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Thank you! That's awfully kind of you. Have a great day!

Thanks so much! I would agree for the most part for sure all things considered as far as tone. Alvarez is great too. Curious what boutiques you had tried as well!

Have to agree 🤣

Thank you so much!

Definitely a very different sound. It’s like the Gibson dred versus Martin dred. I’m thinking about getting an Eastman slope shoulder though! I’ve been impressed with them!

Yes. They are hand made with solid wood in Beijing and qc’d by Bourgeois (the well known boutique luthier) who is owned by Eastman.

this Martin actually has alpine top not sitka which is more similar to adi as a top wood.

If it’s 4k it might be worth it if you’re doing any video editing. Might even be nice with just audio as your eyes get tired! I’ve long since changed my setup and no longer use the Raven in my workflow!

Greedy U S businessman will go the way of the dinosaur soon.

Good question. I don’t mix with a sub, but you could still run cable stealthily up a leg of desk.

You and me both!

@@JoshuaKrell I own an Eastman E40D and it's the greatest guitar I've ever played...better than any Martin.... The Adirondack Spruce top on the hand-crafted Eastman vs. Sitka Spruce on the Martin (they are largely machine made these days...). This guitar can be played finger-style! It bright and has a rich bottom end: supremely balanced...

@@myguitardetective5961 this doesn’t surprise me! I’ve always preferred Adirondack spruce to Sitka. And I’d have to agree with that sentiment. Years ago when Martin was still exclusively hand made I think it may have been a little different for sure. But now it’s pretty hard to say.

Definitely a cool contender!

...but on the other hand the martin isn't 3-4x better than the Eastman.

@@madmikkelsen7008 thanks for your comment! I would agree overall the Martin does sound better. But I don’t think it’s a 3-4 times difference in price for sure. And between the two, the Eastman played better feel wise!

@@eduardorojasjimenez883 tbh, nothing will ever beat solid wood. I have recently had a lot of experience with a ton of high end carbon fiber guitars and while it’s great for humidity ect it still isn’t there! For the money man I’d look into Eastman’s line. They make one of the best solid wood guitars on a budget around. I’ve had over 30 of my students in the last year and half buy Eastmans. Across the board they’re fantastic!

Haha 😆 I don’t own either of those!

@@JoshuaKrell I don't care who owns it, just send it to me 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@@jeffthevideoguy23 Bahahaha 🫡

@@georgeargon5113 I would say that was the very point. I recorded numerous projects with Eastman guitars right alongside Martin’s, Taylor’s and Gibsons of high end make. I would hazard very few could hear the difference. But you are right in a sense. I compared a mid tier Eastman up against Martin’s high end. I’d love to eventually do a higher end Eastman up against a higher end Martin. I think it would be really cool to hear.

I appreciate your thoughts!

I’d have to agree with that assumption of knowing the Martin sound. It’s very distinctive finally. It even smelled like a Martin 😅

@@JoshuaKrell I believe Martin Uses Spanish Cedar for its Kerfing. I traded my D-41 years ago, but i'll never forget the way it smelled 🥲

Thanks so much Bryan! That means a ton to me. And so glad I saved you some time and money on the raven! 😊 thanks for the subscribe! I have a studio tour video coming up next!

I think there are many guitars that are competitive or superior. If you are wanting to spend $8k on a guitar there are plenty of great offerings. Collings, Santa Cruz, Thompson, Lowden, Bourgeois all have great if not superior offerings in the same price range. To say nothing of Greenfield, Beneteau or Olson. My point is Eastman punches above its weight and offers a more affordable but well made alternative.

You might’ve noticed I had a 5k iMac in that old video! My current setup now thought I opted for a mastering style desk with a 36” curved ultra wide monitor.

