At first I was not impressed with the tonal quality which explains my delay in a treatment and report. I finally got around to giving Patch's ol' '96 a beauty treatment.
Here are my observations:
-The old strings were DOA (more later).
-It definitely needed some fretboard attention. Some lemon oil/0000 steel wool and some more lemon oil, all is now well.
-The hardware cleaned up to 'like new'.
-As to the deep maroon/dried blood red (near black)/radiant sunset scarlet (depending upon the lighting) body finish after cleaning/polishing, effing AWESOME! There is one slight ding in the lower bass bout, which Patch had accurately described, that is almost undetectable at first glance.
-The headstock face is a flat/matte black with an inlaid 'O' logo. Unusual finish but distinctive.
-Put on a set of Elixir 80/20 polyweb bronze custom lights and WOW. It's not the same git I received! This sucker sounds soooo nice. The only barely noticeable drop is the low E string (mid-depth bod). The rest sing with a balanced level that boost the mids without the highs dominating. Terrific blend...
BTW, I haven't plugged it in yet.
The bling is eye-catching, but it's the sound out that hole that grabs your tonal attention. Just another reason that I continue to the pursue the 'O's.
Here's a hats off to Patch and his honest descriptions. Thank goodness he can be sharked...
Posted 2008-05-14 12:52 AM (#39725 - in reply to #39723) Subject: Re: '96 Collector Report
Joined: December 2006 Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast
Originally posted by Patch: I had begun to wonder whether you liked it or not.
To be honest, at first I was enraptured with the finish but the tonal quality left a bit to be desired. Now that I have the new strings on it, it's more than I had hoped for. The neck is just right for my small hands without the 'crowding' or a Jolly Green Giant hand spread.
'96 Collector Report
