Have Orangewood Guitars Improved? Morgan and Dolores Reviews
**Corrections: Orangewood Guitars reached out to clarify that the Dolores is all-solid wood. All Orangwood guitars feature a professional setup.
Orangewood guitars – the direct to consumer guitar manufacturer has continued to introduce new models, improved their guitars and refine their offerings; including their logo (wink, wink). The latest guitars they sent to us to review, the Morgan and Dolores showcase an evolution in their build quality and resonance that may offer buyers another options and at times a better value than guitar from some more established companies.
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#Orangewood #Guitars #Improved #Morgan #Dolores #Reviews
Originally posted by UCIB3DqQuXKmM7DzEMppafDA at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMSFhrjK2dQ
The Dolores is all solid.
It is a good value. And I can say their customer service is great. And that they always take recommendations so they can improve. However. I’d say you’re better off buying used and going with blueridge or Eastman if you want an app solid made in China guitar.
I’ve done a lot of research on both of these, but after hearing Cooper play each of them, I’ve decided I’m going to buy lessons.
They sound pretty well and Cooper getting better and better
I bought an Orangewood Rey last year before having to travel from Michigan to Arizona for a few weeks. Had it shipped to AZ just to have a guitar down there to play. A lot easier than having to fly with one of my nice guitars, or deal with shipping one there and back. Not only did the Orangewood save me some bucks, it plays just great and the sound is surprisingly full for a laminated guitar. Overall I was really impressed. Best sounding/playing acoustic guitar under $200 I've personally ever played.
Just like Tesla!
Alamo Guitars! Model "The Basement – PWH" You have to be old to get that reference. ????
These guys are being paid for this. Why would a bricks-and-mortar shop sing the praises of a D2C brand that’s eating their lunch?
The little toad man said, "they are over-built for the money." Wtf does that even mean?!
I paid almost $1000 for the top of the line Orangewood 4 years ago. Sounds good with selective strings but at the point the top of the guitar at the bridge (NOT the bridge) started pulling up a few years ago I lost all interest in orange wood guitars. I'd have been money ahead for a few $700 Yamaha. Lesson learned. Never again
My Morgan Mahogany Live came with a misaligned neck (making the high E unplayable, slipping off the neck constantly which doesn't happen on any of my other guitars nor any other I have ever played in my life) and two pretty noticeable blemishes on the headstock & body.
After emailing Orangewood and sending them pictures, they simply said everything was "satisfactory" to them and that I could not send it back for a replacement (effectively blowing me off), nor would they compensate me in any way or give me some kind of rebate or even a discount code for a future purchase lol. This is extra concerning considering they do sell blemished instruments under their "Almost Perfect" line at a pretty decent discount, yet they sold me one at full price… And due to the high E issue, the guitar has just been collecting dust as it is not really playable. Looks half-decent on the wall though, I guess.
From what I can tell, they make a decent product but their quality control is terrible and their customer service is a gamble. It seems to be about 50/50 from what I've seen on the internet and, unfortunately, I happen to be someone who's had a bad experience with them.
I won't be rolling the dice with Orangewood again. Perhaps I'll give them another try if they ever start selling their guitars in stores where I can get my hands on one first but, as it stands, I'm not willing to risk it with a company that doesn't stand by their product. Purchase at your own risk, just know you're rolling the dice on not just the quality control, but on the customer service you will (or won't) receive in the event you do receive a bad unit. ????♂
Edit: I suppose I should offer an alternative to any passersby who might be swayed by this post so that it's at least somewhat productive. If you're looking more on the budget side of things, I'd most recommend Eastman as they seem to be the best value for money I've been able to find. I recently picked up an Eastman PCH1-OM and it's just as resonant as my previous Martin 000-10e (which I sold lol) but for less than half the price. If you're in the EU/UK I'd recommend taking a look at Harley Benton, they make some really good budget stuff. I purchased their nylon string "Santos" series despite being in the US but I had to pay upwards of $60 for S&H so, keep that in mind for anyone who's outside the EU…
It seems tgey have a great idea/business model. Order overseas guitars, then all they need to do here in the US, is set them up, excellent. I may try their acoustic-electric
I think the Morgan with its mahogany top sounds better.
This was a very biased and bad review. They spent a lot of time talking about them and giving misinformation. Which means they didn't bother even looking at the specs before they bashed what Orangewood is doing. I have owned 4 Orangewood guitars, from the laminate to all solid wood (one of which I would never let go because I LOVE IT) the all solid wood guitars rival anything else in that price range other than maybe the Yamaha FG3 Red Label. I have an Martin D-35 and Gibson J-45 and very often pickup my Orangewood Cleo over those. These guys REALLY should have made another video to cover all the misinformation they gave people that would most likely lead people to purchase something different under the assumption these guys were telling the truth. Please go watch another review on these guitars that give them a fair shake.
Buy the all American j45 its by far ,worth it.
for a beginner they have use
Appreciate your insights…..yea if orangewood went all solid , what would that sound like because they have a great look and assembly.
P.s. got burned by a name brand that I did not play first , you really have to ……would you buy a car that you didn’t drive first
Didn’t care for the Morgan at all. Lacked body and tone. The Dolores was quite nice however!
