As most of you probably already know I just bought an E8D-TC so I will hold off on another purchase for awhile. However, by the end of the year I would like to get a Madagascar E20D-TC or an E6D-TC.

I love the tone of Madi rosewood but I'd like to see if Eastman puts out some documentation on their Madagascar rosewood before I jump into one. I also would like a Sitka or Alpine torrefied mahogany dreadnaught to pair with some of my rosewood. Tough decisions

What Eastman acoustic do you plan to purchase in 2022?

Hello EGF community. This morning I received my E8D-TC Alpine in the mail from Penny Lane Music Emporium in FL.

I waited several hours before opening the guitar to let it acclimate to room temp and I am happy to report that it arrived safely in perfect condition.

I wanted to give you all my initial impressions of the guitar after a few hours of play. Sometime in the coming weeks I may do a fuller review if my impressions change.


Strings:

My guitar came with D'addario XT PB12-53
I like these strings as they feel very natural and have a uncoated tone but last a ridiculously long time.

Overall Tone:

Holy Smokes ladies and gentleman! I can barely lift my jaw off the floor.

From the first moment I strummed a G chord I had the same experience as the first time I played a Martin D28. Total tonal bliss!!!

This is hands down the most responsive and balanced Eastman acoustic guitar I have ever played. It is even more responsive than any of my Adirondack TC tops, especially right out of the box, and it's already as sweet as my 13 year old Gibson J-45.

Tone heaven!

(Note: Eastmans are usually more voiced like a Bourgeois or a Collings guitar and not like Martins, but I am more familiar with Martin guitars so I will reference them a lot in this review)

Alright, once in came to myself I realized the whole guitar is extremely responsive to both light and heavy strumming. The bass is loud and clear, but not overly boomy. The mids are present and full, which you don't often find on a Rosewood dread. Speaking of mids, they sound forward and present, more so than many other dreadnoughts I've played. The highs are slightly more subdued than my E20D-TC, which zing into the heavens, but these are a fair bit more smooth sounding. I would describe the highs are creamy instead of chimy.

The tone is a bit hard to accurately describe as I have little experience with Swiss Alpine spruce, but as others have said, the tone sits somewhere between Adirondack and Sitka spruce. To my ear Swiss Alpine isn't as warm and lush as sitka, but it has enough warmth, volume, and sustain to make up for it. The punch and headroom seem about 85-90% as much as Adirondack spruce, but the overall tone is much smoother. Again, this tonewood lives somewhere in-between the other two while still having a sound of its own.

Lastly, I would summarize the tone as responsive, loud, clean, warm, round, and musical.

9.5/10 Tone

I am now very interested in the E6D-TC Alpine.


Volume:

Again, this guitar is very responsive even with light guage strings, which I think adds to the overall perceived volume. The overall loudness seems to be somewhere between Adi and Sitka favoring the Adi side just a bit. When I dig into it with a thin .60 mm pick, the guitar gives a lot of volume and tone, but unlike Adi it doesn't take a heavy hand or heavy pick to get the notes to come out. This guitar sounds good even finger picked, but it favors a flatpick.

I feel as though the response rate of the top is even greater than both Adi and Sitka. The notes are jumping out of the sound board and it feels like this guitar can almost play itself. Its also got some warmth right out of the box without needing to be broken in.

Closing my thoughts on the overall tone I have realized that this guitar doesn't just sound like a "good guitar for the money", it sounds like a really good guitar period!

Honestly, If you blindfolded me and told me this was a $5,000 Bourgeois, Collings or a Martin custom shop, I would believe you.
9.5/10 Volume


Neck:

The neck of this instrument is very comfortable 1.75 inches, though I haven't yet measured it. It does feel a lot like my D-18 with slightly more girth. Overall It isn't as thick as my E10D-TC (baseball bat) and not quite as slim as my E20D-TC. It's really the goldilocks of necks. Fills my hand nicely and very playable.

The neck wood (some species of mahogany) looks much more like my D18 than my other Eastman's. It is medium brown with very uniform grain.

I know it's probably not a one piece neck but it sure does look like it. They did a good job blending any joints.
9.5/10 Neck


Playability:

This guitar came setup better than any Eastman I have ever bought. The nut is filed correctly. It is not too high like some of my other Eastmans. The saddle is of a good height as well with plenty of room to sand down if I need to.

