I know string choices are personal and everyone has they’re preferences, but what strings have proven to be your choice for the above tone woods?

I believe my e40 came with D’Addarios. I’m not looking to darken the tone necessarily, just something that rings and chimes and sounds pretty. I find describing guitar tones trying.

I will on my own try different types/brands of strings, but was wondering what forum members prefer.

Thanks in advance for any opinions.

Can anyone clarify if the E1D is Adirondack top or Sitka?  The Eastman website says is Sitka, but i've seen various posts from E1D owners talking about their Adirondack top guitar.  I'm assuming they know what they are talking about. 

Did Eastman offer the E1D in both tops without a name/price difference?  Here's a link to an E1D where it says its Adirondack.  https://www.amazon.com/Eastman-E1D-Dread...B07G3DP6PT  And here is Eastman's site saying it is a Sitka top https://www.eastmanguitars.com/e1d 

I think the difference in price should be substantial.  Is it just a misunderstanding?  And to make it more confusing I think the E1SS is actually an adirondack top with sapele B/S for $800.

The specs on the Eastman site don't help, as both say "Traditional Even "C", and the nut and saddle spacings are identical.

Can anyone with hands-on experience with both models tell me if there's an appreciable - if any - distinction between the AC and Traditional neck carves?

I've been a fan of the Traditional, but watching my kid run out of room where the neck meets the body has me considering a cutaway. For him, mind you. I barely ever get to the 12th fret myself.


Thanks

I posted photos and a review of an e40, but it appears they are gone?

In keeping with the recent pickguard posts, I'm posting the pickguard I added to my E10P.  It's my favorite guitar to play, but the lack of a guard always made it look odd to me.  I bought this one on eBay and it's a Martin guard, but I loved how the red would match the mahogany sides.  I'm happy with it.  Here's a before and after.

My Eastman and my other guitars I left behind when we evacuated out of Santa Cruz late yesterday.  

More importantly, I hope everybody is safe.

I am considering getting a Holter pickguard made for my Eastman E20-OM. He sent me a template which fits, but is a bit bigger than the stock one.



Here's how that shape, which is more "Martin" like I think, would look on the guitar.



Which do you prefer? I'm sure he could match the stock one if I asked him to.

I posted this in the sales forum, but think it may make an interesting discussion topic:

I got an E2D recently and am in love.  Eastman is having quite a run lately.  They seem to have built up an incredible batch of tonewoods (and skilled luthiers) which I'm assuming can't last forever and which is making the biggest difference in their incredible sound/quality. 

Their mahogany with the cross grain is amazing.  But already I'm seeing some of their newer build mahogany guitars have less of that cross grain or none at all.  As a fan of scotch whiskey, this reminds of when a smaller distillery starts putting out some incredible whiskey (usually because they have some great older barrels stored which they are blending in).  As they gain notoriety and sell more and more, they use up their reserves of that older whiskey and inevitably, the quality drops. 

I'd expect that soon some of their most skilled luthiers will set up their own shops or join some other brands.  And that their stocks of amazing tonewoods will start to dwindle as their sales continue to climb.  Even if that happens, the price will probably still be enough to make them stand out, but right now their quality/sound isn't good 'for the price', it seems to be great full stop.  So I'm wondering if we'll look back at the last 3-5 years and the next few as their golden age (or golden decade).  

Are others here thinking the same?