20 Best Wood For Guitar Body (2023 Updated)

The grain was very straight and plain looking, not like the pictures of other pieces advertised with curvy and twisted grains. I am a knife maker and the plain straight grains just don’t do the knives justice.

I was not expecting a burl wood but I did think it would be a little curvy. Disappointed, I thought I had found a reasonably priced place to buy my wood scales.

The product itself is exactly as described. The chassis is made of aluminum and plastic. The tires are of a harder rubber compound, not great for crawling, but they look cool. The body that they have mounted to the chassis is tiny.

The chassis is 1/24 scale, but the body is more like 1/28 scale. The radio works fine and the servos on the chassis seem sufficient. The servos are 5 wire so replacing them will not be easy. The motor runs quiet and seems to have a good bit of torque.

The rear shocks need work. Mine are a bit stiff for crawling. The fronts are exactly the same shocks but are raked much more making them feel softer. No way to adjust the angle without modding the chassis.

For about $100, i can recommend this truck. I wouldnt spend much more on it tho. Consider the scx24 at the $120 price point.

7 minutes of flying time being recorded. 2 controllers, one provided the other an app on the phone. So can be used in 2 ways, with thumb joysticks or tilting phone. Many videos available to explain. Only 4 stars because it is not always easy to get it paired and showing video.

The unit is very small and easily blown by any wind. Fantastic value for what it does, may buy another. I got 3 batteries to extend time to 20 minutes.

I didn’t notice that the body is on the thin side. It’s buried down in the specs and I should have been more careful, but I expected a full thickness strat body and it’s thin, like a Squier Bullet. I can still use it for something, but it isn’t ideal for what I had in mind.

The seller should be more transparent about EXACTLY what it is rather than burying the information among the specs. :-(.

Called customer service regarding Bocote was undersized and dimensions were not the same as listed. I was told when ordering this wood to ask if the true dimension would be sent. Who has to do this before ordering? Wood should be sent with the stated dimensions.

I will not be ordering from Rockler for this wood again.

So it’s been two weeks now since I received my new Oliver Jr Mahogany Live from Orangewood Guitars. I wanted to spend some time getting acquainted with it before I just fired off my opinions of it fresh out of the box.

I am an old guy who has been playing/performing for decades but retired from live gigging in 2015 and pretty much just put away all of my “stuff. ” However, as a guitar player, I have always admired acoustic fingerstyle players and now have decided I want to try tackling that style more seriously.

I thought the best way to start this journey would be on a 3/4 size shorter scale or “parlor” size guitar which I’ve always thought were pretty cool anyway, and on a model that wasn’t going to break the bank.

ie. , I didn’t want to spend more than three hundred bucks! So I researched several guitars in the size and price range I wanted and found the old saying “you get what you pay for” to be very much alive and well.

After trying the Yamaha F Series offerings, the Fender C-100, the Gretsch Jim Dandy, an Ibanez PN12E, an Epiphone, and some others. I didn’t like any of them! So it looked like I was just gonna have to drop big bucks on a Taylor or a Martin or something like that in that price range to get any satisfaction.

Before doing that though, I decided to take a chance on the Oliver Jr. Mahogany, of which I had seen several reviews on You Tube, etc. , etc. I figured if I didn’t like it I could send it back. Well, guess what? I’m keeping it! It looks great, I love the size, it sounds very good for a small guitar, even better than I thought it would, and after a tweak or two of the truss rod it plays great.

Of course the Ernie Ball “medium light” strings were killing my fingers for the first week or so but I decided to leave them on to see I could get used to them which I eventually did and they seem fine now.

I’ll probably go to a lighter gauge when the time comes but for now I’m just gonna stick with the factory issue strings which Orangewood recommends. So while the Orangewood is not a Martin, Taylor, Zager, etc.

,in my opinion, you cannot get a better value at a great price on a quality instrument than this Oliver Jr provides. I’m glad I gave Orangewood a shot and I’m definitely a satisfied customer. Sorry for the long review!.

