Happy Friday all...

Here are two recent fingerstyle players I have stumbled across ... like them both!  I wanted to share these two videos, check it out:

Andrea Valeri:





Clive Carroll:

I purchased an AC422ce this week. It will be added to the guitar family seen in the photo attached.

I'm a gigging musician. I've been gigging with the same guitarist for the last 20 years mostly as a duo, but we recently expanded to include a bass and drummer. We do 80's/90's covers, and with the full band we are shooting for an MTV Unplugged vibe (back when it was good). We start gigging together next month.

For the last 10 years I've been gigging with a Blueridge BG-160 (Gibson slope shoulder AJ copy) with an LR Baggs Element USP and M1 soundhole, mixed onboard with an LR Baggs iMix. I absolutely love this guitar and it has served me well...but we all know how new guitar syndrome works...once I had it in my head that I wanted a new guitar I had feed the beast.

I really wanted a Taylor 414ce-R, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend $2,600 on a guitar. For that kind of money it should have 2 wheels and a throttle. I played a lot of Grand Auditorium alternatives to the Taylor but there was something about all that kept me from dropping the coin. After playing a number of guitars I happened upon the AC422ce. I honestly think that this guitar has great tone and articulation and stands above the Taylor. The construction and craftsmanship is outstanding, I'm loving the nitro finish. A great deal ($850) sealed the deal. You will see in the photo an Orangewood Mason Live. I did give that a try and thought it was OK, but after playing it at a gig I send it back to Orangewood. It really sounds great plugged in, but because it has laminated back and sides, it doesn't communicate through it's body to my body. I felt completely disconnected from it during the performance and I found myself overplaying as a result.

I'm really looking forward to playing the AC422ce out. I'm installing a heal strap button and then heading out to an open mic tonight to give it a live performance test drive.

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Maple St Guitars introduced me to Eastman 8-9yrs ago, got this in their newsletter today.

Crank er UP:

https://youtu.be/o-ksa8JS4VE

Does anyone know what tool to use to adjust the truss rod on a Ac708CE guitar?

Not sure there is a definitive answer to my question, but here goes. I keep hearing "addi" tops take longer to break in. Compared to, say, sitka, how much time are we talking about here? Years? 

I ask because my E20-OM is my first addi topped guitar. I love the sound of it now, so if it never "breaks in", I'm still a winner. But it is a little stiff playing and sounding. Not to the extent that I'm the least bit concerned, just curious on others experience.

Thanks

Just changed strings on my E1OM and did a quick measurement with digital calipers. My E1Om is .877 at the first and the 5th fret , going to .896 at the 9th. For contrast, my AC320 is .815 at the first and .850 at the 5th. I could feel the difference immediately, but I was kind of shocked it was that great. I definitely prefer the E1OM neck, not that the Ac320 is bad, it’s Just a different feel.

Both came through Pamona at about the same time (Sept last year), but I’m guessing the AC320 was built some time before, being that it was a discontinued model.

Anyone else seen a wife range on your Eastman necks? Kind of hope they’re going with thicker moving forward!

Hello all,
Just signed up after having just purchased a cool little E100SS-LTD. I’ve been searching for a small body guitar for a while and found this little gem a few days ago. I normally avoid Adi tops, but this one is warm, open, and sweet sounding. And the quality is outstanding. I think the value is great with these guitars, given the all solid wood build.

I’ve played for 55 years, and have Martins, a Taylor 510 dreadnought, and a J-45. At my age, I think I’ll enjoy the smaller body of this Eastman.

I’m in SE Michigan where, at 3am today, I looked out at snowflakes coming out of the sky. Yikes!

I am a full time working artist and am glad to have found this forum.

Roger

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Out of idle curiosity, I was wondering how the volume of Collings and Bourgeois boxes produced compares with Eastman's (US sales). Anyone know about this?

This just arrived at the store. Tell me this isn't beautiful.

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Just a single data point, but I wonder if anyone else has noticed this... When I had a K&K Pure Mini pickup installed on my E10D, the luthier swapped out the old D'Addario EXP-16s (.012 - .053) the E10D had come with for a pack of EXP-26s (.011 - .052) I had in the case. Since then, I've felt that the E10D had lost a bit of the lovely deep voice it had when I first got it. So I ordered a three-pack of EJ-16s (the uncoated version of the EXP-16) and put them on.

AH! That lovely voice is back.

I'd had good luck with the EXP-26 sets on my other six-strings, so much so that those were my usual go-to string other than the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze, where I also used the "Custom Light" version (.011 - .052). So I'm wondering if the Adi top doesn't want the extra tension from EXP/EJ-16 strings to help 'drive' the top.

Anyone else have a thought on this or experience with different string gauges on Eastman acoustics? The difference, to my ear, is definitely noticeable.