The great SLOPE SHOULDER comparison! GIBSON J45 vs. EPIPHONE J45 vs. EASTMAN E10SS & E20SS 

I'm a luthier at Bourgeois Guitars in Lewiston Maine, for those of you not familiar Eastman has recently purchased Bourgeois and Dana has been working ti improve Eastman, you can see by that first Eastman the Bourgeois flare, I'd go Eastman any day of the week they sound absolutely amazing and built truly by hand. Our production manager and Bourgeois flew out to Eastman to teach how we voice. Not to mention Eastman is LIFE warranty and epi I don't believe offer a warranty.

Since it's better to compare the same thing back to back: 2:17 Epiphone 6:48 Eastman E10SS 11:18 Easmant E20SS 15:42 Gibson J45

Okay, so recently I took my Epi Masterbilt AJ45me with me to Sweetwater to directly compare it to the Gibson J45 standard. I got in a private enclosed room and put them up against one another. Honestly I could not tell the difference. As much as I wanted the Gibson to beat the Epi, it did not and I cannot justify the extra cost of the Gibson. Great video! That Eastman E10 was extremely impressive!

Great review. I’ve owned a Eastman E10SS for about 6 months. I absolutely love it. It is now my main guitar out of my stable. Beautifully crafted and stunning looks. I’ve shelved Gibson, Taylor 314, and a vintage Guild for my Eastman. It has really surprised me. All these guitars are fantastic though!

best and useful demo of the slope shoulder J45-type guitars that I've ever seen. I believe you are gonna have 1 million subscribers very soon.

I eventually bought the eastman e10ss after trying lots of sloped shoulder dreads. It blew all the others away, and the craftsmanship of it is absoloutly stunning. The adirondac spruce top with mahaogany back and sides just makes a perfect combination. The overtones are beautiful.

This is the best demo by far for comparing all these guitars and part of that reason you have very constant playing well done! The demos show each guitar's ability and tonal range. The Eastman E10ss really shines, and the Epiphone really surprises, very good guitar so close. Then the legend the Gibson J45. There is a difference part of it is that our ears have been hearing this guitar for 80 years on some of the best music ever made. One of the reasons was that this tone made the songs sound like they did so its familiar and a huge standard. It does have that fine vintage wine sweet tone like the finish on a fine wine. 95% of rest of the sound or tone is matched by the Epiphone its when you get to that last little bit that taste sweet to me does the difference become apparent, that is at the last little part of the music that is different than the Epiphone. The Eastman has a more refine sound all around that is more balance, clear yet pretty with catching the spirit of the J45 in its own way. I like it. Also one more thought the X bracing angle are a bit wider or larger and the Gibson X bracing angle is more acute smaller than the J35 and Epiphone J45. I would like to find out about the Eastman my ear would guess its more like the J35 more open tonally. The more acute angle tends to shift the focus slightly to the midrange, cutting down on the lows and highs making it a great strummer. The J35 and Eastman seems to have a more open range of tone. Again thanks for the fantastic demo and narration that was fun and informative. Its was a big help. I did sub you!

I like the Eastman E10SS even more than the original Gibson J45. I recently bought an Epiphone J45. I love it. I will probably buy the Eastman when I’m able. 🙂

Great review. Hats off to Epiphone for building a guitar for this price that can be compared to these other fine beauties.

Eastman are great sounding guitars but they don't sound like a J45. The epiphone sounds very similar to a J45, insane value for money.

I’ll say, I was kinda shocked with what my ears heard and liked. I was expecting to LOVE the Gibson the best but I was blown away by the sound the Eastman E10SS had! So good! I think it’s louder than the Gibson, at least from your recording, that’s what I would pick for a budget friendly guitar if I couldn’t afford the Gibson.

Tried out the Eastman, a Gibson J45, and an Epi masterbilt J45. The Epi went home with me. The Eastman was too bright, the Gibby sounded really good, but was nearly 3k. The Epi was $700 out the door and sounds and plays fantastic!

I have the Eastman E20SS and it’s a beast! Plays amazing, has a total roaring tone that just kills live with a Lyric pickup. I’ll probably keep it for life. The Epiphone I tried at a local shop was ok, but I felt the finish was a bit thick and felt like plastic.

