Really happy with both the guitar and the service. Richard’s Guitars kept me in the loop the whole way through with updates and good advice. They actually listened when I had questions. I sent over some bone bridge pins I wanted fitted and they installed them without any fuss.

The setup is spot on. It feels great to play straight out the case. No factory buzz or clunky action. It plays exactly how it should. The guitar itself is stunning. Honestly I cannot fault them. It felt like they genuinely cared about getting it right rather than just boxing it up and sending it off.

Would definitely go back for my next one.

I bought this guitar just over a year ago and posted a very quick review within hours of owning it so I thought it might be helpful to post a few more thoughts in greater detail after owning it for a year.

This is actually the second guitar I have bought from Richard, the first being my first proper acoustic, a Faith Venus, back in 2007. A while back I started trying to master fingerstyle blues guitar on a Vintage V300MH guitar, which is a surprisingly good all mahogany parlour considering it is under £200. Even though this guitar was probably more than sufficient for my skill levels I had a significant birthday coming up and decided I wanted a quality acoustic to mark the occasion. Initially, I was looking at an Auden parlour but after having a telephone conversation with one of Richard's staff he convinced me that Eastman might be a better choice for the style of music I had in mind. Most of the Eastman range are, if I recall correctly cheaper than the Auden I was looking at so this was clearly a recommendation based on my needs rather than an attempt to upsell.

The E20p TC that they had on their website looked ideal and at a price that was almost too good to be true. Actually after ordering it online it it turned out the price was an error on the website! The price quoted was for the non-TC version (torrified top) which was the one they had in stock. The TC version was not in stock and a bit more expensive. Well, mistakes happen but it's how they are handled that is important. In this respect, Richard's guitars get five stars. They gave me three options: a full refund, The non TC version that they could despatch immediately or if I was prepared to wait they would order a TC version for me at the lower price I had already paid. Given that I was in no rush for the guitar this is the option I went with! They did warn me that it could be quite a long wait and it was indeed several months but when it did arrive Richards Guitars even gave me a £120 Walsall leather guitar strap as a thank you for waiting so long. What with the reduced price and the free strap Richard can't have made much money out of me in this instance (sorry Richard).

But what of the guitar? Well it's said to me a copy of a Martin Marquis Collection 000-28VS. A guitar I am probably never going to be able to play in real life because it is now discontinued (or 'retired' as Martin prefer to call it) and even second-hand examples are going on Reverb for between £3600 - £4800. I'm led to believe that the Martins just have a sitka spruce top as well whereas the Eastman has the superior Adironack Spruce. When I think of Chinese guitars I think of the cheap Gibson copies (or Chibsons) with overly bright colours and varnish and cheap-looking components. All a bit tawdry. The Eastman is the exact opposite. It is the most restrained and tasteful guitar I own with beautiful, flawless inlays and binding, a superb satin neck with ebony fingerboard and such a beautifully resonant tone. I cannot yet do justice to the guitar but every time I pick it up I am blown away by the sheer quality and inspired to try harder.

I am aware that many people are wary of buying Chinese guitars but I would urge you to set aside such doubts. If the name on the headstock is really important to you (and I'm not saying that's wrong) then by all means buy a Martin but be prepared to pay at least double for a second-hand guitar (I believe even now Richard is only asking about £1600 for the Eastman). All I would urge you to do is at least try an Eastman before you make that decision. I am sold on Eastmans and looking for to my next purchase from Richard which will probably be a T186 or T59/V

This is an unbelievable Guitar for the price point. Highly recommended even for experienced players.

Had a great couple of hours with my 2 sons checking out acoustic guitars at Richards Guitars from their superb selection when this tenor uke also caught my eye!
Wider frets than a concert or soprano so found it really easy to play.
Lovely finish in solid mahogany. Can't put it down now!

Absolutely over the moon with this Eastman acoustic. The quality and craftmanship is outstanding, not just for the price, although that is the icing on the cake. This is an all solid wood, truly handcrafted guitar made with quality materials by experienced luthiers. You can tell that a lot of love and attention went into making this guitar. It has everything you need and nothing you don't. Sounds exceptional with shimmering highs, probably due to the solid Sapele back/sides. I can see why these come highly recommended. It arrived set up to perfection with a strap pin professionally installed and expertly packed. I've had a few acoustic guitars but none that I've been content with and they have all moved on fairly quickly. This one isn't going anywhere.

I would not hesitate in recommending Richards Guitars. Great service provided and Richard delivers on what he promises, which is unfortunately rare these days. Great after care service too, I had a query that was resolved quickly and professionally. A big thank you to all the team.

Fantastic guitar, plays and sounds great, perfectly set up.

Dithering between this and an ES335. Definitely the right decision. Custom shop build quality and Seymour Duncan antiquities blow muddy stock gibson pickups out of the water. Great customer service from Jake

Beautiful guitar with a lovely tone

Guitar arrived safely today and it was in tune! What a thing of beauty it is. Action, sound, build and overall playing experience are all beautiful. So much guitar for such an affordable price. Jon, Richard, Chris and the team were amazing and so helpful, and kept me updated throughout the search and sale; expert advice and personal service that was second to none. They also fulfilled my request to deliver early as the guitar is a present for my daughter. Thank you very much and I'll definitely be back for more! I can't recommend this wonderful shop highly enough.

One of the best purchases I have ever made. I was helped from start to finish helping me choose the right guitar then setting up and delivering. The guitar made me a beginner sound good. Thanks