I've been watching the various videos of the Yamaha FG9 and while they sound nice, at around $4000, they don't hold a candle to these Eastman's that are much less. These really are miracle guitars. My son bought the E40-OM and I bought the E40-D and these are two of the best guitars I've ever played...superior to my Martin D-28 from the 70s....they were set-up to perfection before they arrived too...
I prefer the non torrified sound. I keep wanting to prefer the torrified but its just not happening. Found that to be true with the VERY limited amount of baked tops I've gotten to play. I did play an incredible torrified top om a few years back so ill always give it a chance.. It'd be best to play them side by side when buying but I'd choose a traditional top if playing them wasn't an option. Still such an underrated acoustic guitar channel! Thanks
I purchased a Martin custom D-1 at the 1992 Winter NAMM show that was a beautiful guitar. I injured my shoulder shortly afterwards and when I recovered I was unable to play a dreadnought sized guitar comfortably. So I put the guitar in its case and purchased a much smaller used 1948 Martin O-15 that did the trick. When I pulled the D-1 out of it case to restring it and put it up for sale in 2021, the tone had become Amazing and the top had become a beautiful deep amber color! It was so beautiful that my wife didn't want me to sell it when she saw it! The Great news is that I was able to sell it for 2.5 times what I paid for it, and was able to buy a new Martin OOO0-15M, a new Epiphone Slash Les Paul, and a Positive Grid Mini amp with the money! If you try out the OOO-16 Streetmaster, with it's VTS Adirondack spruce top, you will hear what I'm talking about - it really does make a difference. If you ever go to the Martin factory, go to their player's room and play the 000-16 SM and other VTS topp'd offerings and compare the sound to their non-VTS countertops. You will see the difference is night and day. When I have a little more money I'm going to sell the 000-15M and buy the 000-16 Streetmaster for sure. The tone was nicer IMHO than the 000-18 and the D-28 HD they had on the wall.
Both sound great. Personally I am intrigued by both the look and the stability factor with the torrified tops. Having a guitar built by a luthier sometime this year, and trying to see if torrified Adirondack will be a possibility for us. She is an amazing builder, but has not used baked wood as of yet. Going to be a great guitar either way, I know that, but as someone who gigs a ton, and flies with my guitars from time to time, I want it to be as stable as possible. My main acoustic that I have played for 14 years now has an Engleman spruce top, and despite my efforts to keep it at the proper humidity all the Time, I have gigged The crap out of it, and the top moves with the changing seasons, so it might require a neck reset soon. It sounds glorious, but it’s time for a stable mate :-) I want to keep that old guitar around forever
I have the Eastman E40D non-TC and I love the sound.I didn't even know there was a TC version until I saw this video. I've been listening with AKG studio headphones and I didn't hear much of a difference. The non-TC is a little more crisp and focused...
So much possibility when these two get played in and the wood relaxes, especially the tc. Would be very interested to see. So the conclusion is both are very good and well build guitars.
Difference was so subtle I didn’t pick it up thru my phone speaker. That is why you go in and play before you buy if you can. Check out sound and playability for yourself. But I love these videos for those of us who can’t do that. The gentlemen aren’t only informative, they are entertaining.👏😉
Both very nice. I have an E40D and really like it. The TC sounds more like my older Gibson. It has a little less brightness and sustain, or as you described "A more rounded" sound.
So I made the decision back in 2016 to by a Blueridge BR-180A And I love that guitar so much. It’s really starting to shine these days with growth in the tone of it. The Eastman E40D is an exceptional guitar that I would be interested in. But the price point has really jumped on both brands as of late. The Eastman is still a good deal, but with less frills I can still buy a Martin D-28 for similar money. So I’m torn. If somebody offered me one or the other due to price I’d go Martin. Sorry folks for 2495.00 on the Eastman, I’ll keep my 1300.00 BR-180A from 2016 and buy a new Martin.
