Eastman E1OM

[amsmarle]

Hi All 'Happy New Year' to all.
I'm new to the site and I posted in the wrong location and have been told to post here... my apologies.
I got a new Eastman E1 OM for Christmas and I am delighted with it, I have removed the stock strings and found that two of the tuner hexagon nuts on the front face of the headstock do not tighten up they just spin (finger loose) just keep turning, the other 4 tuners are tight and fine
I'm wondering if anyone can offer me some advice on this issue. Looks like a fault with the bush/nut assembly. Does the bush just press in or is there a thread engagement between the nut and the bush..?
any help would be appreciated

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From what I've learnt up to now the tuners are Pingwell V93N 3+3 tuners and the bush is just pressed into the headstock so the hex nut is possibly just decorative and is not meant to tighten any thread as there is no thread in the component part.

I feel comfortable  enough for me not to worry too much about the issue and I don't want to return this one as it sounds wonderful.  It is my third replacement. I found with the previous two E1OM's the neck to bridge geometry had a large gap I'E' if you placed a straight edge across the frets towards the bridge the straight edge  underside location at the bridge should just be clear of the bridge.
The neck to bridge straightness gap  is extremely variable, the first E1OM that I got had a 10mm gap between the bridge and the bottom of the straight edge I returned it.  The replacement one they sent me had 5.5mm gap that was with them saying their Tech had checked the measurements, I returned for a refund and bought the third E1OM elsewhere.
I keep reading about Eastman Acoustic build quality and accuracy being fantastic.. but I am not inspired by their consistency. I have had three different Eastman's all with significant differing  dimensions 'Neck to Bridge' alignment settings. Can show photos too... but they all sounded great, think I'll keep this third one though. Just a bit unsure about the loose tuner hexagon nuts (the bush is not loose but the nuts turns by my fingers) should they be leaving the factory like this..?

I hope I have posted in the right place now and would appreciate any help/advice.. I already had some fine replies from the other side of the forum  and well appreciated

Alan

[tele_player]

I’ve never played an E1OM, but I know it’s the cheapest level of Eastman 'traditional series', so perhaps they’re not as perfect or as consistent. My E6OM-TC and E8OM-TC are virtually flawless.

On the neck angle, I wonder, on your rejected guitars, was the action too low? Was the saddle too high or low? Was the truss rod tension correct?

The straightedge measurement is normally used when building a guitar, or when doing a neck reset. Its goal is to set the neck angle so that, with the relief set correctly, the guitar plays comfortably, with an appropriate amount of saddle above the bridge.
The appropriate amount of saddle height above the bridge is chosen as a compromise of several factors. Too high give the strings more leverage to rotate the bridge, which can increase the tendency for the bridge to warp the soundboard over time. Too low produces inadequate string break angle over the saddles, which will have a negative impact on the loudness of the guitar, as well as leaving less room to lower the strings, as the guitar ages.

[amsmarle]

I’ve never played an E1OM, but I know it’s the cheapest level of Eastman 'traditional series', so perhaps they’re not as perfect or as consistent. My E6OM-TC and E8OM-TC are virtually flawless.

On the neck angle, I wonder, on your rejected guitars, was the action too low? Was the saddle too high or low? Was the truss rod tension correct?

The straightedge measurement is normally used when building a guitar, or when doing a neck reset. Its goal is to set the neck angle so that, with the relief set correctly, the guitar plays comfortably, with an appropriate amount of saddle above the bridge.
The appropriate amount of saddle height above the bridge is chosen as a compromise of several factors. Too high give the strings more leverage to rotate the bridge, which can increase the tendency for the bridge to warp the soundboard over time. Too low produces inadequate string break angle over the saddles, which will have a negative impact on the loudness of the guitar, as well as leaving less room to lower the strings, as the guitar ages.

Thank you tele_player,
I appreciate what you say and acknowledge that the E1Om may well be at the lower end of the pricing scale for Eastman all solid hand built acoustics. But I do not agree that the inconsistencies of build and subsequent poor quality control should be acceptable on the basis that the model being lower cost then lower build quality can be accepted by their QA department.

