I've had my Eastman a good few years now. While it's obviously a good guitar, for me, it's not a story of romance. The action is great but the sound - especially higher up near the 10th seems a little plastic/thin. Also, the neck seems ever so slightly bowed around the 10th fret thus giving buzz when strumming with moderate force.

Just wondering if anyone else has encountered these issues with the E10?

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Seems prices on all models went up by $50, though I think the archtops went up alot more. It’s still a great deal for what you’re getting: real ebony, real pearl, Ivoroid binding, nitro etc...

I’m after that T486 with the real Bigsby it’s $1499 now abit disappointed I wasn’t able to secure it before the price went up

Eastman YT channel has nothing abt the new thinlines or the gypsy guitars, nothing at all abt NAMM 2018. Weird.

I've purchased most of my acoustic guitars online, so I usually don't get to "try before I buy."  And I believe that it takes some time to bond with a guitar, even if the initial impressions are favorable.  With Sitka and Cedar tops, the bond is pretty quick, and within a few months, I can tell if it's going to work out or not.

But as I've made the transition into Adi tops, I'm learning that new guitars take much longer for their sound to evolve.  Most of them are following a similar timeline and have become more responsive within a few months.  But my E20OM-SB is on a much slower path, so it's beginning to test my impatient nature.  It doesn't help that it's the same age as my E40OM, which is responsive and lush with overtones.

Anyway, I've read online where some guitars (often Adi tops) have taken (3, 4, even 5) years to blossom.  And in some cases, the guitar transitioned from underwhelming to outstanding when it finally reached that stage.  While I certainly don't expect any guitar to change so dramatically, this guitar has perplexed me for almost a year because it's almost as if I can hear there's more sound inside it that can't get out (some of you may know what I mean), and I do hear improvements (just more subtly than the others).  The clarity on it is actually quite beautiful, but you have to drive the top more than the others to hear it.

So, I'm treating this as an exercise in patience.  I'm trying different strings (brighter strings = metallic tone, warmer strings = dark tone), playing around with the Tonerite, and continuing to play it (although perhaps not as aggressively as I was).  For me, the jury is still out on whether it will "catch up" to the others, or if I just got one that's not as brilliant as the others.  I think it's going to take at least another year to know.

Bur all this raised some interesting questions.  If you're not bonding with a guitar, how long do you wait to sell / trade it?  And for those who own Adi tops, how long has it taken for your guitar's sound to get played in, mellow out, etc.?

Pick Guard
I've bought and sold a couple of Eastman guitars in the past. Each new one came with a pick guard in the case, ready to be installed. I always had them installed by the dealer with great results. However, I forgot to ask the dealer to install one on the E20D, and I don't want to drive an hour to have him do the installation. Looks like something I ought to be able to do myself.

Any tricks of the trade? What ought I use to clean the guitar's top around the sound hole? I've looked on YouTube and saw naphtha and acetone recommended; those sound too harsh for me.

While I like the Eastman's guard, I'm open to suggestions on others that might look better?

Strap Screws
I always use a guitar strap, even sitting. I like the ones that attach at the neck/body "heel" instead of the head. I am always hesitant when I install my own screws as I'm concerned I'll hit something critical when I drill the holes. Also, this guitar has a pickup in it, with the usual strap button on the "butt" of the guitar. However, I bought some "locking - quick connector" strap pins, and along with installing one at the neck/body heel, I'm thinking of an additional one to the other end near the existing strap pin/pickup connector. Anyone see any issues having two points of attachment down there? I plan to locate the existing pickup strap pin behind (closer to the guitar back) the to-be-installed locking-quick disconnect pin. I want to be able to easily remove the strap and also have it very secure when attached. Sadly, I learned the hard way that leaving a strap attached in the case will mar the finish on my AC420.

Thanks.

Here is a Facebook live I shot of the new instruments from the NAMM booth. We shot lots of more in depth videos that will be out soon.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_f...0336217412

I saw this was just announced... P90's!

https://www.eastmanguitars.com/sb56_n_gd 

Quick EGF poll!   Who are you cheering for in the upcoming Superbowl?

If anyone is interested.....I spoke with my guy from A Plus Guitars today about when they anticipated receiving some     E20D TC's  - he in turn spoke with his guy at Eastman - bottom line is that it took longer than expected to "cook" the tops, but they are now complete and have been sent to the factory and their "best guess" at this time is another 90 days for them to get to the dealers. I worked in Manufacturing for 36 years, so I fully realize that "stuff happens", but I would offer a bit of unsolicited advice to the Eastman Marketeers - Be careful about managing expectations - It looks like I will have been waiting for 8-9 months or so to get this puppy - I ordered in August '17. Perhaps it would be better to wait until availability is firm before offering the git for sale - I am still an avid Eastman guy and I think I always will be but it looks like the Operations side of the business isn't talking to the business side.....

Nels Cline is one of my favorite guitarists.  He's been around for years, playing an eclectic mix of punk, jazz, and rock music.  For the last decade, he's provided a sonic wall of sound for the band, Wilco.  He's also an Eastman artist --- listed for playing the Mandocello!

Anyway, I'll post a few Wilco videos later on, but in the meantime, Guitar Player just released this video interview, where he discusses and plays riffs from five of his most influential songs.  Enjoy!

I am new here and was hoping to find some information and opinions on the PCH models and was hoping that some of you owned some of them or had the opportunity to play them.  I did not know that Eastman sold guitars in this price range until just a few days ago.  As I posted in the Introductions thread, I do not have an Eastman dealer near me and would have to take my chances ordering online.  I own an Eastman 486 and love the playability, sound, and quality of the instrument and am looking for an acoustic and was hoping that maybe these PCH models would be a good option.  

I want a guitar that I can play everyday with minimum hassle, play outside sometimes, take it with me when I travel, and not have to worry so much about getting an accidental scratch or ding on it.  As I understand it Eastman offers these model in a dread, orchestra, and cutout model.  I would probably lean toward the orchestra or cutout aw those are not quite as thick as the dread.  I called one of the dealers that offers them and was told the dread was 4-3/4, the orchestra was 4, and the cutout 4 1/4.  It may be because I am just not used to them but I learned to play on an electric mostly because the bodies were smaller and felt more comfortable to me.  My brother in law has a dread (Art and Luthrie?-Canadian guitar) that I play sometimes and it just feels huge to try to hold.

Anyway, would love to hear any opinions, reviews, etc. that any might offer.