I agree, the Eastman E10SS is the one, a real tone monster, and affordable too.

That J45…BOOM! Took my breath away. Great comparison video …thanks

This is flat out the best comparison bar none. Thanks. It is hard to compare the Eastman because it has an Adi top, much like the historial J45. I put my Eastman e10ss under a Tonerite for a week. It will take more time and playing to open it up. But I think I've found my slope-shouldered soulmate.

Thanks. Numerous trys to find THE Gibson J45 for me. I sing and the guitar needs to fit. I got an Eastman E20SS-V-sb, with the vintage varnish that made a difference. For grandson, under $500, Guild Memoir 240 Sunburst. Thanks

This is how to shoot a comparison video. Brilliant 👍🏼

Actually the Eastman e10ss is very traditional. Gibson has a historical model with the same darker sunburst and Adirondack top. We are used to the later sitka-topped J45 with the brighter sunburst.

Nice comparison! I just want to throw this out there for anyone interested in the Eastman options. I just recently got an Eastman E20SS/V, and it is truly fantastic, significantly better than the regular E20SS I was able to demo. I found that the E20SS was very rich with overtones, too much so for my taste. The notes took a while to bloom (kinda like a martin D-35 I had played a while back), and that made single note runs kinda weird. It was a great strummer, as the chords were so thick and full. Any embellishments or runs (kinda like you'd have in bluegrass or acoustic country music) got lost though; they just didn't stand out. The E20SS/V has some of this, but the overtones are more tamed and the individual notes have far more definition. The guitar is more balanced too; I found the regular E20SS to be kinda bassy. The E20SS/V has a very strong bass response, but the treble is able to compete very well with the bass. Single notes have great definition and an immediacy that I'd typically expect from mahogany. It's kind of like a great mahogany guitar with the tonal character of rosewood. The E20SS/V has an overall vintage voice, kinda like a J45 crossed with a D-28, but maybe leaning more towards the D-28. I think it is worlds better than the regular E20SS. It is also extremely loud, which lets me play softer and still be heard well and just makes it easier to play more complicated stuff in a jam context.

Such a brilliant video. The Eastman mahogany is a stunner, both sonically and aesthetically

My two-cents.. the E10SS is hands down the best sounding of them all...

The epi is massively cheaper than the other 3 so in my opinion the epi is like a budget football team with a great manager that is top of the ague.

Sound-wise I think Eastman with rosewood is best, with second Eastman on the second place. But these are a bit different guitars than the Gibson J45 with "modest" but very traditional "signature" sound. Finally I might also chose Epiphone for its price tag and sound somewhere between the Gibson and the Eastmans. Chinese productions are really good nowadays. But it is always good to consider the cost and value of environmental and human rights standards.

Great great video, best I’ve seen on doing a comparison. Thank you for all the time and effort. Your acoustic playing is superb by the way. Two thumbs WAY up 👍👍

Eastman E10SS, EPIPHONE J45, GIBSON J45, Eastman E10SS. This is my preference in order, but really there is very little that I can hear between them. All great-sounding guitars and any of the four would make me very happy to own. Very enjoyable video and well recorded. I really enjoyed it. Well done.

J 45 s are amazing.I'm looking for a second guitar to my Waterloo.I keep thinking that I could get the slope shoulder ,but every time I try to find something that beats the J 45 it wins every time.The Eastman was close,but the bite and touch sensitivity of the Gibson gets it every time.

all fantastic sounding guitars that very few people could tell apart in a blind test, and the Eastman E10 is a stunner visually.......now the question; is the Eastman E10 worth DOUBLE what the Epi costs? That's what I'm gonna have to figure out.

Had both Eastmans. Adirondack top always makes a difference in lushness and dynamics. And pairs well with mahogany. Short scale E20 with rosewood is almost too dreamy and moves away from the woody tones. On a long scale dread, Addy+Rosewood is king.

Great demo and review! Thank you so much for sharing this with us all. Real world playing with no nonsense 🌠🌌🌅👌🙋‍♂️

listened with good headphones. The Gibson is the only one without the boomy bass especially with the g-accord. I like that

They all sounded great, money no object I’d get the Gibson, then the Eastman E10 but for me the Epiphone would be my pick because it’s so much cheaper and still sounds and looks great.

