When I heard the Eastman I thought oh that is a nice and warm sounding guitar. Then the Alvarez proceeded to blow it out of the room. The Alvarez sounds like it is the entire body of the guitar is booming yet the individual tones sound crisp and bright. Truly a splendid instrument. I would love a Yairi but the BG60 is all the guitar I (probably will ever) need. I "stole" mine for a lilttle ovevr $400 used from GC. What a deal!
I’ve had both. The MD60BG almost sounds better than the DYM60HD, but the DYM does have better lows, overtones and dynamics. That said the MD60 has great projection and records super well. The DYM is more for owning a piece of the Yairi legacy, but it isn’t thousands of dollars better sounding.
I have never played or owned an Eastman guitar; in fact, I am biased towards Alvarez, but my intuition is that as the Eastman ages with proper care, it will become a great guitar.
Both guitars sounded equally as great in standard tuning. But when you switched to drop D, that's where the Alvarez really pulled away from the Eastman. The Eastman sounds great, but that Alvarez is on a different level.
I've had the chance to compare every Eastman dread offering against my MD70BG - for those wondering, none come close on the depth of tone. These masterworks guitars are unreal.
@@denisprieur7944 he definitely means the Alvarez MD60BG is way better. I have owned the bluegrass model coming up on 1 year and there is NO comparison on the present market in any brand name guitar that beats the build quality of the MD60BG. You can take the MD60BG into a room full of Martins and feel confident that you will sound better and play better than all others, any genre. Same for the 70 model. I don't own a 70 but have played a 70 several times.
Iv had the Alvarez MD60BG for about a year and its really starting to open up and come into its own. I thought when you changed tuning,up till then they were neck and neck, but when you did changed,the Alvarez kinda left it,but both are amazing instruments and iv played both...thank you so much for doing this comparison...
I too thought the Alvarez had a little more snap and an overall fuller sound. Both nice instruments but in my experience Alvarez has managed to produce instruments that play above their price points. I bought the rosewood/AAA Sitka version of this guitar (MD70EBG) and it blows my mind for $1000.00
Much appreciated, more depth, volume & clarity with the Alvarez I think. I already have a 70’s Alvarez 5064, a 70’s 12 string, & a more modern ad60 but I so want this one next! This demo has confirmed it for me. Thankyou 👍
I got the Alvarez MD70BG over a year ago and it is indeed close to (or better than) than a Martin D-28. It seems to get better each time I play it! I have always wanted to try an Eastman but they are hard to come by in Manitoba, Canada. To my ears, the Alvarez has a much fuller rounded tone than the Eastman. It looks much better cosmetically also, with the hound's-tooth body purfling and the bound neck. And it is considerably less money than the Eastman---no-brainer here!
Now THIS is a guitar comparison that truly makes sense! Here's my honest take on these two: both get the job done in the standard tuning department, but gotta give the edge to that MD60BG for doing just a little bit more during the alternate tuning demo (might be a result of its forward-shifted X bracing, though). In terms of price/value ratio, again the MD60BG takes the cake and it's not even close. To get a high-end all-solid acoustic dreadnought like that FOR UNDER $700 in today's market (case included), ought be a law against what Alvarez has been doing on their end (lol)! That Eastman is still a heck of a bargain itself coming in nicely under the $1000 mark (case included as well), especially with the ebony fingerboard/bridge factoring into it. On top of that, Eastman does a much more commendable job catering to the southpaw market than what Alvarez has shown so far to date. It is for this key reason that I would probably take the E6D over the MD60BG despite the latter clearly being a better deal overall (for righties at least 🙃). Matter of fact, the left-handed E6D model at "just" over $1000 easily puts the Martin D-18 Standard to shame as far as I'm concerned. Goes to show that big-name brands don't mean nearly as much as they used to in this day and age... 😏
In my humble opinion E6D is outperforming MD60BG by a lot even in alternate tuning, what i heart in Alvarez are strings rather than body of the guitar, whereas Eastman produces more sound from the body rather than the stings, but you can hear what you want
Thanks. I just finished watching a J.P. video about the MD60BG and was curious to hear how it sounded using your setup. To my ear, the Eastman sounded slightly boxy and the Alvarez sounded like a much more expensive guitar.
