Hey everyone,

I wanted to share an incredible New Guitar Day (or rather, New Guitar Week!) and give a huge shout-out to some amazing people and companies in the industry. This is a bit of a long story, but I think it’s a testament to the great service that’s still out there.

TL;DR: My new Eastman acoustic had a twisted neck. Eastman's customer service was phenomenal and they replaced it with a stunning SB59 electric. While that was happening, I bought a Bourgeois Touchstone OM from The Acoustic Shoppe that is an absolute cannon. Both guitars were then professionally praised by the team at Action Music. Huge thanks to Dan Skatvold at Eastman, Bourgeois, The Acoustic Shoppe, and Matt at Action Music!

My journey started back in January when I purchased an Eastman E20-OM-TC on a trip to California. I absolutely loved the guitar, but after getting it home, I started noticing some persistent fret buzz. Since the dealer was 3,000 miles away, I contacted Eastman directly.

Their team was immediately responsive and directed me to the best luthier in my region, Matt at Action Music in Falls Church, VA. The luthier noted some undulations on the bass side of the fretboard and suggested we wait two months for the instrument to fully acclimate to its new home. Two months later, the issue hadn't improved, and he suspected a twisted neck.

I updated Eastman, and once again, their response was stellar. They sent me a shipping label to send the guitar back to their facility in Pomona, CA for inspection. Upon arrival, they confirmed it was a twisted neck and told me they would replace the instrument, no questions asked.

At the time, I was getting really into playing electric, so I took a shot and asked Dan Skatvold, a Fretted Instrument Product Manager at Eastman (and an all-around great and super helpful guy), if I could possibly consider an equal-valued electric from their lineup as a replacement. He told me to take a look at their offerings and he’d see what he could do. After some research, I discovered the Eastman SB59, which has been favorably compared with some of the best Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls at a fraction of the price. Dan confirmed the prices were close enough that he could swing an SB59 for me and promptly got one in my desired Red Burst finish working through the workshop. As a fantastic surprise, it was scheduled to arrive on my birthday!

Of course, while this was all happening, I started to lament the loss of that wonderfully rich and responsive OM. Just a couple of days later, my Reverb feed showed a great price on a new Bourgeois Touchstone Vintage OM (Old-Growth Alaskan Sitka over East Indian Rosewood) from The Acoustic Shoppe. I quickly called them, and after they graciously provided some A/B demos of the guitar against an Eastman E20-OM-TC-MR, I decided on the Bourgeois. It arrived later that same week, just two days after the SB59.

What a birthday week that turned out to be!

The Eastman SB59 is the most resonant electric guitar I have ever played. Unplugged, it sounds like it could almost be an acoustic! I had asked Dan if the shop could pick out a particularly nice flamed maple cap, and they did not disappoint—the burst is wonderful. The tone and playability are absolutely top-notch.

The Bourgeois Touchstone OM is a masterpiece. The tone and playability are, again, world-class. It sounds as big as a dreadnought but with a note balance between strings and up the entire fretboard that I have never experienced before. Dana Bourgeois and his team have certainly earned their reputation as the authorities in OM top voicing.

To bring the story full circle, I took both new instruments back to the luthier who started this journey: Matt, the owner of Action Music.

After looking at the flawlessly finished Bourgeois OM, Matt told me to cancel the setup I had scheduled. He said, "I can do nothing to make this any better and would just be charging you $100 for a new set of strings." (The Acoustic Shoppe had already put fresh D'Addario XS strings on it). Multiple people at the shop commented on how tall the saddle was, noting the phenomenal geometry allowed for a steep break angle and perfect action, contributing to its exceptional tone.

Meanwhile, the SB59 had captivated one of their electric experts. He just paced around the shop playing it acoustically, initially just to check intonation, but found himself propped up against a workbench just playing. He kept commenting on how fantastic it sounded unplugged, saying, "Man, this is a good one." Keep in mind, this is at a shop with multiple 5-figure Gibson Les Pauls on the wall that he interacts with regularly.

