I compare all guitars to my 1970 Martin D-35. The Martin has a deep, rich sound which, after I played the Ava, I realized could be a bit too boomy. Strum a guitar and you instantly hear whether or not it has it's own voice. There are a lot of well made guitars out there that sound perfectly fine but not everyone has it's own voice. The Ava, besides being a beautiful looking guitar has a perfectly balanced tone that covers the gamut from a pleasing, deep bass, to a highly articulated top end. I think it's the mahogany which gives it such a distinctive tone. Recording the D-35 was always a challenge due to it's deep sound, but the Ava records perfectly. I plug the pickup system into one channel and then mic it into another channel. This gives me great versatility in mixing. When I wanted to write, or play for people, I always picked up the Martin (I also have a nice Larivee to choose from). Now, I don't even hesitate. The Ava has become my go-to guitar. I still can't decide whether or not to put on the pick-guard. The guitar sounds so great that I wonder if adding the pick-guard might affect the overall resonance.

My first impressions:
- the purchase experience has been excellent
- I really like that I can try it out on my own and in different settings without pressure because of the no hassle return policy
- feels lightweight
- I really like the satin finish
- it has a smell that I don't love, seems a little like chemicals
- when I barred 1st fret the nut scratched my finger
- the action was really nice. feels like a pro setup
- very easy to play
- tone is brighter than I expected
- when plugged in it was also very bright sounding, even with fiddling with the pickup mix, it required a good bit of high end rolled off in order to get it where I liked it compared to some other guitars.
- I plan to return it but I'm still curious enough to want to try other instruments and could definitely see one of them fitting into my collection for specific purpose.

I own several Martins and this guitar can keep up. I wanted a smaller body, solid wood and didn't want to spend the Martin up-charge. I would recommend this guitar to anyone looking for a smaller body and great sound. The customer service from this company is superb. I love my AVA! Thanks to all the team members at orangeWood. I had never bought a guitar 100% online and was skeptic, other than the wait time which was not long it was over all a great experience. I would definitely buy another instrument.

I bought this guitar while holding off on selling my Taylor 314 that I’ve owned and loved for 8 years now just in case I wanted to take orangewood up on that 30 day free return policy... well, consider my Taylor sold! The Ava is so beautiful and the tone is exactly what I was looking for! The only thing I didn’t absolutely love was the brightness of the strings but now that I’ve put some elixirs on it, it’s perfect for me. If you’re holding back on this decision, there’s no need. Go for it and you won’t regret it!

Just got the Ava Live as my first solid wood guitar and it did not disappoint! Wonderful deep lows, clear highs, excellent sustain and playability. The LR Baggs Anthem is the top of the line pickup, so I’m sure I’ll be super pleased with it once I get a chance to play with it. The hardcase that it comes with is fitted and well built. If you’re thinking about a solid wood guitar, look no further, this sounds much better than many Taylors Martins and Larivees I’ve played in stores. Highly recommended!