Eastmans are fine i'm sure, but to me they are nothing so special. I actully had an odd first impression of one. Remember it is always the player that will make the guitar sing (unless you find a really, really, bad guitar). So, get whatever guitar you want. If it were me, I would get a Korean Guild over anything made in China or Indonesia. I also would not buy an Eastman, even if I did not buy a Guild. If you can afford a Newark Street SF-4/5/6 made in Korea, just get that and stop thinking about it. It's a thousand times nicer than any Eastman. if "your boy" is so passionate about the Eastman, maybe he should buy it!