I hope everyone out there is safe and practicing good social distancing.
I have a question about the Neck thickness (not nut width) on my 2 Eastmans.
I have a 2011 E8D and a 2012 E10D.
The neck on the E10D is not as thick as the E8D.  The E10 has what I can only describe as a shallow C while the E8 is perhaps a C shape but very noticeably chunkier, almost to the point where I don't pick it up very often.
I purchased both within the last 6 months and they are the only Eastmans I've ever played.
My question is what should I expect from the neck of a newer Eastman?  Was the difference in neck profile something that changed over time or is there a difference in the neck profiles between Rosewood and Mahogany models?
I'm considering a newer E6D but I don't want to end up with a chunky neck.
Thanks to all and stay safe.

A week ago, last Friday, I was supposed to see Wilco play the Fox Theater in Oakland.  It was going to be my fifth Wilco show, plus getting to see Jeff Tweedy play a solo show a few years ago (which was amazing!).  It was also going to be my kids' first Wilco show (they're 15yo, 11yo), which was exciting b/c they've been listening to Wilco their entire lives (including so many bedtimes in their early years).

Wilco's new album is very good and their best work in a decade.  Here's Jeff playing a couple of new ones, an interview in the middle, followed by a song from his solo album and finishing off with an older Wilco track.

I titled this Jeff & Wilco, as I'm sure I'll add more videos later on.  Jeff is one of my favorite songwriters, and Wilco is an exceptional live band.

One of my favourite guitarists is Bill Frisell, and I really like his reimagining of this Dylan classic :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEtQfqpK...rt_radio=1

New to Eastman and the forum.    I decided to pick-up playing again after taking a few years off due to family, work, life, etc.  I had predominately been a Martin guy prior.  When I decided to get back to it I was not wanting to spend what it would take to get a D-18, 28, ...  I did know that that I wanted a solid wood guitar with a modest budget.  With that in mind I found a used Larrivee L-2 on Reverb.  Played it for a 3-4 months but did not inspire me to keep it.

Went to GC and tried multiple brands and body sizes just could not find one that spoke to me unless I wanted to spend big $.  I then chose to visit a local dealer that carries Eastman and Martin along with a few others.  After spending a few hours trying various models at different price ranges and discussing them with some of their working musician staff ended up buying a E20SS.   The build quality, finish , tone and play-ability is quite impressive.     

This is the first slope-D short scale but it won't be my last. As one of the staff members said while discussing the E20SS "It's legit".  It has a character of its own and I'm enjoying spending time getting to know it during the stay in place period.  I've been playing it everyday and it's just getting better.  Glad to have found this forum and the Eastman reviews on YouTube to help with my decision.

The only thing I'm still working on getting comfortable with is the nut width and neck girth.   Do any of the Eastman Dealers happen to have or plan to offer a custom run of SS Dred with 1.75" nut with a chunky neck?  If so, I'm in!

Patrick
aka Sacdubro

I have owned 2 great Eastmans that both had unfinished rosewood fretboards (AR-805 and T58/V) I have noticed that the Eastman flat tops seem to have their rosewood boards finished with a thin gloss of some kind. Admittedly, this just my perception based on seeing these guitars online. Is this the case, or am I mistaken?

Greetings, all.  I had been looking into adding a Mahogany/Spruce OM/000 guitar, and I was strongly leaning towards an E10OM-TC or E6OM.  As I thought more about it, even though I don't own a Mahogany OM/000, I'm still partial to playing dreads, so I opened my search to an E6D.

Given the COVID situation, I decided against buying used (or shipping long distance), and decided to call Ted at LA Guitar Sales.  He had an E6D and E6OM in stock, so I asked him to play them both and provide his feedback.  The E6OM was fine, but he said that the E6D was incredibly resonant and an exceptional guitar.  This is where a trusted dealer can be so helpful, as we worked out the details and placed the order.

Yesterday morning, the guitar arrived in perfect condition.  The UPS driver carefully leaned the box against the house, as I answered the door.  He remained a safe 10 feet away, as I called my name to him in place of the required digital signature.  When I got home, I wiped down the outer box and made sure to wash my hands thoroughly before un-boxing, as well as immediately afterwards.

Normally, it takes me a while to post a review b/c I usually go through the process of inspecting the guitar, playing it with the factory strings, replacing the strings, waiting a few days for the new strings to settle in, playing it some more, and then taking it to my luthier for his review and any setup work (if needed).  Well, no need here -- the guitar is outstanding!  Overall, the build quality is very good, specs are spot-on, and the action seems fine out of the gate (besides, my luthier is unavailable!).  The top is incredibly resonant, and the tone is exactly what I was looking for... woodsy, strong mid range, some high shimmer, nice growly bass.  Loads of sustain, and just voiced exceptionally well.