We coordinate our posts with our monthly newsletter that we drop at the beginning of each month. We're hoping to do more video content so that we could post more regularly as opposed to a monthly "drop" but we've been exceedingly busy these days! Hoping we can make 2022 a bit more productive on this front!
Both sound great!!! They, however, are not at a similar price point, as stated. The Eastman E6D is almost twice the price of the Alvarez. Twice as good? Not to my ears. I'd be more than happy to take the Alvarez home.
I think I'm right in saying that none of these acoustic guitar reviews demonstrate how the instruments sound with cross selection of guitar picks ( different shapes and thicknesses) . For example, I've recently started using a heavy pick with a rounded tip and boy doesn't it change the sound of the instrument ( compared to a thinner pick with a pointed tip ).
Picks can definitely make a big difference. Adding different picks into some of these comparisons would add to the variables that might make for particularly long videos! Different materials, shapes, and thicknesses will all make a difference.
The Alvarez has a longer sustain and was less buzzy in the finger licks. maybe the Eastman could use a truss rod adjustment. And with the Alvarez, each note in a chord stands out so you hear all the low/mid/high at once. Delightful guitar.
I would say the Eastman is woodier and sounds more like a Martin D-18 and the Alvarez is brighter and sounds more like a Guild D-40. I generally prefer the Alvarez for what I play most of the time, but I'm okay with the Eastman too.
I wanna hear the difference in the Alvarez md60bg and the Martin d18. If you still have that Alvarez in stock please make a video. I know the Martin is better, but I just wanna hear.
I've been playing guitar for 35 years and own 30 acoustics from eastman alvarez/Yari martin furch lowden gibson guild...I've owned and played or played with most of them. I'm just gonna tell it like it is. The eastman sounds like a classic mahogany guitar, clearer more crisp single notes with more separation, mid focused guitar. The Alavarez is a little more ringy but blended sounding on the notes overlapping each other similar to a rosewood guitar, just an overall more fullness sound that strummers are looking for. A high end comparison would be my Gibson J45 vs Martin HD28. My Gibson falls on the side with the eastman here and my Martin falls into the Alvarez's realm of sound. They are just different, there is no winner or loser in matchups like this. They both clearly cover two different spectrums of music tonality. To call one better than the other in this shootout just shows a lack of experience in either years playing or experience of owning huge amounts of guitars like I have through the years. If I had to pick one of these guitars, I would go with the Alavrez Masterworks, not because its better but because I already own these eastmans....AC122ce, AC422ce, E6SS, E10D and E20D TC-MR. I own only one Alvarez, a DY90 Yari from 1991 so I could use another Alvarez for the collection!
A well thought out response. We couldn't agree more with your assessment that there is no "better" or "worse". They are all different and appeal to different ears. Thanks for commenting!
@@maplestreetguitars Thanks for the reply. I hope no one takes the last part I wrote the wrong way about experience or owing lots of guitars. I know 30 years ago I was young and did not have much experience and had formed hard opinions about one guitar being better than the other. But time has a way of breaking down those walls of stubborn formed opinions and replaces them with real life experience and hard facts. I have a $400 Epiphone Dove in alpine white, she's a beauty to look at. She sure can't hang with my more expensive instruments but the player has a lot to do with how that guitar is going to sound and respond. I've found that the cheap Dove has a very sweet and pleasing sound when played and handled correctly. Its not a powerhouse and you must play it delicately, but if you do it has such a sweet easy going sound that is very pleasing to the ear and it plays great for a cheaper guitar. Now I know there is some real junk out there that no matter what its just not going to play or sound good. But every decent guitar has a voice and its up to you as the player to find that voice. If you can do so, you will be greatly rewarded and so will the folks listening.
