@@The_Cyberz I'm a normal buyer who even uses the guitar in some of my videos. The out of box setup was just as incredible as he describes here. I gave the neck the tiniest adjustment just for personal preference but yeah, that was it. No fret wire issues, perfect intonation, it was incredible. I sometimes still pick it up and think to myself that I can't believe it was just around 250 bucks.
@@The_Cyberz No prob. Those guys are doin something right for sure. Honestly the way they've cut out the middle man and provided the quality at price point that they have... well it makes me feel like the guitar industry has been a racket for the past third of a century.
Stretching strings after putting new set on is so much more helpful than so many things i have learned over 25 year plus of playing acoustic guitar.. makes such a world of a difference!
They don't have a live version of the Oliver for left-hand but it is still at the $225 price for non-live. What is even more amazing is that they have a Morgan live that has a cutaway for the same $295 dollar price for a left-hand model. Nice seeing a company that doesn't charge more for the left-handed models. It is also amazing to me that the tops are solid and not laminate for these price. If I was in the market for another guitar I would definitely consider one of these instruments. As a left-handed player I'm used to buying instruments sight unseen.
When he said “Austria- G’day mate” I swear I rewound it and listened about ten more times because I couldn’t figure out whether I was mishearing him. I finally realised you were just joking- quite funny Andy, thanks 😅
I mean Orangewood seriously need to figure out a non-US dealer because at that price point, they are going to decimate the beginner-to-intermediate acoustic guitar market in places like Asia and Eastern Europe
I think Orangewood guitars are made by a well known vendor who have ALREADY cut deals in Europe where the guitars are sold under other names and they probably sell as their own brand in Asia. That's why they don't really sell anywhere but USA. My guess based on absolutely no evidence except they make great acoustics and i believe have factories in Indonesia is Cort. As to what they might be in Europe my guess based on nothing is Tanglewood and/or Faith or maybe Luna?
That is a gorgeous looking guitar. It sounds really good too. I much preferred the sound with the external mics vs the internal pickup. Given the potential savings that could put the price under $200, the non-live version seems like it would be an absolute dream for a first guitar if you wanted to learn acoustic.
I bought the Orangewood Dana, a 3/4 Parlor size guitar ($160). As a Epiphone / Martin owner I am very impressed with the quality of the build, and it plays & sounds great. No issues here.
Love my Orangewood Oliver Mahogany Live...Bought it a couple of years ago. Rich tones. Worth every penny ! Orangewood makes some wonderful affordable guitars..and they all come with either a gig bag or hard case. Well done Orangewood !
I come here from one of Tomo Fujita's videos (Berklee instructor who swears by Orangewood guitars), and I paused your review because I wanted to write this comment and say I already want this guitar based on just the first few strums. I might go with the pickup-less version, but as soon as I got the funding I'm buying one. Also nice channel, got yourself a new subscriber!
Very excited. I just bought an Oliver Jr. Live on a sale, along with their extras kit for $25 which is extremely well packed. This guitar comes with a better bag (with backpack straps not just a side handle), better strings, and better reviews than the Fender and Ibanez kits. This will be my first guitar and I am so excited. Thanks for your review!
I bought their cheapest model over a year ago now and It came just like yours. in tune, action was great, and the frets were nice and smooth. Only thing I've had to do is make a small adjustment to the neck in the middle of the winter. Bought my son an oliver for christmas last year, and he loves it, and it came well set up and in tune as well. I'd recommend this brand to anyone.
From the perspective of a normal person buyer, I purchased this exact guitar about 6 months ago and it came out of the box nearly flawless. You can see it in a couple of my videos in fact. People regularly say that it feels like an instrument twice or even 3 times its price from a normal manufacturer, and in this statement I could not agree more. The fact that it's actually quite pleasant to look at is something I would never expect at the price point if it does in fact provide a quality playing instrument, but somehow this baby gives you both. It's also not normally my style to recommend products to people in general, but I've brought this guitar up with all of my musician buddies because I truly feel like I'm doing them a favor giving them perspective on what an instrument can be capable of for not much cash.
