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Joined:
July 2007
Posts: 10
Location: Riverside, CA | Hello all. I'm an amateur guitarist in Riverside, CA and just bought my first Ovation this last Saturday. I found it on CraigsList. It's an Ovation 1312. It's an Ultra so I'm assuming it was made in Korea, although the label says nothing about the country of origin, nor does it say anywhere else on the guitar. My question has to do with the color. I've found no mention of this color being available on this model on any websites (and I've googled many). It's made me question the authenticity of the guitar, but why would anyone counterfeit a low end guitar? The fellow I bought it from bought it from a music store in Denver, CO years ago, specifically because of the color. I'm not worried, as the seller was asking $125 for the guitar, a hardshell case, stand, new strings and picks. It plays nicely but the action is a little high. The serial number is 069132, which again doesn't match the code for production run years. Has anyone here come across strange colored Ovations? If so, how rare are they and how does it affect their value? Thanks for any info you can give me.
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Welcome Stu!
That is an Awesome colored Ultra! I just paid $162 for an Ugly Ultra...
Natural Color, and I ain't even got it yet!
You got a great deal.
I would've said that that was someone's Project... But I think it came from that Factory like that. I'm just guessing that by looking at the binding.
And Yes, that was probably made in the Far East somewhere, cuz US Ultra's say Made In U.S.A. on the bottom rocker of the blue label.
Hope it plays well, cuz it sure is Purdy.
[Ya' need to get some different tuning buttons! Gold or Pearloid :cool: ]
Ooo, Ooo! Is that the Poor Man's Adamas we're talking about in the other thread?! :eek: |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 848
Location: Munich, Germany | Welcome aboard, Stu.
Don't wonder about the serial. Serial Number encoder refers to US made models only.
According to the colour- it is definitely factory made. You'll find much more variations in colours and woods on korean made Ovations than on US models.
You got a nice guitar for a good price. Enjoy.
Kurt
Edit: Read about the action. If the top is not warped or fallen in, lose the strings to get the Saddle out of the bridge and look if there are shims under it. if so, take one out and check the action. Another possibility would be adjusting the neck - if it has a Kaman Bar. Do a search for "set up", "action" to get more hints. |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 100
Location: Delaware | Hey Stu - I'm a new guy at this forum and not the right person to answer your questions. I see others have done that. I just want to add that I recently picked up a really nice Ovation Balladeer 1711, from a member here in the forum and I sure love it. O's are not low end guitars for sure but I understand your thought since yours was made in Korea or China. High action can be a good sign in terms of a soundboard that is in good shape. Of course, if your soundboard is laminate, you shouldn't have much trouble with it anyway. I think your Ultra has a solid top, however?
Soundboards that dry out over time, tend to lose that convex shape and even go concave - lowering the action and creating buzz problems no amount of trussrod tweaking will correct. In such cases, aside from re-humidifying the guitar replacing the saddle and/or nut with something higher is the solution.
Since your action is high, it leaves room to try lowering the strings via the trussrod route but if you are not experienced with guitars you need to be careful with that and don't overdo it - give the guitar a few days after each quarter-half turn to adjust. If trussrod doesn't bring action to a satisfactory height, you can replace the saddle and make it lower. That way, you don't ruin the existing saddle and can always go back to it if necessary. If you are an experienced guitarist please pardon my suggestions. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 841
Location: CA | Here's the best $5 you'll ever spend as an Ovation guitar owner:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Setup-Your-New-Ovation-Guitar-Download_W0QQitem... |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Stu: welcome and beautiful guitar! You'll find we're a harmless lot for the most and a really helpfull bunch in general! Enjoy the club and play that great looking Ultra!
Blessings... |
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Joined:
July 2007
Posts: 10
Location: Riverside, CA | Thanks for the greetings, guitar compliments, and info. I took Oddball's advice and I'm downloading the video as I type. If I can learn to set up the guitar myself and do a decent job, it'll be the best $5 I've spent in a long time. I checked out some of the guitars the posters have listed in their signatures and was blown away at the craftsmanship. It also brought up a couple more questions.
1.) Do the Ovation colors on the color chart at the Ovation Tribute site also apply to the Asian made guitars?
2.) What is the relationship between Adamas guitars and Ovation? Are they a higher-up guitar line, like Lexus to Toyota or Acura to Honda? They both appear to make some amazing guitars.
Thanks again.
Stu |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Welcome Stu!!
Unless there is something major wrong (sunkentop, bad neck-set angle, lifting bridge, etc), you should have little problem getting it set up. Don't hesitate to ask for help.
To Answer your questions:
1) Most of them are there, Import and USA made.
2) All Adamas are Ovations, but not all Ovations are Adamas. The primary difference is the Fibronic soundboard invented by Charlie Kaman. There are several varieties including the original textured top, SMT, CVT, and NWT. They all have one thing in common: They are much thinner, stronger and more responsive than a conventional wood top.
They also sound AMAZING!!! |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Welcome Stu!
You are starting out right where I did, with an import O. Now I'm only going to warn you once. If you hang around here, within about a year or so, you will have a very nice collection of higher end Ovations, and possibly an Adamas, and you will be very happy. (but broke) :D
It's called... GAS |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Welcome Stu,
It's a nice Ovation and the blue burst looks great.
Enjoy your guitar!!
J :) |
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Joined:
May 2007
Posts: 18
Location: Australia | Actually, I was thinking about purchasing that too. But is it really worth it or just a compilation of the free stuff that's already available on the net? |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | welcome |
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Joined:
May 2007
Posts: 166
Location: Veedersburg, Indiana | Welcome Stu. Sure is a nice looking Ovation! I would believe you got a good buy on that. Wish I could find one like that! Enjoy. Also, beware of GAS!!! |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Wonderful color. Don't see many like it. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | Welcome to the club.
The Ultra series had a variety of finishes, among which some are comparatively rare. The blue is a rarer one.
Unless there is structural damage to your guitar or it is in need of a neck reset, you got a fine deal; especially considering it came in a hard case. |
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Intro and a Question