The Eastman E20 closely followed by the E10 blew the others away in my opinion. But then anyone that knows my channel knows im obsessed with Eastman haha, although there acoustics are new to me personally having only tried my first one a few weeks back. they are just the perfect guitars and long may they continue to be,.

The Eastmon sounds amazing! And for the price? WOW!

My Head says EASTMAN - My Heart laced with a mixture of Nostalgia and Snobbery says GIBSON, probably also reflects the FACT that I'm almost as old as this Gibson Model.😂🤣😂

Terrific honest review thanks. Enjoyed your playing too...

I’m waiting for my Epiphone J 45 EC, it seems like a lot of guitar for the money. I prefer Mahogany as well and that Eastman was stunning.

They’re all great guitars but man oh man does that Eastman E10SS get my vote, what a looker. Such a beautiful instrument, resonant rich sounds and style. I never really noticed Eastmans before until i saw this video. It honestly sounded better than the rest and it was proven by you saying you preferred it over the others. “The Eastman is not a Gibson”, you are correct, it is WAY better than a Gibson, by a landslide. At $3000 i would expect the Gibson to sound better than that. Anyways great video and playing and thanks for introducing me to Eastmans.

In this video, the Epi sounds quite Gibsony - just lacking a bit in depth.. The e10 is its own thing, with plenty of depth - but lovely. The e20 sounds very Martin-like to me. And the J-45 sounds just as one would expect a new J-45 to sound. Great video, thanks! By the way, what strings are one each? That could make a huge difference if they are not the same. All things being equal string-wise, I would also pick the e10. But every example of every guitar sounds different.

I thought the Eastman E10SS sounded the best, also cost way less than a J-45 Gibson . I honestly would have thought the Gibson would come out on top but I was wrong…. Gibsons quality control is not up to par in my opinion, especially considering how much money they are. Im curious how the Eastman would compare with a Martin D-18 and D-28 , would be an interesting comparison. Good video

Way more instrument for the dollar, with out any compromise in quality and tone. Eastman is the way to go.

The Gibson sounds sooo badasss! It’s light built, loud, very good separation between notes, fast responding and immediacy. If I pay an certain amount of money for the Eastman I would definitely give an extra more for the Gibson, you just can’t go wrong with J-45.

Great review. For me, I liked the Eastman E20. I liked the fuller sound and better definition of rosewood. Just a personal preference. If price no concern. But it is so I would do the Epi. This Gibson J45 just didnt sound right, like EQ not the same?

Great video! would have been nice to hear more about your thoughts on the differences between the guitars in your opinion, particularly how the epiphone stacked up against the othere, cheers

I'm strictly a Taylor guitar player but I'm gonna try to pick honestly the one I like the best.well also Martin guitars I play as well but in this comparison I have to go with the Eastman I really wanted to pick the Gibson but I gotta be honest the Eastman was the superior sounding guitar.

I love the Gibson J-45 and the Eastman E10-SS out of all of them, So much so that I bought a new Gibson 50’s J-50 series and to my ears and several musicians who have played it loved it. But that E10-SS is haunting me. I will buy one as soon I can. Also the Martin DSS-17 is another amazing my slope Shoulder as well. Thanks for this!

I thought the Gibson sounded the dullest of all four. I liked the sound of the Epiphone and the E10ss the best. Either one of those you can't go wrong.

Gibson sounds the best to me. Eastman 10 nice but still J45 would be my strong preference here. With headphones the Eastman has less depth to the sound, it is more focussed. Depends if you like that.

Great comparison. I ordered the e10ss today. Looking forward to getting to know it.

The mahogany on that E10...holy crap.... 😍

Nice demo. I have the Epiphone. It's a joy to play, whether with fingers, plectrum or finger picks. I could buy the others but don't see the point. I bought it for acoustic sessions and a better pickup would not cost a lot anyway.

Well done!! Great video with lots of interesting commentary. Thank you!