I bought an Oliver Live a few months back. I really like it. It’s a shame they haven’t worked out international sales. I’d really like to see someone to do a side by side comparison of the Tanglewood Crossroads OM that sure looks awful similar.
Everything I heard about orangewood guitars have been all positive. I have yet to hear a bad word from any person about the whole brand. They have addressed the #1 problem with new players... playability! If it's easier to play, the more likely they'll stay with it. Plus, their not scraping the bottom. You get an instrument that feels like a mid to high end guitar for a excellent price I think. Great job, guys.
Here's a bad word: I bought one of these and it was not playable due to 5 high frets that caused serious buzzing. However, I decided to level the frets myself because it sounded great in the areas where I could play it between the high frets. I now play it a lot and I love the sound and the feel, but it took quite a few hours of work on the frets. Also, the back of the neck was not smooth for about half the length of the neck. Before deciding to repair it myself, I contacted customer support and they were very responsive. My options were to return it for a full refund or ship it back to them for the repairs. They do not do exchanges. I did not want to risk shipping it back and forth and I did not want to return it but I found out that they would have covered the costs. I would recommend Orangewood to others given their customer support and the overall value but I think they should know that not everybody gets a perfect guitar.
I have the Oliver mahogany and add a Gretsch Deltoluxe pick up to it. Routed the input jack through the strap button in back. Pickguard went straight into the trash. I absolutely love mine. Frets were perfect out of the box. The action could be a tad lower, but I'll eventually shave the bridge. They do blem sales often soo I picked one up for $166 shipped.
I have three Orangewoods. Impressed with each one of them. I, no lie, haven't touched my Takamine for over a year. That Takamine was my ride or die, never thought I would find anything to replace it.....
Really good review! I really like your channel. I got a spruce top Rey model to take camping and to use as my "beater" guitar since I'm not taking my professional level guitars into the woods. It cost $129. The quality is very good for an inexpensive guitar with no blemishes and the tuners are much better than I expected. It has a good feel and the action is really nice. The sound quality is a bit dull likely due to using laminate wood but it's good enough for what I got it for. At least if this guitar gets a scratch or gets broken camping I won't have a nervous breakdown. One of my professional level guitars is a Taylor 814ce which cost over $3,000. If you play it side by side to the Rey you realize why the Taylor cost a lot more since it sounds amazing. Orangewood makes really good quality guitars at a very reasonable price. I highly recommend them. I also give Orangewood a high score for customer service. My first Rey arrived damaged in shipping with a huge crack on the top. Orangewood had me return the damaged guitar to them at their cost and sent me a new one within a week.
I purchased two orangewoods in the last year. I have a 12 string orangewood acoustic electric and also a six string echo. I give them high marks as well! Wow! What great guitars!!! I love them both! I also have a Yamaha a little higher end but I like the orange woods better! Thank you for your view!
I can attest to their quality. Mine came perfect and in tune!!! Took it down to TN in the BED of my truck during 90+ degree days. Solid as anything I've ever seen!
Have faith, because they do. I recently purchased the Morgan Live and had it delivered in pretty quickly, and it is a very solid and inexpensive guitar. These are really nice for the money, and you can these in the states for two dimes less. $249 for the Morgan Live when I purchased mine. My only gripe may be the smell... It doesn't really smell like mahogany but.... Cool guitars!
Nice review. I got an Orangewood spuce top Rey about five years ago after reading a bunch of reviews. I got this guitar as my "beater" guitar to take camping since there was no way in hell I was taking my Taylor 814ce or other expensive guitars. The Rey has been very impressive for being only around $130. It sounds decent and is well made. It stays in tune really well for such an inexpensive instrument. I'd highly recommend this guitar for any beginner or for someone who wants a good sounding guitar to take camping or use at bonfires etc.. When I play it side by side with my Taylor I can tell a huge difference but over all the Rey sounds respectable. You do get what you pay for. I'm sure their higher end guitars sound even better - the Oliver is a good example. I was also very impressed with their service. My first guitar was damaged in shipping and they replaced it within a week.
