“King” and “subject” collide in comparison! The coveted ES-250 vs his cousin the Kalamazoo Oriole.

[@stevehowell231]

I had a 'Cromwell' archtop. Supposedly the brand in between Kalamazoo and Gibson. It had fantastic wood and sounded great. (when other people played it).

[@george-st-george]

Sounds really great !!!!!!

[@vincentkowski8466]

both sound sweet ! Party at Mike's house :-)

[@UncleDansVintageVinyl]

They both sound great. I think that the ES-250 is a bit nicer, but it's hard to complain about the Oriole! It sings like a bird!

[@FredArchtop]

Mike, precious comparison. They sound close, that sure, but I hear more sustain on the ES-250 and a fuller sound when you play the first arpeggios of Body and Soul. How is the top on the Oriole? Was it carved the same way than the ES-250? Best and take care.

[@Mikesarchangels]

Thanks for the feedback. I think the extra 1” helps the 250. The tops though look like identical carves to my eye.

[@FredArchtop]

@@Mikesarchangels I didn't realize that the Oriole was a 16" wide. I am not familiar with Kalamazoo brand except their Roy King model. I didn't know they made a "poor's man" ES-250. Looks like a great guitar. No trussrod, obviously, just like the Roy King. Actually, I like the L7 tailpiece a lot. Congrats for finding this gem.

[@mptachenko]

Are both pickups original/vintage?