While Seventy Seven gits are not very well known, they are held in very high regards in the jazz world. They are made in Japan of the best materials, no neck joints just high quality stuff.

This hollow body is a prime example of an under priced Buy it NOW that deserves to be sold. In trans white, it's from what I've seen a one off. So many times I've come close to pulling the trigger on this one but I have too many gits as it is.

https://reverb.com/item/6261083-seventy-...w-case-mij

It's currently available at $800 + shipping with two days remaining on the auction. Could be a nice score for someone interested in this model. Usual "no affiliation with seller" comments apply.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Eastman-T186MX-..._Auction=1

According to FedEx, the used E6OM I purchased last week will be delivered TODAY! I’m hoping the anticipation doesn’t kill me before I get it.

It’s been a bit of a journey getting here.

I have been playing a little over a year, and earlier this year I bought a used Taylor 114 — an entry level Grand Auditorium guitar. I was thrilled with it, and played it everyday for at least an hour. After a couple of months, my right shoulder was killing me — apparently the 16” lower bout didn’t agree with me.

I bought a GS Mini Mahogany, which is much more comfortable. But honestly, I’ve never been blown away by the sound. I’ve been trying out other guitars, and I’d almost convinced myself to get a Martin 00-15m. But I wasn’t entirely blown away by it either.

I tried some spruce topped guitars, and I think I prefer that tone over mahogany tops. I was pretty happy with a Martin 000-18, but that’s a lot of money to spend when you’re first starting out on guitar. I tried similar sized spruce topped guitars, but nothing really spoke to me.

So I decided to wait.

I saw a used E6om come up for sale. Did some research, listened to some sound clips, and decided to put my good money down. I know it’s a bit of a risk, but I’m pretty sure I can sell it for close to what I paid for it if necessary. Last weekend, I found an Eastman dealer by me and played an OM. Very nice — liked the neck, the body size felt comfortable, and it sounded terrific! I felt much more reassured about my Eastman impulse buy!

Today I get to have my actual guitar in my hands! I can’t wait to hear how this particular one sounds and plays.

Over the last couple of years, I got myself into a place where I no longer owned any Mahogany guitars. Earlier this year, I picked up a 2016 E10D, and on Friday, I added a new E10SS/v.

I'm not usually one who prefers the relic'd look, but Eastman really did an amazing job with this series. The guitar totally has the appearance of a well played, but completely maintained vintage guitar. The color is faded exactly where you'd expect to find it: on the lower bout at the strummer's arm, a little on the sides, and in the center of the back. There's even a subtle buckle rash on the back, which I can only see at certain angles, but really can't feel it.

It's amazing how well they integrated this into their finishing process. They use a multi-step process, beginning with a base coat, then the color application, and ending with the french polish. Each coat is sanded extremely thin, so the end result is much thinner than nitro, so it sounds as authentically vintage as it looks.

The original models came with Rosewood bridge and boards, but due to the CITES complexities, they switched to ebony, which I prefer anyway. The tuners are open gear Pings, which work fine and match nicely to the guitar's antique style. Also, it's probably worth mentioning the other basic specs: solid Adi top, solid Mahogany b/s and neck, bone nut and saddle, 24.75" scale, and 1 11/16" nut width.

This guitar has growly low end, strong mids, and shimmery highs, and it's sound is more complex than my 2016 E10D. It's loud and projects as well as my Rosewood/Adi guitars. It's very light and extremely responsive, and despite only having it for two days, it already sounds played in. I can only imagine how it will sound after spending more time with it, as well as pairing it with different strings (I left the stock D'Add EXP 16 on, for now).

I wasn't sure if this Antique Varnish series was the real deal, but I've never bonded immediately with a Mahogany guitar like I have with this one. For those of you who've wanted a TC model, but can't find one, I'd encourage you to check out the E10SS/v.

Finally, like my other Eastman guitars, I purchased this from Ted and Helene at LA Guitar Sales. The purchasing experience was perfect, as usual, and Ted took time to exchange some emails with my questions. He also played the two he had in stock and helped me select the right one with confidence (although he said both sounded nearly identical, in case anyone is looking to get the other one). The certificate date is 9/14/2018, so this guitar only left the shop in Pomona a few weeks ago.