I don't play the guitar, but I just like Andy's videos. He's down to earth, enthusiastic and a pleasure to listen to. I love genuine experts. They never call themselves an expert. Thanks Andy🙂
Just picked up a Brooklyn SL and I have to say at this price it proves you don't have to spend big money to get a high quality instrument, Thank You Orangewood
@@TheGuitarGeek The most critical review I have seen was by Driftwood Guitars. They cut one in half to see the construction. His biggest critique was that the tops were carved too thick to provide the maximum resonance. But this is from a guy who builds $20,000 acoustic guitars so take it with a grain of salt. His standard is pretty high.
I bought the orange wood oliver jr mahogany for $160 new and everything from the material, playability, set up, gig bag, customer service, quick shipping etc... I am beyond happy with it. The sound, and tuning stavility were far greater than what I was expecting. Fantastic instruments they are making and absolutely worth the money especially considering how little you can pay for one depending on the deals they have going on. Couldnt recommend these guitars enough.
@@TheGuitarGeek they had what I would not consider a b stock at all (like the smallest ding that took me three days to find because it was in the sound hole) absolutely fantastic instrument
Same here. Bought the OMJR a couple years ago and it’s great. And I don’t worry about taking it camping or getting a song or two in it. I think I paid $150. Considering getting another Orangewood with a pick up and cutaway.
I bought an Oliver Mahogany for the same price about 2.5 years ago (it was on sale, discounted from the $195 normal selling price). It has performed flawlessly since I bought it. A couple of months later, I purchased a second one for my son (sale price was ended), but it also was perfectly set up. I have actually purchased a total of 5 guitars from Orangewood. Although the workmanship on all the guitars was quite good -- unfortunately, terrible intonation problems with the set up on two guitars caused me to return them for a refund. On my third try, I received a perfectly set up Duke Live, which I have kept. Generally, I see that Orangewood has garnered lots of positive reviews of their guitars and services -- so I don't know if my experience was unusual or not. I am happy with the three guitars that were properly set up, and to their credit -- Orangewood quickly honored my request for a refund on two returned guitars without any hassle. I'm hoping my experience was perhaps a brief glitch in Orangewood's quality control; however, it could be problematic for potential new buyers if they haven't corrected it.
I have one. Probably 3 or so years old now. I freaking love this thing. It's stays in tune and even, for the most part, no matter what the climate. I was in southern California when I bought it but moved to Oklahoma (like a sauna), a year and a half ago. I think it doesn't care where it lives as long as its with me hahahah. No, because it's laminated, it is no really affected by climate or humidity. Anyway, get one if youu don't already. It sounds great for it's size.
Got a Brooklyn for my daughter to learn on. I was also blown away by the quality and especially its playability- most important thing for a beginner. Only minor complaint is that the low end and note separation isn’t great. Overall though she loves it!
Oh my God. You made this guitar not only look great, but it sounded fantastic. Probably much better guitars than this one have not sounded as good on the video and when you did your mike set up, it was like playing on my rear channels. This is one of the best sounding guitar demos I’ve ever heard. It’s so good I realized you just have a really great sound system but I’m sure it cannot fake this guitar does not sound really good. I have a $1400 carbon fiber guitar and I almost felt jealous. However, I’m confident if we put my guitar in your room it would also sound amazing on a RU-vid video... I guess I’m gonna have to subscribe to this channel
I've been a long time player of an Orangewood Morgan, a lovely guitar from the moment I pulled it out of the box. Mine is spruce and sounds snappy and lovely.
I just love your channel. I played guitar horribly a long time ago, just didn't take it seriously. Now I want to give it another go because of you. Your videos are so cool.
I bought the Orangewood Echo model on a blemish sale for about $245, came with the same gig bag and goodies. I'm installing a L.R Baggs Lyric pickup in it, same as my regular axe. While it doesn't sound as clear and balanced as my Seagull Jumbo, it's still good enough as a backup guitar for stage performances. I'm quite pleased with the guitar, and it doesn't look like a cheap import, and certainly plays better than any import I've tried yet.
