New DT30-GACE Double Top has arrived and lives up to all the hype.

[Grandpa Bucky]

Over the past couple weeks I sold both my E20D-TC and my E8OM. I decided to take a chance on a Double Top Grand Auditorium DT30-GACE.  This goes against all my instincts. I am normally a try before I buy kind of person. I couldn't find a double top anywhere around to try so all I had to go on were the excited YouTube demos and the positive experiences I have had with all four of my other Eastman guitars.

You might wonder why I sold those two guitars if my experiences were so positive. I originally purchased an E20D-TC and an E10D-TC with the idea in mind that I would take my time choosing a favorite and then sell the other. I thought the choice would be easy but it took six months before I finally had to admit I really, really like that mahogany dreadnought. Selling that E20D-TC still wasn't easy. I really like it. (but that's only one "really") As for the E8OM, I have an E40OM, and even though one is Sitka and one is Adi, they sound and feel so much alike that if you handed them to me blindfolded, I would have had trouble telling which one I was playing, so not quite as hard to let go of. Long story short, I made money on both sales to the point it covered the cost of the DT30-GACE.

Now I'm biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my seat waiting with anticipation for UPS to deliver my Double Top. And waiting. And waiting. It was supposed to arrive sometime today by 7 PM. Since I'm required to sign for it, I've been stuck at home all day. The guitar arrived in San Pablo yesterday (40 miles from my house). This evening it made it to Oakland (13.9 miles from San Pablo and an additional 8 miles distance from my house). Next they will take it 68 miles from Oakland right past my house to Windsor distribution center (21 miles North of my house), then load it on another truck and send it back (21 miles South). That guitar will take five days, and travel 102.9 miles just to go the final 40 mile distance to my house. It only took four days to ship from New Hampshire to California. I got an email at 8:30 PM tonight informing me the guitar will (might, maybe) now arrive on Monday (unless they need to send it to Timbuktu first). Aargh! I'm blaming St. Patrick's Day. The driver probably stopped for a pint or two, or four, or...

As they say in the guitar business, stay tuned. I hope the guitar is all I hope for and I have nothing but positive things to say about it.

[Meathead]

Hey GB... exciting that you ordered a double top model.  I'd absolutely love to try one myself, but they are near impossible to find in person.

Hopefully it arrives safe and sound on Monday - looking forward to your impressions, particularly if you perceive it to be a bit louder than the other models you've played.

[Pura Vida]

I played one of these last year.  My friend got one of the last ones directly from Eastman (he's an artist).  It really blew me away, so I'm hoping yours will be the same!  It's got me wanting to sell one of my dreads or OM (or both, like you did!) to get an AC722CE, if I can find one with a natural finish.

[Grandpa Bucky]

The double top arrived today! And even then, it was a close call. I saw the UPS truck pull up in front of my neighbor's house and watched the driver carry a guitar sized carton up to their door and knock. They didn't answer so he left a note and was carrying the box back to the truck when I intercepted and informed him I thought he had the wrong house. With that guitar traveling clear across the country and going in and out of freezing cold trucks and warehouses, I feel I should let it acclimate before opening. I've heard that patience is a virtue. I am having serious trouble remaining virtuous. This is torture.

I understand the desire for the AC722CE. I was originally lusting for the AC622CE just because it looks so gorgeous with those maple inlays. I just couldn't go for it because I have a Breedlove Focus Maple cutaway that has fantastic tone so an AC622CE would have been redundant, except for those gorgeous inlays... 

Well, I've had the guitar for an hour now. Twenty three hours to go until unboxing. Tick...............................................................................Tock..................................................................Tick..................................................................Tock......................................................................

[Pura Vida]

If that guitar box has been sitting in CA for the weekend, I'm sure it's fine.
(just in case 24 hours is too long)

[Grandpa Bucky]

Sorry this took two weeks but I have been too busy playing to write... The DT30-GACE has Fantastic tone and playability. The craftsmanship of my other Eastman guitars was so nice I didn't think there was room for a step up in quality but this guitar is a step up.

I opened the case and found the guitar body had a black velvet like sock enveloping the back and sides and a microfiber cloth protecting the top. It is the first guitar I ever had to disrobe...

I'm the second owner but that guitar looked like it had never been touched. No fret wear, no pick scratches, nothing. This guitar has a finish like a mirror.

I don't have the words to describe it but it does not sound like any rosewood guitar I have every played, most of which had plenty of sympathetic resonance from open strings. The DT30-GACE very little sympathetic resonance from other strings but the overtones from individual strings make it sing. It makes for a wonderful clarity.

