Hi Guys,
For those of you who have never been to an Eastman guitar event, I would encourage you to go.
The 2 events were fun, but different in the types of comments and customers at each.

First, at Keith Holland Guitars and Repair, it was all players from students to touring musicians, who were really having a great time. And losts of young people in their 20's, sounding very good. I would say 25 to 30 people while I was there specifically there for the event. Maybe more I was playing and asking the luthier and Steve Bernstein, the Eastman Rep questions.

Second, Gryphon Strings. Not many players more collectors. Alot of mumbling. One nice lady was buying a couple things as I got there. And Thankfully one very good fingerpickin guitarist was there too for me to listen to. So I did get to spend time playing as long as I wanted to. Gryphon is a high end shop, so I did get to a/b a little bit..

Funny story, there were was a Taylor rep there who heard me say how impressed I was with the e40om and he had me checkout 3 Taylor guitars, that were in a glass case. I have never been able to play anything in a glass case at Gryphon. These guitars were between 6000-7000. He spent a good ten minutes with me showing me all the details, they sounded good but. And before that another guy handed me a Taylor dreadnought.

Maybe I left out somethings but it was great fun comparing. I wanted to add I have had a rough stretch the last six months or so and this Eastman Guitar forum has helped me learn alot about these Eastmans and not focus on "stuff " as much. Thanks everyone.
Duke

Found this at AGF if anyone is interested. I have no affiliation with either seller nor specific knowledge of either guitar.

E10SS/V
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/foru...p?t=512097

T185MX
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/foru...p?t=466842

Well, I have been playing lots guitars the last week and 2 seemed very summer oriented guitars, which means fun to me.

First one I mentioned a little in an earlier post was the Fender Kingman All Mahogany a/e guitar, a small dreadnought but not thin. It feels and plays like a Gibson j165 or j185, maybe even a songwriter , but of course it looks all Fender. The sound quality I liked better than the ooo15 martin, but I liked the e10om eastman better than the fender. I have had a laminate Fender acoustic many many years ago, this surprised me, the neck is maple and rosewood fret board. The wood looks nice. The neck I believe is 25.3, which is too long for my short arms. The nice thing it has the fishman so you can plug it in.

Second, was the Buck Owens Bakersfield Recording King, ooo body and Red, White and Blue. of course. It has the Bakersfield sound twangy and easy to play, a good 4th of July guitar and/or beach guitar. It is not an expensive guitar you really have to play it hard to get enough volume, but played it a good 10 minutes and the set up was good. The neck had an electric feel.

Both these are worth checking out if you see them. Duke.

Hope that all had a great Holiday weekend - Has anyone tried Santa Cruz Parabolic Tension strings on an Eastman dred? These strings are very expensive ($18.00/ set) but have gotten some really nice reviews - I trust the wisdom of the folks on this site (after all, you were slick enough to buy 1 or more Eastmans) far more than the shoe clerks on Amazon......

Hey everyone,
Had a great time playing Eastman guitars Thursday and Saturday. I played many but I feel these six are of professional quality. This is old news to many of you but I hope it can help others.

First the 3 dreads e6, e10, e20. The e6 feels like a d18 and performs like one. I was able to a/b them Saturday and I think the e6 feels more like a older d18. The e10 with adi top made a big difference in sound but a personally liked tbe neck of the e6.....The e20 was just excellent, I compared it to a custom d35 and a taylor rosewood which was handed to me by its proud owner. The e20 was more comfortable to me, i got thinking it sounds like johnny cash d35, i played many years back.

Now the om's. I hope all of us can own an e40om. One of the best all around guitars i have enjoed playing. Perfect balance and volume. Truly loud and I had fingerpicker play it and it sounded beautiful. So was the e20om a let down, unfortuately yes, because the e40om is that good. However it sounds great if you had not played the e40om and again was handed a Taylor by a nervous Taylor guy, guys i am sorry i just dont like many Taylors, i did play 12 fret Taylor that was great. Well e10om had super neck for me and you can really dig in and play blues and country. There happened to be a 00015m around the corner and i also played a fender kingman all mahogany. Actually the Fender was imo was better than the Martin, the fender had more of a gibson j165 sound but the e10om i really had fun with. However the Fender did have a pick up and was half the price.

Hope that was helpful. I will post about the 2 events on general chatter, some real interesting comments especially at Gryphon Strings.

Take care and it is Memorial Day. God Bless our ssrvicemen and women, thank you.

Duke

I have the fortune of living close to one of the best high end acoustic guitar stores in the USA - Acoustic Vibes in Tempe AZ.

I went there a few weeks ago and had a chance to play a bunch of high end Collings, McPherson, Martin and Bedell guitars...  They were all pretty great (with price tag to boot!) - but the one guitar that stood out above the others was this one:

https://acousticvibesmusic.com/products/...di-braces/

It was really phenomenal in every respect, tone, play-ability, projection, etc.  It was the full package for an incredible OM.  Now... it's tough to compare because we are talking about a 5K price tag, but if money were no object this would sure be a nice one to own.

Thus leading me to my question - does anyone here have strong opinions with regards to Santa Cruz?  Bert, I see you have one in your collection... what are your thoughts?  I'm impressed with the brand for a high end guitar...

Hello,

I am new to this forum. I am a big fan of Eastman acoustics and have owned quite a few over the years. Currently a E20om and E20p. Anybody own an AC708? Just look for opinions on this model. I have never played and Eastman with an Engelmann top.

Thanks,
Mike

Jumbo on rye with parlor meat:

Eastman E6D for sale on the AGF, no affiliation...w/HSC  (aka Eastman AC320 if abalone rosette)
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/foru...2&t=510682

I am new to learning how to play and enjoying every glorious and frustrating minute of it. I started about a year ago and have cycled through several guitars. Some were flat-out mistakes others were a change of preference. My current guitarsenal is a Cort P1200 cedar/rosewood for travel (BTW great little parlor), a 2016 Martin 000-18 that I bought via Reverb and a 2017 Eastman E8D that continues to astound me. I always thought I would get a D/HD-28 and be complete but I just can't see spending 2-4X more. I bought the Eastman via CL locally and cannot believe the playability, sound, neck, look etc etc. At first I was a little concerned about the country of origin stigma. Now I am realizing the value equation these guitars offer. I love the sound and the extra money in my wallet. It goes to the cost of lessons which are direly needed.

I would like to add a 000 or OM adirondack/rosewood to complement the others. The concern I have is after reading most of the discussions on this board is the playing time it would take to open up the E40. I travel about 50% of the time and tend to switch off during my practicing at home between the Martin and the Eastman. The question - should I focus on the E20OM-TC since it is already "aged" vs the time it will take to get the most out of the E40OM? I am assuming the guitars will feel very similar and unfortunately due to availability it is nigh impossible to play one next to the other. My local Eastman dealer has ordered in an E40OM and offered to sell it to me at a killer price. They are just getting started handling guitars (they are more of an orchestral dealer) and I think are trying to generate some volume and interest in fretted instruments. 

Thanks for reading.