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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | My 8yo is tiring rather quickly of his 3/4 size Stratocopy and has requested (not quite demanded, but close; I blame his mother for this attitude! HAHA) an acoustic to thunk around on.
He's a little small for a full-sized guitar, and the Ovation Parlor popped into my head. Mostly because I've always thought they were cool and I'd like to own one. Although, for what they seem to go for, it wouldn't be a wise choice for him.
So...did Ovation ever make small-scale guitars? 3/4-scale? Student size? Or was the Parlor it? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | They used to have a small Ovation, I think it was called the Trekker, but I haven't seen one in years. They also made a couple Applause small guitars, I think they were AA-12 or AA-13 models. I got one of those for my daughter as a camping/travel guitar. It was decent for that. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Can you really ever be too small for a full-sized guitar? Check out these wonderful kids!
Classical guitar kids in the Orient |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Totally forgot about the Trekker. I'll go scope those out.
Prof: He comes from a long line of shorter-than-average people. ;) My concern is that he not be frustrated by the instrument. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Hey there cruster!
Like a bad penny you keep turning up.
Good to hear from you.
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For you guys who weren't around when cruster was a regular, your loss.
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I used to have a Trekker.
It had GREAT playability. As nice as any high end Ovation I've played.
The small bowl limits the ton & volume but it sounds good for what it is. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Brad! <-- Driver on the most fun long-distance road trip I have had in my life. :D
Tone and volume aren't big concerns. He's on the small-ish size and I worry that a full-size box will be too bulky for him to work with (not that it couldn't be done, just not comfortably). Playability as far as action, neck width/thickness and intonation are definitely concerns. I appreciate the input!
I did a quick feePay search for Trekkers and found none. Weird. They must be really old. I vaguely recall them. |
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Joined:
July 2010
Posts: 187
Location: Nahant, MA | There's an Applause 3/4 size you might be able to find used for a good price...looks just right for thunking. |
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Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 1792
Location: Rego Park, NY, | Hey Cruster, How have you been? Haven't heard much from you since the last tour. Hope all is well. I also had a Trekker for a short time. I sold it to a friend for her niece. I can find out if they still use it. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Yep, the Applause AA-13 is a 3/4-size steel-string, while the AN-13 is a nylon. I had a Celebrity CS212, 3/4-size, as a BFLG project, that was reconfigured to a biscuit-resonator, with an 8-inch cone. Fascinating little critter, actually.
So, not so many USA Ovations, in diminutive dimension, but several off-shore options. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | My daughter started with the AA13 six or eight years ago, and she stills enjoys it now even though she has a full stable of nice O's and A's to play. The AA13 being a low cost instrument, you will likely have to do some work on the setup. But other than that it is a pretty decent little guitar, especially for the price. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Wow, thanks for the input guys and gal(s). I'll look into the AA13 for sure. Can't seem to turn up any Trekkers.
Phil: Been better, been worse. All things considered, I can't complain. That Tour seems like ages ago. The Heritage guys are having their annual get together in August again this year, maybe the OFC should overrun the Saturday "open jam" session. Then I'd get to see *all* of my online guitar forum friends at once. Heh. |
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Joined:
May 2010
Posts: 95
Location: Vancouver Island, BC | The Trekker was made from -98 to 2000.
A found one at a pawn shop 2 years ago. It is my boat guitar, and sounds better than it has a right to. Very nicely finished, but the rosette is a cheap plastic copy of the big ones.
Neck is 1/32" narrower than standard, but I fitted it with a standard O nut for better E-E spacing, and it plays very nice.
The scale is slightly shorter, so with light strings it is very easy on the fingers for a kid.
Hell, I even pur Shaller gold tuners (ebay) and perloid buttons on it.
With five other O's, I still play it regularly even at home.
The laminated top should make it pretty tough. |
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Joined:
May 2010
Posts: 95
Location: Vancouver Island, BC | Trekker: Celebrity CC 012 |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I had a Celebrity Deluxe CS212, which was a 3/4 size midbowl Elite-style guitar. I had it around for the boys to mess around on. Somehow it disappeared over the years, but it was very nice for what it was. It even had an OP24+ in it. Much better than the AE-12 Applause ssb 1/2 size that's still around here, which was the first "small" guitar I had for the boys. I'd get another CS-212 if I could find one. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I'll add the CS212 to the list of possibilities. I was going to get the 1868 out last night and let him have a go on it, but ran out of time. Maybe the SSB on it will work for him. |
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Is the Parlor it for small-size Ovations?
