“A powerhouse dreadnought made for genre-defying artists”: Orangewood branches out with the Pomona Live – its first signature acoustic, built for boundary-pushing fingerstyle artist Alejandro Aranda
The LA acoustic builders have collaborated with local hero Aranda – formerly known as Scarypoolparty – for the instrument, which adds “playful embellishments” to a vintage dreadnought design
(Image credit: Orangewood)
Orangewood has announced its first foray into the signature guitar world with the Pomona Live – its new collaboration with fingerstyle extraordinaire Alejandro Aranda.
Formerly known by his music nom de plume Scarypoolparty, Aranda was the runner-up on the 17th season of American Idol in 2019. He has since furthered his career with four albums, including Will You Remember Me When I'm Gone, released in February this year.
Over the course of his career, he’s toured with the Yvette Young-featuring Covet, as well as X Ambassadors and System of A Down’s Shavo Odadjian. For the latest milestone in his musical journey, he's now been bestowed a signature acoustic by Orangewood.
Since its foundation in 2018, Orangewood's small team of luthiers has slowly been building a reputation for impressive and affordable acoustic guitars, and the Pomona Live looks to continue that trajectory.
The burgeoning brand says the collaboration was driven by Aranda’s desire for a guitar “as hypnotic as his playing style,” and builds off a dreadnought body for full-bodied resonance.
Made from a solid Sitka spruce top with layered rosewood back and sides, the guitar boasts a classic-looking natural gloss sunburst finish.
As for electronics, a custom-voiced LR Baggs Element Bronze VTC pickup designed in close collaboration with LR Baggs itself seeks to help the guitar sing when amplified.
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The guitar also features a mahogany neck and a sonokeling rosewood fretboard, complete with ivory block inlays. Its rosewood bridge complements the sunburst finish, while gold Grover open gear tuners can be found on the headstock, which features Aranda's logo on the rear.
“I’ve always been drawn to dreadnoughts, and they’re now a part of my sound and identity,” says Aranda. “Getting to create my own special version was a real full-circle moment for me.
(Image credit: Orangewood)
“I want people to get creative with this guitar. I think the fact that it’s affordable, so anyone can pick it up and find inspiration, is a big part of that. At the end of the day, I just hope it inspires others to write more songs.”
The guitar takes its name from the city outside Los Angeles where Aranda was born, and serves as a tribute to community's artistic spirit. The guitar's demo video was filmed in the Pomona Fox Theater, where he used to busk outside and would return to headline years later.
(Image credit: Orangewood)
The Pomona Live follows Orangewood's rubber-bridge Juniper acoustic, and arrives a year after the firm released its first-ever solid parlor and slope shoulder dreadnought model.
The Pomona Live is available directly from Orangewood’s website and costs $495, in keeping with the firm’s commitment to affordable builds.
Head to Orangewood for more information about its first signature model.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
