Personally, Eastman guitars are much better than Taylor guitars. At Eastman, the guitars are made entirely by hand, by real master luthiers. I own a Martin D15m, an Eastman AC 222 ce, and can already tell you that my next guitar will also be an Eastman. The whole series of AC222ce, AC322ce and AC422ce are really fabulous. Plus, Eastman's E1D, E6D, E8D, E10D, and E20D dreadnoughts sound amazing. Eastman, I highly recommend.
Great guitar. I own one for a year now. I wanted to use it as a back up for my 1973 Martin D-35, but I use both guitars now almost 50/50. De AC422 replaced the 2010 Taylor 414CE I had. A guitar that costs almost twice as much as the Eastman.....The Taylor is a nice guitar, but the pick up system (ES-1) wasn't that good and I preferred both the acoustic sound of the Eastman and the sound with the LR Baggs VTC pick up. I actually also put a LR Baggs VTC in my Martin because I liked it so much in the AC422. Works great!! So yeah, Eastman guitars are amazing value for the money!!
Value for money is what all the Eastman guitars are about! We love the L.R. Baggs systems so much here, it’s pretty much the only brand we use to build pick ups into acoustics 👌🏻
Thanks bradley! That's a nice pair as well indeed! If you are looking for another one then maybe we could help you out with finding it ;) You know where to find us!
I have this model, also a AC-OM2, as said they are fantastic guitars (period), then you look at the price?, blows the competition away. Had a Martin OM-21 and a Taylor 414CE, the AC422CE is just as good at a much better price!
Thanks for your review. Those single notes sound very nice. I have an AC222 which I love but this one sounds like it has more gravitas from the rosewood and I love the bound fretboard and the appointments. I also flipped a 522ce with the engelmann top. I didn’t like that one. I think the Sitka sounds crisper. I want one!!
Great video Michael, I have been looking at these and tried the mahogany version. I want to compare this one, just a tad fuller. Playability is great and the spacing is a good compromise. I have strong nails (I also teach classical) and found fingerpicking really comfortable.
One thing I'm bummed about is apparently for the 422ce sold to the Netherlands they have the embellished fretboard inlays unlike mine here in the USA which only has dots lol. Very minor but when I saw yours I got a lil jealous I have to admit lol
Not true...I own one and it has wooden bridge pins, bone nut and saddle unlike the Taylor 614ce which has fucking tusq saddle and nut and that's a 3k guitar. I sold my Breedlove to buy this used in like new condition from an old man who had bought it new 3 months prior and got it for only $850. Best decision I ever made.
I had an Eastman AC622CE and was super disappointed by the tone. In isolation, everything you want was there, sustain, projection, volume, lows and highs, BUT the tone was so uninspiring and non-musical. Yes, I did try different strings. No, I didn't test the guitar in person prior to purchase and that is exactly my point. These guitars look and sound amazing on UA-cam (especially for the price), but you need to test and ideally compare them with different brands in your hands in a room.
Btw, they sound very comparable to other bigger, more expensive brands. So I’m not sure what you’re hearing or not hearing. IMO this range sounds a bit different but as good as Taylors.
I did my research on UA-cam and that was part of my point. What you hear through UA-cam and what you hear and feel in the room are different things. You are clearly biased towards Eastman and that’s great. I was disappointed and got something that makes me happy every time I pick it up.
@@olivercsendes6688 So you’re saying that Eastmans sound worse than they do in videos but the Taylors (or whatever brand) they’re comparing it to sound accurate? That’s impossible unless they’re doctoring the audio in post processing. I’m only biased toward Eastman in that I’ve played several and own one that sounds as good or better than all of the videos I watched about it. It’s an E10SS. Here’s the deal: Obviously they’re not going to sound exactly the same as they do in a video because you’re not just hearing the guitar. You’re hearing the mic they’re using, the preamp, whatever post processing/mixing, the sound of the room, etc. This is why people make comparison videos so you can hear 2 or more different models under the same circumstances. You bought a guitar thinking it would sound exactly the same as it did in the video, but obviously it didn’t and you were disappointed. Now you’re taking that one experience with one guitar and making a blanket comment about all Eastman guitars. But yeah, I recommend to anyone to always play a guitar (especially acoustic) before buying. It’s a risk otherwise.
Personally, Eastman guitars are much better than Taylor guitars. At Eastman, the guitars are made entirely by hand, by real master luthiers. I own a Martin D15m, an Eastman AC 222 ce, and can already tell you that my next guitar will also be an Eastman.
The whole series of AC222ce, AC322ce and AC422ce are really fabulous. Plus, Eastman's E1D, E6D, E8D, E10D, and E20D dreadnoughts sound amazing. Eastman, I highly recommend.