Here below is a copy of the response from Eastman when I sent the photos showing the geometry of the 1st Eastman

Hello Alan,
[font]The measurements you have sent us do not do not arise any concern as nothing seems to be wrong structurally. The neck is pitched at this angle to bring more comfort to the player as a straight neck pitch would create more reach for the player. The geometry you show may not be what is expected, but it is inherent within our design[/font][font] [/font]specification 
Thank you,
Eastman Guitars

[tele_player]

I wasn't suggesting that inconsistency should be acceptable at the lower end, but maybe it's more expectable.
I played an E1OM (sunburst) today, sounded fine, action was within spec, saddle height looked normal.

[amsmarle]

I wasn't suggesting that inconsistency should be acceptable at the lower end, but maybe it's more expectable.
I played an E1OM (sunburst) today, sounded fine, action was within spec, saddle height looked normal.

Here is your comment tele_player..! 
I know it’s the cheapest level of Eastman 'traditional series', so perhaps they’re not as perfect or as consistent"... "now your saying you "expect" them to be not as 'perfect' or even as 'consistent' ...even as consistent as what..?

[tele_player]

I'm saying that I wouldn't be too surprised if their more affordable instruments aren't held to the same quality standards as their pricier instruments. I'm not saying that this is actually the case, or that I would find it acceptable. Just that it's possible, and I wouldn't be surprised if this proved to be the case.

Back to the previous two E1OM (that you returned), did they have any playing problems (high string height, low string height, buzzes, really tall saddles) which led you to using the straightedge?

[amsmarle]

I'm saying that I wouldn't be too surprised if their more affordable instruments aren't held to the same quality standards as their pricier instruments. I'm not saying that this is actually the case, or that I would find it acceptable. Just that it's possible, and I wouldn't be surprised if this proved to be the case.

Back to the previous two E1OM (that you returned), did they have any playing problems (high string height, low string height, buzzes, really tall saddles) which led you to using the straightedge?

I'm not sure what you are trying to say... other than managing to contradict yourself within your comments..!

[UncleJesse]

I don't want to mean this as a knock, just as a fact from someone who has owned about a dozen Eastmans.  Around 2 or 3 of mine had that same issue.  Essentially the necks are overset.  The biggest culprit was an E10D-TC.   I did the same test with a straight edge, this particular E10D-TC had a gigantic saddle (nearly 6mm protruding from bridge).  The guitar played and sounded good but I don't like light gauge strings, especially on dreadnoughts, but I was afraid to put medium gauge on the guitar for fear of cracking the bridge.  I ended up selling that one along and now when I look at used Eastmans I try to find the ones with the shortest saddles.  It likely may not have ever been a problem but I think too much break angle can affect the tone in harsh way.

[amsmarle]

I don't want to mean this as a knock, just as a fact from someone who has owned about a dozen Eastman's.  Around 2 or 3 of mine had that same issue.  Essentially the necks are overset.  The biggest culprit was an E10D-TC.   I did the same test with a straight edge, this particular E10D-TC had a gigantic saddle (nearly 6mm protruding from bridge).  The guitar played and sounded good but I don't like light gauge strings, especially on dreadnoughts, but I was afraid to put medium gauge on the guitar for fear of cracking the bridge.  I ended up selling that one along and now when I look at used Eastman's I try to find the ones with the shortest saddles.  It likely may not have ever been a problem but I think too much break angle can affect the tone in harsh way.

Hi Uncle Jesse, I don't interpret your post as a knock... I read it as being more informative and thanks.
I joined this forum because it is known as the 'Eastman Guitar Fans' Forum - because I love the sound of the Eastman acoustic guitar and I wanted to pass along my experience in buying my E1 OM. I agree with most of what you say and due to erratic QC it meant I inadvertently adopted the same  approach as yourself in my search for my E1 OM after my successful third attempt. I am trying to find out how to post photos just to show what my raised my concerns.. I'll see how I go on

[UncleJesse]

To be fair, I've not had any other cosmetic issues.  The necks and fretwork and everything else has been top-notch.  I just sometimes shake my head at some of the really tall saddles.