I have the Br180A Blue Ridge as well and I also have the Eastman E-40D. I will say, the sound of the Blue Ridge is pretty close to this, but the feel of the Eastman E40 is way better. It inspires me to write songs far more than the BR180A I get lost playing it where with the Br180A I often put it down unenthused. The sound is great though, I’ll give you that.
The non tor has more low end or fundamental and I prefer it from that perspective. The thermo has some more air. Maybe the tor feels more responsive or some
I dont care much for how a guitar looks. I would be curious to see/hear a comparison between an E 20D TC and E 40D TC. Is the price difference just about the looks?
B to me sounds bettahh...B for Bettah...haven't watched the reveal yet...be interesting to find out which one I prefer by ear. Editing in: Wow, I am way suprised at me preferring the non thermo curred guitar...I have to take into consideration the whole guitar>mic>interface>into DAW>back out of DAW into speakers...etc...thing...if I was in a room where the guitars are going right into my ears, the pick might be a completely different story...which also lends to the concept that recording a guitar with one mic might sound great, but then with another mic recording the exact same guitar, maybe not so much....thanks for the comparison, folks.
I preferred the non-torrefied guitar! It seemed a little more "in your face." The TC sounded just a tiny bit muddy. I'm using good monitors to listen. That said, I might choose the TC due to the color. They are that close in sound.
Both sounded great. Guitar A sounded "older" to me, kind of like a typical "mid- scoop". It sounded a little drier and woody. Guitar B was a little more prominent in the lower mid and mid range. Other than that, they were about as similar as any two guitars could be.
That d40 would be nice with Madagascar instead of Indian Rosewood. I do like the sound of the thermo cured top. At the same time I like a guitar to naturally age. On the fence on this one guy's.
To me both are great of course - but yeah thermo cured has a bit more richness in the sound. Eastman really has the martin spirit but made in china... which is great for the price. I love Martin but with inflation prices have gone crazy !!!
I'm not 100% sure but I suspect it's because they default to Indian Rosewood and only have a couple of models made with Madagascar. Their Madagascar models are also designated with "MR" in the titles
I’m not a big fan of the torrified tops. Reason being, a very old school luthier i live near said although they may sound better brand new, the process will limit how much the guitar will continue to age and open up. Effectively the torrified tops are about as good as they will ever be leaving the untreated tops to age continueously. Not sure how true this is but, I’d does make sense. Pretty nice guitars!
In our experience, this is not actually the case. Torrefied tops absolutely open up the more they are played. However, torrefied vs. natural is all personal preference at the end of the day! Thanks for watching!
It depends on the player. Two people can play the same guitar and have different opinions. I prefer the uncurled myself. Beauty is in the Ears of the Holder.
Are you guys gonna carry Larrivee again? Tney are prob not huge sellers but I thinks the 40,50 and 60 series are some of the best sounding guitars out there. Ps- I like the unbaked better...sounded more traditional. What's wrong with my speakers?
Can’t make my mind up to the guitar I like best the e40 tc or the touchtone but for me I think e40 because of the red spruce top you just can’t do better than red spruce for bluegrass
To be honest, the differences I hear, after hearing again and again, are almost nothing. I'd rather buy the "cheaper" one, and just "age" with me.... 😀
Guitar A is my favorite, glad to see that is the TC top! A more rounded tone, even across all strings. The standard top is nice, if you like that tone of a new, modern guitar. I’m a banjo player, not much of a guitar player- but I know the tone I like in guitars, and the TC has it! A vintage tone for a vintage guy like me. (Maybe I should start looking for one of these Eastman TC 40 series! Thanks for the blind test.
I have spoke with Jackson and he has sent me samples of a lefty..yeah unfortunately we Southpaw are always limited if a store has one good guitar thats good but we need to compare to another and another. It would be absolutely amazing to have at least a few (5-6) choices to pick from.
I've been watching the various videos of the Yamaha FG9 and while they sound nice, at around $4000, they don't hold a candle to these Eastman's that are much less. These really are miracle guitars. My son bought the E40-OM and I bought the E40-D and these are two of the best guitars I've ever played...superior to my Martin D-28 from the 70s....they were set-up to perfection before they arrived too...