Something none of these videos will tell you, the Alvarez MD60 has a sharp fretboard angle. I own 3 Alvarez guitars and have had 2 MD60BGs so I’m not out to hate, but I play with my thumb a lot and the MD60 would make the center of my thumb pretty sore after a good session. First guitar that I’ve owned that did that.
The Alvarez is really magical as a solo instrument 💎
When I heard the Eastman I thought oh that is a nice and warm sounding guitar.
Then the Alvarez proceeded to blow it out of the room. The Alvarez sounds like it is the entire body of the guitar is booming yet the individual tones sound crisp and bright.
Truly a splendid instrument.
I would love a Yairi but the BG60 is all the guitar I (probably will ever) need.
I "stole" mine for a lilttle ovevr $400 used from GC. What a deal!
Sure did! The Eastman sounded a bit stiff. I think over time it would break in.
I’ve had both. The MD60BG almost sounds better than the DYM60HD, but the DYM does have better lows, overtones and dynamics. That said the MD60 has great projection and records super well. The DYM is more for owning a piece of the Yairi legacy, but it isn’t thousands of dollars better sounding.
The Alvarez for me
I have never played or owned an Eastman guitar; in fact, I am biased towards Alvarez, but my intuition is that as the Eastman ages with proper care, it will become a great guitar.
Both guitars sounded equally as great in standard tuning. But when you switched to drop D, that's where the Alvarez really pulled away from the Eastman. The Eastman sounds great, but that Alvarez is on a different level.
I've had the chance to compare every Eastman dread offering against my MD70BG - for those wondering, none come close on the depth of tone. These masterworks guitars are unreal.
Just bought this model. It blows away guitars that are at a much higher price point!
Does it come with case ?
So....your MD 70 BG is better than the others, or the other way around? Not a clear answer to me..sorry....
@@denisprieur7944 he definitely means the Alvarez MD60BG is way better. I have owned the bluegrass model coming up on 1 year and there is NO comparison on the present market in any brand name guitar that beats the build quality of the MD60BG. You can take the MD60BG into a room full of Martins and feel confident that you will sound better and play better than all others, any genre. Same for the 70 model. I don't own a 70 but have played a 70 several times.
Md60 is the best
Hard to choose. Very close. The Eastman has more middle frequency response, the Alvarez brighter but not obnoxious. Mahogany is a great tone wood.
Iv had the Alvarez MD60BG for about a year and its really starting to open up and come into its own. I thought when you changed tuning,up till then they were neck and neck, but when you did changed,the Alvarez kinda left it,but both are amazing instruments and iv played both...thank you so much for doing this comparison...
I too thought the Alvarez had a little more snap and an overall fuller sound. Both nice instruments but in my experience Alvarez has managed to produce instruments that play above their price points. I bought the rosewood/AAA Sitka version of this guitar (MD70EBG) and it blows my mind for $1000.00
Both really nice guitars, the Alvarez sounded a little better and it is a nicer guitar with extra neck binding.
i bought the Alvarez AD60 recently, and everything about it just is 'Far Out'...a tremendous sound and sweet playability.
Just got one too as my second guitar. Blown away by it tbh
Nice video. I am an Eastman fan, own three different models but must admit the Alvarez had more punch in this video. A bid brighter too. Thank you
Much appreciated, more depth, volume & clarity with the Alvarez I think. I already have a 70’s Alvarez 5064, a 70’s 12 string, & a more modern ad60 but I so want this one next! This demo has confirmed it for me. Thankyou 👍
Alvarez all day long. Best guitars made overseas. If I couldn’t have the Martins I’ve had then Alvarez would definitely be my next pick
I got the Alvarez MD70BG over a year ago and it is indeed close to (or better than) than a Martin D-28. It seems to get better each time I play it! I have always wanted to try an Eastman but they are hard to come by in Manitoba, Canada. To my ears, the Alvarez has a much fuller rounded tone than the Eastman. It looks much better cosmetically also, with the hound's-tooth body purfling and the bound neck. And it is considerably less money than the Eastman---no-brainer here!