I discovered Orangewood guitars through recent social media sharing and on-line reviews. So I ordered their best and this Cleo did not disappoint me. I currently own 8xx series Taylor guitars, have played 9xx Taylor’s, Own other high-end guitars, high Eastman and Martin’s, and High quality classical guitar (Ramirez’s1A), Alhambra’s and Cordoba’s and I have been a long time serious hobbyist luthier with over 20 classical guitars building.

So now to own and play a Cleo Live, perhaps I may input some reviews both on playability, and build quality. I also ordered their Sage Mahogany for a HyVibe project I plan to work on. But this feedback is on the Cleo.

The guitar was shipped the next days and arrived to me the very next day (I am fairly local to their location), and it came in fully setup, in a nice case, nice logo. The string action was just right to my liking (low) that is easy to play with absolutely no string buzz.

The neck setting to the body is low and I do have enough saddle bone to lower down, but there is absolutely no need. The strings were in tune when it came, and intonation to all notes on the fretboard were spot on.

The fretwork is absolute clean. No sharp ends to complain. I love the look and feel holding the Cleo, one thing, the neck contour is a real deep C, different than the Taylor’s, Eastman’s and Martin’s but after a few days, I have found I like it more.

More comfortable to the hand plus the satin finish of the neck feel of the hand moving is smooth and easier to play too. The voice sustain is commendable, I am still trying to some other string gauges to my liking.

12-53 or 11-52, I have found they work better for me and the sounding of the instrument. I love the look and feel of the torrefied spruce top, love the amber color as it is a real aged guitar. Most of my experience on the back/side on the majority of my guitars was on solid Rosewood, I have one Brazilian Rosewood So I will know more about Pau Ferro wood as I play this Cleo.

I love the feel of the headstock, the inlays as they are just enough to enjoy. love the center inlayed line on the back The guitar logo is elegant. Of all of my guitars when possible I ordered with ebony fingerboard and this one ebony is clean black to my taste.

Love the gold finish open tuners. One comment I would like to make is the body seems to be a tad heavy. Perhaps the makers would fine tune their building, bracing size. The body lacquer finish although looks beautiful but I would prefer satin touch and feel and it might cut the weight down a bit.

In summary I really like it and for price comparison (considering not counting the cost of the great LR Baggs pickup) the guitar’s price is a real bargain. Oh, the plastic white binding looks nice work but I would prefer wood binding, that would make the guitar feel more natural and more beautiful.

I am pleased now to have owned the Cleo. BTW, Orangewood Guitar’s customer services are very responsive!!! Love it.

I have played guitar on and off for most of my life and have just picked it up again after a 15 year hiatus. My last acoustic guitar was a Martin D15 which I loved but rather than let it collect dust, I sold it to someone who appreciated it and gave it the attention it deserved.

When I decided to start playing again I considered several different brands but based on you tube reviews was originally interested in the Orangewood Echo. But then I watched a video that was a blind comparison of the Hudson to a Huss and Dalton and a Martin D41.

I was blown away and when this went on sale, I made the leap and bought the Hudson rather than the Echo because I love the way the sound of a solid wood guitar evolves as it is played. Even though I haven’t played in 15 years, the setup on the guitar was perfect and I was able to get some beautiful tones immediately.

My chops are coming back quickly (muscle memory still there despite the time lapse) because it is such a joy to play. Not only do I love the tone and sustain of this guitar, the fit and finish is outstanding.

The herringbone binding on the top and back is clean,elegant, and refined. Reminds me of the D28 herringbone, but even nicer in my opinion. I am thrilled with this guitar. It has reminded my just how satisfying playing a quality guitar is.

My first order of Bud Nosen basswood strips was disappointing. I had to order a pack of 36 strips that measure 3/16 x 3/16 x 24 because Midwest Products no longer had that size available (due to corona virus production problems).

Several of the strips are bent/warped/curved making them unusable for my project. I hope that Midwest can resume production on ALL their basswood products because I’ve never had this problem with their products.

I was glad to find basswood at Blick as it has become scarce in my area. I even found a new size that will be useful. Prompt service. The wood was carefully packed and arrived intact.

I bought my mahogany Rey in about September of 2020; It’s January 2022 as I write this review. The Rey was the first of two “Playa”-collection guitars that I have purchased to date. (My other “Playa” guitar is a mahogany Dana.