I prefer the non torrified sound. I keep wanting to prefer the torrified but its just not happening. Found that to be true with the VERY limited amount of baked tops I've gotten to play. I did play an incredible torrified top om a few years back so ill always give it a chance.. It'd be best to play them side by side when buying but I'd choose a traditional top if playing them wasn't an option. Still such an underrated acoustic guitar channel! Thanks
Thank you for watching!
J
Congrats on becoming the world's #1 dealer of Eastman acoustics!
Thanks so much!
I purchased a Martin custom D-1 at the 1992 Winter NAMM show that was a beautiful guitar. I injured my shoulder shortly afterwards and when I recovered I was unable to play a dreadnought sized guitar comfortably. So I put the guitar in its case and purchased a much smaller used 1948 Martin O-15 that did the trick. When I pulled the D-1 out of it case to restring it and put it up for sale in 2021, the tone had become Amazing and the top had become a beautiful deep amber color! It was so beautiful that my wife didn't want me to sell it when she saw it! The Great news is that I was able to sell it for 2.5 times what I paid for it, and was able to buy a new Martin OOO0-15M, a new Epiphone Slash Les Paul, and a Positive Grid Mini amp with the money! If you try out the OOO-16 Streetmaster, with it's VTS Adirondack spruce top, you will hear what I'm talking about - it really does make a difference. If you ever go to the Martin factory, go to their player's room and play the 000-16 SM and other VTS topp'd offerings and compare the sound to their non-VTS countertops. You will see the difference is night and day. When I have a little more money I'm going to sell the 000-15M and buy the 000-16 Streetmaster for sure. The tone was nicer IMHO than the 000-18 and the D-28 HD they had on the wall.
Ordered an E20D-SB from local dealer in October expecting delivery in January. Latest update is now April delivery. Can’t wait.
Woohoo! Excited for you!
Both sound great. Personally I am intrigued by both the look and the stability factor with the torrified tops. Having a guitar built by a luthier sometime this year, and trying to see if torrified Adirondack will be a possibility for us. She is an amazing builder, but has not used baked wood as of yet. Going to be a great guitar either way, I know that, but as someone who gigs a ton, and flies with my guitars from time to time, I want it to be as stable as possible. My main acoustic that I have played for 14 years now has an Engleman spruce top, and despite my efforts to keep it at the proper humidity all the Time, I have gigged The crap out of it, and the top moves with the changing seasons, so it might require a neck reset soon. It sounds glorious, but it’s time for a stable mate :-) I want to keep that old guitar around forever
Thanks for watching!
TC for me. I played an e8d-tc and an e20d in store and preferred the e8d-tc and eventually bought it. No regrets.
I preferred the TC. The clarity of tone was noticeable on my iPhone with ear plugs. I own an Eastman E10 TC and love it
E10s are great! Thanks for watching!
I have the Eastman E40D non-TC and I love the sound.I didn't even know there was a TC version until I saw this video. I've been listening with AKG studio headphones and I didn't hear much of a difference. The non-TC is a little more crisp and focused...
EXACTLY!!!
Really appreciate this channel
Thank you for watching!
The sound from the TC is a softer and warmer played in instrument. Where the non-TC has a sharper brighter ring to it.
So much possibility when these two get played in and the wood relaxes, especially the tc. Would be very interested to see. So the conclusion is both are very good and well build guitars.
Difference was so subtle I didn’t pick it up thru my phone speaker. That is why you go in and play before you buy if you can. Check out sound and playability for yourself. But I love these videos for those of us who can’t do that. The gentlemen aren’t only informative, they are entertaining.👏😉
Thank you for the kind words!
Can I put 013 to 056 strings on the Eastman E40D-TC?
Absolutely!
Both very nice. I have an E40D and really like it. The TC sounds more like my older Gibson. It has a little less brightness and sustain, or as you described "A more rounded" sound.
