Post by ocarolan on Apr 19, 2013 15:34:16 GMT
Some while back, fellow Forum member AndyW and I exchanged guitars for a longish-term trial. All options were kept open regarding making the swap permanent/swapping back/either of us buying the other’s instrument.
The Forum was instrumental (!) in bringing this about. I had been posting reminiscences about a Fylde Orsino I regretted parting with, and Andy had been expressing a wish to try a Fylde Ariel.
The result was that I sent my Ariel up to Scotland, and Andy despatched his Orsino to Somerset. The short review that follows was written after having had Andy’s guitar for a few months.
The Orsino has a cedar top, Honduras mahogany back and sides, (high gloss finish) one piece Honduras mahogany neck (lovely smooth matt-satin finish), Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge. B/W purfling to top, and in soundhole rosette. The more recent models, like Andy’s, now have wooden body bindings and also benefit from bound fingerboard edges. Body shape /size is a bit small dread-ish, but with curvier sides and a tighter waist. 45mm nut width. 57mm string spacing at bridge. Bolt on neck. Zero fret.
This guitar, smelling wonderful when I got it out of the case, was, to all intents and purposes, a new guitar, almost unplayed and in superb condition. It still sounds/feels a bit like a new guitar though my impression is that the tone has filled out during the time it’s been here, and probably will continue to do so. Yes, I know that conventional wisdom, strengthened by repeated internet posts, would suggest that cedar topped guitars don’t change a great deal from new, but my experience of several of them is that indeed they can change quite considerably. It might be interesting to see if Andy reckons the guitar has changed as a result of being played in – but as we haven’t yet decided the outcome of the swap that may or may not be feasible!
(Andy's pic)
The guitar is beautifully constructed and finished throughout. Its lack of bling really appeals to me, and I would even rather do without the fretboard dots, especially as with most Fyldes they are an odd mixture of sizes and numbers. The usual plastic bridge pins are another cosmetic let-down, though more easily fixed. The woods look very elegant, especially the overall combined effect. The neck is quite slim in depth and remains approximately the same depth from 2cnd to 7th frets, so Shubb capo replacement is quick and simple without having to adjust the screw. The fretwork is properly finished, and the neat ends have no noticeable “edges”.
By comparison with my other guitars (except the Lowden O25, which I haven’t played regularly for some time – my mate Glyn has it atm) the Orsino feels big. But there’s a satisfying feeling that air is being moved when giving it a good seeing to. It maybe wouldn’t be a full on strummers ideal guitar, but the strummy sound, especially with a thinner nylon pick (which I don’t normally use) used gently is very rich and full with plenty of volume. A harder pick spices up the sound accordingly and gives more volume, but the overall effect loses richness of tone, and bass runs sound “harder” somehow.
The fingerstyle sound is the best thing about the guitar though, and you don’t have to work especially hard to get it. Very easy playing at the nut/zero fret end and set up with a low action with plenty of scope for adjustment either way. The recordings I’ve posted probably tell you more than my words can, though obviously there is considerable quality loss over the internet etc. The vid I put up of Leaving Stoer actually does sound remarkably like the guitar in many respects, though it obviously sounds better for real.
It has a great dynamic range, and retains its balance and tone well at different volumes. I use fingernails and either thumbnail or thumbpick – my mate Glyn uses bare fingers and thumb and was still easily able get good volume and tone.
It plays easily anywhere on the neck, retains its sound and dynamic characteristics reasonably well when capoed up high – not as good as Dave’s Traveller, or my Custom Fylde, but better than my Oberon for instance. There are one or two notes on the lower two strings that don’t quite ring as well as the others, but it’s very minor, and not an annoyance at all. The intonation is spot on, to my ears.
I enjoy playing the Orsino a lot. It puts me very much in mind of the time I used to own one myself, and I felt “at home” with the guitar, other than its size, from the start. The size is the main drawback to me, in that it is just slightly too big to play when I’m slouched in my favourite chair, and so it obliges me to sit up straight!
Here's another fingerstyle example -
www.box.com/shared/c9fu0a8slp
and some strumming and single note playing (as well as fingerstyle) on this one -
www.box.com/shared/ssye3vy43i
In order to play standing up I’ve hammered a large rusty nail into the heel to act as a strap button and will shortly be drilling a big hole for an endpin jack so I can take it to a crowded open mike in Bridgwater where folks tend to throw bottles at the performers if things aren’t going well.
Nah, only joking Andy – unlike my own guitars, it has been kept in its Hiscox Liteflight case when not being played, and hasn’t ventured out of the house. It has had a couple of admiring visitors though!
Big thanks to Andy for his part in making all this possible.
The postscript to this was that we both agreed to swap back after a few months. Andy was fortunate in managing to buy an almost new Ariel from Roger - it had been damaged on its way to USA, invisbly mended, and offered (with new instrument guarantee) for sale at a good price . The exchange was a really good way to experience another guitar over a period of time long enough to get to know it properly for only price of carriage. I can thoroughly recommend the concept to other Forum members!To close, here's a pic taken in the few days overlap between Andy returning my Ariel and me returning his Orsino.