Great comparison of four beautiful guitars. I have the Eastman E20-OM and I'm really starting to fall in love with it. To start with I thought it would be more boomy on the base side but now that I have played it for allmost a week I'm more aware of how well balanced it is. I'll have a LR Baggs Anthem to be installed in it on monday instead of the crappie SD MagMic system. I really hate that system with a passion. An acoustic should sound like an acoustic and not sound like a semi electric. E20-SS have Adirondack top and as you say Indian rosewood back and sides. That might explain why it sounds a bit different than you would expect it to sound. And btw; who does not like you? Imho you have so may great videos with a down to earth evaluation of different guitars and gear and for that reason I really enjoy watching you. Så the conclusion is KEEP ON THE GOOD WORK. You rock Max.👍🏻🙏

1:06 5:11 9:32 13:20

Thanks for the video! I have headphones on to actually hear better quality. The Epi looks nice as a guitar but to me literally sounds like a $300 guitar.. Gibson of course sounds soothing to the ears but not the one you started playing on- gotta know what year to pick because sadly some years are just a bit trash and only paying for the logo and that sounds like a made in Mexico Martin. Eastman is such a stunning guitar as you said, people hear China and kinda run away though.. I never heard of them til just last week and sort of want one now. I love Gibson not hating on them by any means just was never lucky with them and I wouldn't be satisfied with that particular model for the pricing too.

E10 mahogany is best sound for me. little less 'sweet' than E20 but everything else stronger.

Man, I like all the guitars but there’s something about that gibson J 45 sound that just does it for me. The Eastman e10 is a close second for me

Nice sounds! What's the mic you're using man? I like it...

I have a couple of epiphones and love them. Sound, comfort and they came ready to play right out of the box.

All sound great but that adi topped E10SS is unreal.

The pair of Eastman guitars would be my choice.

The Epi had the best note separation and j45 sound to me. All were nice.

A wonderful comparison, All are Top of the line Acoustic's, however by Only a margin, my choice was ,Eastman 20ss-1, Eastman 10ss- 2, Epiphone -3 Gibson, - Last😊😊😮

Eastman E10 for me as well. There is just something tonally about Rosewood back & sides that I don't prefer over mahogany.

Great review man ! I like your style. You tell it like it is . Thanks again man ! Jeff Clark from Austin Texas

Just found your website. Great demo, great playing.

The more popular eastman gets, and the consumer demand gets greater. The more the decrease in quality will happen. It always seems to happen that way. Corners always have to be cutt somewhere in the manufacturing process,and now that bourgeois is on board ,expect the pruce to go up. I have an eastman oo style guitar,and it out shines most of my guitars in sound and set up. In my opinion there is no exscuse for american guitar makers to charge so much extra for things like red spruce soundboards and torrifaction. The eastman company has coverd every proven vintage aspect of great guitar making at a reasonable price . So i guess we better get em while we can before the cost skyrocket to the moon.

Hello and thanks for the very well made review . To my ears , epi sounds terrific. I loved the sound and tone any style you played . Then , the eastman e10 in the intro sounded good too, but definitely not as good as the épi when dropped D tuning . in fact it didn’t sound good at all in this part , kind of rough. about the Gibson, sound was a bit tiny, less presence but more focused though ? I own a 1997 Gibson J45 and I find that it doesn’t have the growl your epi has. Mine is brighter and less dark.

I’m biased (!) as I have an E20SS with LR Baggs Anthem fitted and it’s my go-to acoustic most of the time - magnificent guitar. I also have an E1SS and E100SS and the quality of these guitars is amazing if you get past headstock snobbery. Bourgeois guitars have entered into an agreement with Eastman for Eastman to build guitars for them - says it all about the quality IMO.

Just found your channel... Great stuff! Love the little picking tune!

Own an Eastman e10ss/v. Fabulous guitar. Highly recommend.

2:11 vs 4:55 vs 13:22

I own an Epi J-45 and I love it. It's 90% of the Gibson vibe at a small fraction of the cost and the build quality is probably better than a Gibson. I've recently discovered Eastman too and they are A LOT of guitar for the money; sound great, high quality construction, but they don't sound like a Gibson. They are their own thing, and it's a good thing. But if you're looking for something that sounds like a Gibson, buy a Gibson or save a lot of money and buy the Epiphone. If you're just looking for a guitar that delivers a ton of value and sounds great, check out Eastman.

