As many have pointed out, according to the Orangewood website the nut and saddle are bone - I apologize for not doing my research. I stand by what it feels like though, for what that's worth. Thanks for watching!
1:25 - Taylor GS Mini - iPhone Mic - Fingerpicking 1:58 - Taylor GS Mini - iPhone Mic - Strumming 2:37 - Taylor GS Mini - K&K Pure Western Pickup - Fingerpicking 3:09 - Taylor GS Mini - K&K Pure Western Pickup - Strumming 3:53 - Orangewood Oliver Jr. - iPhone Mic - Fingerpicking 4:26 - Orangewood Oliver Jr. - Phone Mic - Strumming 5:12 - Orangewood Oliver Jr. - Fishman Pickup - Fingerpicking 5:46 - Orangewood Oliver Jr. - Fishman Pickup - Strumming
I just got my Orangewood Oliver Mahogany (Full Size version) for $175.00 with a gig bag, including tax and shipping, with the help of a $20.00 off coupon.
I recently bought a lefty Morgan Mahogany. I own a GS Koa Mini and A Taylor 214 ce k deluxe. I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with the Orangewoods setup out of the box and the playability. I honestly haven't had any desire to pick up my Taylors since I got the Orangewood. Don't get me wrong, my Taylor's sound great but the deep tone and easy playability of the Orangewood has been great and fun.
Listening with high quality headphones and it's so obvious how much less tone there is in the Orangewood. Can feel the rich low end on the Taylor and that's just missing on the orangewood. The orangewood sounds brighter which is down to preference. Both sound decent plugged in.
Purrrfect. I just ordered The Brooklyn Jr. Live. I have a Gibson J-45 cutaway, but have been wanting a smaller guitar to keep near me all the time while at home---it should be here tomorrow, Nov. 30th 2020. Woooo hoooo
The Orangewood needs a few days for the strings to break in so that it's less abrasive during strumming a lot of people change the strings too quickly I'm very happy with my Oliver Junior Live
Most of the differences that you hear could be attributed to different strings. Anyway, I think the Orangewood sounded better. And as many others pointed out, the nut and saddle are bone, not plastic.
Needs a few days of playing for sure to get rid of the abrasiveness for strumming of the new strings I'm very happy with my decision and I've had quite a few high-end guitars over the years
Unless I missed it, you didn't mention the fact that the Taylor has a thicker body which will make it a little louder/richer. The sound hole is also bigger
I would have to give this a dislike. If you’re going to A/B guitars: Make sure you use the same strings on both guitars. Don’t play one guitar and then announce the other. You need to edit them to where they are back to back so the difference in sound is clear within the viewer’s memory. You also obviously didn’t do your research. The nut and saddle are NOT plastic. They are made from bone. The guitar is not a painted veneer. These guitars are made by hand. The top is solid mahogany, with the back and sides being a layered mahogany. A quick trip to their website would have given you this information. It’s not because these guitars are made with cheap materials that they are so much lower in cost than the Taylor. It’s because Orangewood doesn’t use a third party to sell their guitars, but instead sells directly through their website, so they can charge whatever they want without paying overhead costs. And don’t get me wrong, I love Taylor guitars, but they overcharge, and always have.
Radio Active My guy, he’s right though. There’s a correct way to do a guitar review/comparison and this wasn’t it. Appreciate the video nonetheless, but faulty information and doing the side by side wrong defeats the purpose
I’d encourage everyone to try them both. I purchased an Oliver recently as a gift for a friend. I own the GS mini and was so excited! The Oliver Jr in comparison was Boxy sounding, with poor low end and overly pronounced mids. Orangewood was however honest, responsive and great about returns. I would consider trying other guitars in their line.
Im probably going to give the Oliver Jr. mahogany a go before I go spend the 500 on a GS Mini Mahogany. It’s awesome that they give you 30 days with it to decide.
I bought the Orangewood baritone,I have several highend acoustics including Taylor. The Orangewood is amazing. I will be buying more Orangewood guitars. All of this,IMO only.
