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Joined:
March 2013
Posts: 2
| I just dug a 1655 (NOT a 1755) custom balladeer 12 string from the mid-1980's out of my dad's basement. The 1655 isn't listed in the official Ovation archives, but it appears to be quite similar to the 1755, which is.
Question One: Do you know why the 1655 doesn't exist in the archives even though I've been playing it in my living room for the last 3 weeks?
Question Two: Is this a special vintage collectors item with special features (ebony fingerboard, etc) that I couldn't find in Balladeers or Elite 12 strings from the last 15 years or so?
Question Two B: how would the electronics from the mid 80's compare to those from the 2000's?
Question Three: I've measured the nut and I swear it's no more than 1-3/4", and maybe only 1-11/16". The narrow neck makes it a challenge to play fingerstyle. Are there any Ovation 12 strings--current or discontinued--that would work better for fingerpicking if my right hand can't adapt to this instrument in a month or two? I'd like to limit my spending to $2-300 plus whatever I can get for the custom balladeer if I decide I can't keep it. Which brings me to...
Question Four: What would the resale or trade-in value be for a 1655 custom balladeer 12 string? I see used 1755's going for as much as $600 and even $700 on Craigslist.
I'm intrigued by this guitar and I hope my right hand can adapt to it. I have a hand-made spruce-and-rosewood Steven Anderson 6-string that I wouldn't sell at any price, but, if I can't shell out a couple thousand for a well made solid wood 12 string, I'd rather have a carbon fiber instrument that does a good job of being carbon fiber instrument than a plywood (sorry, I mean laminate) instrument that tries to be solid wood and fails.
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Question One: Do you know why the 1655 doesn't exist in the archives even though I've been playing it in my living room for the last 3 weeks?
Not every guitar makes it into the archives.
Question Two: Is this a special vintage collectors item with special features (ebony fingerboard, etc) that I couldn't find in Balladeers or Elite 12 strings from the last 15 years or so?
I think that they were only made in the 80's...
Patch sold one last year
Question Two B: how would the electronics from the mid 80's compare to those from the 2000's?
I think that the 1655 just has a single knob, which sound fine... And the batteries last forever.
Question Four: What would the resale or trade-in value be for a 1655 custom balladeer 12 string? I see used 1755's going for as much as $600 and even $700 on Craigslist.
Not every asking price is an actual selling price. What a guitar is worth is what the buyer will pay on that day, and what the seller is willing to accept.
Meanwhile...
Hang-around Lazarus, someone will be along eventually to grant you access.
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Joined:
March 2013
Posts: 2
| Thanks for responding to my questions so soon, Arthur! Between you and the FAQ, I've figured out there might be a 6 or $700 dollar ceiling on my guitar's resale value, but whether I could get anywhere close to that depends on too many factors to be predictable.
Not that I'm settled on selling it. I just found a youtube video of someone doing some nice fingerstyle on a 12 string elite, so I know at least one person plays an ovation 12 string finger style. (here's the url, if anyone else wants inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJCABvL-ACc). Ovations really do amplify well.
Sometimes I can fingerpick the 1655 without a hitch, and sometimes I can't. Guess I'll keep doing arpeggio exercises until my right hand adapts or gives up.
Does anyone know if this old custom balladeer has a narrower neck than the 1-7/8" elite I saw? Something I'll need to know in a month or two, when I decide whether to trade it in or keep it.
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | "Custom Balladeer" used to be the term they used before they renamed that as "Legend", however that happened sometime before 1982, as my old Legend was a 1982 model. It's possible that this is a custom-made Balladeer, as the original buyer may have wanted a narrow neck - this would have been an an easy custom build, as they could have used a standard Balladeer 6 string neck and attached it to the 12 string body. Generally, Ovation 12 strings have a 1 7/8" nut. |
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Mysterious 1655 custom balladeer 12 string