There is slight buzz on the low E string when I fret on a notes around the 7 fret. (B note) I have the same issue with my E2OM. The guitar may need a touch more relief to get that buzz out or the nut may have been slotted to low. Overall, it is very playable with low action.
9/10 Playability



Aesthetics:

This guitar is the epitome of beauty and elegance. The tone woods look top notch. The rosewood is straight grain and dark with bits of red streaking. The Swiss Alpine top is a creamy light blonde color with straight grain and some bear clawing. Lots of medullary rays towards the center seams.

The Herringbone trim, snowflake inlays, and the tortoise pickguard all add to the beautiful aesthetic. It looks like the woods I've seen on some Martin custom shops. 10/10 Aesthetics.


Fit and Finish:

This is the category my other Eastmans have done poorly in the past. I am happy to report that this guitar has a nearly flawless finish. I have yet to find a defect.

The Trutone finish looks more consistent and less hazy than the old nitro Eastman was using prior to mid 2021. The tone is not dampened by the new finish so I think I prefer this over nitro. The joints are all fitted tightly and there is no leftover glue. There is no indentions on the back of the rosewood like the ones that came on my E20D-TC

This is the best finished Eastman guitar I have owned so far. It's as nice as my D18 was brand new.
10/10 Fit and Finish


Build Quality:

I've only had the guitar for one day so I can't speak to build quality just yet, but if it's like my other Eastman's it will be solid for many years to come.
TBD, but probably 9+ build quality


Value:

Free Swiss Alpine top for no extra charge, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! ? Tone and build quality to match Martin and other high end brands for about 1/3 the cost. This is a hand built, boutique level instrument at a fraction of the price of any other maker.
11/10 value


Overall Impressions:

Out of her box this is the best Eastman I have ever owned. Tone for days. Good setup. Impeccable aesthetics and finish. Incredible value.

More than any other Eastman I have owned with this one I honestly feel like I am holding a nice Martin or other quality USA guitar.

I really couldn't have asked for much more. This has 100% met my expectations.

If this is any indication where Eastman is going I am totally on board. I can hardly believe these guitars are $1300 brand new. I want a mahogany one now.

In short, Eastman didn't cut any corners on this one. If this was the only guitar I had I would miss my J-45 and D-18, but I wouldn't be left wanting.

Overall I would give this guitar a score of 96/100 on a first impression.

Hope this helps you. Thanks for reading.

*Sorry for the low quality picture. It is too cold outside to get some good pics in natural light. Those will come later.

Attached Files

IMG_20220121_145401285.jpg

File size: 3.95 MB

Downloads: 103

Trying to find out the scale length of an AC308CE. when I look at the Eastman website they say 24.9 every online store selling one says 25.5 ? which is right

Hey!

An unfortunate sale for me. Eastman E6D-TC. Perfect Condition. Bought in the start of 2021. Used to play at home only, changed only 1 set of strings on it. Living in a 45-57% humidity environment with constant monitoring and air humidifiers\dehumidifiers if needed.
Price is 1100 EUR + shipping.
Located in EU (Latvia).

Here are some pictures.




P.S Received a right shoulder trauma in the summer of 2021. That event rendered me unable to play dreads. For the rest of the year i was fighting to get my shoulder functionality back. But to no avail, unfortunately. Now this beauty is living in its case.

P.S.S Coffee cup not for sale.

They say the third time is the charm.  Five years ago, I purchased a couple sets of DR Sunbeams, and each time, I had an unexpected issue.  The first time was due to my own ignorance, not realizing they were round core strings, and I installed them using the "Taylor" method of pre-cutting the strings (but without crimping them first).  The 5th and 6th strings unraveled and went floppy on me.

The second time, I changed my method, so I wouldn't pre-cut anything.  But I didn't even get that far b/c the 3rd string snapped while I was bringing it up to pitch (only time I've snapped a string since I began playing again in 2015; and the worst string break I've ever had).  And something was wrong with the 6th string (can't remember now), which was weird b/c DR packages their strings in pairs (3rd and 6th get packaged in the same envelope).

I decided to take a break from DR strings and specifically round core for a while.  But as I've mentioned elsewhere, over the last year or two, I've given DR Rare strings another try, and they've actually. become tied with GHS PB lights as my favorite strings.

