Hello Gents,
***Section titled "The Bad" - I would appreciate it if you guys would give me some feedback on that, thanks!
NGD is here on my E8OM-TC. The guitar was delivered yesterday, and I gave it the proper 24 hours waiting period before opening it up. I bought this one from The Acoustic Shoppe (chapboogie I believe), and they really made me feel special by giving me a $10 Gift Card and handwritten note thanking for my purchase. So, that was a pleasant surprise. I work in sales, and I send handwritten notes in customer's orders quite frequently, but that seems to be a lost art these days so I appreciated that. Nothing against the first two shops I bought from, but neither of them gave me a gift card or note. Just a really nice touch IMO, and that's the kind of thing that makes people lifelong customers. It was a total surprise too, and the gift card and note were just sitting there once I opened up the case.
Sound
**Edit**
I originally posted tonight stating that the tone was good, but I wasn't blown away. But, I've been playing it for about 30 min now, and I've actually done a complete 180. I'm truly blown away by the sound of this guitar. It has wonderful bass for an OM, and it's very balanced for a rosewood guitar. I feel like every note just sounds the way it's supposed to. It sounds perfect. Now, unfortunately, there is a blemish (shown below in the section called "The Bad") that is pretty noticeable at different angles on the back of the guitar. Because of that, I don't know if I can keep it. All of that is explained below. It just sucks because I love how this guitar sounds. I baby my guitars, and my guitars stay in mint condition w/ zero blemishes and scratches even after years of use. So, for me to buy a brand new guitar and for it to have 3 noticeable blemishes is just mentally screwing me up lol.
Feel
The action on this guitar came in perfect. My first Eastman purchase was an E6OM, and I had the saddled filed down to get the action lowered. I'm not sure if I will need to do that with this one. The action seems pretty much perfect for me, as I like a lower action. The neck is just perfect, and I mean perfect. My E6OM has a little thicker neck, my E8D has a thinner neck, and this one is right in between both. They really found the sweet spot on this neck. Both the necks on my other guitars are very comfortable, but I feel like this one was specifically made for me.
Aesthetics (Good & Bad)
The Good
The TC top is absolutely stunning IMO, and the rosewood is gorgeous! The TC top is so dark that it almost looks like cedar to me. The rosewood has very tight grain, and is really dark, especially on the sides. To give some context, I attached a pic showing my E8D front and E8OM-TC. There is quite a difference IMO. I will say that the E8D is pretty dark for a non-TC top, and my E8D top is quite a bit darker than my E6OM. The neck on the guitar actually has a lighter area, and is almost white. I actually like that quite a bit, and feel like it gives the guitar some extra character and uniqueness. But man, this rosewood is just absolutely perfect. I like how dark it is, and it really has some nice figuring or swirling on the sides. Not sure what to call that exactly. Also, the case is super nice! It has an archtop ane little Eastman Engraving on the top. The inside is a nice gray color. A nicer case than what I received with my E60M and E8D.
The Bad
As you can see in the one of the attached pictures called "Blemish", there is a blemish on the back of the guitar and this is visible in 3 different places. The good news is that I cannot see it unless the angle is just right. But, if I tilt the guitar in any direction, it becomes noticeable. Honestly, I'm fairly disappointed in this blemish. My E6OM and E8D didn't have this problem at all. I tried to buff it out with the cloth, but nothing happened. It looks like some sort of residue, but I believe it's actually on top of the wood and underneath the nitrocellulose finish. Does anybody have any suggestions on how that could potentially be removed? I honestly don't think there is anything that can be done because I believe the nitro finish is on top of whatever I'm seeing. I know it's on the back and I can only see it in certain angles, but stuff like this trips me up mentally. I am not leaning towards returning the guitar b/c of this blemish, but the thought is there. Am I crazy for even considering a return? I honestly would like some feedback on how you guys would feel... The Acoustic Shoppe is only like 3 hours driving distance from me, so if I can't get past this then I can always take it to them and look at trading it for something else or get a refund. My wife has to go to a wedding nearby there, so it works out perfectly since I have to drive there this weekend anyways. I am in no way disappointed with The Acoustic Shoppe and 100% recommend them to purchase from. I can see why they may have not noticed it, but I have a curse and I'm overly observant. I will also reach out to them to see if they have any pointers on how to get this removed. It's just disappointing b/c this is the most expensive guitar I've ever purchased, and I feel like that blemish shouldn't be there.
Cheers,
Jordan
Update!
I think the blemish mentally screwed me up for a bit, which in turn made me think the tone wasn't great. I've played it for the last 15 min, and it sounds very good. It is much more balanced and rounded than my E8D. Much prettier sounding than my old E6OM. It has more bass than my old E6OM (Yes, I sold my E6OM). Overall, this E8OM-TC sounds really good, but I'm just not sure if I can get past the blemishes.
I'm the type of person that can't get something out of my head once it's there. So, even if I don't see or look for it, in the back of my mind I am thinking about it.
Oh boy. I don't know what to do. I probably need to just think on it for a few days. This is definitely a knee jerk reaction post.
I will post again in the upcoming days to give an update on tone.