Just recently got back into guitar. I was a bass player all through high school. I still love bass and it is my primary instrument. However, Fender was doing a promotion for their online lessons that came with a free guitar, so I got that and picked the electric guitar (Squier Telecaster). My first guitar since I was 6, 23 years ago. Love playing it. My stepfather also used the same program, but he chose the acoustic. Now I want an acoustic too, so we can play together (lead and rhythm or lead and bass). This might be my choice. I have and Alvarez acoustic bass and this would be a great partner for it. While mahogany might not be the most ideal material for the sound board, I love the look. And, from your video, it sounds amazing, played acoustic and plugged in.
Very nice video. I owned the non pickup version and it was extremely nice for the money. Better than anything else I’ve found in this category. Thank you
?? Thank you for the review, the same story only certain reviewers who received this brand because online only for USA or Canada and this is from our experience directly with the company and they don't ship it even where you live our friend. Thank you best regards from ENGLAND 🏴👍
Interesting comment regarding string separation... I've been looking for a guitar which has a coherent sound when strummed ie less string separation. When I sing at gigs I sometimes need that type of 'one sound' for rhythm. Thanks for the honest review.
I agree. String separation is highly sought after by the guitar masters out soloing, but for accompaniment it’s nice to have a sound that’s still quality, but more well-blended. This guitar is exactly that.
Have a similar slightly more expensive Orangewood "350 ish". The guitar for the most part is pretty solid. But the keys for it are cheap and have been tempted to replace them. The neck bridge was also a bit off. Haven't had the issues corrected yet and play the guitar often "sounds great". Got past the spot cut too deep on the neck bridge by inserting a small piece of folded paper "then trimming off the excess. Haven't replaced the tuners yet but plan to at some later point. Guitar is the "Mason Live"
I have 3 Orangewoods. Brooklyn Torrified, 12 sting and a Baritone. All outstanding guitars. I love the sound of the mahogany. I already had another brand parlor mahogany, so I don’t think I need any more guitars.
Very nice! Love both the sound and your playing. Very relaxed and warm. Of course I started poking around their website and fell in love with their all-solid parlor guitars. Lovely instruments, but they want $695 for the non-live Julian Mahogany. Darn my champagne tastes and beer budget. Seriously, my parlor guitar search might be over. Thanks for the heads up! Oh, and the Julian comes with a lovely hard case. Who does that in 2023?
Not saying this is just a beginner's guitar, but at that price Orangewood does a great service to anyone wanting to start learning guitar at a very reasonable price. It always used to be that a student's first guitar made trying to play way harder than it had to be. I've seen quite a few reviews of this guitar and everyone seems to agree that they're good guitars, despite the low price. Just gotta say congratulations to Orangewood. 😎👍
I bought an Orangewood Oliver almost two years ago. We wanted a guitar with a smaller body than the Dreadnaught size of my two other guitars. I am surprised at how often I play it instead of my bigger and more expensive guitars. Even the gig bag is impressive.
I've listend to countless hours of acoustic guitar from all kinds pf professional musicians and this is one of nicest sounding guitars that I've encountered. Can't tell you how happy I am ti have stumbled upon your reviews as well!
I'm a working Joe, or was, and had 2 yrs college under my belt as a music performance major as a bassist. That was all years ago. I was thinking King of buying a lower cost guitar and was 100% sold on Orangewood guitars. Then I had a stroke. Soooo, I play a one-handed keyboard to sing scales to try to get my voice back. Go get your guitar and play, folks, while you can. Orangewood might be your best start.
I'm a huge fan of Gibson LG0 Mahogany guitars. I played my '64 seemingly nonstop from age 12 to 22, '78-'88. I also love the DeArmond 260 sound hole pickup, as it is uniquely wire-wound _and_ piezo. The 260 sounds great through tube amps. Especially the Fender tube combos with tremolo and reverb. That said, I am super impressed by this Orangewood Oliver guitar. Also the on board saddle pickup sounds phenomenally good! Such a departure from the ubiquitous tinny ice pick sounding saddle pickups I avoided for years. One of my main loves about my Gibson was it's ruggedness. It never was in the case except to carry it to lessons. I liked it's stark appearance. No rosette around the sound hole and a factory screw on the black pick guard. I noticed Martin's version also has the screw. Perhaps mahogany doesn't adhere glue as well as spruce? My brother's spruce top LG0 has no screw. I'm rambling. I'll finish by saying, mahogany acoustics are a beautiful thing. Sonically rich, complete, not "intermediary", but very much a main instrument that responds to strumming, flat picking, and fingerpicking with equal ease and musicality.
