Eastman E20P

[GGJaguar]

On the playlist for this weekend is my 2011 E20P. I love this guitar, but haven't played it in a long time because it desperately needed new strings and I'm getting cranky about slot-head string changes. But it's got a fresh set of JP PBs and it was well worth a couple of "string stings". The E20P is called a parlor guitar by Eastman, but it's about the same size as a Martin 0 guitar. It definitely punches above its weight and sounds huge - more like a 12-fret 000 than an 0-size. In fact, I've played a few of these in shops and twice someone came up to me and said they thought I was playing a much larger guitar. It's that loud, really! The only production guitar that comes close to sounding as good as the E20P is the Recording King RP1-327 and one that sounds better is the Martin 0-28VS (at 3 times the cost).



I got this guitar in early 2012 from Mandolin Brothers (RIP Stan). After I received it, I found that Stan had made a video of LTG member, Howard Emerson @hmemerson giving it a quick play. When I got the guitar, it looked just as it did in the video. You can see how the top has darkened and you can see there is runout which wasn't noticeable before. No matter really, as the guitar has broken in nicely and sounds much better now than it did in the video.

 

[HeyMikey]

Well if they are so well regarded for Dana to partner with them, you are in very good company.

 

[GGJaguar]

Wow, I didn't know that! Very cool!

 

[rmoretti49]

I have played the Eastman E20P, and considered purchasing one. Then I played it head-to-head against my Blueridge BR-361. The Blueridge sounded better. In fairness, however, consider that the Adirondack top of the E20P probably needs time to break in, and the Blueridge was several years old and well broken in. In any case, I think the BR-361 is at least as good as the E20P.

Also, I do not think the Martin 028vs sounds better than the Blueridge BR-361. Again, I played them head-to-head.

Of course, all of this is a matter of taste, and so my remarks here can only definitively apply to me. But really, check out the Blueridge BR-361.

 

[Rocky]

Well if they are so well regarded for Dana to partner with them, you are in very good company.

The Bourgeois/Eastman guitars are, no doubt, wonderful instruments. The price tag is about the same as a similarly appointed Martin.