@@nrcarl00 I did not. I played an A/B comparison for my wife with my Taylor A12e. Now that's not a fair comparison but she could hear the "not so wooden" sound of the Orangewood. I wanted to love the Oliver. I even restrung it with Elixirs hoping to get my "Taylor" sound. It didn't work out. Kudos to Orangewood and their easy return policy.
I think the orangewood sounds just as good if not better. All the finger dragging on the strings make it really had to make a good comparison however. Thanks.
One thing to note is the gs mini has went up $100, while the Oliver Jr has only went up $20 from the price you mentioned. It’s crazy watching reviews from a even just year ago and seeing how much guitars have went up. I kind of want to get an orangewood but I’ve been skeptical because so many reviews just seem like paid advertisements and I cant just go to a guitar store and compare it and see how it feels.Thanks for the honest comparison.
Thanks for the video... it would have been nice to hear both guitars back to back in each different mic/pickup configuration... but with some fast forwarding and rewinding I found the recordings very helpful. I think I’d take the Oliver based on price and very minimal difference in sound. Thanks for the vid!
The Fishman is the clear winner and makes the Oliver Jr the live performance winner too. I liked the Taylor when played acoustically, the Ojr was a bit thin. Good review. God bless.
Thanks for the review. I own the Oliver Jr Spruce top and the nut and saddle are bone according to the specs on the website. Mine do not feel plastic or cheap. The top is solid spruce with laminate sides and back. I don’t think they sound as good as the Taylor GS mini they do not have that rich full sound, mine is a bit tinty sounding. The Taylor also has the rounded back which the Oliver doesn’t. I have to constantly tune my Oliver so I am not sure the tuners are all that great. It did have a nice setup when it arrived and the action was very low and playability pretty nice.
Try different quality of strings. Many times the strings alone can change the quality of the sound to the extent you feel like you have a totally new guitar.
I just got the Oliver Jr. and I'd say the playability as I received it is pretty great. The neck feels great with smooth edges and no sharp fret tangs. All notes ring good without buzz from any. Intonation sounds good. Oh, and the gig bag is really good too. I'd say you can't go wrong checking an Orangewood out. I'd love to hear one of their cedar top models.
@@BadGovt i've got a morgan mahogany live. i plan on getting an oliver jr when they're back in stock with the discount codes, thats less than $250 each
I ordered The Brooklyn Jr. Live and it should be here tomorrow. I had a Taylor Big Baby for years, but I need the shorter scale length. And smaller body. My main acoustic is a Gibson J-45 cutaway and I love its 24.75" scale length. The Orangewood's scale length is a tad shorter. Can't wait!!! Don't miss the Taylor at all. It was rough on the fingers.
That was a good demo comparison John, however two items stuck me as I was listening. The first deals with the volume that your pickups were dialed in at. Your Taylor sounded louder and I was wondering if your amp, or the tone settings in each instrument was similar? Or, is the difference in the two pickups themselves? The second deals with string squeal. Being new and out of the box the Orangewood suffers from it more because the Ernie Ball strings are not broken in yet. You can tell which of your guitars have been played more often. I admit the Taylor is a fine guitar and well worth the price. My brother plays a 414 CE along with a Martin DX-1 AE I gave him last year on his birthday. It's OK, because he's a much better player then I'll ever be. But since I write songs and need an instrument to do it with. I'm considering an Orangewood because of cost considerations, and the fact I would like to use something better then an item I would be using as a paddle if the cruise ship has sunk and I was out on the open sea in a lifeboat. I'm hoping that you might consider doing another video in a few months once you've had a chance to work with the Orangewood, If you change the strings, or use a product to reduce the string squeal problem let me know! Thanks!
I have no idea what these other commenters are on about. The Taylor sounds substantially better than the Orangewood, and it really isn't close. The Orangewood also kept throwing bad notes and there was some noticeable buzz on occasion. Now maybe it just needs a better setup or maybe the Taylor's had more of a chance to settle and mature, but the end result either way is a much smoother, more professional sound from the Taylor. Now, the Orangewood does sound fine, don't get me wrong. It seems like a perfectly good instrument and I wouldn't begrudge someone wanting to save a few hundred dollars for marginally inferior (but still good) tone. But let's not kid ourselves: price and personal preferences aside, the Taylor handily wins in a head-to-head.
