I lied - I've actually had it for two weeks now, but I haven't had a chance to get some decent pictures.

I'm presenting this NGD with warts and all. And by "warts" I mean things that are probably inconsequential to most, but I can't leave well-enough alone, so here we are.

Ahh, new guitar case off-gassing smell!



Since getting this guitar I've removed the pick guard because it had sharp edges and I felt it didn't do the guitar justice. I may replace with a Holter guard, but I quite like the look of a guitar without a guard as well.

I looked at several E8OM-TCs before selecting this one in particular because I liked the top. Pretty tight, straight grain lines, with a little figuring in the upper bout. I know this is silly, but I wanted the alpine over any other TC top because I prefer the lighter color. It contrasts so nicely with the ebony and rosewood.









There was some residual glue visible when playing just by looking down through the sound hole. I tried to leave it alone, but I couldn't. I went in with a little piece of 220 grit sand paper and gently sanded the area in the direction of the grain to get rid of most of it.





The way the center of the X-brace is finished is interesting. Often you will see a piece of cloth over it (typical of Martin, for example), or maybe nothing. The E8OM has a scalloped center.



Here's a circa 10 year old AC712 for comparison with no cap.



And here is the E1OM with... I'm not exactly sure what because I couldn't get the camera to focus. But clearly more work was put into the E8OM, as you might expect for the price difference. The E1OM still has a much more nicely done interior than some other guitars costing much more.



Here are some additional interior shots. I wish more online guitar reviews would show us the interior because some of them are a mess that tells a story of the workmanship (or lack thereof) that goes into these instruments. In this case we have nicely sanded, scalloped braces and clean surfaces. I'm not a luthier, but this looks like pretty nice work to me.









Alright, I'm done nerding out for the moment. Now... do I drop some Gotoh 510s in this guy? Hmm!

I ran across this and thought some of you may find it interesting:

I spotted this used beauty at FOTA - http://www.tfoa.eu/nl/collings-00041a-cutaway-2002.html
My retirement nest egg has taken a beating over the past few years. so it would absolutely be the case of one or two out to bring this in. Tempting though!

I'm trying to get a better understanding of the Eastman E-series lineup.

Other than the documented differences, such as top woods and Gotoh tuners on the TC variants of the E10/20, are there any other differences as you move up from a 6/8 to a 10/20?

For example, do they use better grades of wood on the 10/20, or do they have a better build quality or fit/finish or anything like that? Or is it literally just a choice between top woods and sometimes tuners?

Anyone know why Eastman puts a gloss finish on the necks of their ACx22CE models?  From the pictures on their site lit looks like all of the E series guitars have a satin finish on the necks like my E20D has, which I prefer.

Hi All,

Up for sale is my 2018 Eastman T59/v finished in Antique Amber. This forum has been an incredible resource filled with knowledgeable and passionate Eastman fans like myself so I wanted to post it here first before taking to the streets (aka Reverb). It was originally purchased from NStuff Music in Pittsburgh and it has been kept in my smoke-free home since it arrived. The guitar is all stock (pickups are SD Antiquities) and is whistle clean. The only reason for selling is that I prefer something smaller than the 16” body so I am funding another purchase. PM me if interested. I am located in the greater Baltimore, MD area so I can arrange local pickup or arrange shipping within the continental U.S. I will add a link to the Reverb listing if it is still available.

Last week I bought the Boss VE-8.  To me, it seems amazing!  My AC222CE-OV is equipped with the Fishman Sonitone UST, which sounds a little harsh.  Th VE-8 totally cleaned this up and the guitar sounds natural, as if it were miked up. 

The main reason I bought the VE-8 was my singing, which is not very good.  The VE-8 has pitch correction, voice enhancement and 2/3 part harmony.  To me, this all works amazingly well.  Now I can stand to listen to myself sing.

I am wondering what others have experienced with the VE-8, and what their opinions of it are.

CJ

Damien Rice & Earl Harvin Live at Michelberger Lobby Berlin 2014.

One of my Favorite Artists.

Great Live Performance!








Enjoy
Mitch

Hello all,

I posted a week or so ago that I was planning on an Eastman OM. However, I ended up going the other direction and ordered a new E10D-TC from The Acoustic Shoppe. I have been interested in this model for a while and decided to take the plunge.

The folks at The Acoustic Shop were great. Incredibly patient and helpful on the phone, and very efficient once I placed the order. They set the guitar up for the strings I usually play, D’Addario EJ17’s, and shipped it right out. There was a hiccup with UPS, so the guitar sat in the cold warehouse for a couple extra days, so I was glad to finally take delivery on Friday. Due to the cold weather, I let it sit overnight and opened it on Saturday afternoon.

When I opened the case and looked the guitar over, I could tell it was an incredibly nice guitar. The fit and finish seems even nicer than the couple of Eastmans I have owned over the years, and those were very nice guitars.  The fretboard and frets seem flawless on this one.

So I tuned it up and was really expecting to love the sound of this guitar. Unfortunately, as I played it for a bit, it really did not sound good. I played it for a couple of hours expecting it to warm up after a bit, figuring the several days in the shipping box and cold weather must have had some affect. The store had also just gotten this one in, so I really don’t think it had been played hardly at all. I went back in to the study a couple more time Saturday night and played for a while, and it still sounded incredibly tight. So as I was laying down to sleep that night, I was telling myself I would give it some time, as The Acoustic Shoppe allows returns up to 14 days.

So I got up Sunday morning and took the guitar out on the patio (as to not wake the rest of the house) with my cup of coffee. Well, the guitar sounded significantly better. The bass notes still seemed muted, but I was encouraged at least.

Today was Monday, and I was finally able to take a break in the afternoon and do some playing on the E10D-TC. Today, it sounds fantastic. It’s sounds completely different form when I first played it on Saturday. The bass is there, and the guitar is so responsive. I’m guessing this is characteristic of the TC, the single notes sound thick and warm, not shrill at all. Playing rhythm, the guitar sounds great with heavy handed strumming and strumming with a light touch. The notes really pop with finger style too. I expect that this guitar is still early in its development, as would be expected with a red spruce topped guitar. So I am excited to hear how this E10D-TC sounds as it continues to break in.

Sorry for the long story, but I’m definitely very pleased. These are not the best photos, but here they are.

Noticed that the case that came with my 'used' Dave's Guitar Shop AC622 has a pleasant smelling case. I'm airing it out in any event. The two Eastman's I got a year ago came with strong smelling cases. I left them open for months with the guitars on stands. Difficult to get the unpleasant smell out of those. Can still smell it. Also, I posted pics in the other 622 thread today.  Bob