Ava Torrefied Spruce Live

I received my Ava Torrefied Spruce Live this morning and found it to be a great solid wood guitar. I changed the strings to Elixir Extra Light 80/20 because the Ernie Ball strings did not sound good on this guitar and I much prefer the Elixir. The strings were also high as it was on all the Orangewood guitars I have bought in the past. Some saddle adjustment along with truss rod adjustment brought the strings down which needed to be done anyway after string replacement. While the strings were off the guitar the frets got a polishing to get rid of a small amount of roughness. Now this guitar is top notch! The hard case is great and a very nice case. It has a very balanced tonality so don't compare it to a Martin dreadnaught that is very heavy in bass response. This guitar shines with great tonality in the balanced range it was built to project. Been playing for 59 years and also I am a luthier so know my way around guitars just a little bit. Have spent less money for 6 Orangewoods, medium to high end, than the cost of a 314 or 414 series Taylor and still received great quality. Can't go wrong with that.

It is perfect, just what I imagined it would be.
The only thing is that there is a little buzzing on 6th string after the 8th fret. But other than that, I’m happy to be in the Orangewood family too.

The playability, tone, and construction are on par with instruments that cost much more. As time goes on, the tone will get even better. Setup was spot on. Electronics on this guitar work well. So far, it’s been a great experience to have this guitar.

The Ava Live guitar was a pleasant surprise from the moment I opened the box and began to play. When you can feel a guitar resonate through your body as you play it, you know you have found something special. With my choice of the grand concert body style, I was apprehensive that I might not get the warm full sound that I like from a guitar along with clarity in the treble range . I was not disappointed, the Ava is well balanced from warm tones to bright.

The Ava is very playable and the action and set-up are excellent, which made it easy to play up and down the neck. This guitar is very versatile and can handle fingerpicking, flat-picking or more contemporary styles of playing.

The LR Baggs electronics also are high quality and sound great when plugged in. The Ava needed practically no equalization. I like the option to mix the mic with the bridge pick up and the option that allows you to change the level of the microphone for more precise blending. I also like the little green LED lights that let you know when it’s time to change the battery. Five lights reveal it’s fully charged and one light means you have about seven hours of battery life left.

For what it’s worth, I majored in music and have been playing professionally for about 40 years. I have owned quite a few guitars. I consider the Ava to be one of the better ones I have had the privilege of playing. A great price for a high-quality guitar.

First, I've been playing decades, but I'm mostly a strummer. Do some picking and finger picking, no where close to a virtuoso. That being said, for me Ava is a fantastic sounding and playing guitar. She literally sings when strummed, no doubt due to the solid wood construction. A smaller, thinner body than I thought it would be, but very comfortable. Noticed the thin wide-ish neck, nicer fit for me compared to my other acoustics. Stays in tune well. And the LR Baggs pickup - once I got it dialed in (just had to read the directions accurately!), sounds absolutely great through the Acoustic setting on a Roland Cube 60. On the electric guitar settings, the tone and general sound was not near as pleasant as the acoustic setting. So, in my limited experience, the Ava is the best sounding (acoustic & electric), best playing acoustic guitar I have ever played. Thanks Orangewood!