I do personally find the orange-wood sounding better with a clearer sound from the strings. The strings of the GS mini seem to be different from the Oliver(Gauge,brand and age whichever). It is very important to have the exact same string-gauge, brand when doing a comparison, besides it’s unfair to compare one with new strings to another with old strings. Additionally, you should definitely practice on reducing the noise from the fingers, instead of gliding you could do pressing instead. Or have another stringbrand which reduces finger-squeak
I have been studying Orangewood product for couple months now I like you I'm an owner of a Taylor mini GS but I think it's amazing that a $275 guitar to my ears of 50 years of playing now just beat a $500 guitar. I also like the more expensive product line that Orangewood offers some of the sage mahogany guitars sound incredibly good I think Orangewood is about to become the new Carvin guitars because they're doing about the same thing that carbon did many years ago sell directly from the factory to the customer great idea customer wins I think they're onto a very great product I've listened to about all of their videos on their guitars I haven't heard a bad one yet
Great video, honest and accurate. Thank you👍 The GS MIN has a much richer and full bodied tone. That is why my guitarist nephew and sister chose it as a gift for me 💕 Thank you Heidi and Cameron 🙏💕
For being a small channel, I'd say this is a pretty good review and comparison. Obviously there are some hard core Taylor fans in here, I myself am not very impressed with how Taylor's sound. The Orangewood, for it's price is an amazing guitar for people who are on a budget. Of course, personal preference comes into play here, so differing opinions about both guitars. These are simply, opinions. So for any of you who are about to comment on his video, please don't take everything with a grain of salt. Even famous people speak miss information sometimes, so cute him some slack, he did the best he could.
i think the orangewood is a better value for the money, but i dont get how anyone whos not deaf could say the orangewood sounds better. its not even close. the taylor has more volume and resonance, and has better lows and mids, and the orangewood flat out chokes out on the lower frequencies. idk if people are just picking the cheaper one to justify getting it cus they cant afford anything more expensive or something, but if thats the case, theres nothing wrong with buying an instrument within your means - its the player that matters most, but lets not lie to ourselves lol
Strings make a massive difference. From what I've seen, Orangewoods come with Ernie Ball Earthwood 80/20. Not sure about this particular model. Earthwood 80/20 are some awful sounding strings, and who knows how long they've been just sitting there. I'm sure the Taylor would still sound better, cuz let's face it, Taylor is on top of their game, and has been for a very long time. But maybe do this comparison again with better strings. Same strings on both guitars.
You should do your research before posting a video. The Oragewood has bone nut and saddle. Additionally, I think your bias is showing. The Orangewood sounded louder, richer, and had more bass in the recording. The Taylor certainly has some advantages, but most of what you noted wasn’t valid.
Your opinion about what the “best” nut might be is nothing more than an opinion. Graph Tech makes a great product; in fact, I use Graph Tech nuts and saddles in my own builds, but that’s due to the simplicity of use not some belief that they’re better than bone. By the way, if you’re going to call someone out, maybe make sure you know the name of the product you’re backing; it’s Graph Tech not graptech. It might not be your preference, but nothing is better than a well cut bone nut and saddle. That said, if he did his research and knew what he was talking about, then why did he make an obvious error by claiming that the Orangewood has plastic nut and saddle? Beyond that, claiming that they feel “more plasticky” when they’re genuine bone is just absurd. Additionally, the Orangewood has an open pore finish, not a painted on lacquer; so, he’s wrong about that also. All in all, he’s wrong about almost everything he says that can be factually assessed in this video. If he had done proper research before making it, then he’s simply dishonest; I don’t believe that to be the case. I stand by my original assessment of his production; he didn’t do his research before doing a review of this guitar, and it shows in the errors he made. Finally, I’m not affiliated with Orangewood at all. I’m a satisfied Orangewood customer, having purchased both the Oliver Jr. Mahogany and the Morgan Mahogany Live, but I also really like Taylor Guitars. All told, my guitar collection has a wide variety in it, and I reach for more expensive guitars than my Orangewoods often; however, my Oliver Jr. gets a lot of play, because it’s a comfortable, high quality, easy playing, and great sounding instrument.
