I have two slopes in the house, a Walker 'Wise River' and a new to me Guild Orpheum 12 Fret D. Both are mahogany and red spruce with full hide glue construction. The Guild is basically a Smeck, complete with a huge 1.85" neck, made in their New Hartford factory when Ren Ferguson was there. The Wise River is a J35 copy built by Montana luthier and former Gibson employee, John Walker. Ren and John started the Gibson Custom Shop in Bozeman back around '89. Ren is now back in Montana building under his own name with his son.

I guess I just couldn't wait any longer for the Smeckman!

So, since I'm officially old now(70- man I can't get used to that) I decided to get another new Eastman since I don't have a lot of years left. Ted and Helene have a newly listed AC722CE that I jumped on this morning. Haven't tried a guitar with a sound hole, but I'm intrigued. I'm just a stay at home player so I play for my own enjoyment only. What matters is what I hear, not what someone else does. I hope that the sound hole gives more volume to me the player.
  In '18 I bought an AC322CE, but compared to the Blueridge BR-140A I bought the month before it just didn't stand up. So I traded it in on a Yamaha A5R two years ago. Today I went to GC and sold the Blueridge and the E10SS/v that I had for a year. I took a bath on the E10, but I knew I would.  Before I left the house I ordered the 722. The bridge on the Blueridge was lifted a little on the back corners. For all I know it was that way when I bought it. I talked to a tech at GC and he said he's seen a number of Blueridge with this issue. He's not a pseudo tech. We've talked a number of times over the years and he knows his stuff. 
  So now the wait. When I ordered the E40D at the end of Feb., Ted held that guitar till the following Monday so it didn't sit on a truck over the weekend. I'm hoping he does the same thing this time. We'll see if the LR Baggs unit is better than the Fishman Matrix that was in the 322. I hope it is even though I'll be playing just acoustically most of the time.

On another forum someone mentioned that they didn't think highly of the Baggs system used in the AC422 that I bought. I wasn't big on using it in the first place but it got me thinking. If I was going to buy an amp it would be an inexpensive one like a Fishman Loudbox Mini. Any thoughts about whether the sound would be worth it? I mean could I get a decent tone with that set up?

I have to use coated strings, I seem to be able to rust out a set of uncoated strings in a matter of hours. 

I've been playing my 822ce-FF a lot recently, mostly for dropped tunings. While my goto is normally Elixir nano PB's, they just weren't giving me the clarity I wanted for my fingerstyle stuff on that guitar. So I tried the new D'Adarrio XS strings. I like them a lot. They brought back the clarity I know that guitar has. They almost don't feel like they are coated. I don't know how long they will last yet, they've only been on for a few days. Interestingly enough, They sounded ok the first day, but a lot better and brighter the 2nd day. The only downside to me is the price. But hey, if I can get a few months out of them I guess I can live with it.

My new AC422 just arrived and I took the case out of the box but hesitated opening it because of reading about folks waiting a day to take the guitar out.  I think it's mostly about coming from cold climates and I don't think there's any frigid weather between Chicago and Seattle but thought I'd ask.  Do you wait?  Is temperature the reason that you would?   

Thanks!

I'm glad I found this forum; it's the perfect place to pose my question.

Last summer I sold my Taylor 314ce and bought an Eastman AC222ce. I've now added an AC420ce to my mini collection. I've written to Eastman to get a clue (if possible) of the age of the 420. It's said to have a Fishman pickup, but it's a different configuration than I've seen. It has volume and tone controls on one side of the sound hole and another control on the other (and two coin-shaped batteries on the control board). I don't think it's an Enhanced version because ones I've seen have a separate component added under the bridge, and this one doesn't (or I may just be confused about the whole matter).

But that isn't even my main question! I now have one guitar with ovangkol sides and back and one with rosewood. There is some difference in the sound, but not much. So I'm thinking of trading up from the AC222 to a 322 to have the mahogany (or sapele?) back/sides or getting a different dreadnought, whether Eastman or not, with a different tonewood. I brought home an E2D (cedar top), but the sound was too muted, so it went back (I have an all-mahogany AMI 000m-15 already; also in my mini stable is an A&L Roadhouse parlor). The two shops in my area that carry Eastman don't have the E6D (mahogany) in stock to try out.