I scored the cedar top version of this guitar just before it got discontinued. $275 and when I refreshed the page after placing the order it went out of stock and never came back. I think I got the very last one 🤯. It's the only accoustic I expect to ever need.
This is to funny! I commented on your Yamaha acoustic guitar video that I wondered if you had ever seen or tried these guitar’s for a great extremely well priced guitar and voix La here you are demoing the very same! Another brand I mentioned in that comment was Blue Ridge (Very well done copies of Martins)! You might want to have a go at one of those!👍❤️💕🎸🤗✌️👋
I bought one of these for my daughters first guitar two years ago after @MarySpender did a demo. Blown away at how it sounds, how well it is built, and the feel of the fretboard.
I just bought a Journey acoustic guitar.JF410. It was priced $300 US, but they discontinued the model and was selling them for a $100. No pre-amp, mahogany and sitka spruce, the saddle and nut are bone and the strings are Elixir phospher bronze lights and it comes with a pretty rugged looking hard lined travel bag. It's made in China by a guy named Rob Bailey and shipped to Texas for final inspection before shipping out (according to their web sight). I thought for $100 bucks, it's about time I learn to play the guitar. I'm hoping I made a good choice. Does that sound like a good deal? Also, they didn't charge me sales tax or shipping.. WoW
I dont own this brand but after 30 years finger picking, I always pick the cheap guitars with the new high tech light thin plastic bodies, the sustain and clarity beats any heavy vintage wood, the only vintage I own that is comparable in tone is a 1973 $10,000 flamenco, as light as a feather. My other main guitars are all $500ish plastic bodies.
Dang! I thought as you were covering it, that they were selling in Europe (“Austria, g’day” heh). I looked at these last year, when I was buying my first acoustic. But there were of course not available here. So I got a Tanglewood Blackbird instead.
CNC machines and cheap labor. That's the only "secret" to why there are so many very good and also very affordable guitars now. Custom luthiers and various snobs don't like to hear this, but it is just not that difficult to build a very good guitar these days. The machinery does most of the work and you can train basically anyone to do a good set-up.
2:34 Even if you just think about it you will feel and taste the tingle a 9v gives you when you test it in that manner. $295 sounds like a very nice price.
I just recently discovered your channel, and after watching a few of your reviews I had to subscribe. I've had my Oliver mahogany live for a couple of years now. I was impressed with it, and also bought a Mason SE about a year later. Both came with the very nice gig bag, but I purchased an after market hard case for both of them. (I also have my '66 Gibson J-50 and '73 Hummingbird,) I earned date/beer money playing/singing in coffee houses when I was in college in the late 60s, but rarely play in public now. I play for my own amusement, and the Oliver is my go to player and travel guitar. If I were in the market for another guitar would I buy another Orangewood? In a heartbeat.
What a great sounding guitar for the money. Personally, I’d buy the purely acoustic version if I were in the market for one because that pickup does the guitar no favours whatsoever. Mind you, that’s the case with most cheap pickups. I know you like it but sorry, to my ear it sounds dreadful. If I were going to plug in I’d get a decent aftermarket sound hole pickup which will lose that piezo quack. But that aside, Orangewood appears to have done a fantastic job!
I got the Morgan style, it’s the same wood, and pick up, but in the Grand Concert body style. I’m a total novice, so I’m still working on building my skills and calluses.
A few years ago I bought a morgan spruce live from orangewood. Decided to take a risk on a new brand and I was delightfully impressed. 2 years later it has held up beautifully and sounds great for the price. I recently bought a Taylor 114ce and I’ll be doing a comparison video probably
The mics with a little of the DI would be like absolutely perfect for a small gig or practicing loud at home.. really really good for the money holy wow lol. I play a 2005 Taylor 412ce and a Yamaha CJ32 and lastly is my Gibson Hummingbird Original. Great demo friend keep the reviews coming! It sounds a bit like my Takamine P3DC, obviously different tonewoods completely but damn very nice very very nice.. my first acoustic wasnt anything like this one I can tell you that much! Might get myself one of those cause I bet it would feel just at home like my Taylor feels already.. beautiful!