When Strings & Beyond had their Cyber Monday sale, I decided to give DR Sunbeams another try and ordered up a few sets.  My plan is to try them on different guitars to see where they match best.  

Last weekend, I installed them onto my 2017 E20D.  Although I normally wait a week to play my guitars after a string change (I don't like dead strings, but brand new ones are too vibrant for my tastes, as well), I've been playing these strings daily, and they sound pretty good out of the gate.  I don't hear a huge difference in tone, volume, or comfort (I thought round core were lower tension)... but I notice improved sustain (or at least a slower decay), which is supposed to be a big benefit of round core strings.

I have a few sets, so during the course of 2022, I'll try them on other guitars.  I'm looking forward to trying them on my AC630-BD to see how they handle a Maple body, my Alpine TCs, and probably my one of my Sitka dreads, so I can where they pair best.

I'm not wild about installing round core strings (fearing they will unravel), but like anything, maybe you get used to it with practice.

I thought I would take a short video to try to share the warm, bright and open sound of my new AC622CE. It’s just captured with an iPhone 8 Plus so keep that in mind. Hopefully some of the sound of this guitar will make it through to you.

https://youtu.be/CR19h_F9UE4

Listening to it on my better computer speakers it is a bit brittle in the treble, but this is an artefact of the mediocre mic. I think the general open resonance is conveyed, though.

Also, that clear, rich, tight, open, punchy and powerful bass E. It's unlike any other guitar I have. It may even better than my Martin Dreadnought.

I have two Eastman guitars: AC222CE and AC422CE.

Something strange

- The cut sheet for the AC422CE says it has plastic bridge pins.  The bridge pins are in fact ebony.
- The cut sheet for the AC222CE says it has ebony bridge pins.  They were plastic (I replaced them with Taylor ebony bridge pins).

I guess maybe they just use whatever they have at the time?

CJ

Hear me out before you burn me at the stake lol. I don't think Eastman's sound like Martin guitars in person. After owning several models of each brand I know they have different voices. Martins seem to have a more compressed, dry, bassy, and dare I say vintage sound. Eastman's seem to be more direct, balanced, and have a high end 3D modern tone. (Even though many of them are copies of Martin and Gibson guitars)

And of course each guitar had its own voice and the tone will vary with woods, players, and other factors.

However, when listening to Eastman demos recorded on YouTube I have found that they sound a lot more Martinesque than what I hear in person.

What could he causing this? Does YouTube compression change the tone of all guitars? Is there something with Eastman guitars that makes them difficult to record their actual voice?

Certain channels seem to capture the true Eastman tone better than others. Artisan guitars does a fantastic job IMHO.

Anyway, am I going Covid crazy (currently in quarantine waiting for results) from binge watching YouTube, or is there something in the recording process that alters Eastman's tone?

What do you think?

According to my tracking info my E8D-TC is supposed to arrive Friday afternoon. Florida to Oklahoma. However, on Thursday it is supposed to get down to 11 degrees and then down again to around 20 on Friday.

With that being said, do you think this could potentially hurt the finish of the guitar?

Obviously I will let the case warm up and get to room temperature before opening it, but I am wondering if 11 degrees is too cold for any guitar.

The guitar has already shipped so there isn't much I can do now.

Should I make an unboxing video in case something goes wrong when I open the case?

Also, this guitar is supposed to have the new TruTone finish which I would think would be less susceptible to checking. What do you think? Should I be worried or am I okay?

Preorders from Ted here:

https://www.laguitarsales.com/index.php/...-m-tc.html

I'm guessing this will be controversial, but we knew Eastman bought a ton of these sets from whomever supplies Bourgeois.

https://www.fretboardjournal.com/feature...f-guitars/

"Sometimes we have a hard time buying something like a Madagascar rosewood. Typically, we have a couple of suppliers. We might use 60 sets a year in a normal year. [In the past], we would buy a year’s worth, or half a year’s worth. We’d go in and pick out sets from photos, that sort of thing.Eastman has gone to one of our suppliers and bought 2,000 sets! And we’re picking 200 off the top [for Bourgeois], which is more than we’re going to use immediately, but that’s where the price break works well for both companies."

I'm interested to hear how the wood sounds.  If it's importable into the US, and purchased from a reputable supplier, I don't think I have a problem with it.  I'd want an OM though.

ETA:  Found the OM link:

https://www.laguitarsales.com/index.php/...-m-tc.html?