I'm open to suggestions about what to look at, but my main question is this: Which of my guitars am I more likely to regret passing along? This may sound like a silly question, but it's serious. I've been playing only three years, and in my mad search for the perfect guitars (for me, which means less than $2K and preferably less than $1K) I've passed along the Taylor 314ce and a Martin DCPA4, both of which have caused some regret. It's time to settle down with a GA and a dreadnought that will last a long time.

I really like both my Eastman guitars, and I'd rather not be kicking myself for getting rid of one that really should be a keeper. So which might I find more valuable in the long run: the 322ce or the 420ce? There's no "scientific" answer to this, but I'm interested in the opinions of Eastman lovers. Thanks.

When I received my new guitar it came with a double packet of humidifiing material hanging into the sound hole.  Is this intended to be used regularly or was it for shipping purposes or both?

I posted this onto Scott Memmer's (Charmed Life Picks) Eastman thread on AGF.  I modified it slightly here, but thought it was worth sharing...  Cheers to my EGF friends, who've come to appreciate Eastman's guitars as much as I do...

...I played guitar for 20 years, but took a 10 year break, when career and family became the priority. On July 4, 2015, I was on vacation and stepped on a stingray (OUCH!) and was fairly immobile for the holiday festivities. While sitting in my friend's LR, he had an acoustic guitar sitting out. I picked it up, and the bug to play was back.

I spent the next 1.5 years buying and selling guitars, trying to find the sound and quality that were right for me (and learning a TON on the forums, along the way). I owned about 5-6 guitars and was about to buy a custom shop Martin HD-28 with Adi top, when a friend implored me to check out Eastman before I made the purchase. I checked online, and there was a dealer with surprisingly decent inventory (half dozen or so), so I made the trip and played through what they had.

When I played their E20D, it was game over. It was less boomy than the Martin, but had more clarity, which appealed to my playing style and ears. Both were excellent guitars, but for less than 1/3 the price, it was a no-brainer. I have an unofficial policy against impulse purchases, so I went home and began looking at the other Eastman models, where I discovered the newly released E40D, which was the E20D, but with premium woods and "42" style appointments. This was great b/c I'm a Neil Young fan and always wanted a D-45 like his, but could never justify the price.

I placed an order with Ted at LA Guitar Sales in what may be the first commercially sold E40D (followed by the first commercially sold E40OM to pair with it) and began a great relationship with his business. That guitar is so lush, and over the last four years, it's become a beast (sometimes it's almost too much of a good thing!). Throughout 2017, I began selling off my other guitars and replacing them with brand new Eastman guitars. The prices afforded me to expand my collection, and now we have 15 Eastman guitars in the house (dozen acoustic, one electric, and two purchased for my daughter). There's not a bad one in the bunch, and even though I have some redundancy, I can't seem to part with them b/c they each have their own voice.

I enjoy many brands of acoustic guitars and don't subscribe to any brand over another. I'd gladly own a Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Guild, Larrivee, etc. But Eastman has allowed me to build a collection of world class instruments in various tonewoods and body sizes that simply wouldn't be possible with some of those other brands. I love the Eastman voice (balanced, clear, shimmering highs) and build quality (all of mine are 2016-2019 models, so those early QC and finish issues are not my problem), and I've gotten to know a few of the Eastman peeps in Pomona on a personal level. They are super hard working and dedicated to their products and customers.

Eastman has been steadily improving for the last 5-6 years, and if you haven't tried them lately, I suggest you revisit them. And if you can't find a dealer with inventory (a common issue with Eastman, but esp. during the pandemic), then I recommend ordering online with a reputable dealer. Eastman's guitars are hand-crafted, so while they will vary from instrument to instrument, the overall voice and build quality has become very consistent.

Last night, I was playing my E40D (my first Eastman guitar) and my E6D, which arrived one year ago today.  Every day, I feel incredibly fortunate and humbled to own such wonderful instruments.

Joanna Connor is one big beautiful talented woman - what a musician!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSwoM7WIy5M

Her playing is raw, instinctive and passionate  - so much better IMO than the likes of Clapton. I know who I would prefer to see live. YMMV.