@@nomandad2000 He is biased, because he obviously made up his mind without accurately assessing the two guitars. He appears to have decided to push the Taylor and badmouth the Orangewood before he even bought the latter guitar. And whoever told you that Orangewood is not a high quality product is either lying or doesn’t know how to determine such things. Literally every guitarist I know personally who has played an Orangewood has been impressed with the quality; it’s much higher than any other guitar I’ve seen at a comparable price.
orangewood guitar sounds like nirvana..! great tone.., best sound.. great guitar..,, first place for orange guitar then second place for orange guitar..!
Wow, the fishman pickup is really superior, and acosuticly the orangewood had more base response whilst the taylor had more treble and mediums coming through
I was wondering if you tested them with the same strings. I've been using Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze for a few years now, and they really bring out the best in my acoustic guitars.
The Orangewood has a warmer sound which i prefer. If im going to pick a parlor guitar I like the PRS, or the Orangewood especially for the price. Then i go Martin, Taylor last! just my opinion.
Brighter/Louder doesnt mean its better.... For those who said orangewood better : You cant compare and decide two guitars just by the review or one time trial on the guitar store. You should have both of them.. get them set up and you will see after the long run. Anything can give impact to a guitar, strings age, humidity at the store, action, factory standart set up, how the music store keep those guitar. I'm a travel guitar collector because i love the medium/small bodied guitars. Ive been tried all brands of travel guitar, including martin, taylor, maton, cole clark, etc. Still.. GS Mini has a complete range and ability that other travel guitar dont have.. even versus all solid travel guitar. Im holding GS mini Koa plus for my travel guitar right now.. its not because plus series btw, Ive been tried the GS Mini rosewood, and its good as like the plus series.. hard to choose one. After years of journey, I sold all my travel guitars, and stopped at GS mini koa plus. Want to reach baby collings one day. 💪🏻
If you're after a solid mahogany guitar and your pockets are deep enough go for a Martin 000-15m. If your pockets aren't deep enough sell your grandmother to raise the extra cash. No one should go through the whole of their life never having owned a 000-15m. They're magnificent....
Presumably you will have returned the Orangewood, after your "damned by feint praise" review. Did you infact return the instrument? As others pointed out the nut and saddle are bone. It appears that the Taylor does not have any edge binding in the rear versus the Orangewood. I detect the distinct odor of buyer's remorse on the purchase of the Taylor.
So the Orangewood was brand new and not broken in? Either play it exclusively for 50 +/- hours to break it in like you have the Taylor, or, if you don't have the time / patience for that put a Tonerite on it for 4-5 days and it'll go toe to toe with the Taylor. I own a Tonerite and it makes a lot of difference to a guitar's tone - esp. the low end. Nice review; I'd go with the Orangewood. There's no excuse for charging that kind of dough for the Taylor, esp. the GS Mini-e.
John! Thank you for this comparison! I have lead worship at my church with a ukulele for the last year and a half and want to transition to guitar, I had my eye on both of these guitars for a while and appreciate the time you put into this video!
I have a few issues with some comments made in the video. First of all the sound test should be done with the same strings. It makes a huge difference if you have Elixirs strings on one and Ernie Ball on the other. What are the gauges of the strings? Heavy strings will definitely affect the tone. Both of these guitars are layered with a veneer of some type of mahogany but the stain is much different so the finish looks differently. The Orangewood is not painted on as the presenter states. There are different kinds of mahogany and they have different wood grain. I own a standard Oliver and it is a terrific guitar. It has amazing resonance, it has great tone with great lows, it comes set up beautifully so it's easy to play out of the box. The value of the Orangewood is amazingly good. I have played a few GS minis and was not that impressed with them. In my humble opinion the difference in these two guitars does not justify paying more than twice as much for the Taylor. If you want a brand name guitar buy the Taylor if you want a decent guitar for under $200 buy the Oliver. For $195 I would buy the the standard Oliver and you will love it. If you don't you like it you can send it back to them for $15. I sure that you won't send it back.