That's big claim but I can't disagree, when JP Cormier did his blind test of the Alvie vs the Martin I thought the Alvie was the Martin!
I also got a MD70ebg and couldn't agree more with what you said!
They both sound good. In this video, the Alvarez seems to be louder.
I preferred the Alvarez. It seemed to have a little bit more punch & clarity.
Now THIS is a guitar comparison that truly makes sense! Here's my honest take on these two: both get the job done in the standard tuning department, but gotta give the edge to that MD60BG for doing just a little bit more during the alternate tuning demo (might be a result of its forward-shifted X bracing, though). In terms of price/value ratio, again the MD60BG takes the cake and it's not even close. To get a high-end all-solid acoustic dreadnought like that FOR UNDER $700 in today's market (case included), ought be a law against what Alvarez has been doing on their end (lol)! That Eastman is still a heck of a bargain itself coming in nicely under the $1000 mark (case included as well), especially with the ebony fingerboard/bridge factoring into it. On top of that, Eastman does a much more commendable job catering to the southpaw market than what Alvarez has shown so far to date. It is for this key reason that I would probably take the E6D over the MD60BG despite the latter clearly being a better deal overall (for righties at least 🙃). Matter of fact, the left-handed E6D model at "just" over $1000 easily puts the Martin D-18 Standard to shame as far as I'm concerned. Goes to show that big-name brands don't mean nearly as much as they used to in this day and age...
😏
In my humble opinion E6D is outperforming MD60BG by a lot even in alternate tuning, what i heart in Alvarez are strings rather than body of the guitar, whereas Eastman produces more sound from the body rather than the stings, but you can hear what you want
Thanks. I just finished watching a J.P. video about the MD60BG and was curious to hear how it sounded using your setup. To my ear, the Eastman sounded slightly boxy and the Alvarez sounded like a much more expensive guitar.
Alvarez makes a fine instrument.
Eastman is s little smoother? maybe?
Would love to see you guys post more. I live in Atlanta and forget about you guys because you never post hah
We coordinate our posts with our monthly newsletter that we drop at the beginning of each month. We're hoping to do more video content so that we could post more regularly as opposed to a monthly "drop" but we've been exceedingly busy these days! Hoping we can make 2022 a bit more productive on this front!
Both sound great!!! They, however, are not at a similar price point, as stated. The Eastman E6D is almost twice the price of the Alvarez. Twice as good? Not to my ears. I'd be more than happy to take the Alvarez home.
I think I'm right in saying that none of these acoustic guitar reviews demonstrate how the instruments sound with cross selection of guitar picks ( different shapes and thicknesses) . For example, I've recently started using a heavy pick with a rounded tip and boy doesn't it change the sound of the instrument ( compared to a thinner pick with a pointed tip ).
Picks can definitely make a big difference. Adding different picks into some of these comparisons would add to the variables that might make for particularly long videos! Different materials, shapes, and thicknesses will all make a difference.
Would you be able to do a comparison video of their OM equivalents by any chance? :) Thanks
Sounds like a good one to try if we ever have both in stock!
You all that I am a huge Eastman fan… but I might have to give this shootout to the Alvarez
The Alvarez has a longer sustain and was less buzzy in the finger licks. maybe the Eastman could use a truss rod adjustment. And with the Alvarez, each note in a chord stands out so you hear all the low/mid/high at once. Delightful guitar.
I would say the Eastman is woodier and sounds more like a Martin D-18 and the Alvarez is brighter and sounds more like a Guild D-40. I generally prefer the Alvarez for what I play most of the time, but I'm okay with the Eastman too.
the eastman has an ebony fretboard which makes it sound more articulate while the rosewood on the alvarez makes it sound more open
I wanna hear the difference in the Alvarez md60bg and the Martin d18. If you still have that Alvarez in stock please make a video. I know the Martin is better, but I just wanna hear.
