Good decisions are like good decisions..... demo added post#22

[Meathead]

Wow Bert! She looks great. I especially like the rosewood back... beauty.

Anxious to hear your full review, and congrats once again! :)

[Bert]

Thanks Tim,

The COA date is Oct 28, 2017.... makes it 23days old.  Word we read is that red spruce (adi) can be very stiff/harsh sounding when new, people don't want to wait through the break-in process.... years maybe?  Not in the cards with this TC is my strong first impression.  23days old, glassy sounding new strings, and the best Eastman flattop I've ever played.  The setup is dead on the specs listed by Eastman website.  Playability/tone is right on, love the std Eastman C shape neck, Eastman has come a long ways. 

Only played a std E20-OM for about 2mins several years ago.  However I owned an E8OM (sitka) for a couple years.  This E20OM-TC has the warmth of the E8 but much more responsive for light touch with a pick or fingerstyle (thumb fumble in my case), has adi punch in spades... without the harsh.

I thought that I might regret selling my 2014 Martin 000-18 a couple months ago.... good decisions are good decisions. 

[nopicknick]

Stunningly beautiful....congratulations on a GREAT decision.

[Pura Vida]

Bert, WOW! That looks even better in your photos (than the LAGS photos). The rosewood is straight grained, and the top is simply gorgeous. And so glad that it sounds as good as it looks. Great decision, indeed!

[ThemisSal]

Congratulations! Stunning top

[Bert]

Thanks Sal and all,

E20OM-TC w/Schaller GrandTunes

The Pings were ok, but..... now we're talking booteek. Bottom scew holes matched (as with most), the top holes needed a very slight tweek but no fill/drill. Two of the EXP16s from the factory broke when being removed, never had that happen but fine... I like std EJ16s better. Day two has been a good one. bert

[Meathead]

Congrats again. Eastman really is sourcing high quality wood... yours looks great.

Wish I lived near by, Bert, would love to come try that guitar out!

Question --- not sure if anyone knows the answer (Chapboogie?): Does the Thermocuring process make the tops more resistant to dry climates? Lack of humidity is a real issue here in AZ. Just curious if the TC baking helps with that?

[Bert]

Eastman E20OM-TC's third day, best yet... this guitar has the vibe meter peakin.  Found the lower bout to be 15 1/2" wide, couple nicely placed extra cubic inches under the hood. 

Don't know the answer to the TC process in dry climate.... but per Dana Bourgeois, sounds like no problem:

For decades, the aged-wood process has been employed extensively in Scandinavian countries, where it’s seen a range of uses in buildings. For exterior purposes, like porch planks, aged wood is resistant to rotting; for interior flooring, it remains stable during the changes that can cause expansion or contraction in untreated wood, resulting in buckling and other structural problems. And as with guitars, torrefied wood in other applica¬tions is sometimes used to simulate oldness.

https://bourgeoisguitars.net/our-news/da...ic-guitar/


----------------------------------------

[Pura Vida]

There was just a discussion about this on the AGF. The takeaway is that the top is unlikely to be less resistant to humidity, but even if it is, the solid back and sides are still exactly the same, so you still need to maintain reasonable RH.

With the torrefied tops, the primary benefit appears to be the sound.

[Scolaguitar]

Wow that is a real knockout! Eastman looks to be outdoing themselves here. Congrats!