Keith
The Forum was instrumental (!) in bringing this about. I had been posting reminiscences about a Fylde Orsino I regretted parting with, and Andy had been expressing a wish to try a Fylde Ariel.
The result was that I sent my Ariel up to Scotland, and Andy despatched his Orsino to Somerset. The short review that follows was written after having had Andy’s guitar for a few months.
The Orsino has a cedar top, Honduras mahogany back and sides, (high gloss finish) one piece Honduras mahogany neck (lovely smooth matt-satin finish), Indian rosewood fingerboard and bridge. B/W purfling to top, and in soundhole rosette. The more recent models, like Andy’s, now have wooden body bindings and also benefit from bound fingerboard edges. Body shape /size is a bit small dread-ish, but with curvier sides and a tighter waist. 45mm nut width. 57mm string spacing at bridge. Bolt on neck. Zero fret.
This guitar, smelling wonderful when I got it out of the case, was, to all intents and purposes, a new guitar, almost unplayed and in superb condition. It still sounds/feels a bit like a new guitar though my impression is that the tone has filled out during the time it’s been here, and probably will continue to do so. Yes, I know that conventional wisdom, strengthened by repeated internet posts, would suggest that cedar topped guitars don’t change a great deal from new, but my experience of several of them is that indeed they can change quite considerably. It might be interesting to see if Andy reckons the guitar has changed as a result of being played in – but as we haven’t yet decided the outcome of the swap that may or may not be feasible!
(Andy's pic)
The guitar is beautifully constructed and finished throughout. Its lack of bling really appeals to me, and I would even rather do without the fretboard dots, especially as with most Fyldes they are an odd mixture of sizes and numbers. The usual plastic bridge pins are another cosmetic let-down, though more easily fixed. The woods look very elegant, especially the overall combined effect. The neck is quite slim in depth and remains approximately the same depth from 2cnd to 7th frets, so Shubb capo replacement is quick and simple without having to adjust the screw. The fretwork is properly finished, and the neat ends have no noticeable “edges”.
By comparison with my other guitars (except the Lowden O25, which I haven’t played regularly for some time – my mate Glyn has it atm) the Orsino feels big. But there’s a satisfying feeling that air is being moved when giving it a good seeing to. It maybe wouldn’t be a full on strummers ideal guitar, but the strummy sound, especially with a thinner nylon pick (which I don’t normally use) used gently is very rich and full with plenty of volume. A harder pick spices up the sound accordingly and gives more volume, but the overall effect loses richness of tone, and bass runs sound “harder” somehow.
The fingerstyle sound is the best thing about the guitar though, and you don’t have to work especially hard to get it. Very easy playing at the nut/zero fret end and set up with a low action with plenty of scope for adjustment either way. The recordings I’ve posted probably tell you more than my words can, though obviously there is considerable quality loss over the internet etc. The vid I put up of Leaving Stoer actually does sound remarkably like the guitar in many respects, though it obviously sounds better for real.
It has a great dynamic range, and retains its balance and tone well at different volumes. I use fingernails and either thumbnail or thumbpick – my mate Glyn uses bare fingers and thumb and was still easily able get good volume and tone.
It plays easily anywhere on the neck, retains its sound and dynamic characteristics reasonably well when capoed up high – not as good as Dave’s Traveller, or my Custom Fylde, but better than my Oberon for instance. There are one or two notes on the lower two strings that don’t quite ring as well as the others, but it’s very minor, and not an annoyance at all. The intonation is spot on, to my ears.
I enjoy playing the Orsino a lot. It puts me very much in mind of the time I used to own one myself, and I felt “at home” with the guitar, other than its size, from the start. The size is the main drawback to me, in that it is just slightly too big to play when I’m slouched in my favourite chair, and so it obliges me to sit up straight!
Here's another fingerstyle example -
www.box.com/shared/c9fu0a8slp
and some strumming and single note playing (as well as fingerstyle) on this one -
www.box.com/shared/ssye3vy43i
In order to play standing up I’ve hammered a large rusty nail into the heel to act as a strap button and will shortly be drilling a big hole for an endpin jack so I can take it to a crowded open mike in Bridgwater where folks tend to throw bottles at the performers if things aren’t going well.
Nah, only joking Andy – unlike my own guitars, it has been kept in its Hiscox Liteflight case when not being played, and hasn’t ventured out of the house. It has had a couple of admiring visitors though!
Big thanks to Andy for his part in making all this possible.
The postscript to this was that we both agreed to swap back after a few months. Andy was fortunate in managing to buy an almost new Ariel from Roger - it had been damaged on its way to USA, invisbly mended, and offered (with new instrument guarantee) for sale at a good price . The exchange was a really good way to experience another guitar over a period of time long enough to get to know it properly for only price of carriage. I can thoroughly recommend the concept to other Forum members!To close, here's a pic taken in the few days overlap between Andy returning my Ariel and me returning his Orsino.
Keith
) and the guitar sounds lovely.
Jo whoever he is.
