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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 176
| I just got the '68 Deluxe Balladeer today. First let me say that I got an amazing deal from Jeff and I appreciate all the help from Paul and everyone on the forum.
And now the moment you've all been waiting for....
I was wrong. Mea Culpa.
Tone is amazing. Volume incredible. Response even across the spectrum. Handles fingerpicking and hard strumming. Intonation is spot on.
It isn't just that this guitar would compare well against any other $300 used guitar. It just would compare well against any other guitar.
Ovation guitars are an excellent choice, used or otherwise. Period.
I'll probably be writing my article this weekend. You should also see my retraction going out to 24,000 email subscribers to our newsletter.
Anyone have any contacts at Ovation I can interview?
Nick |
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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | Hey Nick, I am glad you are enjoying your Ovation. I rescued a 1975 Ovation Custom Balladeer from a car trunk where it had been for months. It was for a lady who would hardly ever use the guitar and just left it in her trunk. Now down here in Louisiana it gets some hot, and when she told me she kept the guitar in her car trunk I could not believe it. When I took the guitar out of the trunk, the top was warped slightly, and it had finish cracks. I sent the guitar back to Ovation, and they did a great job bringing it back to life. Those old Ovations are built tough, and I know you will love yours. |
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April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Nick,
I'm really happy for you. You are right! Ovations are fantastic Period. I only hope that once the financial situation works itself out tha ti can find as good a deal out there on a 6 string Ovation.Howevere, First Things First, My 12 string must come back home before I buy anything else. |
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January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | Glad you like your Ovation, Nick, but let's think through this thing: People who didn't like O's start trying them, finding out they really do like, them, and telling others. The demand for O's goes up. If I remember Econ 101, that means either supply or price has to go up, and if supply goes up, quality might go down. That would mean that price would go up and GAS would become more expensive.
Couldn't you write about something else? ;-)
:D |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Hello Nick!!!!
Well, since I'm the one who got you into this, I'm glad it all worked out well.
I know just what your talking about. It took be a long time and lots of trying to find something I liked better than my '70 Balladeer.
I think the person to contact at Ovation would be Rick Hall. I'll bet that he is already familiar with this topic. I'm sure he would be glad to talk to you. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | I just played a 76 Custom Balladeer at a pawnshop that had been abused. Looks like a pickguard was removed with a screwdriver. Someone tried to refinish it without much sanding and covered the bridge and rosette. There were some holes part way through the back, so you could see fabric. But it played easily and had great projection. It would be a great guitar if you didn't have to look at it. They wanted $150 for the guitar, which is about $100 more than what I thought it was worth. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I'm goin to shoot on over and subscribe to the newsletter.
Rick Hall.....that's the guy to talk to Nick. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Truely, welcome to the club now. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | One down.
Many more to go... |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | That fine playing instrument came from being stored in trunk of a car in Louisiana!?!?!?? I hope that's part of the article.
Nick...Please,how do I subscribe to the newsletter? |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 176
| oh no, this one never saw a car trunk.
To subscribe:
http://www.guitarnoise.com/news.php
We don't sell names ever. |
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June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | Glad you're enjoying the Deluxe Balladeer, Nick... Well, I guess if it made a believer out of a former "nay sayer" than it was worth the sacrifice ;)
At least I got to enjoy the guitar for a while. Hated like hell to part with it, but maybe down the road there will be another DB in my future. Enjoy it, Nick, and I look forward to the article.
Jeff |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Nick,
Signed up for the newsletter and also contributed to a worthy effort.
Kind of a rocky start on the OFC but I (and, I am sure many others) appreciate your presence here. |
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July 2005
Posts: 17
| Wow, Nick... can't believe that my original reading of your guitarnoise article just a few weeks ago and posting my concerns here has lead to this. Wow! By the way, I'm a first time guitar buyer and a new player and am enjoying my used Ovation Elite L718 from 1995. I hope your article reaches out to a lot of first-time buyers. The guys on this board were super and all of the archived messages have been indespensible. Thanks everyone! |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Credit were credit is due....
mantics started it all....I just e-mailed Nick to invite him over here. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | There are a lot of great guitars out there. The Deluxe Balladeer, rightly, belongs in that catagory. The first time I ever played one, Temp had purchased it on the 'bay and never received it. I went up to the pawn shop in Hollywood and liberated it. Couldn't believe the sound when I first played it. Those 3 chords had never sounded like that before.
Nick, a suggestion. Have somebody else play it while you sit about 6 feet in front of it. An odd quirk about Ovations is that they sound better to the people listening than they do to the player.
Glad you're happy with your new purchase. And Jeff did give you a good deal. I would have charged much more for my DB. |
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December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | Congrats Nick. Now you're really in the club! Looking forward to the new article. |
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February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Nick couldn't be content with a stock-standard,great playing and sounding,regular ole everyday Ovation for his first! Noooooooooooo,He had to right out of the chute grab an extremely fantastic sounding early model Deluxe Balladeer!!(Glad he did!)........Way To Go!! NICE Snag!! I Hope You Enjoy It! :p
Btw, I know an OFC member who has an Elusive Slothead Adamas fer sale.......want me to "hook you up?" :D |
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And now the moment you've all been waiting for...
