Orangewood Clementine

Orangewood leans into its acoustic roots and a high spec with an electric model, but can it win you over from the established giants of semi-hollow guitars?

- ROB LAING

ORANGEWOOD'S FIRST EVER electric guitar release was definitely not playing it safe for a brand coming from the acoustic world; a thinline baritone guitar was a surprise, but the Orangewood Del Sol was a very pleasant surprise indeed. Now the Los Angeles-based company has another surprise for us with its followup and first standard six-string.

The Clementine is a 24.75"-scale semi-hollow guitar with a higher price than the Del Sol, but higher specs too, including Grover Rotomatic locking tuners and Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbuckers. It's also a design that reflects the brand's acoustic guitar roots a bit more tangibly.

With a double-cut body at just over 15" wide, the Clementine is akin to a Hofner Verythin and certain Jr. Gretsches like the G655, so there's an immediate potential appeal here for players put off by the broader physical dimensions of 355s and their kin. But there's more to tempt them, too.