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Location: Phoenix AZ | To me the 1987 Collector sounds better acoustically than any other wood topped collectors series guitar. I've heard at least 6 of them and it's not coincidence that they have all been good. WHY? It's the same bowl as other models, same top as others, etc. etc. how did the planets line up for this one in particular (and why the hell did I sell mine)?
Toby |
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Location: Brighty in Blighty | I don't know but I want one! |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | We're not the only ones who think it's worth something, and mine's going nowhere any time soon.
Top Dollar Warning |
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| Originally posted by Gallerinski:
I've heard at least 6 of them and it's not coincidence that they have all been good. WHY? It's the same bowl as other models, same top as others, etc. etc. how did the planets line up for this one in particular... 1. They found some leftover 1537 mojo in a storage closet.
2. The "supplier" from the 1537 days got out of jail and went back in business with some extra-potent "product" (this might be the same as #1).
3. The tonewood they used was a limited stock somebody had set aside as special and then forgotten, and had been aging away in a section of the building with just the right combination of temperature & humidity before being found again.
4. Beal took an intense interest in their design & production (he wanted to look really good in his new boots for the publicity shot for this guitar) and so everybody involved paid extra attention to detail.
5. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, everything just clicks.
EDIT: Patch, I don't think that price is at all unreasonable if it's in very good-to-excellent condition. There ya go, Toby, go rescue this one. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think $1500 is about right, but I'm not the price police. I'm not interested to buy one again, but it always struck me as cusious how this model sounded so good. Same with the Book Elite which is the same guitar just 9 years younger.
Contrary to most of you, I prefer the 87C/BE sound over the 1537. I don't know, the 1537 and I just never bonded and I ended up selling all three. Nice guitars, no doubt about that.
Toby |
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Location: NJ | ". . everything just clicks . ."
Kinda' like the Original SlotHeads did.
Ovation DID that . . . every once in a while. |
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Location: SoCal | It's not something that I understand either. My 87C is far from original and it still has "that" sound that's so good. Perhaps it's the quality of the wood?
I do think that $1500 is a very fair market price for that guitar. It's that good.... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | . . . . "Shiny Bowls." |
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Location: closely held secret | Yup to all the above. Pure luck that I found mine for little more than half that, on the Tampa CL of all places. The 87 and the LAVKoa are the two I play most often.
I'm just glad D'zilla is an honorable man and didn't decide to keep it when he picked it up for me! |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I've only played one Col '87, and it was great. Why, I don't know, obviously the materials, design and builders just clicked that day. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I loved my '87-5: it was rare and mint and had a great sound: offered to the OFC @ $1195 it failed to sell...sold on Ebay for a BIN of $1395...a certain member wih is DYING to own a '87 turned it down because of the -5 color...whatever floats yer boat, it's cool...
It now resides in Greece and I have had a chance to buy it back...but I'm moving onward and upward...Book Elite hopefully by Christmas... :rolleyes: |
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Location: Brighty in Blighty | Now who could you be alluding to? ;) |
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Location: big island | at the first southern jam back in june of '07, i got the chance to play some phenomenal ovations, including a 47RI and a UTE plus a few high end taylors. musicmike's '87C is the guitar that most impressed me out of the whole bunch. dunno why either! i thought perhaps he owned a magical freak/fluke out of the lot. couldn't believe he'd sell it. seems the entire run of those is special. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Interesting thread. Don't have an 87C nor a 1537, but I do have two prototypes from about the same era (1982 and 1984) that may have wood tops similar to the 1537 and possibly the 87C. When compared to similar SSB-sized production models (1567 and Adamas 1881), all with identical strings, these two prototypes are noticeably different, so much so that others have commented on it. The difference is in tone, possibly midrange clarity, but I'm not sure I can accurately describe it. I have to attribute this to the wood tops, and possibly the OP24+ in the 1547 proto. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Don't mis-understand me; I think the ad I linked to is asking a fair price as well. Though like Wabbit, I got mine off Craig's List for much less. (It was so rarely used that it still had the original strings on it! The closest thing to "new" that "used" could possibly get! ;) ) These are phenomenal guitars and completely deserve their reputation.  |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I got a pretty good deal on mine, too, but it has a significant finish crack. It's a great guitar, but I can't say that it is "better" than the 1537 next to it, or the 30th CL. All 3 have their differences and all sound excellent to me. The 87 will go to my daughter in a couple years, so I'm already thinking about a replacement. If Dave and Miles would have waited to sell the Books, that would have worked. Maybe the price will be down by then. Probably not. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | musicmike's '87C is the guitar that most impressed me out of the whole bunch. dunno why either! i thought perhaps he owned a magical freak/fluke out of the lot. couldn't believe he'd sell it. seems the entire run of those is special. Randy, I really never planned to sell it...but things change...
I have good info that the Book Elite will be just as nice or nicer...I'm looking forward to it... |
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Location: Jet City | I know where there's a black 87C for $850 if anyone's interested. I've been eyeing it for a couple months, but I no longer am in "need".
Send me a PM if you're interested, and I'll direct you there. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | They were the coolest. The 750 something natural ones, and the 100something black ones but the really cool ones are the 22 super-bear claw ones made at the end of the run. And then there is the matching 12 string............. |
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Location: Portland, OR | I guess any difference in sound would have to be in the wood. Or here's another thought. They're so nice to look at and own that maybe that concept applies to the makers as well. Maybe the folks that put these together put in extra effort because of what they were making. Kind of off the wall but something I hadn't thought of before. Maybe we think of these guitars as end products and don't consider the variety of effort that goes into their making. They sure had a top flight design. |
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| Let's not forget the one and only bursty!
Although I'd kill for a BCS! |
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Location: Jet City | Bear Claw? WOW! I didn't know that.
ANyone here have one? |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I'd jump for a BCS as well, but I'd do back flips for that 12-string! :eek: I didn't know there was one! Where are they? Inquiring minds wanna know!
g8r, don't ever bring that burst one into my presence. I'm not sure I could explain such a mysterious disappearance to the police. :p :cool: |
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| Matching bear claw 6 & 12 - dare to dream! |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Originally posted by g8r:
Matching bear claw 6 & 12 - dare to dream! 
Doggone it g8r! Now how am I supposed to sleep tonight? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Noah has one of the bearclaw ones.
Seems I recall one other member also having one but the name escapes me at the moment.
Noah grabbed his bearclaw shortly after he scored the sunburst '87 for me (which now resides with G8R).
Don't know if Noah would sell or not but if the price was right, who knows. I can guarantee it would be much more than $1500. |
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Location: SoCal | The 12 lives about 40 miles north of here and there's any interesting factoid about it. Anybody know (beside's seadoubleyewkaytoo)?
Noah may own a bearclaw spruce 87C, but it's been wintering south of here, I think...... |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Noah may own a bearclaw spruce 87C, but it's been wintering south of here, I think...... You know I was trying to decide if I remembered Tony C owning one but now that you mention it, I believe that you just nailed the winter home of Noah's. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Moody tell us, I've forgotten what it was. Or was it because it was blank? |
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Location: SoCal | You got it Beal. The inlay at the 12th fret is blank. Just a large block of abalone, but no "1987" in the block..... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | scary what this board makes me remember........... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Your memories could be lots scarier. |
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'87 Collector - Why So Good ???