quote from frono:
And if an Orpheum were my Grail Guitar I'd be saving my money, scouring ads and buying every one that came on the market and reselling all but the one that speaks to me most.
IMO. YMMV.
frono.....kind of what I'm doing but with a little twist.....I've acquired five in the last year: 12 fret hog slope burst, jumbo hog nt, 14 fret hog slope burst, and two 14 fret rw slope nt.....the 12 fret was not a good fit for me, it's gone...the jumbo didn't "move me" like I thought it would (I'll always wonder if I didn't keep it long enough to break in that adi top), sold it.....now the three 14 frets, hog and rw, are left, and like you said, I'm looking for the one that speaks to me the most.....as I was selling off my Taylors and my Martin, all with electronics, I decided to put a pickup in the hog...the baggs anthem didn't seem to fit the vintage bracing and bridge design, so I went with the K&K Trinity solo, run it stereo through a DTAR Solstice and it's awesome.....here's the twist I mentioned...as I decide on a favorite, I may trade, rather than sell, if, at some point I get a chance to play a Collings, an H&D, a Bourgeois, or a Goodall.....if a guitar like that sounds like an Orf and has the neck and play-ability of a Taylor, that would be my "grail", and then I would be willing to let go of one of my last Orpheums.....in the mean time, my 14 fret slopes, hog and rw, are the ones for me and my rhythm style...and yes, they do get better and better as the adi tops get more and more hours on them. absolutely no doubt about it! this has been a great discussion about Guild, Ren and Orpheums!