) I like guitars from Orangewood’s “Playa” collection for the following reasons: o Their appearance is great. o Their laminated top, sides, and back are less sensitive to changes in humidity and temperature o Their thin laminated-body materials, scalloped bracing, lack of pore filler, and thin, lightly-applied satin finish make for better volume and tone despite the cost-conscious materials and assembly.

o They are, obviously, inexpensive. o When properly set up they play well and sound good. The light construction of these guitars suggests that very light strings may extend the life of the guitar — and also make it more finger friendly to play.

I like my guitars to play like my electric, so I use 10-46 string sets on all my guitars including my Rey and Dana. The fact that these guitars are so inexpensive does call for realistic expectations, however.

To quote from my review of the Dana guitar: “To be able to sell a guitar at these prices, some corners will be cut when compared to the manufacture of guitars that cost five or ten or more times the price.

This also applies to guitar set up, which may be the most time-consuming, and therefore expensive, single aspect of guitar creation. So, of course, the set ups on these economy guitars will be less than perfect.

” Initial issues at delivery included less-than-ideal set up (needed truss-rod adjustment and reduction of nut and saddle), slight bridge separation (which was addressed with thin CA glue), and string holes in the bridge/soundboard that were too small (needing to be reamed out slightly for easy removal and installation of strings).

More quotes from my Dana review: “So my general recommendation regarding set up on these “Playa”-collection instruments is, upon delivery, to pay a good luthier/technician to check them over to assess keeping or returning, and, if a keeper, have him or her set them up for your level of play or personal preferences (that is, if you aren’t qualified to do it yourself).

“And that brings up my final, important set-up point, which is that the truss rod’s purpose is to compensate against string tension. Action is properly adjusted at the nut and saddle. ” In summary, I really like my Rey from Orangewood.

I would say that of my small stable of guitars prior to the Dana acquisition (Taylor 412ce, a home assembled and set up thinline semi-hollow electric, and the Rey), in the past year or so the Rey has gotten the most playing time.

I recommend the Rey for any player. However, you would be well advised to have a good luthier/technician examine it upon arrival and give it a proper going over to ensure playability and longevity.

I recently purchased the Oliver Live from Orangewood and have to say the guitar definitely punches above its weight. I have been playing and have set up hundred’s of guitars over the last 60 years and for the price, this guitar is one of the best values I have seen.

I received the guitar well packaged and in pristine condition and upon inspectionI could find no visible flaws in the guitars finish. Out of the box the set up was perfect for most acoustic guitar players with low action and a responsive touch.

The neck angle was perfectly set with a nice C shape profile with a well cut nut and string spacing. The tuners felt smooth with no slippage and the frets were well installed with only a few high spots but you don’t expect a plek neck at this price point.

The guitar came with 80/20 bronze 12 gauge strings and has a bright ringing full tone with no dead spots. Plugged in the piezo pickup had a decent sound and adjusting the tone control improved it. The gig bag was padded and better than most the come with inexpensive guitars.

Customer service was excellent and very helpful. Now I have a very light touch when playing the guitar so I did make a few adjustments to the instrument. I changed the string gauge to 80/20 bronze 11 gauge, adjusted the neck truss rod, filed down the saddle to lower the action a bit and recut the nut under the low E and A strings to lower the action at the first fret.

These minor adjustments made the guitar perfectly to suite my style of playing. That being said for a beginning student or even a gigging musician looking for an inexpensive guitar to play out with this guitar is an excellent choice.

After allowing the guitar few weeks to adjust and giving it a good set up including new strings and a neck adjustment (tightening the rod), Conditioning the fret board and a good polish, The guitar is easy to play and has great sound for an inexpensive guitar.

I like the So Cal green color others may not as it is a vintage vibe. Tuners are price point but even price point tuners these days are decent. A little sticking from the nut, I think I can lightly file that out and add some nut sauce.

The fret ends were not too sharp but I conditioned them to a nice smooth finish useing 500 grit sponge. Very little cost to make improvements and the guitar is fun to play. The sustain is probably the biggest suprise and I am satified to practice with this guitar every day.

