Eastman shipped guitars without pickguards pre-installed (thank goodness; they were terrible), and I eventually added a Holter Pickguard.  It's been played regularly for the last 5+ years, and it will likely remain with me for some time.

I was fortunate to latch onto Eastman after their early days, which saw some QC issues and brittle nitro finishes.  Those issues were mostly behind them by 2015, and Eastman really upped their game in the following two years: introducing the "40" models, improving the overall build quality, and evolving their instrument voicing (older models seemed to lack low end).

Their upward trajectory has continued over the last few years.  Eastman continued to become more consistent in build quality and sound, while introducing their Antique Varnish series, TC models, and experimenting with additional tone woods.  The best built, best sounding, and best looking Eastman guitars I own are the ones I've gotten in the last 2-3 years, and if I was buying an E40D/E40OM now, it would probably look, sound, and play even better than the ones I bought years ago.

That being said, those first Eastman guitars are really hitting their stride at 5yo.  The Adi tops are getting played in and the tops are getting some nice color.  For those reading this with new (non-TC) guitars, especially Adi tops, just wait a few years for them to keep getting better b/c they most likely will continue to evolve.

I'm excited to see what the future holds for Eastman, who are killing it on the Electric side, as well as with Acoustic guitars.  We are fortunate to be living in a new golden era of guitar making, even if the prices for these guitars have increased a lot over the last two years.

Here are some photos of my first Eastman, the 2016 E40D.

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/e20om_mr_tc

Safe to assume the "MR" designation refers to Madagascar Rosewood?

The E10OM-TC (non-MR) is listed as just Rosewood. That's the only difference I see.

At least they aren't just substituting without telling anyone. No price listed though.

I searched for it a few hours ago and the only hit was Eastman's website. Now I see it has popped up in several places available for pre-order.

Two finger picking. Powerful stories.

https://youtu.be/RNgGX_8Vn2A

Hi, wondering what the general consensus is on the differences between short vs long scale lengths.

Assuming same body shape and woods etc, is it as simple as less string tension and a less pronounced output?

I'm trying to decide whether its important to me. 

On the string tension side, my previous short scale E6OM had much higher string tension than my longer dread... It's often a mystery on me. I've also compared the exact same teles with different tensions.

Hello,

I just joined the forum as I got myself a new guitar today! This beautiful E8OM-TC

I haven’t been playing for very long, and started on a GsMini. But I wanted a full size guitar as well. I’ve spent a lot of time looking for the right guitar! But when I came across this E8OM-TC I was sold, it was well above my budget, but I now have a guitar for life!

It sounded so rich and mellow. It resonates so much! This is probably going to sound stupid, but it almost sounds as if there’s a tiny organ or accordion playing harmonies when 8’ve strummed a chord. I can’t believe how much guitar I got.

And it looks killer too!

I just wanted to rave on about the guitar

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Took a weekend trip to Chicago last week and stopped in at Chicago Music Exchange.  I walked out with an E20D and I am just blown away by this thing.  So blown away that I just ordered an AC308CE LTD which should arrive Friday.

Hi all,

New to this forum, I'm a massive Eastman fan, previously owned a E6OM but recently sold it for a E8D. It arrived last night and first impressions are;

• Sounds is excellent and so powerful. 
  
• Neck is thick but not as thick as my E6OM (which is good)
  
• 1.3/4" nut width feels good, again my E6OM was too wide, perhaps due to the shorter scale length?
  
• Quality hardcase
  
• Finish is largely excellent
  

• rolled edges on the fretboard is slopy at points, small divets and nicks
  
• One or two slightly high frets with small gaps under the fret wire on one side.
  
• A small blemish or lump on the neck near the 2nd fret.
  
• Spruce top has small ridges along the grain lines behind the bridge.
  
• Fretboard has a shiny polish finish which isn't my taste.
  

Does anyone know if it is possible to retro-fit an Eastman T386 or T486 with a bigsby tremolo?  Are there aftermarket solutions out there?