I must say that Eastman and their recently acquired Bourgeois brand are knocking it out of the park. The quality, tone, and service have been second to none.

A final, massive thank you is in order to:

Dan Skatvold and the entire team at Eastman for their incredible customer service and for building such a monster of a guitar in the SB59.

Dana Bourgeois and his team for designing and crafting an acoustic that truly lives up to the hype.

The Acoustic Shoppe for their great price, helpful demos, and quick shipping.

Matt and the crew at Action Music for their expert eyes, honesty, and professional validation.

And now for the part you've all been waiting for... the pics!

Monel strings on a ooo size guitar? I have an E1om. Enjoy both the physical body size and the scale of this guitar. Would like less treble and more depth to the sound. Not necessarily more bass, just a bit deeper, less shrill tone.

Here is a blind fold test of Eastman, Collings & Martin mahogany OMs:   https://tfoa.us18.list-manage.com/track/...3420c33b88

Hello guys, first time poster here, I’m also on agf and umgf.
I’ve had many Eastmans in the past, lately I foscused on Gibsons and Martins, but the two days ago I stumble upon a freshly arrived E20D TC LSH in the shop! I didn’t resist and bought it!
here the photo!

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There has been a LOT of debate over this guitar, so I wanted to make my own statement. Here is a review that I wrote of the Special 16 on the GC site after doing my research and consulting with an expert repair tech with over 40 years' experience:

First off, this is NOT a D16E! This guitar has a full dreadnought-size body depth, NOT the 000 body depth found on the D-16E. While the confusion is understandable please keep in mind that this is A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GUITAR. Even most Guitar Center employees seem to be confused about this.

Having said that: 
This is a great guitar! Under the hood it has EXACTLY the same materials, workmanship, and sound as the HD-28E without the herringbone trim, Grover open-gear tuners, volute, or the price tag. This is a LOT of guitar for under $2k. I have played for almost 50 years and I've owned many fine instruments; I currently own 15 guitars. I strongly urge anyone thinking about buying a Standard Martin to have a look at THIS guitar before you buy.

About the neck joint:
The dovetail neck joint on the Special 16 is made with CNC technology. That is the ONLY difference. A close inspection of the Special 16 materials and structure reveals that it is ACTUALLY a 28 series guitar and not related to the 16's at all!

My theory:
Martin has been under TREMENDOUS pressure from foreign makers in the last several years and lost market share. I believe that Martin made these guitars under pressure from GC and added "16 Style" to the description in order to CREATE the confusion so they could still sell 28's.

Learned this a long time ago.
If you have a zippered gig bag. Take a small piece of paraffin wax. Drag it across the top of the zipper teeth.
Doesn't take much. Prevents snags.

Personally I find 6 strings plenty challenging enough but Martin have released a Johnny Marr signature 7 string dread(ish) model  with an octave G. It has a Grand Auditorium body combining 000 thickness with Jumbo width, and has LR Baggs Anthem electronics (boo). Here is Johhny recounting its genesis:- https://youtu.be/j3S1gK-IeA0

This is long, so here’s a TLDR summary. This is an incredible guitar that is an instant #1 for me. Time will tell, but I think this is the best kind of gear purchase because it will encourage me to be a better player and nudge me offload some other stuff.

The antique varnish finish is not for everybody, so I highly recommend that prospective buyers see it in person before committing. Also, Safe Haven Music deserves a shout out for providing great support and service. I’m very glad I bought from an authorized dealer.

For background, I’m a home hobby player. I’ve owned 2 Larrivees (D-02 and OM-40R), 2 Emeralds (X20 and X10), a Korean made Breedlove (Atlas Stage D25/SRe) and a Seagull S6+ Spruce.

Eastman came to my attention as I searched for fuller neck profiles with rounder radius. The search led me to Gibson, and I gravitated towards slope shoulders reading about J-45s. I played a few J-45s at Guitar Center and started combing the used market. Eastman kept popping up, and I decided I needed to try one, but I don’t have well stocked dealers within driving distance.

