PCH1-OM- CLASSIC

[campacj]

I just took delivery on one of these for $306.91 delivered to my local UPS Store (to prevent "porch piracy"). I took the strings off, wiped off the guitar with a mild cleaner, oiled the bridge and fingerboard, put Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze 12-54 strings on while replacing the plastic bridge pins with bone pins, stretched the new strings, tuned it up and WOW! At the very least, this guitar makes a wonderful camp-fire guitar which will NOT cause one to miss the "really good" guitars, safe at home.

I have owned a PCH1-D- CLASSIC for a few months and was hoping the OM version would prove to be just as good. IMHO, it sounds about 85-to-90 percent as good as my E10OM! Eastman has done it again! They've designed and built the BEST $300 guitar on the planet. If you own one of these, I'd love to hear your thoughts. This guitar will replace the Yamaha FG800 I have had for camping!
Sincerely,
Clint (campacj)
Seattle

[billymo]

I bought a PCH-OM (reddish antigue burst) for one of my students.
A great bargain, we got it for $263 delivered from Cream Music online, delivered free, no tax, no gig bag, but the tone is very good. I'm not so good at evaluating quality/ construction etc., but I do play a lot of guitars in shops, the PCH is a super value!!!!! And the burst is a "looker".

[candidsounds]

I just bought a PCH1-OM from Elderly.  Wow.   It is truly an excellent sounding and playing guitar, and not just "for the money".   I really think it sounds better than a $1,500 Martin OM that I sold a few months ago (wish I still had it, just to make an honest comparison). 

This was going to be resold to a new student of mine, but I think I'm going to keep it for myself, lol.  

(It is now my 5th Eastman - 3 acoustics and 2 electrics).

[AlanSam]

Hi CS, and welcome! Yours is the most positive review of a laminate back and sides guitar I've come across. It seems to reinforce the belief that the top material (solid Sitka in your case?) is by far the significant element in determining a guitar's tone! But also the high quality to be found across the range of Eastman guitars. So, you own five Eastmans? Could you share with us what the other four are? And pics would be good.

[candidsounds]

In addition to the new one, I have:
E20SS

E20OMCE

SB59v

T64v


I guess you could say I've become a pretty big fan.  My favorites are the E20SS and the 59v.  The 59 is the best "Les Paul" I've ever played and it only weighs about 7.8lbs

[AlanSam]

Varied and impressive! Wouldn't mind getting me stickies on that E20OMCE.

[EJL]

Agreed!!
I purchased a PCH1-OM CLA about a year ago and I think it's fantastic. I've recently been wondering what it would be like to upgrade, and went to guitar center to play some different makes and models. Nothing "wowed" me or seemed significantly better than my humble $325 Eastman.

While some higher-end guitars had better (richer?) sound from the bass strings, the playability, mids and highs of my PCH1-OM seemed comparable to a Taylor costing $1000 or more. And I was not as impressed with the Martins as I have been in the past. 

I'm wondering what others think is a comparable guitar, or would make a decent upgrade without breaking the bank? Based on my comparison today, maybe sticking with Eastman is the way to go, but I'm still open to other brands.

[TomC]

Congratulations - I have never owned a PCH but for what they are as a laminated back and sides guitar I have read great things about them. I am not sure of how you would define "break the bank" but some others to consider:

E1/2/3 - all solid wood guitars with either spruce or cedar tops and sapele or ovangkol backs and sides. (mahogany like and rosewood like respectively).  Open pore finish. They only come with gig bags and no pick-up although there are some /E models designating a pick-up is installed. A lot of love on this forum for these models. I think the current street price is about $500-600

AC122ce or 222ce - these are cut-away grand auditorium design similar to Taylor X14 type guitars. All solid woods. Full scale, 1.75" nut, 25.4" scale. Satin finish. They come with a deluxe gig bag. Street price is in the $700-$800. They have under saddle Fishman Sonitone pick-ups installed which make them plug-in ready but there are much better pick-ups to be had. 

E6 or E8 - OMs. slope shoulder dreads (Gibsonish) and D-14 full dread (Martinish) body design. all solid woods with torrefied Sitka tops and either Mahogany (6s) or Rosewood (8s) back and sides. Full gloss finish with new TrueTone water base finish on models made in '20/'21 or newer. You can also find used versions in standard Sitka or some limited edition torrefied Alpine spruce tops. These are similar to Martin 18 series (mahogany) or Martin 28 series (rosewood). $1100 - $1350 street prices or so. They come with hard shell cases. You can usually find good used versions for about 20-25% less. Example - I have an E6OM-TC Alpine spruce that I will be listing for $800 in excellent condition. 

Above the 6s and 8s there are the 10/20/40 series and prices keep going up. On the the AC models you have the 322-922 with the same increasing price the higher the number. You also get some nice features, better woods and amazing aesthetics the higher you go. With Eastman you don't just a good guitar at a great price, you get a great guitar. IMHO. They don't compete with the boutique, single luthier builders but I would put them up against any Yamaha, Taylor, Larrivee, Gibson, Martin etc and at a much lower price point.

Good luck with your hunt.