I figured that after spending all that money for a double top, I didn't want to do anything to interfere with that special technology so I added a Pearson armrest to lift my canned ham of an arm off. It allowed the top to move which opened the tone significantly. I also replaced the ebony pins with bone. They look pretty plus I swear they sound better, although the guitar sounded so great already, the difference might just be psychological.

Those were the pros, now for the cons. When I first played it I got a buzzing sound from some notes. I shook the guitar and there were rattling noises inside. I found a wood shaving inside which worried me to the point that I used an inspection mirror. I discovered problems with the wire clips. One had come loose from a back cross brace and was dangling on the wire, one on the side had opened enough that a wire had slipped out. There was another that was installed too close to the battery so a battery replacement pulled on the wires prying the clip open. There is no way to tell if these was a factory installation issues or previous owner related. The problems were easily resolved, the buzz is gone and the electronics work fine. That leaves me wondering if that buzz is why the previous owner sold it. If so, I feel sorry for the previous owner and no, whoever you are, you can't have it back. Oh, and there is no sign inside of where that wood shaving came from. Certainly not from the guitar itself.

OK, one more con which might be chalked up to personal taste. The tuners are sealed Gotoh SX510 14:1 ratio mini tuners. I prefer 21:1 but really don't want to drill any holes in this guitar. The only drop in tuners I could find that come anywhere close are Schaller M-6 18:1 ratio mini-tuners. Well, that's almost halfway so better than nothing.

[Meathead]

Well congratulations on the guitar - glad the tone exceeds your expectations... makes me want to try a DT model even more.  Hopefully some day!

I also add arm rests to all my Eastmans... getting my arm off the body makes a huge difference - good call!

[TomC]

Congratulations Bucky. As you, I like the Pearse armrests. I notice and difference and find them more comfortable on my right arm. Enjoy your new guitar.

[Charlieb]

The DT is a pretty guitar. I had a DT30 for about 6 months but sold it to a friend who wanted it more, he's happy. Never used an armrest, my playing posture and arm barely touches a couple inches of the top. Out of curosity I've played my guitar with stomach not touching guitar body and arm totally off top and could hear no difference that would benefit a couch player.

[Grandpa Bucky]

Hey GB... exciting that you ordered a double top model.  I'd absolutely love to try one myself, but they are near impossible to find in person.

Hopefully it arrives safe and sound on Monday - looking forward to your impressions, particularly if you perceive it to be a bit louder than the other models you've played.

Since I'm sitting behind the sound hole plus have tinnitus, any impressions I have of loudness are suspect. That being the case, I used a Sound Meter app on my phone. Hoping you might be familiar with the E10D-TC dreadnought, I used that for my comparison. I played each guitar normally and then hit the strings hard like Pete Townshend. I have no clue what the margin of error is but here's what I got. E10D-TC = 71 dB Average and 85 dB Maximum. DT30GACE = 73 dB Average and 87 dB Maximum. So the double top rosewood grand auditorium appears to be louder than the thermal cured Adi top, mahogany dreadnought. I found that surprising because, while playing the DT30GACE, it doesn't seem like a louder guitar.

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The DT is a pretty guitar. I had a DT30 for about 6 months but sold it to a friend who wanted it more, he's happy. Never used an armrest, my playing posture and arm barely touches a couple inches of the top. Out of curosity I've played my guitar with stomach not touching guitar body and arm totally off top and could hear no difference that would benefit a couch player.

What finally convinced me to add the armrest was a simple test. I strummed a chord with my arm laying on the top and then immediately lifted my arm off and the change in tone was dramatic. I heard one of the guys at the Acoustic Shoppe play a strong finishing chord and then lift his arm of for dramatic effect and heard his guitar open up, so not just my imagination. If I could only remember which YouTube video it was...

I'm a couch player as well. Having a gut plus kicking back and slouching angles the sound hole upwards. Great for playing because I can hear more tonal clarity. Not good for recording because the mic picks up the sound bouncing off the ceiling making it sound like I'm sitting in a box. Which I am.

There's a guy in India selling on eBay who makes armrests as well. The quality is slightly less but the price is significantly less. Fair warning, they can take a month to ship. You'll need to install your own double stick tape on the Indian version. I've used the gray indoor/outdoor double stick which I cut to width (1/4") by using an Xacto and slowly spinning the tape roll. Be very careful not to slip. I apply the tape to the armrest. The tape is flexible enough to bend around the curve without any extra cutting. Before I remove the red plastic backing, I blacken the outer visible edge with a Sharpie to make it visually disappear. Next I figure out placement location and put some blue painters tape on the guitar at each end of the armrest for position. Then peel and carefully stick. Don't press down hard until you are positive of the positioning. The armrest can be peeled off prior to selling the guitar but pry up very slowly or you might be repairing some gloss coat. (The voice of experience speaking.)