Great guitar. I own one for a year now. I wanted to use it as a back up for my 1973 Martin D-35, but I use both guitars now almost 50/50. De AC422 replaced the 2010 Taylor 414CE I had. A guitar that costs almost twice as much as the Eastman.....The Taylor is a nice guitar, but the pick up system (ES-1) wasn't that good and I preferred both the acoustic sound of the Eastman and the sound with the LR Baggs VTC pick up. I actually also put a LR Baggs VTC in my Martin because I liked it so much in the AC422. Works great!!
So yeah, Eastman guitars are amazing value for the money!!
Value for money is what all the Eastman guitars are about! We love the L.R. Baggs systems so much here, it’s pretty much the only brand we use to build pick ups into acoustics 👌🏻
Very nice balanced useful review
Very good demo. Nice guitar. I've a E10ss and E20D tc but always looking for another. 👀
Thanks bradley! That's a nice pair as well indeed! If you are looking for another one then maybe we could help you out with finding it ;) You know where to find us!
I have this model, also a AC-OM2, as said they are fantastic guitars (period), then you look at the price?, blows the competition away. Had a Martin OM-21 and a Taylor 414CE, the AC422CE is just as good at a much better price!
Thanks for your review. Those single notes sound very nice. I have an AC222 which I love but this one sounds like it has more gravitas from the rosewood and I love the bound fretboard and the appointments. I also flipped a 522ce with the engelmann top. I didn’t like that one. I think the Sitka sounds crisper. I want one!!
It’s definitely a warmer sounding and brighter sounds guitar, with chords and single note lines!
Great video Michael, I have been looking at these and tried the mahogany version. I want to compare this one, just a tad fuller. Playability is great and the spacing is a good compromise. I have strong nails (I also teach classical) and found fingerpicking really comfortable.
One thing I'm bummed about is apparently for the 422ce sold to the Netherlands they have the embellished fretboard inlays unlike mine here in the USA which only has dots lol. Very minor but when I saw yours I got a lil jealous I have to admit lol
According to the specs on the Eastman website it has Black Plastic bridgepins? Why not Ebony pins?
Not true...I own one and it has wooden bridge pins, bone nut and saddle unlike the Taylor 614ce which has fucking tusq saddle and nut and that's a 3k guitar. I sold my Breedlove to buy this used in like new condition from an old man who had bought it new 3 months prior and got it for only $850. Best decision I ever made.
Love that intro piece - is it an original composition
Jup! I always compose a chord progression on the spot, and do a little improv over that progression!
Have you tried the Ac 322? Which is better?
They are not better or worse they are just different tones, mahogany more mids, rosewood more highs and bass. You need both.
I had an Eastman AC622CE and was super disappointed by the tone. In isolation, everything you want was there, sustain, projection, volume, lows and highs, BUT the tone was so uninspiring and non-musical. Yes, I did try different strings. No, I didn't test the guitar in person prior to purchase and that is exactly my point. These guitars look and sound amazing on UA-cam (especially for the price), but you need to test and ideally compare them with different brands in your hands in a room.
There are a ton of videos directly comparing these guitars to other brands on UA-cam. Sounds like you didn’t do enough research.
Btw, they sound very comparable to other bigger, more expensive brands. So I’m not sure what you’re hearing or not hearing. IMO this range sounds a bit different but as good as Taylors.
I did my research on UA-cam and that was part of my point. What you hear through UA-cam and what you hear and feel in the room are different things.
You are clearly biased towards Eastman and that’s great. I was disappointed and got something that makes me happy every time I pick it up.
@@olivercsendes6688 So you’re saying that Eastmans sound worse than they do in videos but the Taylors (or whatever brand) they’re comparing it to sound accurate? That’s impossible unless they’re doctoring the audio in post processing. I’m only biased toward Eastman in that I’ve played several and own one that sounds as good or better than all of the videos I watched about it. It’s an E10SS.
Here’s the deal: Obviously they’re not going to sound exactly the same as they do in a video because you’re not just hearing the guitar. You’re hearing the mic they’re using, the preamp, whatever post processing/mixing, the sound of the room, etc. This is why people make comparison videos so you can hear 2 or more different models under the same circumstances. You bought a guitar thinking it would sound exactly the same as it did in the video, but obviously it didn’t and you were disappointed. Now you’re taking that one experience with one guitar and making a blanket comment about all Eastman guitars.
But yeah, I recommend to anyone to always play a guitar (especially acoustic) before buying. It’s a risk otherwise.
Eastman sounds boxy.
Is that good or bad?