I am now, too... I bought a used Rey Mahogany after picking it up and playing it(which you don't get to do ordering new!)... It needed a set-up, but plays well and it really is a decent guitar! If you are on a budget or have a student strarting out, get one...
Orangewood: The Fishman pre is oddly compressed and almost sounds like it is hitting a cutoff and the string noise from your fingers is horrid (wearing headphones for best sound). Without the preamp the mic'd sound has no bass response and low amplitude mids. I wonder if different strings would make a big difference. I had a set of Martin Lifespans mediums on my GS Mini and it killed it. Changed them after a couple days for D'Addario XT lights and the guitar woke up again. Overall I say the Orangewood in this case is not worth the cheaper price; buy the GS Mini everyday. (I have a walnut one and the GS Mini Bass). Excellent instruments.
@@tarared7668yes, 12s. The key with an acoustics is to tension (with the string tension) the top properly so it vibrates and produces the harmonics we are looking for, expecting. Over tension more than under tension holds the top as deflected as can be and it can’t respond as lively to the string vibration. Under, you get less volume and less richness. The GTs, at least mine, seam to have a real sweet spot. So if your acoustic sounds lifeless, try a different tension string.
@@dmyers9230Thanks for responding. I bought my gs mini mahogany last month and I'm thinking of returning it due to strings. It comes with 13s and kinda rough on my very small fingers. My fingers are very small like a child tho I'm an adult. I went the other day to a guitar tech to change it to 11s but he said he needs to adjust the neck etc asking me $80. Didn't do it; until now I'm still undecided if I will return it, still have until 17th of this month to return it. The sound is good but I'm uncomfortable playing it. My electric guitars are on 9s and I can play it all day. Heard the string on minis shd be 12s above to not lose the tone. Only bought this mini as a travel guitar.
What makes the sliding sound when people play as they change cords up and down the neck? I've noticed it happens for some and not for others.. but happens a lot. It's hard for me to tell how something's going to really sound becasue I am not going to use a mic when I play. Great review, thanks!
Thanks this was really great to hear a side by side real comparison playing the same melodies. I like the depth and volume of the Taylor better if one is to be the winner, but the sound and build on the Orangewood are incredible. It comes down to value for me as the sound is not so distinct for the difference in price. If I can afford the better one I would, but I would be fine with that Orangewood mini.
Picked up a Oliver Jr the other day. Not disappointed, all the things that usually make a "cheap guitar" are not there. Solid top, bone nut, saddle, made in Indonesia not the "dreaded China". Sound is ok, but just as expected with a smaller guitar, that's physics/math. Have multiple guitars at many price points and this guy shines at being a great travel guitar that you don't have to worry about dings and scuffs etc when your out and about. Picked it up at $166 (diden't want the pickup) yikes, the black friday deals are ridiculously cheap. One last thing, noticed the newer guitars have some upgrades, black/white striping on the edges, on the top and a single stripe down the back, not a big deal but make them look a little less "plain". Anyway, great review.... -Cheers
Orangewood has an amazing palm mute tone. Taylor was slightly better overall, and I generally hate Taylor’s. The general problem with Orangewoods is they are overbuilt. They need the braces shaved down. Wow, you go to a church that buy”s guitars for musicians. I have to supply all my own guitars and gear.
Thank you for the video! I was wondering if you knew how the orange wood jr. compares to the little Martin lxk2? Which one is more comfortable with someone with small hands? Thank you! 🙏
Retired music teacher, so I have critical ears… I personally like the sound of the Orangewood better than the taylor. The taylor is louder acoustically, but when plugged in, I prefer the Orangewood. Ive been looking for a travel/parlor sized guitar for myself, as I am getting older and want a smaller guitar-ease of holding on to it from a full size guitar, etc. I've been looking at the Luna Gypsy and Ibanez parlor with built in pickup ( I have a couple Ibanez guitars and have always liked them) Bottom line, I'm going with the Orangewood Oliver Jr. Very reasonable $275 including the preamp pick up, and comes with a pretty good gig bag. Can't beat it for the price! Hopefully I'll be getting back into playing in church (folk group -like the good, old days. Thank you for your comparison and time, nice job.
