Eastman MD-315 vs Gibson Doyle Lawson
Pardon the absurdity of the title, as I'm completely serious.
I spent my first few years playing on an Eastman MD-315. It was an excellent instrument, setup well, stayed in tune reasonably well, sounded very good for the price, and was easy to play.
I very recently inherited my dad's musical instruments, including a 2015 Doyle Lawson F-5. I'd played it many times before, and always liked it, but never had any issue going back to my Eastman. Aside from obvious aesthetic differences, and the much fancier woods used in the Gibson, they're both essentially F models that no good player should have a difficult time enjoying.
I've spent a few days with the Gibson, and the differences are really starting to show now. When I got the Eastman, it was strung 11-40, and sounded kind of weak. I used 11.5-41 after that, and it came alive. My dad always used EXP75 strings, but I've recently discovered phosphor bronze strings and the skin on my hands are not friends. I was going to use the Nickel Bronze 11.5-41 set, but they only had 11-40, so I put those on it.
The Eastman needed the heavy strings to really sing, but the Gibson lost nothing going to the lighter strings. I used to keep the action maybe a little higher than medium on the Eastman for extra punch, but the Gibson's strings are practically laying on the frets and there's no loss of tone, sustain, or anything.
It's been interesting to see what thousands of dollars in price difference brings.
Soliver arm rested and Tone-Garded Northfield Model M with D’Addario NB 11.5-41, picked with a Wegen Bluegrass 1.4
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