When do you think you'll have more of these in stock?
We're looking at the first of next year to hopefully have some in!
@@AcousticShoppe Perfect, thank you!
So I made the decision back in 2016 to by a Blueridge BR-180A
And I love that guitar so much. It’s really starting to shine these days with growth in the tone of it. The Eastman E40D is an exceptional guitar that I would be interested in. But the price point has really jumped on both brands as of late. The Eastman is still a good deal, but with less frills I can still buy a Martin D-28 for similar money. So I’m torn. If somebody offered me one or the other due to price I’d go Martin. Sorry folks for 2495.00 on the Eastman, I’ll keep my 1300.00 BR-180A from 2016 and buy a new Martin.
I have the Br180A Blue Ridge as well and I also have the Eastman E-40D.
I will say, the sound of the Blue Ridge is pretty close to this, but the feel of the Eastman E40 is way better. It inspires me to write songs far more than the BR180A
I get lost playing it where with the Br180A I often put it down unenthused. The sound is great though, I’ll give you that.
The non tor has more low end or fundamental and I prefer it from that perspective. The thermo has some more air. Maybe the tor feels more responsive or some
Great demo and video. I could tell the biggest difference in tone on the lower notes like hitting the low G when strumming.
Thanks for watching!
Fantastic! I just bought a E8-D and I love it! I was surprised I actually preferred the regular top.
Those E8-Ds are AWESOME! Thanks for watching.
I dont care much for how a guitar looks. I would be curious to see/hear a comparison between an E 20D TC and E 40D TC. Is the price difference just about the looks?
B to me sounds bettahh...B for Bettah...haven't watched the reveal yet...be interesting to find out which one I prefer by ear. Editing in: Wow, I am way suprised at me preferring the non thermo curred guitar...I have to take into consideration the whole guitar>mic>interface>into DAW>back out of DAW into speakers...etc...thing...if I was in a room where the guitars are going right into my ears, the pick might be a completely different story...which also lends to the concept that recording a guitar with one mic might sound great, but then with another mic recording the exact same guitar, maybe not so much....thanks for the comparison, folks.
All fair points. Thank you for watching! We appreciate you taking the time to leave us this comment. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe for more!
Non-torrified is my vote.
I preferred the non-torrefied guitar! It seemed a little more "in your face." The TC sounded just a tiny bit muddy. I'm using good monitors to listen. That said, I might choose the TC due to the color. They are that close in sound.
Thanks for watching!
Both sounded great. Guitar A sounded "older" to me, kind of like a typical "mid- scoop". It sounded a little drier and woody. Guitar B was a little more prominent in the lower mid and mid range. Other than that, they were about as similar as any two guitars could be.
Really cool demonstration I too like the aged top I think they have a much deeper and richer sound. Thanks for demonstrating these great guitars.
Absolutely! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
I am going with the thermo cured.
Thank you for taking the time to watch!
That d40 would be nice with Madagascar instead of Indian Rosewood. I do like the sound of the thermo cured top. At the same time I like a guitar to naturally age.
On the fence on this one guy's.
I liked the standard one more.
Great video!
I slightly preferred A over B, but thought that B was the tc. So it turns out that I preferred the tc.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching!
To me both are great of course - but yeah thermo cured has a bit more richness in the sound. Eastman really has the martin spirit but made in china... which is great for the price. I love Martin but with inflation prices have gone crazy !!!
Would love to hear a 40d matchup against a Collings D1 & bourgeois D
We'd love to do that. We'll keep that in mind! Thanks for watching, please like, share, and subscribe for more!
Both great, but I agree that the tc has a rounder fuller sound, like a classic pre-war Martin or Gibson. Thanks.
Thank you for watching!
Why don’t they specify which rosewood it is on the website
I'm not 100% sure but I suspect it's because they default to Indian Rosewood and only have a couple of models made with Madagascar. Their Madagascar models are also designated with "MR" in the titles
Have an E40D and I love it. E40D-TC sounds good too...