@@JoshuaKrell I need to upgrade, either a Mac studio or a MacBook Pro. I’ve had a few offers for some placements etc, but I need to travel, and they have other daws which I can use but prefer cuebase after over 2 decades of using it. so I’m thinking MacBook Pro plus a widescreen at home. Was looking at monitors. Would be good to see yours. My 2017 iMac is still good but when I’m running loads of buss and processors it sometimes crashes. I fear for all my plug ins that I forget. I also have an older MacBook Pro 2017 won’t cope and fear that I should get a Mac studio. So I’m stuck what to get. Most studios don’t use cuebase, I’m even thinking to switch daws but I know mine inside out like you said about yours. I can use them all but cuebase is by far the best IMO, it’s similar to pro tools out of them all but for me much better. Idk. Man would be cool to get some guitar loops acoustic if you have a load.

@@libtekk I have a Mac Studio m1x, Mac mini m1 and MacBook Air m1. The Apple silicon tech is great!!

Cubase is great. It was my first DAW. I’ve used pro tools for years now too because so many production houses use it, but I’m prob gonna be fully making the move to logic for music and mixing and editing in pro tools.

I have a luthier work through all my guitars just like every guitar. Every Martin I’ve ever owned needed nut filing and saddle adjustments as well as fret filing in all but one case. Out of curiosity, where did you order your Eastman?

I believe that was 2017 or 2018 iMac 27” 5k. It had an hdmi port. So I never used an adapter. Plugged straight in via hdmi and then the usb for touch.

It’s a magnet actually for the Soundbrenner Metronome smart watch, which does have a tuner built in. But that part you see is just the magnet that allows the smart watch head to attach. It’s an adhesive that doesn’t damage the finish. I don’t have it on there anymore.

Back then when I had a really bad autofocus camera, I wasted a LOT of time filming looking straight into the camera when the whole time I was filming it was not focusing.

Thanks man! 😊

Definitely a strong contender!

I think the Martin was in a different league. It was obvious once I heard B. The Eastman sounded fine, but there are 10 other companies that produce the same tone. Nothing sounds like a Martin.

@@shawnsnow6413I did enjoy the tone of the Martin, but for the money I'd probably go Collings. I think the Eastman punches way above its price. I'd also like to hear the Eastman after it's been played a while.

@@madmikkelsen7008 Nothing against Eastman. I recommended one to a guy this weekend. Eastman and Blue ridge are hard to beat for the price. I've tried Collings, Huss & Dalton, Bourgeois, Santa Cruz, and tons of boutique guitars. Collings are great but a used D2H is going to cost about twice as much as a used Martin HD-28. Every individual guitar is different, but they are generally going to have a distinct sound. I usually prefer Martin, but I'm a traditionalist.

It may have to do with the Madagascar back and sides which is known for being more balanced. I have recorded several other 42 recently of East Indian rosewood back and sides and they are significantly more boomy and harder to record. Even this Martin sounded more balanced then the East Indian rosewood versions I’ve recorded.

Well said! There’s obviously a noticeable difference. My question is, is it a $5000 difference. That Martin went for over $7k originally whereas this Eastman runs a ballpark of $2k. Different guitars for different situations 😊 however, it is cool to see the amount of value you can get in a guitar now. I remember even when I was starting out how bad guitars were sub a grand!

@@JoshuaKrell , a D-18 or a D-28 would be a more appropriate comparison, at least pricewise. the 42 has all the trim, inlay, and binding that make it cost more, but it's not a better guitar than several lesser expensive Martins. for me, I think a D-18 is about as good as dreadnaught style guitars can get. played many Eastmans and found them a wee heavy. I own and enjoy an Eastman mandolin.

@@ZionForman as someone who has owned both a D18 and a D28. The d18 is Martin’s most balanced recording dreadnought. It’s what nearly all my luthier contacts recommend in Martin’s lineup due to mahogany being significantly more balanced as a tone wood for recording. I would also say, as someone who has owned both, the e20d which is exactly spec’d as a 28 and the e10d eastman’s d18 clone having played both side by side the Martin equivalents, playability is significantly better on the Eastman. I have had 4 students in the last year buy Martins. 18 and 28 and return them and swap out for Eastman just because of Martin’s poor quality control. And had two students last year buy a 42 and a 41 and have issues and trade them in for a couple different Eastmans. Food for thought. Curious what you mean by heavy? Do you mean actual weight wise? That’s super cool about your mandolin. I’ve been thinking about adding one as well!