In this particular video, Eastman is so much better than Epiphone. There's no denying in that, although I wanted to like Epi more. East is just 2 heads above. Gibson sounds so poor after luxurious full deep Eastmans. I'd say Gib is slightly better than Epiphone, or just different. Epi has lovely warmth and powerful midrange. The Gibson is scooped in the middle, but it "breathes" more and has better trebles.

The strumming patter you are playing sounds very similar to something that I can’t put my finger on.

The Eastman E10 SS just blows the others away, it's like Gibson tried to copy it and failed in every way, just stunning really.

honestly guild ds-240 best value for you money, super comfortable and nice looking for under 500.00 and it sounds really good. plus it has a solid top

I have an E10SS that is about 5 yrs old and has really opened up and the mid-harmonic bloom has become gorgeous. Mine has a rosewood neck though. I wonder when they switched to ebony?

Brilliant review - thank you.

What tuning are you using, standard or something else? Sounds great. Your choices show great variety in running the guitars through their paces.😊

Really good review. Thanks Love the eastman. Epi surprised me

What sounds best to me from the video: Epiphone j45 Eastman E10ss Gibson j45 Eastman E20ss

Epi best value and sounds really close to the other two. To me the Gibson sounded the best, but they all sound similar. Honestly I don't like the sound of the j45 models, I prefer Martins and Taylors. I own the Epi IBG, I needed it's specific sound for a band I'm in and didn't want to fork out 3 grand for a j45.

Gabby has the typical drier, darker, woody tone you expect from a J45. Since that is what I expect it it sounds better to me but the Eastman 10 sounded great, just not the same as the Gibby. Appears to be standard tuning.

For me j45 got some extra gear and more charachter in the sound , because you`ve heard it in many records, i`ve actually ordered j45 50`s original, went extra mile for THAT sound, but i was considering Eastman but did not have a chance to try it, and played gibby on few gigs and it was amazing expirience so yeah , G winns , will post soon some videos ..can`t wait for the guitar!! By the way if you like Epi sound check out texan model they have, that is really something but it`s expensive of course :)

I have the Epiphone J45 and I think it is an excellent guitar, but my question is if the 2 guitars weigh the same, because the Epiphone is very heavy, I don't have how to compare, since I don't have the Gibson, could you clarify this doubt. And if all solid body guitars are that heavy?

Great review. Eastman 10ss wins by a country mile. Thanks.

It's all personal taste, but for me both Eastmans are head and shoulders over the others. The Epiphone is very impressive, but frankly, for me, the Gibson..? Just no !! ☹️ You don't mention top woods here, and a crucial difference is, both those Eastmans use Adirondack rather than Sitka spruce. Haven't double checked, but pretty sure the other two, even the Gibson, are Sitka...?? I've recently acquired an E6SS-TC, my first ever slope shoulder or Gibson style acoustic. Same as the E10SS, but with thermo-cured Sitka top - and completely blown away ! But of this lot, I would definitely want the E20SS. That non-typical J-45 rosewood "extra" in the sound is actually the big attraction. A touch more Dreadnought, with the shorter scale and unique slope shoulder expressiveness I've recently discovered...?? Sounds (literally and metaphorically) to me like heaven...! 😁👍👍

Eastman E10SS sounded best to me - by far - will now consider!

I love the sound of a J45 guitar......except if you capo...they get really thin and muddy then

Epi -#1 for my ears

Hey Sasha. Would you mind make a couple of vids with those licks / tunes you're playing?

All of them sounded great. But then the J45 came and blew me away. Normally on any RU-vid comparison video with all the compression you don’t get a real sense of audio because you need to be in the room to hear how the sound projects around the room as I’ve learned. But for some reason this was jumping at me, I think it may have something to do with the fact you played the G J-45 after the rosewood Eastman build. But I loved the Gibson the most

Cort earth 100ssf VS Gibson j45 please.

10::34 lol .. altogether Great relaxing video, well done. Just watched acoustic comparison viideos for 2 Hours. This one was the most relaxing. Cheers

Great information and demo!

E10SS pick 7:41 E20SS pick 12:08 2:11 8:17 10:23 14:31

Just got the Epiphone and Love it.

A shame you couldn't get a Sigma SJM-SG45 in there. It's a richer sound than either Eastman Great review, here.

Give that J45 five years of daily playing and it will blow all the others away. A J45 needs time to open up, much more than any of my other dreads.