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Hello EGF community. This morning I received my E8D-TC Alpine in the mail from Penny Lane Music Emporium in FL.
I waited several hours before opening the guitar to let it acclimate to room temp and I am happy to report that it arrived safely in perfect condition.
I wanted to give you all my initial impressions of the guitar after a few hours of play. Sometime in the coming weeks I may do a fuller review if my impressions change.
Strings:
My guitar came with D'addario XT PB12-53
I like these strings as they feel very natural and have a uncoated tone but last a ridiculously long time.
Overall Tone:
Holy Smokes ladies and gentleman! I can barely lift my jaw off the floor.
From the first moment I strummed a G chord I had the same experience as the first time I played a Martin D28. Total tonal bliss!!!
This is hands down the most responsive and balanced Eastman acoustic guitar I have ever played. It is even more responsive than any of my Adirondack TC tops, especially right out of the box, and it's already as sweet as my 13 year old Gibson J-45.
Tone heaven!
(Note: Eastmans are usually more voiced like a Bourgeois or a Collings guitar and not like Martins, but I am more familiar with Martin guitars so I will reference them a lot in this review)
Alright, once in came to myself I realized the whole guitar is extremely responsive to both light and heavy strumming. The bass is loud and clear, but not overly boomy. The mids are present and full, which you don't often find on a Rosewood dread. Speaking of mids, they sound forward and present, more so than many other dreadnoughts I've played. The highs are slightly more subdued than my E20D-TC, which zing into the heavens, but these are a fair bit more smooth sounding. I would describe the highs are creamy instead of chimy.
The tone is a bit hard to accurately describe as I have little experience with Swiss Alpine spruce, but as others have said, the tone sits somewhere between Adirondack and Sitka spruce. To my ear Swiss Alpine isn't as warm and lush as sitka, but it has enough warmth, volume, and sustain to make up for it. The punch and headroom seem about 85-90% as much as Adirondack spruce, but the overall tone is much smoother. Again, this tonewood lives somewhere in-between the other two while still having a sound of its own.
Lastly, I would summarize the tone as responsive, loud, clean, warm, round, and musical.
9.5/10 Tone
I am now very interested in the E6D-TC Alpine. 
Volume:
Again, this guitar is very responsive even with light guage strings, which I think adds to the overall perceived volume. The overall loudness seems to be somewhere between Adi and Sitka favoring the Adi side just a bit. When I dig into it with a thin .60 mm pick, the guitar gives a lot of volume and tone, but unlike Adi it doesn't take a heavy hand or heavy pick to get the notes to come out. This guitar sounds good even finger picked, but it favors a flatpick.
I feel as though the response rate of the top is even greater than both Adi and Sitka. The notes are jumping out of the sound board and it feels like this guitar can almost play itself. Its also got some warmth right out of the box without needing to be broken in.
Closing my thoughts on the overall tone I have realized that this guitar doesn't just sound like a "good guitar for the money", it sounds like a really good guitar period!
Honestly, If you blindfolded me and told me this was a $5,000 Bourgeois, Collings or a Martin custom shop, I would believe you.
9.5/10 Volume
Neck:
The neck of this instrument is very comfortable 1.75 inches, though I haven't yet measured it. It does feel a lot like my D-18 with slightly more girth. Overall It isn't as thick as my E10D-TC (baseball bat) and not quite as slim as my E20D-TC. It's really the goldilocks of necks. Fills my hand nicely and very playable.
The neck wood (some species of mahogany) looks much more like my D18 than my other Eastman's. It is medium brown with very uniform grain.
I know it's probably not a one piece neck but it sure does look like it. They did a good job blending any joints.
9.5/10 Neck
Playability:
This guitar came setup better than any Eastman I have ever bought. The nut is filed correctly. It is not too high like some of my other Eastmans. The saddle is of a good height as well with plenty of room to sand down if I need to.
There is slight buzz on the low E string when I fret on a notes around the 7 fret. (B note) I have the same issue with my E2OM. The guitar may need a touch more relief to get that buzz out or the nut may have been slotted to low. Overall, it is very playable with low action.
9/10 Playability
Aesthetics:
This guitar is the epitome of beauty and elegance. The tone woods look top notch. The rosewood is straight grain and dark with bits of red streaking. The Swiss Alpine top is a creamy light blonde color with straight grain and some bear clawing. Lots of medullary rays towards the center seams.
The Herringbone trim, snowflake inlays, and the tortoise pickguard all add to the beautiful aesthetic. It looks like the woods I've seen on some Martin custom shops. 10/10 Aesthetics.
Fit and Finish:
This is the category my other Eastmans have done poorly in the past. I am happy to report that this guitar has a nearly flawless finish. I have yet to find a defect.
The Trutone finish looks more consistent and less hazy than the old nitro Eastman was using prior to mid 2021. The tone is not dampened by the new finish so I think I prefer this over nitro. The joints are all fitted tightly and there is no leftover glue. There is no indentions on the back of the rosewood like the ones that came on my E20D-TC
This is the best finished Eastman guitar I have owned so far. It's as nice as my D18 was brand new.
10/10 Fit and Finish
Build Quality:
I've only had the guitar for one day so I can't speak to build quality just yet, but if it's like my other Eastman's it will be solid for many years to come.
TBD, but probably 9+ build quality
Value:
Free Swiss Alpine top for no extra charge, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! ? Tone and build quality to match Martin and other high end brands for about 1/3 the cost. This is a hand built, boutique level instrument at a fraction of the price of any other maker.
11/10 value
Overall Impressions:
Out of her box this is the best Eastman I have ever owned. Tone for days. Good setup. Impeccable aesthetics and finish. Incredible value.
More than any other Eastman I have owned with this one I honestly feel like I am holding a nice Martin or other quality USA guitar.
I really couldn't have asked for much more. This has 100% met my expectations.
If this is any indication where Eastman is going I am totally on board. I can hardly believe these guitars are $1300 brand new. I want a mahogany one now.
In short, Eastman didn't cut any corners on this one. If this was the only guitar I had I would miss my J-45 and D-18, but I wouldn't be left wanting.
Overall I would give this guitar a score of 96/100 on a first impression.
Hope this helps you. Thanks for reading.
*Sorry for the low quality picture. It is too cold outside to get some good pics in natural light. Those will come later.
Attached Files
File size: 3.95 MB
Downloads: 105
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