Glenn F

It's kind of a truce. 

Further thoughts:

it is more difficult to play than my Martins and Lakewoods. Returning to form means this isn't a deal breaker, as I can play it now without stumbling around, but it is a fact.  The frets, while properly dressed, are a bit high. Fingerpicking, the strings seem a bit stiff. Where it absolutely shines is chord strumming/picking, and use with a capo. The sound is clear, powerful, and sweet.

I have PB nano Lights on it now. I'll see how it feels with custom lights next change.

as for the guitar coming from the PRC, I have my qualms, sure. Only 4/16 of my guitars are from China. Not gonna lose sleep over it.

Sometimes a guitar is just a guitar.

It took until today to get here, due to a holiday last week. What can I say? The problem was entirely with me and my lack of practice. I've never experienced it to that degree. Kind of shocked, really. It's instructive that I looked for external reasons rather than the most obvious internal one: lack of practicing.

The post-setup E10OM is very easy to play, sounds gorgeous, looks gorgeous, and is a keeper. Any criticism I leveled above should be taken with a salt quarry.

I do expect different results, lol. 

As for the whole GAS thing, yeah, the process stopped being fun a long time ago, especially when the first intended guitar doesn't ring my bell. There was a 3rd issue with this guitar: me. I noticed I was stumbling around on my other guitars. It was almost a complete neglect of my playing for well over a year, and my hands lost both their dexterity and callouses. Never happened that badly, it was scary. I have diabetes II, and I thought I was developing peripheral neuropathy. Been woodshedding the last couple of weeks and whatever skill I have on guitar is returning. So, I am confident about the Eastman this time.

Basically, though, I'm just like the Farside comic: "Just plain nuts."

The D-18 was a huge disapointment. It must've been a bad unit, but it's killed my desire for one as a final B-L guitar. 

I've asked the the E10OM back. Should have it back by the end of the week.

Holy Zombie thread, Batman!

I had a pre-Lasido Norman B-30. It was an excellent guitar, kept me going through the darkest days of my youth. Not in the same league as a Martin, and no reason why it should be. I've also had a B-20C, and B-20-12. That guitar was absolutely worth the money.

Stay tuned! Same Batty Channel, Same Batty Time!

2nd hand D-18 will be shipped tomorrow, I think! My last 'bucket-list' guitar.

I have my fallow periods. I like performing, and since I am mostly playing for myself, I get a bit bored with no external reinforcement. As of this moment, I've more or less canceled the Martin D-17. I will go one of two ways: save for the D-18, which would require a few c- notes and my Taylor thrown in, or get a nice Furch GA. I think the former would be in my own best interest, but I'll see. 

If the Martin D-17M doesn't give me any 'WOW!' I'll send that back and drop the whole idea. I'm too old for this doodoo, and I have a great little collection as is.

The guitar I really want, and have wanted since they were redesigned, is a D-18. That is out of range right now, unless I sell two guitars to put toward it, and I'm really not into dealing with the hassles of this.

The Eastman...I've never heard such a lively OM. The only thing close was a custom OM made for my brother by an independent luthier, and it was a bit sweeter, but not as powerful. Really, if you get one and you have no issues with the string spacing or the frets (or political objections), you'll get a guitar that will blow your socks off. I don't usually gush about a guitar I've sent back, but mannnnn...

There was another aspect: I compared running my fingers fairly gently over the strings up an down the neck, and the Eastman, after a perfect setup, felt like my fingers were going over speedbumps. Not the worst in my experience (that was a 2010 AC412), but definitely a thing, especially in comparison to my other guitars. Coupled with the string spacing, anything complex turned to mush. They are beautiful guitars (as witnessed by your pics) , and the tone is amazing, and I am sure many people are over the moon to have such an instrument at such a price. I am just not one of them, unfortunately, because the tone is killer. I wonder what a similarly spec'ed Martin would cost? Adi top, scalloped Adi braces, beautiful solid Mahogany back and sides, Ebony fretboard, nitro-cellulose lacquer? A lot more than what I paid for this. So I'm bummed it doesn't suit me, but my experience tells me that I'm not 'going to adapt to it.' 

