The Select Series currently comprises four guitars; Melody, Chorale, Orchestra and Slope Shoulder, all in our favourite specs. Tonewoods here are tailored to the specific model. The Melody, Orchestra and Slope Shoulder all start with Honduras Mahogany back and sides for an up-front and direct voice. The Slope Shoulder has a Sitka Spruce top for a classic driving rhythm tone, whereas the Orchestra uses Adirondack for a little more detail and projection. The smallest of the bunch, the Melody, uses European Spruce for the soundboard which shares similar qualities to Adirondack but is a little more mellow in the treble frequencies. The Chorale, which is designed with singer-songwriters in mind, also has a Sitka Spruce top, but uses Indian Rosewood for the back and sides to allow more space in the midrange for vocal melodies.
All Soundboards and braces are torrefied to make the wood lighter and stiffer, which encourages better tone, much like a pre-aged guitar. Throughout the range Ebony fretboards carry diamond abalone inlays and the guitars are finished with ivory celluloid binding and herringbone. Necks are carved to our ‘Standard’ asymmetric profile to ensure comfort in every playing position, with the Melody enjoying the extra nut width of the ‘Wide’ profile to support fingerstyle players. Both the Chorale and Slope Shoulder models also come in a classic sunburst nitrocellulose finish.
Following a 10/10 Gold award from Guitarist Magazine, the Orchestra Select went on to win the Acousticcategory in the Gear of the Year awards for 2025.
- AA grade torrefied Select Spruce tops
- Honduras Mahogany back and sides (Chorale model Indian Rosewood)
- One-piece Mahogany neck with headstock volute for added strength
- Torrefied Sitka Spruce, forward shifted X bracing
- African Ebony fretboard and bridge
- Bone bridge pins, nut and saddle*
- Kluson open back 18:1 gear ratio nickel plated tuners
- ‘Standard’ asymmetric neck profile (Melody model ‘Wide’ profile)
- Medium nickel steel frets
- 24.9′′/632mm scale length
- Abalone diamond fretboard inlays
- 2 way adjustable truss rod
- ‘NoJak’ endpin for easy pickup installation and Ivoroid strap button
- Ivoroid binding, with herringbone trim
- Satin nitrocellulose finish for smooth playability
- Elixir Nanoweb Phosphor Bronze, 12-53 gauge strings fitted as standard
Price: £2,145
L.R. Baggs Hifi pickup fitted for £300 extra
(*synthetic alternatives available)
