Ava

Beautiful build quality, plays like a high end guitar

All mahogany Ava sounds great, woods used are nice pieces of wood, put together with flawless build quality

Pretty Tone

It has a beautiful, singing quality in the mid range, around the sixth fret. I'd be happier with a fuller lower end, but I think a different gauge set of strings will fix that. It plays well and the intonation is good. I only noticed about a two cent difference between an open string and the twelveth fret. It might be even less when I take some time to check the intonation. I'm very pleased with this guitar.

Sell my clothes,,,,,I’m goin’ to heaven

Please excuse my verbosity, but I want to be comprehensive in reviewing my new Ava. Top of the list is fit and finish (to include set-up) Kudos to the technicians/luthiers who set up this guitar. I know climate and environment can alter things, but mine was perfect out of the box: the intonation and action were flawless. No fret buzz anywhere on the fingerboard. The binding is also immaculate and matches the rosette as it should. Fret ends are even and without any sharp edges. In short, I can’t find any manufacturing or set-up flaws. None. With regard to tone this instrument has a very sweet voice for mahogany. My other options were the Guild OM-120 or Guild DS-240. I really wanted a more retro 60s folk-style instrument. Went with the Orangewood because a) all mahogany body b) ebony fingerboard and bridge vs rosewood c) GS body style and d) full hard case vs padded gig bag. The wood-grain on my Ava is especially aesthetically pleasing. And, oh, did I mention the tusk nut and saddle. This is truly the complete package deal !!! With regard to design, a lingering question is the material used for the bridge pegs??? Maybe they are also ebony, but it’s not listed in the specs. I do have to comment on the mother-of-pearl fingerboard dot inlays. I LOVE the smaller than usual size and understated look. It was the right choice and just works. Same for the Grover tuning machines ! Is there anything I would change? Maybe. The Oranewood headstock logo seems so apple-pie plain. But this is a trifle. I believe it will grow on me. And maybe the strings? I’ve used these Ernie balls often, but have since migrated to Elixir PolyWebs and now D’Addario XS for both acoustic and electric. Now I’m tempted to try one of the Sierra models with electronics ! Thanks for this great instrument ! I really love it !!