I was looking for an E1SS because I like the satin finish and lower price point. I kept reading great things about the E10SS/v and found a demo E10SS/v at Safe Haven Music. The shop owner said this particular E10SS/v was a standout, so I bought it with a 30 day return.

My first reactions to playing this guitar were a new experience for me. I’ve bought and sold a lot of guitars over the years - many more electric than acoustic. This is the first time I’ve been this excited about how a guitar plays and sounds.

What went through my head was:

- I really don’t like any of my other guitars
- I’m going to sell X, Y, Z and just play the heck out of this
- I’m going to play this thing so much I’m going to have to refret it

The neck is super comfortable. I measured 1.7” nut width and 0.87” front to back thickness. There’s a good bit of shoulder to the neck, so it feels a little more full than it measures.

The fretwork is great, and I’m picky. I believe the action was lowered at the shop, and it’s set up just perfectly in my opinion. I was immediately comfortable playing it and trying new things.

The guitar sounds amazing. It reminds me of guitars I’ve had over the years that dried out - only this is absolutely humidified properly. For example, the Larrivee OM-40R that I mentioned sounded amazing until I realized it was dried out (it arrived from a Reverb seller with a loose end pin). Once that OM-40R was re-hydrated, it never sounded the same.

If you hit the E10SS/v hard, it just explodes with rich, musical tone. The bass is strong and very tight. Midrange is warm and there’s no harshness to the top end. This is my first shorter scale acoustic guitar. I always assumed that I preferred the extra ‘snap’ associated with longer scales, but I don’t miss that extra 3/4” at all. This is what I wanted an acoustic guitar to sound like.

As mentioned on another thread, I had second thoughts about the finish. The gloss is not consistent, especially on the top next to the end of the fretboard. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is normal for Eastman antique varnish finishes.

There was some damage where the finish took on impressions from the case on the top and back. The shop told me this happens with hot weather shipments of the varnish finished Eastmans. I had the ‘case rash’ fixed by my luthier, and Safe Haven credited me for most of the charge (my luthier is expensive).

Having my luthier work on this guitar gave me the chance to discuss it with him. He has a lot of experience with high end and vintage instruments. He loved it, and his notes were:

- agreed that it sounds and plays fantastic (this is the first time I’ve seen him play a guitar and not adjust anything)
- it sounds more like an old Martin than a Gibson
- the top is a very thick ‘G top’
- the flame mahogany on the back is really choice and rare (he said it must have grown near salt water)
- the guitar sounds great because of the bracing, it’s not the varnish
- get a new case, the material inside the case is too rough for varnish. Or, line it with a t shirt.

I’ve also noticed that the low E and A string bridge pins don’t fit quite right. I was able to restring with extra attention to holding these pins in place, but they don’t sit flush at the same depth as the other pins. I’ll get this addressed one day.

Overall, I’m very happy with the purchase. The tone and playability greatly outweigh the fit and finish issues.

Questions:
Are all E10SS/v guitars this amazing?
Why isn’t the top thermo-cured? Or is it?
What’s my next Eastman?

I’m curious to try an OM or maybe an OO SS. I wouldn’t mind a little fuller neck, better couch comfort, and maybe some rosewood.

Just received my first Eastman through an auction purchase from New York.  Auction house stated it was a T484 but it's a full 16" at the lower bout.  No sticker in the F-hole and no serial number visible inside or outside the guitar.  Other items of note:

Solid maple top back (gorgeous grain inside)
Full center block of maple
Schaller bridge/tail
Schaller pickups
Grover tuners
Abalone dot fret markers
Maple inlay "Eastman" headstock logo
7-ply binding on top/back
3-ply binding on neck
Micro switches
No pick guard holes
Side output jack
Light finish checking throughout

Knowing any of these parts may be aftermarket, any help would be most appreciated!

What do you all think about his take?