Greetings.

Wanted to share a cheap and kind of effective solution to monitor in-case temperature and humidity.
I live in a changing climate zone - very dry in winter (20-40%), humid in summer (45-70%), very humid rest of the time (even more). One day it can be 40%, next day its 70%. All of this gets me very concerned about survivability of guitars that i own.

Unfortunately keeping a non-laminate guitar outside of its case is a bad idea with such changing environment. Thus i've decided to keep all my guitars in tight cases. Tight cases are supposed to normalize the humidity conditions inside cases if i have 30%-70% humidity jumps. So, ive done it. But it kept me concerned - are the humidity levels in cases really between those 45-60% ?

This began my search on a cheap and effective way to monitor humidity levels in several cases at once and having daily\weekly\monthly statistics on temperature and humidity levels without having the need to open those cases.I do know that vendors like Daddario offer such things. But they cost a ton. My solution is 15x times cheaper
Will try to provide a simple instruction with pro's and con's of this solution.

What you will need:
1x Android or iOS smartphone  - with bluetooth and a Mi Home application installed (can be downloaded in Google\Apple stores)
1x Account with xiaomi - you will use it to login to Mi Home app. Can be created from app itself.
1x Xiaomi Mijia Bluetooth thermometer - these cost about 3-4$ on chinese trading sites like aliexpress. Be sure to take the version with screen and bluetooth. They are small + have a little sticker that you can use to stick it to any surface. Fits in any case, is powered by a battery.

How its done:
- turn on the thermometer 
- open the Mi Home app (be sure to allow it to use your phones bluetooth)
- search for available devices, it will find the thermometer
- name the device as the guitar you want to monitor
- put the thermometer in the case > close the case > viola
- use the app to connect to the thermometer when you are in the bluetooth range (about 5-10m depending on wall type\ thickness)

Pros:
- cheap as hell. Basically 3$ per case.
- this gets live and pretty accurate data
- data is being stored in the thermometer > app reads the data when you connect to thermometer. This allows you to see daily\monthly\6month graphs on how your case temperature and humidity has changed during times
- Mi APP can monitor multiple of these thermometers - so its a major plus if you have lots of cases to monitor.

Cons:
- Bluetooth only - so you are limited to those 5-10m. Thus you will not be able to see how your guitars are doing when you are outside of home.
I've given it some thought, came to a conclusion that this can be dealt with. The solution will require an active internet connection,router, a bit more investments, and some tinkering with gateways\routers\DNS (or DDNS, if your external IP is not static). 

Here are some screenshots from the app.
First one is the home screen, here you will see all your sensors. I've named mine "Eastman Case"


And here are some temperature reading for this month.
I've added the translation of my not very-firendly russian interface (the app can be used in multiple languages)



In conclusion of my little FAQ i can state that humidity in my E6D-TC case holds up pretty much ok. We had 40-75% humidity during those monitoring days that are on the last screenshot.


Hope this will be helpfull.
Cheers.

So,its been 3 months since i've gotten this beauty from a delaer in Europe. Had some time to sniff around it. And now i can make an NGD post. What can i say, its flawless. This is absolutely the best guitar that i've ever head in my life. Craftsmanship is superb. Sound is so awesome.

Cought my self just strumming open G chord for some time once i've gotten it. This is an excelent strumming machine. Cant find anything bad about it. Unexpected surprises were - the neck on the guitar is not so gloss as the finish on the body. This makes the neck look and feel more like a satin finish. Oh, and it comes with a supeb tight case.

P.S with this kind of superb instrument i will definately have trouble selecting an upgrade for the E6D-TC 

Seems like Eastman has stopped using Nitro finish on any guitar and instead switched to a urethane finish they call Truetone. The Facebook group posted a message from Eastman confirming the switch effective in late May early June this year. I'll see if I can copy the full Eastman response later.

What's your favorite Eastman model for gigging?  I mean something comfortable for loooong gigs?

Thought provoking (if you haven't seen it before) feature about guitar finishes :- 

https://www.luthiertalk.com/threads/the-...ishes.239/

I got my T468 about 6 months ago and almost everything about it is great except the tuners.  They're not bad, but not great.  

I was thinking about upgrading them with Kluson locking tuners:  Kluson 3+3 Locking Revolution Series G-Mount Non-Collared Tuners

I think  they are drop in replacements.   Anyone have any experience with these?

Update:

I made an error when I first posted this. I said I bought it brand new for $1100. I did not, I bought it for $795 used from Dave's. I confused it with the E8OM-TC that I bought brand new for $1100+. Sorry for the mistake. Below is the original/edited post:

Reluctantly selling my E8D. Only reason I'm selling it is because I have learned that I prefer OM models. They are more comfortable for me. And I play my E8OM-TC quote a bit more, so this one doesn't get much action.

Pictures are listed weird, trying to post this on my phone. If you want better and more pictures just click on my reverb link below.

Listing is for $900, but make me an offer! I bought used in 2020 from Dave's Guitar Shop for $795.  I'm charging extra b/c I paid nearly $100 for a setup, and these are now listed at $1190 brand new. Buyer pays fees if PayPal is used.   It's also listed on Reverb: 2020 Eastman E8D w/ Hardshell Case https://reverb.com/item/36062623-2020-ea...t=36062623

It's a beautiful guitar, and is in mint condition. It does NOT include original certificate of authenticity. It didn't have it when I bought it. It's been properly humidified with the D'Addario Humidipak system, and is always in its case unless I'm playing it. No cosmetic issues at all on this guitar. I baby my guitars.

Solid spruce top, with solid rosewood back and sides. 1 3/4" nut, and 25.4" scale. The action is perfect on this guitar.

The guitar sounds wonderful, and is super playable. It has low action, and the neck is super fast. Since it's rosewood back and sides, the tone is full of overtones and has great sustain. Very great projection and is a loud guitar when you want it to be. The bass is great on this guitar, and the mids and trebles sound sweet. Very colorful sound. Since it's a dreadnought, it's great for strumming and flat-picking, but I find it just as good for fingerstyle.

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There's a 2020 00018 for sale on AGF for $2200.  I'm going to agonize over this but I don't quite have the money right now.

I was wondering what the average daily number of hits is on this site? Anybody else interested? Also, an observation - I think the rate of new memberships is increasing. It's an upward curve, not just increasing membership numbers.

Ok - I must ask this oft asked question. Can anyone state CATEGORICALLY that ToneRite does work? And if so after how long ? I am seriously considering getting one