Tanglewood Orleans

I bought my Tanglewood Orleans over 10 years ago, I'm not sure how old it is, but it IS old, when I bought it,(fron a music shop that was closing down) the box that it came in disintergrated when I opened it, the strings were solid rust and 3 broke while trying it out, it looked manky and worn out, all the gold fittings looked almost black and the wood finish was duller than a rainy day, but, for a hundred pound I thought, what the heck. I bought it in England, flew back home to Ireland with it, stripped it down, cleaned it all up, put a set of Thomastik Engfield 11 guage flatwound strings on it and have never looked back. The only things I can really fault it on are a slight buzz from the scratch plate, although this buzz doesn't come thru the amp so you cant here it when gigging, the pick-up switch is a little rattly but again, no real problem when gigging, and finally, the floating bridge, which was a bit of a pain when fitting new strings, in the end I screwed it into place so that sorted that out. Overall, the fit and finish is very good for a cheap guitar.

I play Rockabilly/Western Swing etc, I was going to get a Gretch Tennesee Rose, but after playing this I wouldn't swap it for 10 GTR's. This guitar has an incredibly sweet yet rich sound, absolutely perfect for 1950's stuff, but it is just as capable of puting out heavy rock or whatever. The tone range is amazing, I cannot fault the sound this thing makes. I play it through an Epiphone Triggerman 60 amp with no effects or pedals or any of that nonsence, just straight guitar.

Generally good, apart from the 3 items listed above, no real problems. Others might not like the action, but it suits me fine.

It's definately stood the test of time, been gigging with it for over 10 years, and it's never failed me yet. I trust it totally.

Never had to use them, so thats good enough for me.

I love this guitar so much I had a tracker unit fitted to it in case someone did try to steal it. I would have no hesitation getting another one. The thing I like the most about it is it's looks, it's so 50's looking, loads of other guitar players I've met have commented on how nice it looks, and how good it sounds. Definately the best guitar I've ever had.

My Guitar comprises of two humbuckers (neck/bridge), Sunburst Finish.
Practically same as the Gibson ES-175D (not For The price Tag....Laugh). However this guitar siuts me best than the Gibson because of the toggle switch(pickup selector) which is situated near the control knobs, becuase of my fingerpicking style I usually hit the switch and change suddenly the pickup selector.This Guitar has 22 frets instead of 20 on the Gibson. The playability of this guitar is superb and gives a remarkable sustain on higher notes. I usually play it through a Fender Performer1000 amp and I could get the sound of Joe Pass and Steve Howe easily. Unlike other Semi solid guitars, this guitar provides a change in tone from a hightone as the 335 type and a low tone like the L-5 type. Finish is ok.....could be better.

This instrument is a geniune Jazz guitar....it's tone drives you to that sort of music. However it is a versatile instrument if used in an intelligent manner. I can play from Hard rock to country with this guitar when i play it through a Zoom 8080 effects unit and a Marshall SLX series amp. When playing using the neck humbucker it usually gives a little ammount of feed back which could be settled out by adjusting the amp equilisation and compensate the change in tone from the guitar.

The action was perfect i did some adjustments on the bridge for compensation purposes. The fretwork is great, the inlays could be better. The tuning keys which are like the gibson's tulip shape standard are ok for tuning and this guitar keeps the tuning well when bending strings. I don't like the floating bridge when changing strings especially.

Well this guitar seems to be well built. I think it seems quite durable.

Well i have a lot of guitars at home 12 actually....heheheh....
I have a guitar for every type of music i play, i use this guitar mainly for jamming. i would buy the same instrument if it had to be stolen or broken. I love the change in tone which you can get with this instrument. There is nothing to hate about this guitar, It is very cheap and of a descret quality.

Twin humbucker ES175-alike. Mine's a lefty because I am not daft enough to spend upwards of #3,000 to own the Gibson model. Bought mine new in April 2002 and it all looks clean and works okay.

I bought it for my Yes tribute project and it does a pretty good job at mimicking the Steve Howe sound. I use it with my Flextone II XL set-up. I love the combination of my Flextone with my PRS, but I am keen to introduce that hollowbody sound. The neck pickup is quite plummy and the bridge pickup has a great biting tone. The twp pickups together are great for picking phrases from things like Starship Trooper.

Had to give it straight to a reputable luthier in the shape of Hugh Manson as it was a bit ropey 'out of the box'. The action wasn't bad, but the neck was twisted, the tailpiece rattled, the frets were rough, the neck was dry, the pickups were not balanced and the pickup selector toggle was so cheap it just rattled and buzzed horribly every time you strummed it. Plus it had a set of '9s' on it which had no tone or volume at all.

Anyway, after a good set up and some decent strings it played really beautifully and indeed was much better than some expensive guitars I played at a lefty specialist in London recently.

I would have rated this about 2 on the from the factory score, but after having it sorted I give it an:

Too early to say. It seems strong enough and well put together.

I've also got a Tanglewood 12-string. I've had it for several years and never had anything go wrong. So Despite owning several of their instruments I've never had to talk to them! In my book that's the customer support I am after.

Like so many guitarists, I've owned and exchanged/pawned more guitars than I think is healthy. I've been playing for years and have always be looking for a decent ES175 type. This could be the one that fits the bill without breaking the bank. If it were lost or stolen I would be happy getting another one. It's not the best guitar in the world, but it plays well, stays in tune and everyone tells me it has a nice rich tone that suits the Yes music I'm playing.

it suits my style very well, i've no set style so i wanted something thats versatile but can still play the sounds i want. i use a marshall 30 watt amp with a boss 1 distortion pedal. sound is full and clear, when using the distortion i keep it on the rhythm selection with the volume on high and tone 3/4

the guitar is a pretty solid piece easy to slide with bar chords when necessary, the only problem is that the tuning pegs were loose when trying to tune up which didn't relly do much favours for it. fits well with a good balance throught the guitar, even on the high frets i.e 15 to 17 there is still a clear sound and note

i.vw had it for 2 to 2 1/2 years no, I've played it on several gigs around my home area and in college, it lasts no problem. the finish is still the same as when i bought it, no problems with the strap buttons. this guitar travels with me every where i go, i'd use it with out a backup. If it gets damaged it'll be only through poor handling and lack of care with it

i've never dealt with the company directly, i bought it in my home town in ireland, brough it in a couple of times for check up,s and repairing the selector switch, i wasnt charged for it so it's under warranty, not too sure about the duration of the warranty

been playing for about several years, i own a marshall 10 watt park amp and a marshall 30 watt amp, the other guitar i have is a gibson-epiphone pr-200 eb.(acoustic) another solid guitar. if the tanglewood was lost or stolen i probably would buy it again. i compared it to fender squires, takamines, and vantage. i chose the tangle wood as i felt that it was the most suited to me.

Tanglewood never fail to impess me with their consistant high quality at affordable prices. The 'Orleans' is an arch-top jazz guitar much in the style of the Gibson ES 175, My guitar is set-up with Thomastick Infeld Flatwound strings and a Roland GK-2a synth pick-up and the tone is just to die for. If you are new to jazz and have been humming and hawing about getting an arch-top but don't want to spend 1000's then the Tanglewood Orleans is worth conidering, and they are available for southpaws too.