Both are great guitars!
I’m not a big fan of the torrified tops. Reason being, a very old school luthier i live near said although they may sound better brand new, the process will limit how much the guitar will continue to age and open up. Effectively the torrified tops are about as good as they will ever be leaving the untreated tops to age continueously. Not sure how true this is but, I’d does make sense. Pretty nice guitars!
In our experience, this is not actually the case. Torrefied tops absolutely open up the more they are played. However, torrefied vs. natural is all personal preference at the end of the day! Thanks for watching!
I heard this guitars with a headphone on You Tube. There is not much difference but to me Guitar A ( TC) sounded with a Cleaner tone.
Thanks for watching! If you haven't already, please like, share, and subscribe for more content!
It depends on the player. Two people can play the same guitar and have different opinions. I prefer the uncurled myself. Beauty is in the Ears of the Holder.
Wow. In a blind test the non cured sounds much more vibrant to me...
I prefer the sound of the TC. However, both guitars are great!
Yes they are! Thanks for watching!
Are you guys gonna carry Larrivee again? Tney are prob not huge sellers but I thinks the 40,50 and 60 series are some of the best sounding guitars out there. Ps- I like the unbaked better...sounded more traditional. What's wrong with my speakers?
We are looking into it. Thanks for watching!
My ear liked the standard E40d better.
It was easy to hear the difference, I like them both but would probably leave with the tc. Mainly sound but I like the 'old wood' look too.
Thanks for watching! Feel free to like, share, and subscribe for more!
Can’t make my mind up to the guitar I like best the e40 tc or the touchtone but for me I think e40 because of the red spruce top you just can’t do better than red spruce for bluegrass
That's a great point, it's hard to beat the Adirondack!
Nice guitars............both excellent
I like the original better than the TC
To be honest, the differences I hear, after hearing again and again, are almost nothing.
I'd rather buy the "cheaper" one, and just "age" with me.... 😀
The guy who gets that TC is one lucky person! 😳🙋♂️
Indeed! Thanks for watching!
I love the TC. I prefer that vintage tone.
Thanks for watching!
I like the non tc version more.
WOW !!!!!!! Greetings from Europe .
Hello to Europe! Thanks for watching!
The cured top has a richer tone to my ear.
No basic differences = marketing benefits
Guitar A is my favorite, glad to see that is the TC top! A more rounded tone, even across all strings. The standard top is nice, if you like that tone of a new, modern guitar. I’m a banjo player, not much of a guitar player- but I know the tone I like in guitars, and the TC has it! A vintage tone for a vintage guy like me. (Maybe I should start looking for one of these Eastman TC 40 series! Thanks for the blind test.
Glad you found it helpful. Thanks for watching!
Guitar "A" is tc. I perfer the non-tc sound.
Thanks for watching!
Guitar A was much better-big difference on the slides-stands out there giving you a better tone-that was the big kicker for me
That's fair! Thank you for watching! Please like, share, and subscribe for more!
Well, color me surprised. I thought guitar b sounded light years better.
Fun. "b" for me.
Thanks for watching!
Guitar "A: is the torrified top .
Kiln not Kilm.
Too mutch talking
So close. B for me.
Thanks for watching! Be sure to like, share, and subscribe for more!
B all day
Dream store for a right handed player.....unfortunately for me I'm left handed. DISCRIMINATORS! 😜
We have lefty instruments on order!🤣
I have spoke with Jackson and he has sent me samples of a lefty..yeah unfortunately we Southpaw are always limited if a store has one good guitar thats good but we need to compare to another and another. It would be absolutely amazing to have at least a few (5-6) choices to pick from.
Obtw if you have a lefty player let him or her do some videos please..Were always left out..lol
Come on man shut your trap and let us here the guitars. That's what we want. Thank uou
If you want to "here" only the guitars, check out this video: th-cam.com/video/kibTr_MK5Yo/w-d-xo.html
This looks like a Martin D45 knockoff