(6.1.19 Update: added sound clip below)
(I posted this over on the AGF, so forgive me if you've seen it already. Glad to be back in the Eastman fold!)
It’s been a while since I had a NGD post. I honestly wasn’t planning on buying another guitar for quite a while. Life has changed (a lot) and I no longer play as often as I used to. But I still love the acoustic, and I’ve missed having an OM, which over the past few years become my favorite body style by far.
Last week, I dropped by a local music store just to kick tires. They were unboxing a brand new Eastman E1OM as I walked in. The clerk messed up and told me it was an E10OM, which I realized was wrong as soon as I got it in my hands. But I wasn’t upset. I had been hoping to run across one of these new "bargain" models.
Quite honestly, I've never played an Eastman with mahogany or sapele that did anything for me, so I wasn't expecting much. I decided to give it a try.
Boy, I’m glad I did.
I tuned her up and gave a strum...oh my! What came out was what I consider the quintessential Mahogany and spruce OM/000 tone: balanced, punchy, clear...and rich. Ahhhh...how I had missed the sound of this perfect wood combo and body shape. It truly hits the sweet-spot, for me, at least.
I sat in a little side nook and put her through her paces. Flatpicking, the notes rang clear and true. Not a lot of overtones...just nice, dry mahogany clarity. But rich...full...round. Not thin at all. Fingerpicking, sweet and clear. Up the neck and cowboy chords just put a smile on my face. Strumming, I've learned to control my right hand a lot over the years, but as I dug in, it kept giving.
Several times, customers walked by to ask what brand of guitar I was playing. They weren't asking because of my playing...they were asking because it sounded so right, even with my hacking.
I asked them to hold it for me, so I could ask my wife about it and not put her on the spot by calling from the store. I actually chickened out the next day, and called and told them I couldn't do it. Then I had a change of heart. I told my bride that, if it was still there on Monday, I was going to pull the trigger. It was simply too dang good to pass up at $459. I called them, and to my suprise, it was still there. Turns out they forgot to put it back on the floor on Saturday! Bully for me!
On to the guitar itself, the top is actually quite tight-grained sitka, with a bit of bear-claw going on, and some nice silking. Some waviness in the grain, but not much. Gloss finish on top, and it really makes the silking stand out. Nice tortoise-style binding on the top AND back (many makers cut corners and only bind the top now at this price point and even above). The sapele back and sides are actually quite even and beautiful. They're finished in an open-pore (i.e. no filler) finish, which isn't as nice as satin, but doesn't bother me. Heck, maybe that's one of the reasons it sounds so dang good!
![[Image: 30604685657_c7a8bf70a6_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1971/30604685657_c7a8bf70a6_z.jpg)
![[Image: 44631470835_2ab956ff90_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1935/44631470835_2ab956ff90_z.jpg)
![[Image: 44631471945_c1f96fdc08_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1959/44631471945_c1f96fdc08_z.jpg)
The neck is one of the things I always loved about the Eastmans I had before. Nice, full c-shaped neck. Not too big, not too thin. Felt like home from the get-go. No issues with intonation up and down the neck...seriously, it was spot-on. The ebony fretboard and bridge are beautiful. Can I say thank you CITIES for this one? Becase you know we wouldn't be seeing ebony on this price point were it not for RW restrictions. The headplate is simply gorgeous to me, with a bit of lighter brown striping mixed in with the dark black of the ebony. AND it's a gloss headstock, which makes it look fantastic to me.
![[Image: 44631472235_fdc21423a9_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1976/44631472235_fdc21423a9_z.jpg)
I had not seen Eastman's new pickguard design in person, and I am more than thrilled. Their old, pixelated pickguards were thin and ugly, IMHO, but the new ones are quite Greven-esque and attractive. Not beveled, but still a big upgrade.
![[Image: 31673140178_9a18217cab_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1973/31673140178_9a18217cab_z.jpg)
The neck has a stacked heel and a scarf-joint for the headstock. The neck acutally has some wild figuring on it, but not uniform enough to make it truly "figuring" and get placed on a nicer guitar.
![[Image: 31673139078_00e1616a4a_z.jpg]](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1975/31673139078_00e1616a4a_z.jpg)
It's quite clean, as well. Nice fit and finish. Looking forward to taking a gander at the bracing when I change strings down the road. All in all, it is a phenomenal spruce/sapele 000 and I'm thrilled to be able to take care of it for a while.