Looks like no lefty models, or I'd buy one. However I already have my older Takamine 6 string ac. electric and it still plays great, and has a full tuner and electronics EQ on board. But this is a wonderful parlour guitar. Would be good for Nick Drake.
@@TheMerc1950 I think by the time customs and shipping were added it’d be the price of a Taylor. I’m in the Isle of Man. Even though it’s served by UK shippers it’s not part of the UK so most US shippers class it as the most expensive place to ship. Thanks for the offer though
It has the look that I want….I’m a blues player and it looks like a Robert Johnson style guitar…great sound…I’m always leery of buying things online though
I have a quirk where I would have to play it in person, especially an acoustic guitar. I like most guitar necks, but I would still need to like it No matter how the rest of it is, if I don’t like the neck, there’s no point in buying it I would probably be okay with it, and I like mahogany acoustics But I need to hold it first. if it works for you, go for it.
After this video, I decided to give the Oliver a chance. It sounded great, but was plagued by so many finish issues I had to send it back and get a refund. QC is an issue, as the guitar I received should not have left the factory. It definitely soured me on the brand, and for the record: They don't send the same quality guitar to non-influencers.
Great review! Your evaluation falls in line with all of the others I have watched on these guitars. I don't own one... yet. My only complaint with Orangewood is the same I have with all the other manufacturers, the very limited number of left-handed models offered. Right now, they only offer 2, and both are at the low-end price points. I am hoping they will soon offer at least one in each price bracket. Otherwise, I think they are on to something.
@AndyGuitarGeek What do you think the international shipping would cost? I'm willing to be the middle man in the process. They just cover the cost. I'm a lefty so keeping it for myself wouldn't do me any good.
I have the Oliver Live. It is built like a tank, feels heavier than any of my other acoustics bar none and it is, I have to think it is over built, weighs 78 ounces, 4.875 pounds without a strap of any kind compared to my dreadnought Yamaha FS730S which weighs 72 ounces, 4.5 pounds WITH CLOTH STRAP. The build quality is virtually perfect, amazing. Intonation is quite good, you can see where somebody literally carved on the bone saddle to "adjust" and it seems the effort was effective if not beautiful. The tuners are terrible, they turn like they are lubed with frozen peanut butter or chewing gum, sticky as can be, worst I've ever experienced on any guitar but the knows are soft black plastic and feel great but the gearing is awful. But I can live with it as she does stay in tune unlike my other acoustics. I changed the original Earnie Ball strings to Martin Retro Monel MLJ13 which are well used at present, not new any more. Hooked to an amp it is excellent. That said, the sound unplugged is very low volume compared to my Yamaha FS730S which is also solid top but of course spruce and not mahogany. I realize it is not a dread and it's not spruce but mahogany but come on! I think it's the strings. Can anybody recommend the best strings for an Oliver?
I bought a Dana Mahogany Mini a few years ago, and was amazed by the sound, playability, and quality of the instrument. When I learned that my friend's niece plays guitar but only had a lower-quality beginner model, I surprised her by having an Oliver Live shipped to her. She was stunned and really blown away by how much of an upgrade it was. I would say for a new player this model is pretty much perfect ...
I have been trying to buy his guitar for two months I even contacted Orangewood but they said that they only deliver to Canada and the USA I saw this on a another website and really wanted it but living in the UK my hope’s are dashed.
Hmmm. It sounded a bit "jangly" to me. Some people like that, but I am not one of them. My guess is that the right set of strings would go a long way in dealing with it. The pickup sounded like most other pickups for acoustic guitars--so so. I think the LR Baggs on the Brooklyn model probly sounds much better. Guess I'm gonna hafta see what reviews I can find of that model.
Great demo my friend...looks and sounds like a true winner. Well done! FYI: Right now you can get the one you demoed for $236!?!? Orangewood is having a sale. Now, if I could only get this delivered without my wife seeing it!?!? 🤣
