Well, I finally cracked open the E2D today. It has a really nice dark top, photos don't really do it justice. Not sure why the photos came out sideways, it was right side up on my phone.
Some really nice dark streaks throughout it too.
Sides really pop, and the back looks good too. I think this rosette looks incredible. I know it gets mixed reviews, but I love it. I may end up swapping out the tuners for some cream or snakewood buttons at some point. The rosette has some cream colored squares or diamonds, so I think the creme color would look good.
Overall, fit and finish seem about perfect. There is a little wood splinter near the truss rod opening. Real small, but the little piece of wood is pulling away. Hopefully that won't be an issue. I wouldn't think so right?
So far, it sounds really good! I'm not necessarily blown away by the tone just yet, but it's a brand new guitar and has brand new strings (EJ16s). I don't think it realizes it's a guitar yet. And I never think a guitar sounds its best with brand new strinfs. I think it'll soon sound even better. Still sounds really good. I played it in both standard and DADGAD. Sounds great in both tunings, but really sounds phenomenal in DADGAD. I compared it to my E8OM-TC. From a tone standpoint, the E2D is louder, and seems to have more projection and presence. I'm not sure if that's because of the larger body on the E2, the fact that it's a standard scale compared to the short scale on the E8, or the fact that my E8OM-TC has old strings. Or all of the above.
It's funny how different a guitar sounds once you play another one next to it. I still love my E8OM-TC, but it now sounds a bit tubby or not as full/boxy when I play it next to my E2D. No slight on the E8OM-TC, and I'm not saying the E2D is better. They're just totally different animals, which is what I wanted!
I think I'll swap out these EJ16s for some DR Rares soon.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I'm excited to see how the tone develops over the next few months!
Also, the soft case is much nicer than I expected. I bought this from The Acoustic Shoppe, so shout out to them. I also bought my E8OM-TC from them.
Some really nice dark streaks throughout it too.
Sides really pop, and the back looks good too. I think this rosette looks incredible. I know it gets mixed reviews, but I love it. I may end up swapping out the tuners for some cream or snakewood buttons at some point. The rosette has some cream colored squares or diamonds, so I think the creme color would look good.
Overall, fit and finish seem about perfect. There is a little wood splinter near the truss rod opening. Real small, but the little piece of wood is pulling away. Hopefully that won't be an issue. I wouldn't think so right?
So far, it sounds really good! I'm not necessarily blown away by the tone just yet, but it's a brand new guitar and has brand new strings (EJ16s). I don't think it realizes it's a guitar yet. And I never think a guitar sounds its best with brand new strinfs. I think it'll soon sound even better. Still sounds really good. I played it in both standard and DADGAD. Sounds great in both tunings, but really sounds phenomenal in DADGAD. I compared it to my E8OM-TC. From a tone standpoint, the E2D is louder, and seems to have more projection and presence. I'm not sure if that's because of the larger body on the E2, the fact that it's a standard scale compared to the short scale on the E8, or the fact that my E8OM-TC has old strings. Or all of the above.
It's funny how different a guitar sounds once you play another one next to it. I still love my E8OM-TC, but it now sounds a bit tubby or not as full/boxy when I play it next to my E2D. No slight on the E8OM-TC, and I'm not saying the E2D is better. They're just totally different animals, which is what I wanted!
I think I'll swap out these EJ16s for some DR Rares soon.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. I'm excited to see how the tone develops over the next few months!
Also, the soft case is much nicer than I expected. I bought this from The Acoustic Shoppe, so shout out to them. I also bought my E8OM-TC from them.
Attached Files
2020 Eastman E8OM-TC
2023 Eastman E2D
2023 Eastman E2D
