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#1
01-10-2018, 10:28 AM
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Farida OT22w review
I received my Farida OT22w yesterday, and have been playing it quite a bit. No pictures yet, but there are plenty of pictures online.
Appearance: Fit and finish are remarkably good. The sunburst is very well done. The Acacia fingerboard and bridge are of a lighter color than any of my other guitars. Not sure if I am crazy about that, but it is a very minor issue. No sharp fret edges. In fact, when I got the guitar, and took it out of the case, I immediately put a hygrometer inside the case for a bit. It measured 40%, after a day and a half of shipping. The finish appears to be of an ordinary thickness, with no detectable flaws so far. My guitar does not have the heat stamped Elderly Instruments brand on the back of the headstock. Maybe they stopped doing that. Playing experience: I can see why owners who have posted about this guitar have commented upon how frequently they play it. The guitar is of a very comfortable size and shape (virtually identical to the Gibson LG2, according to others), and it just feels good upon one's lap. Though it is a 14 fret guitar, it has more of the feel of a 12 fret. The setup is quite good, and I foresee making no changes (I play fingerstyle and light strumming). The frets are a bit taller than on my other guitars, with the exception of my Eastman, but I didn't find that this altered the feel while playing. It came strung with D'Addario EJ16 strings, which I will change pretty quickly. I have always found these strings to feel a bit stiff. The neck is not chunky, as one often finds on smaller body guitars. Instead, it is a very comfortable, rather low profile neck. Overall, the playability is quite good. Sound: This guitar sounds different than my other guitars, with its own appealing voice. Again, others have said it is very much like the Gibson LG2. I have never owned a Gibson, so the tone is new to me. One of the reasons I bought the guitar was hearing how it sounded in the Peghead Nation review. I was very impressed by the resonance of the bass for such a small guitar. Well, it really does sound that good. I also notice the clarity of the trebles. Sometimes I hear a bit of a hollow twang when playing an upstroke on the high e, which lends a woody sound. But it isn't a boxy sound. Compared to the bass and treble, the mids are quieter. Some have said that the resonance likely comes from its light construction. While not a specialized sound in any way, it seems quite conducive to playing blues. I like it a lot,and it adds something new in sound to my collection. Case: The case is not included in the purchase price. This one is a Guardian, with a faux leather covering, and typical plush (black) interior. Unlike other cases I own, this one has just the three latches on the front side, with no latches on the back side. The guitar fits it very well. Bottom line: I ordered this guitar in August, so I waited a long time. It was worth the wait. I noticed that Elderly has increased the price by $50 since then. Not surprising, given the popularity of this model. Others may want to know that Elderly is currently running a sale on OTHER models of the OT line, with 20% off. This places the lowest priced all solid woods model within about $150 of the OT22, which has laminate back and sides. But I don't think the OT22 seems to suffer from having laminated back and sides. This is a well done guitar, and I'm really happy with it.
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RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom. 
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#3
01-10-2018, 10:41 AM
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Nice review, and congrats. I am curious about these, although my days of buying wood guitars are done. Anything with a wider neck still catches my interest. Whenever going back to Michigan to visit family, those [now rare] trips always include a side visit to the "Holy Land" in Lansing.
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#4
01-12-2018, 03:52 PM
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I am finding that this guitar has a bit of an addictive quality to it. I am playing it a lot, and when not playing it, I am thinking about playing it ASAP.
I did change the strings to Dunlop PB 11-52. AS expected, they play easier and sound just as good as the D'Addarios that were on it when it arrived. I neglected to mention in my review that the saddle appears to be a fully compensated saddle, unusual for guitars in this price range (or any price range). The intonation is excellent, even when a capo is used. So far I haven't tried to capo beyond the 6th fret, but even at the 6th fret, the guitar sounds great. If you enjoy using walking or ascending/descending bass lines, you will especially appreciate that this small guitar makes them sound very, very good. The OT22w is also louder than other guitars of its size that I have owned or played.
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RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom.
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#5
01-12-2018, 04:17 PM
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Great, very close to what I had to say when reviewing mine last year. Mine still gets a bunch of playing time and never ceases to impress me. Glad you're enjoying what I feel is a steal of a guitar, for the money! BTW, my case is the same as yours too! The Guardian black with three latches, it does the job just fine.
Believe it or not, yours will open up even more over the next several months, to where the bass end should become even bigger sounding and the trebles and mids will begin to sparkle a bit more. Mine is currently louder, in the bass, than my 1964 Gibson J45! Drop D will literally blow it up! In a great way.
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Dump The Bucket On It! Last edited by Looburst; 01-12-2018 at 05:28 PM.
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#6
01-12-2018, 05:15 PM
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Quote:
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RM ----------------------------------------------------- Taylor 856, Taylor GC7, Martin 00-28, Breedlove Oregon Concertina, Breedlove Jeff Bridges Signature, Guild JF55-12, Guild D212, Larrivee OM3, Eastman E20 OM, Farida OT22w, Cordoba Fusion 12 Orchestra, Blueridge BR-361, Pono 0-15 mango, Journey OF-660, Tanglewood TWJP parlor (Nashville tuned), Paul Reed Smith SE Custom.
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#9
01-18-2018, 07:22 AM
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Got mine
Got mine the other day.
But I'm not that lucky. Mine has a gap between one of bridge ends and top. Seems to be still playable. But I tune it to a note or semi note to standard pitch to avoid expanding of it. Here's a clip I made as a for fun folk player: Sorry, If the video does not work, go to the URL as below: https://youtu.be/EZGrEfaExQI Last edited by tdaim; 01-18-2018 at 08:42 AM.
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