I can only describe it as difficult to both fret notes when doing runs and to fingerpick. Both hands miss their mark. I've read of this throughout my 'research phase' on Eastman guitars. There was an Eastman rep on AGF forum for a while, and he was repeatedly asked to alter the string spacing at the saddle. He said their way was one of the the features of their brand. Another thing I noted: many of the threads were a few years old, with people gushing about their Eastmans. When I'd see their current signatures, the Eastmans are no longer there. Further, a few had said 'this is my 3rd 'fill in the model# here.'  Obviously, something is not right, and it isn't the tone or the woods. They're just chasing the perfect exemplar. At the shop where I bought mine, I was offered a different model that had been bought there and then sold back to them 3 months later. 

It is a damn shame. The sound of this guitar is stunning. It is beautiful aesthetically. But if I can't play it properly, and will always be second guessing myself, then it's time to send it back, especially since I am still in the 30 day return window.

I am getting a 2nd hand, nearly mint Martin D17M in exchange. Not as pretty, but I am familiar with the modified low oval neck, and it's probably one of the easiest necks on acoustics for me to play. My 000-M has one and it very easy on the hands. 

My 'ha ha' was prophetic. After the setup afterglow, I am finding out what many Eastman owners have--the string spacing is awkward. Trying to do runs up the neck, especially double-stops and jazz chords, my fingers keep missing the notes, something that doesn't happen on any of my other guitars. So, I am returning it, and possibly getting a Martin D-17M instead.

Ok, got it back.

My thoughts, post-setup:

My friend did a stellar job. This guitar is a keeper (haha), and worth every Pfennig I paid for it. The action is nice and low, no buzz even when digging in. He did a fret dress, lowered the saddle and filed the nut to my version of perfection. The ebony fretboard is as flawless as I can determine. The dynamic range of the combined solid Adi top/Adi scalloped braces with the solid Mahogany back and sides is something to behold. The bass is also very surprising. When I strum with a bit of 'oomph,' I can feel it in my ribcage. The OM size is very comfortable, but the scale length is more in keeping with a 000. There are Elixir PB-nano lights on it. I thought of going down to the custom lights (.011-.052) but it plays like buttah as is, and is a powerhouse.

Minor quibbles: the tip of the pickguard was a bit sharp. It was filed. Now fine. There are a couple of slight imperfections with the lacquer, one on top of the headstock, the other on the heel of the neck. No biggie.

This guitar can sit comfortably with my Martins and Lakewoods. It is a really damn good guitar. I can highly recommend checking these out, if you are in the market for an Adi/Mahogany OM.

When you get a good'un, they're hard to beat. I get mine back tomorrow. Based upon how the setup worked out, there's a high probability that I may trade in my Taylor 320 for an Eastman T-386. Thing is, Freeman, they may be mass produced, but there is a fair bit of variance between units, as they are hand-made by a dedicated team of luthiers. I've played a couple that were bad and worse, the former having bad frets, the latter, bad frets, low neck angle, and a completely dead tone. Good units are definitely in the Martin, Taylor, Gibson class. I am really curious what the new one will be like after a proper setup. One thing I'll say, is that I was a bit surprised at its weight. It is noticeably heavier than my OM-21, 000-M, Walden Supranatura 2070, and my Lakewood M-18.

From what I've read, I don't know how reliable it is, Eastman sources a lot of their wood from the same supplier as Collings.

Have to wait until Tuesday. Feels like waiting for Christmas.

Hate to admit it, but looking at other Eastmans is making me salivate. This will be my 7th six string acoustic. I think I've got enough.
They do make a nice LP copy, though. 😜

Thanks! It is a mini-cannon. I had the dread version a few years ago, but it was bigger than my D-28, just enough to make it uncomfortable to play sitting down, so I sold it. This is a perfect size for me, and the bass is quite surprising. Heavier than I thought it would be, though. I wonder how much of the cannon will be left after the action is lowered to my specs.

Lovely guitar. Received a fair deal (for Europe, anyways). It's with my luthier friend getting set up. I'll have more to say about it when I get it back.

All solid wood;

Adi spruce top, Adi scalloped braces, solid mahogany back and sides, ebony fretboard. Goes from 0-11 in one strum.

I've never liked them, but all the ones I've played were not set up properly. I always found the action stiff and high, problems that can be fixed easily by a competent tech, but I wouldn't buy one.

No.

Normans are not very available in Germany. Too bad. I had a B-30 that dated probably from 1976 or '77, and it was a great guitar. I am not sure when Godin took over, but the B20-12 I bought in 1986 didn't seem as good, and the B-20C that I bought in 1998 again didn't seem to be the same build quality as the 70's B-30.

I saw some in London last year, but they were ridiculously overpriced (as are many things there).

Cheers,

Glenn