NGD - Orpheum OM RW

[HeyMikey]

Ok, here she is … a 2013 Orpheum OM in Rosewood. After traveling across country over a week in hot weather I let it acclimate a day before unboxing. I inspected it and then hydrated it in the case for a day before tuning her up and playing briefly on Fri eve. No issues I can see, everything looks good. In overall excellent shape with only surface wear in back and on the pick guard. The original case was lost in a fire but they found me another Guild case that is a little snug but works fine. Unfortunately the cert with Ren’s signature, and endpin are also gone.

The playability is excellent with the 1.8 inch nut width. The tone is clean and distinct across the strings as with my SS hog. It is responsive to a light touch, so great for fingers. The rosewood provides a slightly warmer tone with slightly longer overtones than the SS, but they are clearly cut from the same cloth. However, the overall sound seemed muted in volume, which had me very concerned that I got a dud.

I got to play it more yesterday and really laid down some heavy strumming for a good long time. I feel like that helped and the ability to project more volume has definitely improved. I think this guitar was simply not played for quite some time and became closed. It’s going to need some good breaking in but I can sense it will get there.

 

[GGJaguar]

That's a real gem, congrats!!

 

[richardp69]

sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chazmo]

Congrats, Mikey! So glad you found one!!! See, patience is (was) a virtue!

Looks minty fresh!

 

[ReevesRd]

Man, that's nice. Congratulations!

 

[jeffcoop]

Congratulations, Mikey! I understand the initial fear that you might have gotten a dud--when I bought my rosewood slope-shoulder prototype in 2016, I was alarmed by how lifeless it sounded when it arrived. But it's now nearly (though not quite) as good as my mahogany slope shoulder, which battles for the title of best guitar I own.

 

[HeyMikey]

Congratulations, Mikey! I understand the initial fear that you might have gotten a dud--when I bought my rosewood slope-shoulder prototype in 2016, I was alarmed by how lifeless it sounded when it arrived. But it's now nearly (though not quite) as good as my mahogany slope shoulder, which battles for the title of best guitar I own.

That’s really good to hear Jeff. I’ll just keep giving it some quality time and hopefully it will blossom.

I know what you mean about the SS mahogany. It’s a winner. The SS is a great size to give just enough bottom end for the mahogany. At the time I had recently bought a Santa Cruz OM Grand (0000) in mahogany after failing to find an Orpheum. Then the SS appeared and I jumped on it knowing one would have to go. After A/B’ing them the SS was so similar, with a better neck feel, and at over $1000 less the decision was pretty easy.

 

[Stuball48]

Mikey:
Gorgeous and beautiful. Makes my heart flutter and fingers quiver.
Happy for you!!

 

[walrus]

Beautiful! Congratulations!

walrus

 

[davenumber2]

I’ve had a few guitars I’ve received through the mail that sounded lackluster when they arrived but opened back up after settling in for a few days. Maybe it takes some time to acclimate after shipping? I don’t know but I always give it a little time before making any decisions about returning or selling (not that you’re at that point). Lovely guitar by the way.

 

[Westerly Wood]

Can we get a picture of both your Orfs together? Congratulations!

 

[chazmo]

That’s really good to hear Jeff. I’ll just keep giving it some quality time and hopefully it will blossom.

I know what you mean about the SS mahogany. It’s a winner. The SS is a great size to give just enough bottom end for the mahogany. At the time I had recently bought a Santa Cruz OM Grand (0000) in mahogany after failing to find an Orpheum. Then the SS appeared and I jumped on it knowing one would have to go. After A/B’ing them the SS was so similar, with a better neck feel, and at over $1000 less the decision was pretty easy.

Sometimes Adirondack tops feel tight, Mike. I hope it grows into the tone monster you want!

 

[twocorgis]

Oddly enough, when I bought the OM 14 Fret Rosewood prototype after failing to find another 14 Fret Mahogany, "tight" would be the way I would describe the sound, which was counter to all the mahogany versions I had tried. And the slope shoulder rosewood I had was the same way. I sold it not too long after that, but maybe being patient might have been a better idea. I hope yours opens up with some play.

As for the case, I have never been happy with any of the Orpheum cases. They're just not commensurate with the price of the guitar. I solved the problem with the Jumbo by keeping the TKL case from the JF65-12 I used to own, but was still having a problem with the OM. The OM is really closer to a 0000 in size, and fits better in a dreadnought case. And as far as dreadnought cases, I think the new high water mark might be a Hiscox Pro-II-GAD case. I became enamored of Hiscox cases with the one that came with my Lowden O22. I was looking for a really superior dreadnought case for if I needed to fly, or just looking for maximum protection, and had also looked at Calton ($$$$) and Hoffee ($$$$). I couldn't believe it when a Hiscox showed up for a very nice price on Reverb last week, and bought it immediately. It fits the Orpheum OM like it was made for it, and the guitar doesn't even budge when inside. And it's the same with all my dreads. I agree with @wileypickett that these might be the best cases out there, especially for the money.

It's also a lot lighter than the better TKL cases, which is a win-win for me. I might have a couple of nice dread cases coming up for sale soon!

 

[Aristera]

Wonderful guitar and its features. I often wonder if my decision to buy my DD12-MC in 2014 over an Orpheum was wise.....

 

[HeyMikey]

Wonderful guitar and its features. I often wonder if my decision to buy my DD12-MC in 2014 over an Orpheum was wise.....

Thank you. A DD12 is a superb instrument so no need to wonder. However, some decisions don’t have to mean forever.

 

[Rayk]

Ok, here she is … a 2013 Orpheum OM in Rosewood. After traveling across country over a week in hot weather I let it acclimate a day before unboxing. I inspected it and then hydrated it in the case for a day before tuning her up and playing briefly on Fri eve. No issues I can see, everything looks good. In overall excellent shape with only surface wear in back and on the pick guard. The original case was lost in a fire but they found me another Guild case that is a little snug but works fine. Unfortunately the cert with Ren’s signature, and endpin are also gone.

The playability is excellent with the 1.8 inch nut width. The tone is clean and distinct across the strings as with my SS hog. It is responsive to a light touch, so great for fingers. The rosewood provides a slightly warmer tone with slightly longer overtones than the SS, but they are clearly cut from the same cloth. However, the overall sound seemed muted in volume, which had me very concerned that I got a dud.

I got to play it more yesterday and really laid down some heavy strumming for a good long time. I feel like that helped and the ability to project more volume has definitely improved. I think this guitar was simply not played for quite some time and became closed. It’s going to need some good breaking in but I can sense it will get there.

Nice ! Only thing I didn’t care for on these is the chunky neck but I bet it sounds sweet ! Let’s hear it !