Eastman E2OM, E2D, & AC 122-2CE
£529, £529 & £619
In the recent past we’ve looked at solidbody electrics, semi-acoustics and straight acoustic guitars from Eastman and have been unanimous in our regard for the brand’s design and integrity in putting together high-performing, modestly priced instruments. The company has challenged the big names in terms of what can bed one on an attain able budget and come up winners every time. Last time we looked at its double top Eastman DT30 GACE, which retails round the £2.5k mark. Here we’re moving to the other end of the range and considering more entry-level/lower-mid-price guitars, two pure acoustics that come in at just over £500 and a Fishman-equipped electro model for a smidge over £600.
Most manufacturers would be offering laminates or, in the case of Martin, alternative materials at this price point, but Eastman has delivered this trio with an all-solid wood construction. Intrigued? We certainly are…
We’ll take one guitar at a time, but before we get down to business, let’s just discuss the obvious common denominator between the three. Why cedar tops? Well, acoustic players have basically two top woods to choose between (although, of course, others exist): the two big players in the game are undoubtedly spruce and cedar. Spruce is known for its power – it’s the baseball bat of tonewoods – and tonally it will continue to develop and ‘open up’ in the years that follow manufacture. A few years down the line and with an accumulation of playing miles on its clock, a spruce-topped acoustic will project tonefully.
Cedar, however, is a softer wood and responds favourably to a lighter touch – it’s a wood used for classical guitar tops, for instance – but tends to give its all from the outset and is, perhaps, warmer and more mellow-sounding than spruce. Projection wise, it’s possibly more of a table tennis bat if you catch our drift. Players will often sit in either the spruce or cedar camps, some opting for a foot in each so that all batting styles are covered.
Let’s begin with a tour around the E2OM. As you can guess from the model number, this is an OM-style acoustic, the cedar top finished in nitrocellulose (another unusual feature at this price point) with the sapele back and sides bearing an ‘open pore’ finish. We ought to pause once again and say a few words in favour of the sometimes maligned sapele. It’s an African wood that
is sometimes erroneously referred to as ‘African Mahogany’ or, even more harshly, ‘poor man’s mahogany’. Both are incorrect as sapele isn’t of the same genus as mahogany and it can often cost the same. What makes it a perfectly able substitute for ‘hog’ is the fact that it is sustainable and tonally speaking very much in the same general ballpark, with just an added dash of treble presence. We’ve played some spectacular instruments with sapele present in the backs and sides, so let’s put an end to any more unwarranted slurs, shall we? The wood here doesn’t bear the hallmarks of the triple A grade – in fact, that’s true of the timber on all three models – but remember the retail prices on this trio. You’ve got solid woods that might not win a beauty pageant, but, hey, it’s the build quality and most importantly the playability and sound that we’re judging here, isn’t it?
The E2OM’s neck is mahogany with a separate heel and scarf joint at the headstock. Tuners are vintage-vibe open gear Ping V93Ns and the nut and saddle are both bone. Fretboard duties are carried out by ebony with pearl dot inlays. Acknowledging the fact that the devil is in
You’ve got solid woods that might not win a beauty pageant, but, hey, it’s the build quality, playability and sound that we’re judging here
the detail, Eastman scores highly here, too. Ebony string pins in an ebony bridge, an attractive rosette and mock tortoise binding and scratchplate are all little refinements that you might not expect to find on an instrument in this price range. None of these guitars scream “cheap” at you and Eastman appears to have made every effort to put some real value into the manufacture at every level.
On to the E2D now and this time we’re in dreadnought territory but the essential recipe is very much the same as its brother in arms. Cedar top – the spec doesn’t say that it’s a nitro finish here, just open pore – with sapele for the back and sides, mahogany neck, etc. A glance inside reveals that the bracing, kerfing and so on is all neat and tidy and continues the trend that we’ve seen before from Eastman: irrespective of price, construction quality is tremendously high, which is seriously good news all round.
The AC 122-2CE is Eastman’s take on a grand auditorium cutaway electro-acoustic and comes equipped with a Fishman Sonitone pickup and preamp combo. The controls are hidden inside the bass side of the soundhole and comprise simply tone and volume. The Fishman’s presence here puts the retail price up by around £100, but £619, which includes a nice padded gigbag, is still very highly competitive. Eastman hasn’t veered away from the established formula here and so we’re still looking at the same woods as before. The only real change in the spec is different tuners, which are Grover-style Ping 1171-CVRs.
Feel & sounds
Moving back to the OM, the neck is a generous ‘C’ profile that feels substantial in the hand but not enough to put off folk who prefer more of a slim jim approach. It’s been finished with a sort of matt/satin feel to it and sits nicely in the hand. Fretwork is very good, with no rough edges to worry your dancing digits, and the generous 44.5mm nut width is further good news for fingerstylists. The fretboard radius sits at 305mm (12 inches) and the scale length is slightly shorter than Martin’s 000 category at 32.4mm (24.9 inches). Initial exploratory strums are rewarded with an evenly balanced sound – in fact, if you’re already familiar with the OM body style soundscape then the E2 might not hit the bullseye, but it’s definitely on target. Trebles are sweet and expressive and the basses are crisp and powerful. Single notes are clear and belllike and chords shimmer and sustain. Can’t argue with that.
Moving onto the ED2 and it’s more of the same, quite literally – that bigger body size doing everything a good dreadnought should. There’s a boldness in the bass end that will lend support to any singersongwriter’s efforts and that strength continues into the midrange with trebles that are fruity and present in every respect.
The AC 122-2CE has two aspects, acoustic and electric. The first is really very good – in fact, we were so caught up in the sound we kept playing it long after it was polite to do so for a review. Plugging it into our AER Compact 60 amp, it sings. Simple as that. Despite the fact that Fishman’s Sonitone is at the lower end of the price spectrum, we were enchanted by the sounds we were
Fishman’s Sonitone is at the lower end of the price spectrum, but we were enchanted by the sounds from the AC 122-2CE
hearing to the point that, once again, we just had to keep on playing.
Verdict
So what exactly is the difference between a guitar at this end of the price range and one that costs 10 times as much? We have, of course, played both and agree with what acoustic maestro Gordon Giltrap once said: that is, that we acoustic players have to pay thousands to get that extra 10 per cent of tone. It’s an interesting thought, but we think it’s true here. If you address the fundamentals in terms of build quality and materials, which Eastman certainly has done here, then everything else is caught up in an upward spiral of increasing quality. You can use highly figured select tonewoods, even move into the realms of the exotic should it move you to do so. You can bling the thing until it looks like Elvis’s bathroom, but if the basics aren’t there – and there’s a lot of know-how that goes into making an acoustic guitar – all you’ll get is a very pretty, highly expensive box of indiscriminate tone. Get everything right and you’ll have a wonderful, good-looking, toneful work of art.
But you have to start somewhere and, based on what we see and hear here, these Eastmans are a darned good place to begin your quest for tonal nirvana.