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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I am in the process of buying a Balladeer 4861 from a dude on eBay... I am waiting for PayPal to clear, and for him to ship it. I have never had an acoustic, much less an Ovation. I am just now learning to make tolerable noise with my $97 psuedo-strat.
To the point... I paid $391 (including S&H) for what is probably a 10 year-old guitar. (Korean maybe) Two questions, did I get a good deal? And I'll take any advice on the care and feeding of my first O.
Stings, set-up, anything...
Old Man Arthur - future owner of a Balladeer |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Welcome to the OFC, Arthur! A good deal is any one you can walk away from!
No, wait, that's a good landing...
Anyway, congrats on your purchase! It seems like a reasonable price, the guitar looks like it's in good shape (no close-up pics, but that's not unusual).
This guitar was not made in Korea, but in New Hartford, CT, right here in the USA.
The acoustic sound won't be confused with a dreadnaught, but it should come alive when plugged in!
If the strings seem dead when you get it, be ready with a set of D'Addario EXP Lights as a starter set and she'll sing for you. Then as you go you can experiment with other brands/types. See how the playability is before worrying about setup - but there's a lot of good advise to be found here on the subject.
Oh, and she's not 10 years old. They only offered these from 1987-90 and again in 1999, so it's either 16-19 years old, or 7. You can tell for sure if you have the serial number. The preamp tells me 7 is correct.
Again, welcome. Your joining gives me the pleasure of being able to say
"HA! ANOTHER Northwesterner!"
What area of Portland do you live in? We have several members who live or work in Stumptown. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Dig out the old threads on the NW Ovation Gathering. You missed a good time, but you can catch the one next year. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Here is some info you can find on the Ovation web site about that guitar.
Yep, there are a few of us from the Portland Metro area here, welcome.
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gh1 |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Old Man Arthur, I looked up the auction you won. That looks like a good buy for the bucks, especially for a USA Ovation and a hard case. Welcome. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Again, welcome. Your joining gives me the pleasure of being able to say
"HA! ANOTHER Northwesterner!"
Al, Do something they're taking over. :D
BTW: Welcome we're glad you're aboard. :)
Sounds like you got a good deal. Enjoy. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I want to thank everyone for the information. Keep it coming. I still have not received my guitar, but I will guess that new strings can always help. Once I get the thing, I will definitely do a search on the serial #, just to find out the year and such. Thanks to gh1. I had been to the ovation website, but I could not figure out which of those guitars was the correct Balladeer. Again, Thanx to All! |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
.... Once I get the thing, I will definitely do a search on the serial #, just to find out the year and such. Thanks .... The Reference section on the home page has a Serial Number guide.
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gh1 |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Oh, Wabbit asked, what area of Stumptown? On the Border of Old Town/Pearl District. Just enough to make my rent high, and still be in the sleazy side of town.
I noticed a posting from Forest Grove. I work in that area sometime.
Still awaiting my guitar. The Seller says Friday, or so.
Wishin' an' waitin' an' hopin' |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Me again... Need advice... Should I get the D'Addario EXP Lights 11 on up, or 12 on up. On my fake strat, I just buy the same kinda Washburn strings that came on it. I wanna get some strings before I get the guitar.
Help a newbie out... |
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I am buying a Balladeer 4861