I've downsized my collection quite a bit, and I'm not playing as much as I used to, but this little git may change that. I have a joy when I pick it up, and I don't want to put it down. I haven't really had that in a really long time. It felt good to experience it again. And not caring about the name or the price tag felt good, too. I can't justify having really nice guitars at this season of life, and have moved quite a few for monetary needs. Just being happy that I am able to play an incredible sounding and feeling instrument makes me smile. This one makes me feel like I have a top-tier OM at an incredible price.
https://soundcloud.com/treenewt74/eastma...sound-test
(I posted this over on the AGF, so forgive me if you've seen it already. Glad to be back in the Eastman fold!)
It’s been a while since I had a NGD post. I honestly wasn’t planning on buying another guitar for quite a while. Life has changed (a lot) and I no longer play as often as I used to. But I still love the acoustic, and I’ve missed having an OM, which over the past few years become my favorite body style by far.
Last week, I dropped by a local music store just to kick tires. They were unboxing a brand new Eastman E1OM as I walked in. The clerk messed up and told me it was an E10OM, which I realized was wrong as soon as I got it in my hands. But I wasn’t upset. I had been hoping to run across one of these new "bargain" models.
Quite honestly, I've never played an Eastman with mahogany or sapele that did anything for me, so I wasn't expecting much. I decided to give it a try.
Boy, I’m glad I did.
I tuned her up and gave a strum...oh my! What came out was what I consider the quintessential Mahogany and spruce OM/000 tone: balanced, punchy, clear...and rich. Ahhhh...how I had missed the sound of this perfect wood combo and body shape. It truly hits the sweet-spot, for me, at least.
I sat in a little side nook and put her through her paces. Flatpicking, the notes rang clear and true. Not a lot of overtones...just nice, dry mahogany clarity. But rich...full...round. Not thin at all. Fingerpicking, sweet and clear. Up the neck and cowboy chords just put a smile on my face. Strumming, I've learned to control my right hand a lot over the years, but as I dug in, it kept giving.
Several times, customers walked by to ask what brand of guitar I was playing. They weren't asking because of my playing...they were asking because it sounded so right, even with my hacking.
I asked them to hold it for me, so I could ask my wife about it and not put her on the spot by calling from the store. I actually chickened out the next day, and called and told them I couldn't do it. Then I had a change of heart. I told my bride that, if it was still there on Monday, I was going to pull the trigger. It was simply too dang good to pass up at $459. I called them, and to my suprise, it was still there. Turns out they forgot to put it back on the floor on Saturday! Bully for me!
On to the guitar itself, the top is actually quite tight-grained sitka, with a bit of bear-claw going on, and some nice silking. Some waviness in the grain, but not much. Gloss finish on top, and it really makes the silking stand out. Nice tortoise-style binding on the top AND back (many makers cut corners and only bind the top now at this price point and even above). The sapele back and sides are actually quite even and beautiful. They're finished in an open-pore (i.e. no filler) finish, which isn't as nice as satin, but doesn't bother me. Heck, maybe that's one of the reasons it sounds so dang good!
The neck is one of the things I always loved about the Eastmans I had before. Nice, full c-shaped neck. Not too big, not too thin. Felt like home from the get-go. No issues with intonation up and down the neck...seriously, it was spot-on. The ebony fretboard and bridge are beautiful. Can I say thank you CITIES for this one? Becase you know we wouldn't be seeing ebony on this price point were it not for RW restrictions. The headplate is simply gorgeous to me, with a bit of lighter brown striping mixed in with the dark black of the ebony. AND it's a gloss headstock, which makes it look fantastic to me.
I had not seen Eastman's new pickguard design in person, and I am more than thrilled. Their old, pixelated pickguards were thin and ugly, IMHO, but the new ones are quite Greven-esque and attractive. Not beveled, but still a big upgrade.
The neck has a stacked heel and a scarf-joint for the headstock. The neck acutally has some wild figuring on it, but not uniform enough to make it truly "figuring" and get placed on a nicer guitar.
It's quite clean, as well. Nice fit and finish. Looking forward to taking a gander at the bracing when I change strings down the road. All in all, it is a phenomenal spruce/sapele 000 and I'm thrilled to be able to take care of it for a while.
I've downsized my collection quite a bit, and I'm not playing as much as I used to, but this little git may change that. I have a joy when I pick it up, and I don't want to put it down. I haven't really had that in a really long time. It felt good to experience it again. And not caring about the name or the price tag felt good, too. I can't justify having really nice guitars at this season of life, and have moved quite a few for monetary needs. Just being happy that I am able to play an incredible sounding and feeling instrument makes me smile. This one makes me feel like I have a top-tier OM at an incredible price.
https://soundcloud.com/treenewt74/eastma...sound-test