Find JP Cormier's channel, he has a bliind test doing just that. (I thought the Alvie was the Martin, I own the Alvie now)
I've been playing guitar for 35 years and own 30 acoustics from eastman alvarez/Yari martin furch lowden gibson guild...I've owned and played or played with most of them. I'm just gonna tell it like it is. The eastman sounds like a classic mahogany guitar, clearer more crisp single notes with more separation, mid focused guitar. The Alavarez is a little more ringy but blended sounding on the notes overlapping each other similar to a rosewood guitar, just an overall more fullness sound that strummers are looking for. A high end comparison would be my Gibson J45 vs Martin HD28. My Gibson falls on the side with the eastman here and my Martin falls into the Alvarez's realm of sound. They are just different, there is no winner or loser in matchups like this. They both clearly cover two different spectrums of music tonality. To call one better than the other in this shootout just shows a lack of experience in either years playing or experience of owning huge amounts of guitars like I have through the years. If I had to pick one of these guitars, I would go with the Alavrez Masterworks, not because its better but because I already own these eastmans....AC122ce, AC422ce, E6SS, E10D and E20D TC-MR. I own only one Alvarez, a DY90 Yari from 1991 so I could use another Alvarez for the collection!
A well thought out response. We couldn't agree more with your assessment that there is no "better" or "worse". They are all different and appeal to different ears. Thanks for commenting!
@@maplestreetguitars Thanks for the reply. I hope no one takes the last part I wrote the wrong way about experience or owing lots of guitars. I know 30 years ago I was young and did not have much experience and had formed hard opinions about one guitar being better than the other. But time has a way of breaking down those walls of stubborn formed opinions and replaces them with real life experience and hard facts. I have a $400 Epiphone Dove in alpine white, she's a beauty to look at. She sure can't hang with my more expensive instruments but the player has a lot to do with how that guitar is going to sound and respond. I've found that the cheap Dove has a very sweet and pleasing sound when played and handled correctly. Its not a powerhouse and you must play it delicately, but if you do it has such a sweet easy going sound that is very pleasing to the ear and it plays great for a cheaper guitar. Now I know there is some real junk out there that no matter what its just not going to play or sound good. But every decent guitar has a voice and its up to you as the player to find that voice. If you can do so, you will be greatly rewarded and so will the folks listening.
Something none of these videos will tell you, the Alvarez MD60 has a sharp fretboard angle. I own 3 Alvarez guitars and have had 2 MD60BGs so I’m not out to hate, but I play with my thumb a lot and the MD60 would make the center of my thumb pretty sore after a good session. First guitar that I’ve owned that did that.
Can you compare Recording king Rd318 to Alvarez Md60bg
Alvarez bigger fuller but not by a ton.... punchier for sure imop
1:55 2:57
Alvarez clearly the louder and deeper sound. The Eastman had a very strong mid rangy which many it sound cheap
Both sound amazing but what I heard was the Alvarez had more personality and the Eastman was kinda run of the mill.
1:40 (Eastman open chords)
1:54 (Eastman Flat picking #1)
2:43 (Alvarez open chords)
2:56 (Alvarez Flat picking #1)
3:28(Eastman Flat picking #2
Drop D Tuning)
3:56 (Alvarez Flat picking #2
Drop D Tuning)
Alvarez
Definitely NOT the same price. Alvarez is much less expensive. The better choice I believe.
I own the Alvarez but I think the Eastman sounds better.
Alvarez had a bit more edge😮
Alvarez by a mile
No expert but Martin sound.
Of course Alvalez is way better.
I do like that Alvarez. What's the diff between that 60 series and the 70 series?
The 60 features Mahogany back and sides while the 70 features Rosewood back and sides. Think of the 60 as more D-18 and the 70 as more D-28.