@@JoshuaKrell , by heavy I mean weight, I like a guitar under four pounds (preferably), dreadnaughts around 4 lbs. anything 5 lbs. or more is too heavy. usually this is due to a guitar being overbuilt. that has been my main criticism of Eastman guitars. I also teach and so have probably touched over a thousand guitars in my lifetime, if not many more. haven't noticed a pattern of quality control issues on either Martin or Eastman, though I have seen issues, maintenance, and sometimes repair needs on all instruments. I don't think Martin makes the best guitar on planet earth (though I love them), and I do think Eastman is a good value (I like them).

@@ZionForman I can appreciate that. I have noticed that on eastman’s line are slightly heavier. That’s good to hear you haven’t run into any issues. I have seen thousands of guitars through my studio and done setups on and repairs on many of those I don’t send off to my luthiers. Hundreds of Martins of every shape and style. About 40 percent have complaints. I should also note that the two aforementioned 40 series martins were bought directly from Pennsylvania and shipped from Martin not a retailer which is disheartening. May-haps it they would’ve faired better with Sweetwater’s 55 point check over 😉 or if not at least they’d have a whole bunch of voicemails from their rep!

Hand made in Beijing by people who literally hand make violins and cellos. Additionally, Eastman guitars are QC’d by the boutique luthier Bourgeois whom Eastman owns. They are incredibly high quality guitars. From my own master luthier, “the only reason these guitars aren’t double or triple the price is they are offshored where cost of labor and materials is lower, because the craftsmanship and playability is incredible.”

Sure thing. Eq was flat and gain was adjusted to where I was averaging -18 in Pro Tools.

Appreciate your engagement LOL

Thanks man! Yes, both are solid wood top back and sides. Solid Adirondack spruce for the Eastman and solid Alpine spruce for the Martin top. Then back and sides are a Madagascar Rosewood. The wood types are very similar but this variation of the Martin was a little over $7k new whereas the Eastman is just over $2k at time of this video.

100%! I wouldn’t buy anything new from Martin. Last year I had a student buy a brand new Martin d41 from the factory and straight up it needed $500 worth of luthier work just to make it play well… not a good sign for a guitar with that price tag.

Extremely hard to believe.🤔 Lightweight is good by the way

@@LegsON I’ve seen so many larger name guitars come through with glaring issues it’s ceased to surprise me now. I literally just had another higher end Gibson come through picked up by a student straight from their factory who didn’t know any better. It had raised frets at numerous spots and a nut cut so low that it was fretting out terribly.

@@JoshuaKrell I can easily believe US guitars often have awful setup, but it's hard to believe a very inexpensive Chinese Guild sounds better than them, since Asian factory guitars are almost always overbuilt when compared to US ones. Plus they often have much thicker finish. I say that as an avid lover of Asian budget brands myself.

@@LegsON I def take your point on that. I will say that this specific e20D was heavier than previous models I’ve played. And by contrast, the 42 in this video was significantly lighter than any 42 or even just Martin dread in general that I have played which I considered a good thing as I contributed a lot of that to why it resonated so well.

Appreciate the comment! I thought it was pretty incredible just how different they sound between the two with such similar tone woods. Even the bracing is virtually the same. I would agree tonally for playing the Martin does have a wider more rich tone and larger bottom end. But in terms of balance I would disagree. I recorded a couple albums now on Martin d41 and d42 and for recording these do record very well. They are unbalanced due to the massive low end. Even with good mic placement I still spent a lot of time with eq and multi band compression to get them to sit properly in a mix. And in a live environment it’s the same thing as well. My luthier actually always recommends mahogany back and sides guitars over rosewood for this very reason. The Eastman does record slightly better in this case and sticks out in the mix better just naturally due to a less massive low end. That being said, the 42 is remarkably enjoyable to play. With better fretwork it would be even better. This is the 7th 40 series Martin I’ve seen in the last year that has less than solid fretwork! 😬

appreciate it man!

thanks you!

Do you record direct? It was bleeding into my mics.

@@JoshuaKrell I only have the vibrations when playing the keyboard to record midi data.

Thanks Kurt! We appreciate it!