Visually, I'm very pleased.  The top is nice, tight grain Sitka.  Consistent color, and mostly straight.  A lot of Eastman mahogany guitars have a red-brown stain, but this body is more of a med/dark brown color, which makes it look a little more traditional.  Again, exactly what I was looking for in this guitar.  The back is nicely book-matched, and the color fades slightly from a subtle red-brown on the outer edges to more of a golden-brown in the center.  Almost a vintage, worn vibe to it.  Also, I'm happy to report that the tuners are smooth, and the new Eastman logo embossed case is really nice.  Outstanding job, Eastman!

It sounded fine with the factory D'Add EXP16 strings, but there's something about coated / treated strings (crunchiness?) that I can't stand on acoustic, so I swapped them out for GHS Vintage Bronze, which is what I usually play on my Mahogany body guitars.  I gave it a ton of play yesterday (home with the day off!) and will give it more playing time this weekend.

Finally, I haven't decided whether to keep the pre-installed pickguard, or whether to have Taylor Mullins make one for this guitar.  He's done custom guards for most of my other guitars.

Thanks again to Eastman for making such incredible instruments and to Ted and Helene at LA Guitar Sales for their continually great partnership.  I've purchased several guitars through them, and it's always been a positive experience.  I highly recommend them for Eastman and the other guitars they carry.

Here are the obligatory NGD photos.  I included a few extra, since we all have a little more free time these days.  Stay safe, everyone!

If you have an Eastman AR503CE that you might like to trade or do a cash + trade deal, I've got lots of nice clean stuff.  Best way to connect is email or phone: 

peterjung512@gmail.com     /      518.755.4350

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Hdo1n3f5Q

Eastman E6OME-ltd. (2014)



The pic is from the seller and does not fairly represent how nice the guitar looks.
I'll try to do better later.

Today... new guitar in the house!
This is the first time to play, much less own an Eastman. In the past I have owned Gibson/Martin/Collings and still own a Gibson J-50 (2002).
I really like the J-50 but I've known for a while a smaller guitar will work better for me.
I started a search a couple of months ago and was shocked at how much prices of good acoustics have gone up. Woof!
I'm retired and don't have a lot of extra $$. After a lot of reading and YouTube videos, I decided Eastman offers a lot of value.
The E6OME-ltd is a short scale OM in mahogany and sitka spruce. It comes with a Fishman pickup that has tone and volume controls in the edge of the soundhole. The trim is upgraded
to herringbone style.
The Gotoh tuners are vintage style.
My particular guitar is #1/100, as in the first guitar in a limited series. Coolio! Kind of neat to have the first guitar of a series.
Nut - 1.77"
Bridge - 2.21"
The neck is sizeable with a very slight vee profile. Very nice. I'll measure it later. It is bigger that any OM/000 I can recall, but very comfortable.
Actually, now that I think about it, the neck of the OM-18V also was sizeable...
Both nut and bridge measure a little wider than are stock spec for an E6OM which suits me.
The guitar is beautifully constructed that unfortunately my pic doesn't show very well.
I am more than a little surprised how nice the guitar is. Part of being a limited edition or all Eastman guitars? Heck if I know. There are no guitar stores near me, so it may be a while before I have a chance to try other Eastman guitars.
Tone is what I was hoping for: woody and full sounding but with plenty of treble. I am very much reminded of an early 2000s Martin OM-18V I used to own.
The guitar has a small amount of fret wear but that's not a problem. Someone has played the guitar and it is not tight feeling like some new guitars.
I considered Eastman's Adirondack top models but held out for a sitka topped model. My experience with Adirondack has been that it can take a good while to open up. My new guitar feels fully broken in to me. Yeah! I love it.


Mark

Hello All
I just wanted send an update about my E1SS-LTD.  I bought it just a year ago and still love it.  Sometimes I think it actually gets better if I play it for prolonged periods - is that possible or just my ears deceiving me?  The only thing I would change is the neck profile which I find slightly too chunky at the nut end. Although I have got used to it now, I still prefer the feel of my other guitar, a factory built Tanglewood TW15NS.  But all guitars are a compromise in one way or another and I still find this guitar is superb in the area that really counts - the sound!  Lovely and full and warm somehow and the body vibrates against your chest as it is played which is somehow rather comforting!  I removed the factory pickup and replaced it with a JJB Electronics 15mm Artist Series Prestige 330 and I can now get a nice acoustic sound if I have to plug in.
On the (slightly) negative side I was a bit miffed when I recently came across an advert for the same guitar at a shop in the UK which was number 260 of 450 (See picture).  When I bought the guitar I was told that there were only 250 made, 100 for Europe and 150 for USA.  So I contacted Eastman who have informed me that they also made 450 for the Chinese market and this must have been one of them shipped to Europe in error.  I must say I am now wondering if there were more made for other markets?
In a way it doesn't matter as the guitar remains great regardless of the number made but I do feel I was slightly deceived.  Or am I just naive?   

Attached Files

Eastman E1SS-LTD 260-450.jpg

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First listing I've seen for the new AC522ce's. Looks like stock photos unfortunately. I'm intrigued by the new features - the port hole and beveled armrest - would love to see more real world pics of the new sunburst.