NGD: AC622CE

[sleigh]

Brian -- First, my sincere sympathy on your grandmother's passing, but it was good that you were able to visit her. I hope that brought some consolation to you.

As to the AC622CE: I have to admit that since I've had some moderate GAS for that model myself, and seeing your new beauty has only made it worse. That's one gorgeous guitar and from your description it plays just as lovely as it looks. Congratulations of your new acquisition! Maybe someday...

[Pura Vida]

Thanks, Steve.  You and I have both been watching this model closely since they redesigned it.  Dave's made the temptation far too great, although I'm now over capacity (yes, believe it or not, I have a limit, haha!), since I have the E20D-TC-MR on order for later this summer.

And I appreciate the kind words for my grandmother.  She's still alive, but nearing the end of her life.  She's in hospice care, but surprising everyone with her longevity.  She could be around through the end of the year, or she could go tomorrow.  I hope I have her resilience -- and her genes!

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Thank you, Matt.  I'm tempted to change strings to peek inside and see if it sounds even better with one of my go-to strings.

I'll wager you give into that temptation sooner rather than later ;-) 

You know me too well.  Swapped for a set of DR Rare lights.  Inside photos to follow momentarily.  

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[Treenewt]

Brian,

I'm laughing over here.  I knew it wouldn't last!  I'm the same way!

One, your grandmother sounds like an amazing lady.  Thankful for you and your family for this time with her. 

Two, I love wood, and dang the inside of your 622 is gorgeous.  The craftsmanship they are producing right now is top notch.  I also noted the tail block appears to be plywood as opposed to mahogany.  I know a lot of builders do this (not sure if Bourgeois does?), and I have no issues with it.  It's stable, doesn't affect tone, and keeps that mahogany for other uses.

[Meathead]

Brian - chiming in here.  Thanks again for another top notch review - over the top with the inside photos!  I enjoy admiring Eastman's craftsmanship through those inside photos, clearly yours is excellent.  I also add my condolences regarding the loss of your Grandmother.

I will say, the inlays, the sound port, the arm bevel - what a guitar!  Is this your only Eastman with an arm bevel?  I have one other non-Eastman guitar with an arm bevel, and it sure is nice.

Thanks again for sharing with us.

[Pura Vida]

Thanks, Tim.  It's really something with all the bells and whistles.  It's my first experience with the arm bevel and secondary sound port.  Still adjusting to both, but I like having them on this guitar.  I think back to my first experience with Eastman in 2016, and the first guitar I played was an AC422CE.  It was very good, and arguably the second best one that I played that day (next to the E20D, which inspired me to give up my Martin CS plans and order an E40D).  But it was not nearly as inspiring as this AC622CE is to play.  Eastman keeps upping their game, and I think their guitars keep getting better, which makes me super excited to get my E20D-TC-MR later this year.

[L-Man]

As far as I can tell, yours is North American Maple, slab cut. Mine is European Maple, quarter-sawn. And my friend has one that is North American Ash, quarter-sawn. So, there is definitely some variety to the tonewoods employed, from one guitar to the other within this model. Each will have it's own tonal colour.

[TerryD]

Thanks for the write up Brian.  I've been looking at this guitar myself, with the same concerns about being overly bright.  There is a review on Acoustic Guitar claiming it has a rich, warm low end.  I also appreciate the photos of the interior, it illustrates the craftsmanship you can't normally see. 

My condolences on your grandmother's situation.  I just lost my Dad a month ago and even knowing it was coming nothing really prepares you for it.

[L-Man]

Terry: This is not a bright/harsh/brittle sounding guitar. In fact, it is mellower, gentler and rounder in the trebles than a rosewood guitar.

The basses of a rosewood guitar are big and brassy. The maple is big, resonant, and round in the bass, also clear, but not with the intensity or cutting edge of rosewood. The whole guitar is more pleasant under the ear than a rosewood, but the rosewood brings a darkness and saturation to bear that maple can't match.

The 622CE has become my main player (at this point, it is my newest guitar). In fact, I may consider selling the 40OM at some point, which is a gorgeous instrument, but certainly bright. I just prefer the the darkness, resonance and response of a larger guitar (I'm not s small person) ... the OM is nice, but for my taste, not quite what I look for in a guitar. I've barely played the 40OM at all, especially since this one arrived.

[Pura Vida]

I'm mostly aligned with L-Man's reply above.  It's a more understated, but full and rounded. It actually surprised me b/c my AC630-BD took some time to mellow and find that same sweet, full sound (even more so, b/c of the large bout size).  By comparison, it outshines my OMs with their shorter scales and slightly smaller bodies (16" vs. 15"; both are 4-1/4" deep).  But my dreads are louder, fuller, and more lush (at least, the Rosewood ones).

I think of Maple as being super crisp with fast attack and decay, like a brighter version of Mahogany on steroids.  But this guitar really makes me re-think that generalization, since it's got so much more going on with it.  It's really musical... is that the GA body size?  Euro top?  Did I just get lucky?

I'll admit that I wasn't sure I was going to keep this one, prior to receiving it, figuring that Dave's great pricing would make it easy to sell with no risk.  But it's totally meeting or exceeding my expectations, so it's gonna stay and put my E10SS/v back to the top of the list for resale consideration.

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Thanks for the write up Brian.  I've been looking at this guitar myself, with the same concerns about being overly bright.  There is a review on Acoustic Guitar claiming it has a rich, warm low end.  I also appreciate the photos of the interior, it illustrates the craftsmanship you can't normally see. 

My condolences on your grandmother's situation.  I just lost my Dad a month ago and even knowing it was coming nothing really prepares you for it.

Terry, thanks for the kind thoughts.  Sorry for the loss of your dad.  It's not easy seeing our friends and family (and us!) all get older.

This guitar is richer and warmer than I was expecting.  I wonder how much the Euro top has an effect.  As I just mentioned above, my AC630-BD didn't start off this way, but it's continued to move in this direction (to the point that it's become one of my favorites to play).  Maybe it was just b/c it was brand new -- shipped from the Beijing container to Pomona to LA to Sacramento in about 10 days (just long enough for Eastman QC and some dealer photos).