Good luck. I would never buy a guitar before I got my hands on it first. I sure wouldn’t rely on this vid to make a decision like that either. Also, I read a lot about poor quality control and bad customer service with these orange woods. The Taylor is well constructed and uses an identical bracing system to their much more expensive models..I highly recommend you try it. They even come with an ebony fretboard, and a nice gig bag...they sound divine in real life, not like this iPhone recorded vid.
Both strings are about the same age. Neither guitar has had any EQ processing. When I record the Taylor I usually put a low cut at about 90-100 Hz and a narrow cut around 350 for clarity.
Good job, man! I have mine coming tomorrow, hopefully. My second Orangewood. First was the Morgan Mahogany Live. I was so pleased with that and was wanting a travel guitar, so here I go. Excelsior!
@@zipsy26 I'd have to say the Morgan Mahogany Live for a fuller, rounder sound, but the Oliver Jr sees to be my go to because it's so portable and still sounds great. Plus, when plugged in through my rig, it can compete with anything. Looking forward to using it live in a couple weeks when we get to play out again. Thanks for helping me on this decision.
The Taylor doesn't sound that great, it actually sounds cheaper. The Orangewood can be 247 with a coupon for 10 percent off, as far as the pickup version goes.
Change the strings on the OrangeWood it makes a difference, I have a Taylor 314 and and a Brooklyn live OrangeWood, I play both, I lowered the action on the OrangeWood just a little, it never goes out tune, I play my OrangeWood everyday and my Taylor a few times a week.. OrangeWood is underrated when Martin builds their guitar cheap now, especially the lower end models, not like the older versions.. don’t know what is going on with Martin, a Cort is better than a Martin , overall the Taylor is the best guitar built .. OrangeWood is great guitar better than a Yamaha
Thank you for doing this! I've been trying to research what available info there is out there regarding Orangewood guitars and I've seen interest in this exact comparison. Very interesting to hear what you get at the different price points. Definitely less clarity and brilliance from the cheaper guitar. So it's up to the buyer if that lesser quality sound is worth the money savings. But does not sound "bad" in my opinion! As you said, the Orangewood could be a great fit for people depending on their situation/wants/needs. Thank you, again!
John Kimbrough hello.. can u tell me the origin manufacturer (or it's location) of that orangewood guitar ?? ohh.. 1 question.. can u tell me the meaning of "repaint" painting behind u ??
I'm thinking of buying a Orangewood dreadnaught after Christmas. I got about a hunnert grandkids I gotta give gifts too. Can't decide between a Manhattan and an Echo.Any suggestions? I've only read one criticism of Owood. He said it wouldnt make good firewood. I dont want firewood. I want a dread that doesn't cost 3 months pay. Already have a Martin
Definitely agree the Taylor clearly wins this round the Oliver Jr just doesn't do well on the low end. I'd still love to own either guitar but I'll be buying the GS mini
I was just wondering what strings you had on the orangewood ? The noise when you're moving up/down the fret board is pretty horrific. The pick up doesn't perform as well as the Taylor's too imo.
I wonder how both acoustic travel guitar would sound if they have the same string brand (with about same usage), use mic to computer (no comparison of onboard preamp).. does both guitar use same laminate wood? I dunno if different wood would affect sound but I assume spruce and mahogany have same sound.. I wonder if you setup, fret level and polish the frets, graph tech nut etc, the Orangewood acoustic or just played it out the box.. a well played worn in guitar would probably sound richer.. anyways that is what I think, if you don’t agree with me, it’s all good everyone has their opinion.. you could have done a blind sound test and without giving hints which is which, that way, we could not be biased against Taylor vs Orangewood. but listen to tone, sustain of acoustic itself. Thanks for great review
nice review, thank you for doing this review. both sound good to me through my custom speaker box w/ sub. I think the orange wood looks better. Other good options in this range is the Ibanez AW54JR or AE24JR.
I just bought this orangewood jr guitar and for some reason or another the G string cord doesn’t keep in tune at all . Do you think it’s the strings ? Should I try new ones I currently have the ones the guitar came with