Very pleased for the cost. Good value.

What sold me on this guitar initially was the SoCal Green color. I know that you shouldn’t pick a guitar based only on color, and rest assured that I did my research into the instrument quality first, but since my guitars all hang on the walls it is important that they have some artistic value! I wanted something bright and cheerful that would motivate me to pick it up and enjoy the experience, and that is exactly what I got! The guitar is absolutely stunning, although the finishing work isn’t flawless.

It is a cheap and cheerful guitar, not some professional luthier’s peak work that sells for thousands of dollars. If you look very closely, you will find aesthetic imperfections, which at this point is more than fine considering that: it plays well, it stays in tune well, it feels good in the hands, and it is downright pretty.

Some negative surprises: the gig bag arrived already fraying. The bag itself is great as a free accessory, good fit and nice cushioning (especially compared to the cushionless gig bags from competitors at this price point), but I should point out that the stitching was already coming undone and it looked pretty tattered from the beginning.

I’m not too concerned with appearances, so I’m personally fine with a scuffed gig bag. It was a freebie and it will protect the instrument. Positive surprises: On the website, the pictures show a black pickguard sticker for the body, but in fact it ships with a white pearl one! I was going off the website photos, though, so I ordered my own white pearl pickguard to use instead of the black one that I was expecting.

While I spent $3. 99 that I didn’t need to, at least it was the same shape and size as the BCP one and a little brighter to boot! Now I have my BCP one as a spare. The final surprise was the tuners. As I mentioned previously, visual appeal was a large objective with this guitar for me.

I was happily surprised to find that the tuning pegs are a silvery-white, and they match the minty green and the pearl pickguard wonderfully. The entire look is just bright and cheerful! Plus, they hold the tune about as well as my other guitars.

Overall, this guitar is everything that a guitar at this price point should be. Not perfect, but it does what it is supposed to and you don’t need to worry about it too much. For me, that’s what makes me smile, so for me it is perfect!.

Gave my Granddaughter this guitar for her 13th birthday. She loved the “so- cal” green color as soon as she opened the case. We went through the accessories, tuned it up and she played what she knew so far with the biggest smile on her face.

Granny and Paw paw really scored with this one. Shipping was fast. Size was perfect. Packaging very sturdy. Your company has two new very loyal customers. I’ll be shopping for another granddaughter’s birthday in June.

I own a classical nylon guitar and a martin dreadnought. I also have les Paul’s and strats, and some schecters. I have to say this one gets more playtime than the rest at the moment. Ive had it for a month now, and it doesn’t feel like I bought a novelty guitar thats fun for a little bit.

This one is a keeper. I not plugged it in, so I cannot speak for the PA. The acoustic sound is great and well balanced. Each string rings audibly during chords, and is clear. It does not get muddled when playing Barre chords in lower tunings, or when trying to play individual high notes.

The intonation was setup perfect, and kept in tune after a string replacement. I do recommend high or Xtra high tension strings. It helps if you plan on playing upper frets and prefer the feel of an electric type neck.

The neck itself is great, and the string spacing feels very natural and intuitive. I struggle from switching between a thin strat style neck, to a 2inch classical. I do want to point out that this guitar does have amazing qualities of both traditional flat pick acoustics, and does a good job of allowing you blend styles.

I looked at cordoba, guild, and Alvarez guitars in this price point, and chose orangewood without being able to play one. It was worth the gamble. There were some minor stain blemishes, from misaligned taping by the fretboard binding on my guitar, but that is something I see goofed on many non-custom production guitars.

I recommend this guitar for someone who appreciates the feel of a traditional flat-top acoustic, but loves the sound of nylon.

Overall: Relatively new to fingerstyle playing but owning a Taylor 214 Koa for reference this ibanez simply outshines it in all areas! The neck is a bit wide but very shallow and it plays fast and smooth! It just feels right, whether sitting and picking or standing and strumming this guitar is a winner! The electronics are easy to use, don’t be intimidated by the dual outputs, very easy to get the sound you want! This Ibanez is worth every penny imo! It’s safe to say I’m an Ibanez fan!.