***Section titled "The Bad" - I would appreciate it if you guys would give me some feedback on that, thanks!
NGD is here on my E8OM-TC. The guitar was delivered yesterday, and I gave it the proper 24 hours waiting period before opening it up. I bought this one from The Acoustic Shoppe (chapboogie I believe), and they really made me feel special by giving me a $10 Gift Card and handwritten note thanking for my purchase. So, that was a pleasant surprise. I work in sales, and I send handwritten notes in customer's orders quite frequently, but that seems to be a lost art these days so I appreciated that. Nothing against the first two shops I bought from, but neither of them gave me a gift card or note. Just a really nice touch IMO, and that's the kind of thing that makes people lifelong customers. It was a total surprise too, and the gift card and note were just sitting there once I opened up the case.
Sound
**Edit**
I originally posted tonight stating that the tone was good, but I wasn't blown away. But, I've been playing it for about 30 min now, and I've actually done a complete 180. I'm truly blown away by the sound of this guitar. It has wonderful bass for an OM, and it's very balanced for a rosewood guitar. I feel like every note just sounds the way it's supposed to. It sounds perfect. Now, unfortunately, there is a blemish (shown below in the section called "The Bad") that is pretty noticeable at different angles on the back of the guitar. Because of that, I don't know if I can keep it. All of that is explained below. It just sucks because I love how this guitar sounds. I baby my guitars, and my guitars stay in mint condition w/ zero blemishes and scratches even after years of use. So, for me to buy a brand new guitar and for it to have 3 noticeable blemishes is just mentally screwing me up lol.
Feel
The action on this guitar came in perfect. My first Eastman purchase was an E6OM, and I had the saddled filed down to get the action lowered. I'm not sure if I will need to do that with this one. The action seems pretty much perfect for me, as I like a lower action. The neck is just perfect, and I mean perfect. My E6OM has a little thicker neck, my E8D has a thinner neck, and this one is right in between both. They really found the sweet spot on this neck. Both the necks on my other guitars are very comfortable, but I feel like this one was specifically made for me.
Aesthetics (Good & Bad)
The Good
The TC top is absolutely stunning IMO, and the rosewood is gorgeous! The TC top is so dark that it almost looks like cedar to me. The rosewood has very tight grain, and is really dark, especially on the sides. To give some context, I attached a pic showing my E8D front and E8OM-TC. There is quite a difference IMO. I will say that the E8D is pretty dark for a non-TC top, and my E8D top is quite a bit darker than my E6OM. The neck on the guitar actually has a lighter area, and is almost white. I actually like that quite a bit, and feel like it gives the guitar some extra character and uniqueness. But man, this rosewood is just absolutely perfect. I like how dark it is, and it really has some nice figuring or swirling on the sides. Not sure what to call that exactly. Also, the case is super nice! It has an archtop ane little Eastman Engraving on the top. The inside is a nice gray color. A nicer case than what I received with my E60M and E8D.
The Bad
As you can see in the one of the attached pictures called "Blemish", there is a blemish on the back of the guitar and this is visible in 3 different places. The good news is that I cannot see it unless the angle is just right. But, if I tilt the guitar in any direction, it becomes noticeable. Honestly, I'm fairly disappointed in this blemish. My E6OM and E8D didn't have this problem at all. I tried to buff it out with the cloth, but nothing happened. It looks like some sort of residue, but I believe it's actually on top of the wood and underneath the nitrocellulose finish. Does anybody have any suggestions on how that could potentially be removed? I honestly don't think there is anything that can be done because I believe the nitro finish is on top of whatever I'm seeing. I know it's on the back and I can only see it in certain angles, but stuff like this trips me up mentally. I am not leaning towards returning the guitar b/c of this blemish, but the thought is there. Am I crazy for even considering a return? I honestly would like some feedback on how you guys would feel... The Acoustic Shoppe is only like 3 hours driving distance from me, so if I can't get past this then I can always take it to them and look at trading it for something else or get a refund. My wife has to go to a wedding nearby there, so it works out perfectly since I have to drive there this weekend anyways. I am in no way disappointed with The Acoustic Shoppe and 100% recommend them to purchase from. I can see why they may have not noticed it, but I have a curse and I'm overly observant. I will also reach out to them to see if they have any pointers on how to get this removed. It's just disappointing b/c this is the most expensive guitar I've ever purchased, and I feel like that blemish shouldn't be there.
Cheers,
Jordan
Update!
I think the blemish mentally screwed me up for a bit, which in turn made me think the tone wasn't great. I've played it for the last 15 min, and it sounds very good. It is much more balanced and rounded than my E8D. Much prettier sounding than my old E6OM. It has more bass than my old E6OM (Yes, I sold my E6OM). Overall, this E8OM-TC sounds really good, but I'm just not sure if I can get past the blemishes.
I'm the type of person that can't get something out of my head once it's there. So, even if I don't see or look for it, in the back of my mind I am thinking about it.
Oh boy. I don't know what to do. I probably need to just think on it for a few days. This is definitely a knee jerk reaction post.
I will post again in the upcoming days to give an update on tone.
Attached Files
2020 Eastman E8OM-TC
2023 Eastman E2D
2023 Eastman E2D
