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antonyiv

I have always fancied a nice ES-335 guitar. After all, this was the only guitar (out of 10) that I guessed on @gringopig 's thread: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/2202989/#Comment_2202989

So far I had a Gibson Midtown and a Gibson ES-335 Dot. Didn't really like any of them and decided to try something else. I was going back and forth between Yamaha SA2200 and Eastman T59V. One day I realized that this is inevitable:





And the next step obviously was to buy both and try them out. 




I've played a couple of Yamaha guitars before and always liked them. Never had the opportunity to try an Eastman though. 

So here is my opinion on these guitars. 

Yamaha SA2200 - Are they worth the hype? 

In a nutshell - yes. Awesome guitars, really like that Yamaha. It is very easy to play and sounds really good. I hate gold hardware but the more I look at it, the more it starts growing on me. I guess I can make exception for one guitar with gold in the stable. It is a bit warmer and brighter than ES-335.  I went to a local guitar store to try their SA 2200 and to compare it with mine. Although there were 15 years difference in production - both looked really similar with that great maple top and felt the same. So in terms of consistency, Yamaha are pretty solid. 


EASTMAN T59V - Is it good?

I was really surprised by this guitar. Yes, it is made in China. But there is no way you can guess that. Everything is superb, great attention to detail, the hardware is top notch. Awesome instrument, feels very solid and plays super easy.  Consistency wise,  I don't know. This is my first Eastman.


How these two compare? 

Both instruments are very similar in feel. Eastman's neck is a bit rounded and more C-shape like. The finish of the Eastman seems to be faded while the Yamaha is gloss. 

First I played my Gretsch Power Jet Pro, then my PRS Stripped 58, then the Yamaha and finally the Eastman. These 4 guitars are pretty similar one to each other in terms of quality -  I didn't feel that I was downgrading while I was switching between them. 

And now what?

Unfortunately, I can have only 2 out 3:

- A marriage
- Yamaha SA2200
- Eastman T59V

I'm gonna play them for a while and decide which one should go. It won't be an easy choice though.