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January 2002
Posts: 55
Location: Frozen Tundra | I have had a SS bowl 12 string legend now for a year. A custom legend 12 fell into my hands and I now must choose.
The custom is Black; no cutaway; gold hdwre; reconditioned top; standard OP24 vol/3band eq. It is a beautifully ornamented guitar with lots of abalone. It seems to be a little older and defintely heavier.
the regular legend 12 is natural top and cutaway style. It's been a great guitar and is comfortable and toneful. It has the 4 band with the notch for electronics and is a 2000 model. It is lighter.
My main questions. The top seems a little wavy. will that cause probs in the future? and can the electronics be upgraded? Are these hard to get or rare?
no, I can't keep them both.
help me! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | sir dan
the ss is great for amplified use not so much for acoustic. if the custom legend is mid then it would depend on the application.
you could probably update the preamp without much trouble contact Kim Keller. (although it is probably not cheap)
I know I was no help to you at all.... |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Tell us a little more about the tops of these guitars. Which one is wavy (and how), and which one has a reconditioned top, and what does that entail? |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 55
Location: Frozen Tundra | well, the SS legend has a natural spruce top. it was purchased as a factory second because of 2 finish (not wood) cracks near the bridge. It plays and sounds wonderful amplified. As Alpep says, it's pretty thin on its' own.
the Black Custom Legend has an opaque black finish
It looks fine when you look directly at it, but looking down the barrel there are some extreme high and low spots in the finish.
It has a label inside that says "factory reconditioned" what does that mean?
and it has a black, heavy/solid neck, black headstock and extreme V shaped neck.
I'm guessing about a 94 |
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Posts: 55
Location: Frozen Tundra | 
I would call the guitar a 8.5/10 but the top a 5/10
the SS newer legend is 9/10 or better |
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Posts: 55
Location: Frozen Tundra |  |
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Posts: 7
Location: Columbus, OH | Keep the fancy one : ) |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | I'd call the factory and ask about the top of the Custom Legend and what the reconditioned would mean.
I wouldn't worry too much about the difference in the electronics as both are good and I'll bet that you couldn't tell the difference between the two plugged in.
The questions I would be asking are how often do you really play in the cutaway area, and how much are you playing plugged in vs. unplugged. The difference in the unplugged sound will astound you. Then choose accordingly.
By the way, in the argument of plain vs. fancy, of my 5 main Ovations, only one has a fancy abalone neck. The rest are fairly plain. Yet they are all beatiful and sound wonderful. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I would definately keep the Custom.
No - I take that back. Keep the cutaway and email me immediately about buying that crappy black one with the bum finnish from you. ;) DAve |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | sirdaniel
You don't need to wait for these guys to call the factory, just send me the black guitar and I will examine the finish on the top, play it for a few years to check for other flaws you might have missed. I will then write you a report (this will probably take a few years as I write extremely thorough reports). I will do all this for no cost as you seem like a nice guy. I am, by the way, an expert on those 12 strings as I've been slobbering over pictures of guitars like yours since I joined the board. I vote for the black one.
Bailey (my keyboard is all wet and slobbery again)
[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: Bailey ] |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 55
Location: Frozen Tundra | Well, I played both at rehearsal extensively for 2+ hours last night. Back and forth I went. and forth and back. 2 very different guitars. 2 truly excellent guitars. I had the stage lights available in the basement and the black one definitely catches all of those.
The guitars sound very different, the custom is warmer. INitially, I'm leary to give up my notch filter, but if I get to needing one, I can use my "hole blocker"
I called kim keller yesterday. he said the top underneith the marginal finish is a AAA top.
My comrade, who is buying the one I don't want, is leaning slightly toward the SS.
How hard are the preamps to get out? the ultimate last piece to the equation would be to swap the preamps, then sell him the SS. He understands this is one of the options.
BTW, you guys have been very helpful; thanks
...except for ALPEP, whose "wishy-washy" non-commital answer did nothing less than piss me off. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | It's my understanding that preamps are pretty easy to swap out. Unscrew, unplug and they are out. I've got a buddy who has a custom legend 12 identical to yours except factory left handed. He loves it.
I went back and read Al's response. I don't understand why you're pissed. All he did was say buy the right guitar for your application. Several others of us said the same thing just much more eloquently. Don't be so sensitive. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Paul
Dan is being sarcastic I sold him the natural SS guitar.
Dan
easy swap on the preamps just take your time. Phillips screws under the stick on label and inside everything plugs in to each other. toughest is the battery doors if they are different but you can probably use the existing ones. Call me if you get stuck or Kim. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Easy solution:
Keep 'em BOTH!! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | You know, I usually don't miss the sarcasm... but I've been up since 4 when one of the dogs threw up in our bedroom. Now I feel like the ass my wife and friends always accuse me of being.
By the way, I was up in San Francisco last week and saw a guy playing guitar on the street. He was playing the most beat up Legend ssb 12 string cutaway I have ever seen. He was trying to tell me it was a Glen Campbell 25 year special edition model.
[ August 29, 2002: Message edited by: moodypi ] |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Paul
I hope you sampled the color so we can have it on file for the next batch of guitars that use the "runny carpet staining dog spoo" theme! |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Paul;
Did the guy in SanFran also have his hat lined with tin foil to protect his brain from the evil death rays being emanated from nearby planet Zoloft? |
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March 2002
Posts: 873
Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | if you can afford it, i agree with cliff-------keep em both. i have 6 12 strings and that is just barely enough (at least that's what i tell kathleen). |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | The black one looks a lot like the 6 string that Paul Simon played in the video of the Central Park Concert, and I noticed on that one the contour and grain of the wood was very noticeable when the light reflcted at an angle, that says the finish is thin enough not to dampen the top's vibration. |
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help me choose!