Obligatory NGD photos to follow in the next post.

http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Electri...ephyr.aspx

Isn't that just wonderful! I love the sound he had on the recordings with that guitar, very biting but clearly in between electric and acoustic. Roy Rogers plays it here and he gets the same sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9asS3docZU

Comes out tomorrow, I'd say it's a fitting tribute. Although only 1,000 on top of the like 57 that were made originally seems like very little.

ok - let me be controversial for a change. Are we buying into a myth in holding it to be automatically the case that, all things being equal, solid wood constructed acoustic guitars are superior to laminate wood constructions? Are the best laminate constructions often better (they are certainly mostly cheaper) than many solid wood constructions? Is the purchase and valorisation of sold wood guitars often the triumph of status over objectivity, by those who can afford the more expensive guitars? An economist called Veblen coined the phrase 'conspicuous consumption' in describing what he identified to be just such a syndrome (but enough of that!). Anyone want to share with us the best laminate wood acoustics you have played - and how highly you rate them? What about Eastmans - the PCH line, and others. I spotted a scientific test which addressed this issue - if you copy this - https://youtu.be/zw1iUqSSeqU - and run it from your command line you might be interested in the comparison between a laminate and solid top acoustic. It is clearly a limited experiment and not too much should be read into it, but it is certainly food for thought.
On a slightly different tack, did you spot the 'double top' guitars which featured in the pictures (on this site) taken at the recent Eastman guitar fair in China? Double top guitars have a top constructed as a sandwich of a kind of Kevlar placed between two solid layers of wood. A technique employed mostly in the manufacture of classical guitars, but also used currently in a few steel string acoustics. The resulting top is lighter and stronger than conventional builds, and the sound is reputed to be very impressive - although I haven't got a link for you. The sandwiched material might be too expensive to introduce in a standard line, but would seem well suited to hand built guitars.

I recent purchased my first Eastman, an AC122-1CE just based on the specs for the instrument and the good things I had read about Eastmans overall. I have yet to see a single user review for this model online and I am curious if anyone else in this group is using one and what they think of this model. I like the guitar very much and I have noticed that it has a much brighter tone than my Martin D28. I have only been playing a couple of years and I probably have not developed as good an ear for the tone as more experienced players. Can anyone give me any feedback on their experiences with this model?

I have been looking into the Eastman custom shop. Basically it is more a mix and match of standard model features. The woods available are limited to those currently used in standard models, and they use standard blanks in their custom builds. One area where they will do some real customisation is in decoration. They are prepared, at least in principle (I exchanged emails with them) to cater for customers' personal inlay designs. Overall Eastman's approach is a cost effective way of offering some degree of personalisation and as such an imaginative move. Buying in other, non standard woods would likely see the economic benefits of buying in bulk evaporate. The amount of Rosewood going into China makes me think Eastman are probably sitting on a very large stash of it. Probably true for mahogany and ebony etc.
The likes of Koa is so rare it would mean paying through the nose period- although that is what true custom shops do. But it is evident this latter approach simply isn't consonant with Eastman's business model. Other firms can do luthier custom builds as well as Eastman ever could. The comparative advantage Eastman has in terms of cheaper labour is not as significant a factor in builds utilising very expensive woods. The proportion of the cost of production constituted by labour would be less, maybe considerably less. The amount of labour it takes to build a guitar out of Koa will not differ that much from building with Sapele. Although Eastman would still retain a comparative cost advantage in inlaying pearl/abalone etc., materials, the price of which doesn't vary that much. Eastman currently have their niche market, and I see no reason why they shouldn't grow this - and arguably they are.
Question - has anyone done direct business with the Eastman custom shop or even of purchased a custom built Eastman from a shop or individual? I hope all this hasn't sent you to sleep, and, if you can be bothered (ha) please pull my arguments apart.

ok - I will bite the bullet! I have been looking at a used Guild D55 here in the UK. It is 2005 natural gloss, advertised as in mint condition. Prices do not translate well between US and UK markets because of the very different tax regimes (the UK is quite a bit more expensive) but it is 57% the price of the cheapest brand new D55 (a nitro finish I noticed) I can find. I know some people lay great store by the factory location where these guitars were made. Any advice/comments would be well received.

The SB57/n-BK has been out there for a bit of time now but there's almost nothing on the web about it; I could only find one video of it played, and no review or article. Frustrating.

I'm GASing for a Eastman Les Paul style guitar, they all look great but the SB57/n-BK is the one that, so far, gets most of my attention.

So who had the chance to play it? I'd love to read your experiences and opinions.