Hohner Orion Series - Discontinued
Features
Medium-Bodied Cutaway Acoustic/Electric
Solid Spruce Top, Beautiful Ovangkol Sides and Back
Gold Hardware,
Shadow Pickup and P-4 Preamp.
Click for Larger Images
 |
 |
 |
| Beautiful Ovangkol Back and
Sides Click on photos to enlarge |
Shadow Pickup Equalization |
High Quality Gig Bag FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!!! |
I have been carrying Hohner Guitars for more than 20 years. Even during the late 90's, when I mostly carried guitars that were $3,000.00 and up. After September 11th, the economy, forced me to start selling other lower cost guitars. That's another story for another day.
Because Hohner offered a much better made lower cost Steinberger style guitar, than even Steinberger did when it first came out with their spirit line. I stayed on with Hohner because it was such a great cost effective travel guitar.
The reason I am relating this to you is because over the years Hohner always tried to get me to carry other models besides their headless ones. The factory reps were always trying to entice me to buy other models. I generally told them NO!! Go Away!! Forget It !! etc etc.
So recently Joe Bergeron from Hohner came in with a guitar for me to see. Of course I was fully prepared to tell him, forget it. I am quite happy with a number of other lower cost guitar lines.
When I played the guitar I commented to him, "Great Guitar, but nobody will pay $600.00 for a Hohner Acoustic Guitar". He agreed with me and informed me that they had priced it so low that I would be able to sell it for less than $300.00. At that point he had my undivided attention.
The guitar has a SOLID spruce top with multiple ivoroid & black binding and a real ebony fingerboard. The back and sides are figured Brazilian Ovangkol and it has a Shadow Pickup and a full electronic EQ System included. The Cutaway design was handsome and it balanced great
Best of all the guitar sounded wonderful and played great. Guitar One magazine even rated this the best in it's class. (whoop dee doo)
I had to order 36 piece minimum to get the price down as low as $289.00. I had to use the shopping cart method of selling, because I can't spare any of the sales people to spend the time to sell them. But I personally guarantee this guitar will be the best guitar you will find in the under $400.00 price range for only 289.00. But wait !! There's More!!!
All these guitars go through the same 22 point Quality Control checklist that even our most expensive Larrivee's, JETs and Quicksilver's go through.
But wait!! There's still even more!!!!
For the first 144 online customers there will be a free good quality gig bag included. While you see this line of print on your screen just disregard the cost of the gig bag. Your credit card will not be charged for the bag.
Ed Roman
Guitar One Magazine Rates This Model
"Best in it's Class"
Read the abridged version of their review below
Hohner "O" Series
Hohner has always been a great harmonica manufacturer with an interesting sideline of guitars. Some of these, like the company's Steinberger-licensed electrics and bowl back Crafter acoustic/electrics, are exceptional bargains. And if our review model is any indication, you can now add the Hohner "0" series of acoustic guitars to that list.
The Story of 0
This model is a handsome, medium-sized (orchestra model, as some call it) single-cutaway acoustic/electric guitar. The solid spruce, gloss-finished top has a very light, golden tint that is complemented by the guitar's gold tuners. The large amber buttons on these feel firm beneath the fingers, and their kidney shape provides extra leverage when tuning.
The stylized split "0" inlaid in the neck and bridge is neatly executed in a pearloid material featuring unusually rich shades of pink and turquoise. The 1/4" high bridge is a delicate affair, with a unique scalloped oval shape that is both innovative and classic. An optional pickguard comes ready to apply—a nice aesthetic touch.
The sides and back of the Orion are made from Ovangkol, a relative newcomer to guitar woods. It exhibits both the tonal richness and visual appeal of traditional Brazilian rosewood, although executed with a different palette. Our review model featured a dramatic, wildly figured coffee-colored grain against a creamy latte-colored background. Small knots in the wood were as intricate as little galaxies. The Orion design overall displayed a subtle yet adventurous elegance with not a bit of excess or gaudiness.
0 Rings
Out of the box, the Orion had possibly the best feel of any acoustic guitar I've played in the past year. The mahogany neck with its matte finish was nicely rounded, and the beveled edges of the bound rosewood fingerboard felt instantly friendly. The string height above the small, vintage frets was remarkably low, yet the tone was buzz-free. The Orion is not a loud guitar, but it rings like a bell and is beautifully balanced, with a predominance of complex and subtle "fingerprint" highs—you can literally hear the ridges of your skin transmit through the strings. After laying the Orion for a few days, I began to detect a bass response peeking shyly from it, but the low action limited how hard I could slam the bass strings. So 1 restrung the guitar with heavier D. A, and E strings (. 035, .047, and .059, respectively) ; the neck obligingly bowed a couple thousandths of an inch, and the guitar added a smooth baritone to its soprano lead.
Although you can play whatever you please on the Orion I found that the guitar's delicate and lacy high end favors finger style playing, and its low action makes hammer-and-pull phrases a breeze. A sure sign of a superior instrument is if it inspires you to come up with new ideas.
Volts x Amps = "Oh!"
The Shadow pickup/preamp system on the Orion has slider controls for Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Bright, and includes a phase-reversing anti-feedback switch. Set flat, the sound is predictably as bright as the guitar, perhaps even a bit nervous and aggressive in the high end, but if you roll off the highs and boost the bass a bit, the Orion can thump with the best of them. The bottom end remains tight and well defined—another plus for finger style players.
The Orion is not flawless. The finish is a bit thick and shows a faint fogginess against the dark wood of the headstock. And if you look very carefully inside the guitar, you can see the occasional glue line. Yet I've seen worse work on thousand-dollar-plus instruments. In light of its stunning tone, elegant good looks, and incredibly low price, the Orion clearly deserves the "#1 Award."
Douglas Baldwin
The above Review is reprinted from Guitar one magazine with only one change. I have substituted the Orion Name where was nothing other than a multiple letter, number sku which made the article hard to read smoothly.
Ed Roman's "Hohner Orion" Return Policy
If you purchase a Hohner Instrument and you are not happy for any reason at all. Please feel free to return it to us for a full cash refund or credit.