Double Tops - how are they holding up?

[Meathead]

EGF user Grandpa Bucky sent me this note privately as he was having challenges posting a new thread - so I started the thread for him.  Here's his comments:


Since Double Tops have been out since 2019, I wanted to ask how those guitars are holding up. Is there any bellying of the top? Yesterday I came very close to pulling the trigger on a used dt30gace, but got nervous and decided to research double tops in general. Since the first classical double top was created in 1995, I found plenty of reviews from double top classical guitar owners.  I found some reviewers complaining that their double tops only lasted about 5 years before the tops had collapsed to the point they lost their projection. In fact, one builder tilted his bridges to get a longer life out of his double tops before they had tilted too far. That led me to the idea that, rather than searching for a used dt30gace, I should get a new one
  and preemptively install a JLD Bridge Doctor to, hopefully, get ahead of the game. Then I started thinking patience might be a better approach. Since 5 years seemed to be the time most often quoted, I could wait a couple more years and see if there were any complaints about Eastman's double tops bellying. Thus my question, after two and a half years, any sign of bellying yet? And a couple secondary questions, do the double tops have decent overtones and do the Eastman double tops sound better as they age like a solid top?

[Charlieb]

" Thus my question, after two and a half years, any sign of bellying yet?" NO

"And a couple secondary questions, do the double tops have decent overtones" I'm no overtone guru, all I can say is it has a full rich balanced string tone playing with fingers, pick brings forth more brightness, not overly bright but still full and rich. I do hearing a ringing overtone coming from A string from a few corresponding notes starting around the fifth fret but then my E10 OM also has this. It's no biggie but I can quickly mute that. The DT has a nice long even sustain, I haven't timed this but its a richer longer sustain than my E10 which is good in itself.

"Do the Eastman double tops sound better as they age like a solid top?" That'll have to be determined with age

I bought my 2019 DT30 OM used and it is in pristine condition. I live in the southern states, a couch player now and it mostly stays out of the case and sits on couch right next to me. All I can say is so far I'm totally satisfied with it tonally and it's butter-like playability and it's luscious look.

[Pura Vida]

My friend has a DT30D that he purchased new in 2019.  He gigs with it, and he's beginning to see wear on the top.  He's not sure how to repair these tops, and neither is his luthier, so he bought my E8D to take over as his main gigging guitar.  I've played it a few times, and the tone is great, but he and I both agreed that the E8D had a bigger, fuller sound.  Hope this helps!

[Charlieb]

If he's interested he might could try one out and see how it suits his likes. One bad apple isn't representative of every DT or any model and I haven't seen any negative DT reviews from owners. I really like the differing tonalities in my E10 OM and DT30 OM and that's the reason I got it.

You'll see quite a few horrible reviews on certain high-dollar brand models at different guitar forums. I bought a high-dollar Martin that left a very bad taste in my mouth but that speaks that one guitar not others. Only one way to know for sure

[Pura Vida]

Agree with what Charlie says.  And my friend loves his DT30D, but as a gigging musician, it gets more wear than if it was being played indoors.  Overall, I haven't heard too much about this model, although I don't think there are a ton of them out in the wild.

[Charlieb]

Mine averages a good 4-6 hrs a day being played. Have been times i chord played it pretty dang hard up to 10th to 12th fret just to acclimate it to the tones.

Pretty high humidity where I live so I don’t dehumidify or do anything. Like I said my guitars stay mostly out of case. Keep temp in home around 70-72 year round. Take it outdoors sometimes and it’s been hot as, well you know HOT!!!!

[Grandpa Bucky]

EGF user Grandpa Bucky sent me this note privately as he was having challenges posting a new thread - so I started the thread for him.  Here's his comments:


Since Double Tops have been out since 2019, I wanted to ask how those guitars are holding up. Is there any bellying of the top? Yesterday I came very close to pulling the trigger on a used dt30gace, but got nervous and decided to research double tops in general. Since the first classical double top was created in 1995, I found plenty of reviews from double top classical guitar owners.  I found some reviewers complaining that their double tops only lasted about 5 years before the tops had collapsed to the point they lost their projection. In fact, one builder tilted his bridges to get a longer life out of his double tops before they had tilted too far. That led me to the idea that, rather than searching for a used dt30gace, I should get a new one
  and preemptively install a JLD Bridge Doctor to, hopefully, get ahead of the game. Then I started thinking patience might be a better approach. Since 5 years seemed to be the time most often quoted, I could wait a couple more years and see if there were any complaints about Eastman's double tops bellying. Thus my question, after two and a half years, any sign of bellying yet? And a couple secondary questions, do the double tops have decent overtones and do the Eastman double tops sound better as they age like a solid top?

I recently purchased a DT30GACE and considered the idea of installing a JLD Bridge Doctor. There is one consideration; compare photos of the LR Baggs Anthem mic placement to photos of JLD Bridge Doctor and you'll see that the current mic location is in conflict. Installing a Bridge Doctor will require relocating the mic. Probably worth the expense considering the cost of the guitar. I have a Breedlove Focus Maple guitar that came with the JD Bridge Doctor installed at the factory. The top started to belly and a half turn of the JLD screw flattened the top right out, so I know they work.

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" Thus my question, after two and a half years, any sign of bellying yet?" NO

"And a couple secondary questions, do the double tops have decent overtones" I'm no overtone guru, all I can say is it has a full rich balanced string tone playing with fingers, pick brings forth more brightness, not overly bright but still full and rich. I do hearing a ringing overtone coming from A string from a few corresponding notes starting around the fifth fret but then my E10 OM also has this. It's no biggie but I can quickly mute that. The DT has a nice long even sustain, I haven't timed this but its a richer longer sustain than my E10 which is good in itself.

"Do the Eastman double tops sound better as they age like a solid top?" That'll have to be determined with age

I bought my 2019 DT30 OM used and it is in pristine condition. I live in the southern states, a couch player now and it mostly stays out of the case and sits on couch right next to me. All I can say is so far I'm totally satisfied with it tonally and it's butter-like playability and it's luscious look.

For years I operated under the mistaken impression that overtones were the open strings sounding out with sympathetic resonance. Several of my guitars have a lot of that. The rosewood guitars have the most. Long story short, those aren't overtones. My double top has very little, if any, sympathetic resonance. As for overtones, each string has its own lush tone, I'm fairly sure that's from overtones. I'm going to hazard a guess that my next example illustrates overtones and I'm pretty sure that if I am wrong, somebody will educate me. Last night I stroked the A and F# together and I could clearly hear a D as if three strings were sounding out. I thought it must be my hearing but then I glanced at my tuner which I'd inadvertently left on and it was showing a D, so it wasn't my hearing or my imagination. I made sure the other four strings were muted, tried it again and still that D tone dominated. 1+1=3.