Cooper makes any guitar sound amazing, ❤looks great and warm tone. IDK honestly, my dream is j45 gibson
I bought my Morgan in 2019 and a little over a year later, the neck started separating from the body. Orangewood said that it was out of warranty and that I'd need to have it repaired by a luthier. $300 of repairs for at $250 guitar. So, it sat in the closet until today when I decided that I'd just fix it myself. How hard could it be to get a neck off an acoustic. I wasn't wrong. With about 30 minutes of coaxing with a heated palate knife and some shoving, the neck came right off. Most of the work was separating the fingerboard from the body because nothing was holding the neck in the pocket. There was one section about an inch long and maybe a quarter inch wide that had glue, and it had broken out back in 2019. There were a few spots of glue under the finger board any one spot that broke out on the neck heal that had glue. There were several shims in the neck pocket as well. 3 on the base side and 2 more on the treble side. Don't get me started on the quality of that neck joint.
I'll fix it and it will play great but that's what you're getting folks when you buy and Orangewood. It's sad because the guitar really did play well. The sound was a bit quiet because of the thick poly coat but that didn't bother me. It was meant to be a guitar I could take anywhere and not worry. And it will be, as soon as I fix that travesty of a neck joint.
You guys came across poop poop the Orangewood guitars. Sorry. Let's face it you guys are Martin and Taylor boys. You have to pay a lot more for the name. MARTIN AND TAYLOR. In my opinion not really worth it. I have the Orangewood Oliver M. $195.00 and plays, sounds, feels great. Good beginner guitar for the money.
That dolores sounds so good
Isn’t the dolores already all solid wood ?
The Dolores is an all solid guitar. Mahogany back and sides. There is also an option for an L.R. Bags Anthem for around 1200.
Their website states that the Delores comes with solid back and sides
I just learned that they now have a Canadian website. The price is very attractive.
I have a Morgan Mahogany for the last two years. I love it. It's exactly what I was looking for. A reasonably priced guitar that plays really well and sounds good.
You're 100% correct. As a gigging musician, I want a gig bag and a pick up. I could give two sh!ts about a hard shell case.
Price is a double edged sword.
People want the brand at a good price and it’s still very expensive.
If you go with a competitor due to price then you always wonder if you’re getting what you paid for or maybe a significantly inferior product.
Of course when it’s 1/6th the price you can’t expect the same quality build and materials. But that’s what we want. It’s literally a $3000 guitar for $1000 or less.
I think less acoustic buyers want pick ups.
I love that you guys reviewed guitars you don't even sell, and a positive honest review at that! I am on the hunt for a guitar and the Orangewood Morgan is TOP of current list.
I started playing guitar 4 years ago and acquired a bad bout of GAS and have 15 guitars I only bought one from a retail brick & mortar store. I bought the rest online, and have been very happy with my purchases. I also bought a couple of Orangewoods. Don't have them anymore – sold them to trade up – but they served me well.I believe that Orangewood got a good foothold in the market during the pandemic when all the stores were closed, and some retailers even had their online stores closed. Would I get one today now that my "taste" has improved? Maybe. They're still a viable option.
I purchased one several years ago. It was just too stiff. The finish was way too thick for me. It played ok but wasn't huggable. I returned it with no problem. Great company customer service
Yeah, they those guitars play and look great but what do they smell like do they have that aucustic guitar smell?
Are they still way over building them? They made this big fuss to start making all solid wood guitars with torrified tops… But didn't actually work the wood enough to get the tone and the resonance out of the guitar! Really sad… And such a waste… Even installed decent electronics with a mic.
You guys are really solid. I love your introspect and reviews. Very credible.
I have 2 OrangeWood guitars and a Taylor 314 .. never had a problem with the OrangeWoods , they stay in tune , the only thing I changed were the strings to a lighter gauge.. my opinion OrangeWood is better than Martin.. don’t know what happened with Martin but they tend to split and come apart.. older Martin guitars were built much better.. OrangeWood is an underrated company, my friends that are professional guitar players couldn’t believe how well OrangeWood are built let alone the sound
I’ve bought three of them all good I have not been playing my Gibson or Martin since!!!
I have 4 Orangewoods and have no issues with any of them. I always get a hard case with my guitars because of the high humidity environment we have.
Couple of things. The tuners: I have Waverly's on one of my guitars. Really expensive. They suck. I have Grover Sta-tites that I put on and even though they're less than half the price they are infinitely better. Strings: I would put lighter strings on both but especially the Dolores to try to get a better jangle and ring. Overall: for the money today they're great though I think the new Yamaha's would be my choice. As an aside: I bought my first Martin in 1972. It was a D-28 with hard case for $495. Boy did that hurt. I had to trade in a Framus Texan and then make payments by the week before I could take it home.
Bought an Orangewood Oliver Mohagony about 2 years ago. Out of the box it played, felt and sounded well above my expectations. The highly protective gig bag it comes with is awesome. Frets and fretboard edges were smooth and I would even say slightly rolled. Didn’t like the strings that came on it so after about a month I put my preferred strings on and it made a very very big difference. I prefer Daddario strings. The one downside of my Orangewood Oliver wood be the tuning machines. Although they have a great feeling black rubbery coating on them, they don’t feel solid when you turn them. They seem to hold tune pretty well but have a little slack when tuning. Little nitpicky but that’s really the only negative of the guitar. I will buy another one soon.
Nice playing, young man.
I don't care much about that guitar, but man you play amazing!
I have an orange wood and it’s literally my favorites guitar and I’ve owned a 1400 Martin. So I can’t tell if these comments are honest. Been playing since I was 10 and I’m 30. So yeah. And mine also came with a braggs pick up. So… not a good video going on here
Just my opinion. I think the "angry eyebrows" are actually two leaves that come off the stem of the orange.