In 1970, i was 14 yrs old and taking guitar lessons. Er, Classical Guitar lessons: my father didn't want me to become a dope-smoking rock-n-roller. I was using a hand-me-down beater guitar... and my teacher at the time sold Mom that I needed a new guitar. The music store had just received a shipment of Orlando guitars.
I remember to this day, as my mother pondered over the Orlando guitars in stock. I remember the store owner/salesman said: "This is the best, it is solid wood... but the difference in sound is very slight from this other one, which is $20 less." I remember begging Mom for the better one. She finally caved in and bought me the Orlando model 305. Her purchase price at the time was about $100. This, in 1970.
I still have that guitar, and am looking at it now. Oh, by the way, I've played guitar all my life, and am now in the industry: I am Director of Public Relations for a guitar manufacturer. So I know a lot about guitars.
The Orlando model 305 has Rosewood back and sides. By inspection, it's not clear whether it's solid Rosewood or laminate. But from that era, East Indian Rosewood would have been practical and inexpensive for Orlando. I'm certainly not going to drill holes to find out!
On the back of the model 305, the Rosewood is 'book matched" - lending more credence that this is solid Rosewood.
The purfuling (binding) top and back is Rosewood. There is hand-inlay at all areas of the binding (white-ebony-white), and with the age of this guitar, you can feel the 'raise' of the binding. It's not a decal or a fake: this is hand-inlaid stuff.
The top wood of the model 305? I'm not sure. With age, it could be Spruce or Cedar. My best guess is Cedar. But I'm certain that it's Solid wood, not a laminate, based on my comparing the grains of the wood from inside the soundhole vs the top. Internal bracing is standard Classical Guitar stuff.
The neck appears to be of Mahogany, and has a Scarf Joint that angles to the peg-head (bummer). The fretboard is Rosewood, and there's a Rosewood cap on the top of the peg-head. Oh and yes, a decal as a stripe down the peg-head. The tuners are adequate for a guitar of this vintage.
For the model 305, the Nut and the Saddle are of unknown material, but can be easily replaced/upgraded.
Overall, this is a beautiful guitar that defies its age, and certainly its original price. I have compared it with high-end Student Guitars up to the $3000 range, and it still excels.
Mom would be proud that I've kept this guitar for 40+ years. It still plays and sounds incredible.
If anyone else has an Orlando model 305, please respond. My take: these are incredibly well-made instruments from the past, as Japan struggled to prove that they could make quality musical instruments.