Most of you have not seen a mandolin like this
 

I received this beauty Friday, and can finally tick off one of the most difficult-to-find instruments on my wish list, and it was worth all the years of effort to track one down and come up with the money. (Not an easy thing for a church social worker.) These are very rare. I'm given to understand that about 20-25 were made? And its cousin (a 1768 "Book" Elite guitar) is being repaired at the factory as we speak. (Shipper cracked the top. SIGH!) I can't wait to take pics of them side-by-side.

Here's a description written a while back by another Ovation fan:. I know it's a little lazy, but being as it was he who sold me the mandolin, it seemed appropriate.

[I/]Officially it's a 1996 model MM68-7LTD mandolin. But for all practical purposes it's called the Ovation "Book" Mandolin, manufactured to celebrate Ovations 30th anniversary. It is the matching mandolin mate to the "Book" Elite featured on the cover of the Walter Carter book. The solid spruce top is finished with a honey toned ager and the entire body, neck, and headstock is lined in several hundreds of beautiful Abalone inlay. 24k gold tuners with pearloid buttons and an OP-24+ preamp system round out the configuration. The only fretboard marking is the exquisite inlayed "1966-1996" at the 12th fret. There does not seem to be an official count of how many were made. I've heard estimates of approximately 25. In my opinion this certainly is the most beautiful mandolin Ovation has ever produced.[/I]

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...olin/Front.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...dolin/neck.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...epaulettes.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...lin/banner.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s.../headstock.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...ockcloseup.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...dstockrear.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...lin/tuners.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s...in/skyshot.jpg

Congratulations on your new addition! I've certainly not seen one like that before, and I am a mandolin player, but mandolins come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Yours looks like an ideal one for an Ovation collector / fan, which you clearly are. Enjoy :)

Fliss

HOLY MOLY! That's nice!

I play a normal ol' MM68 as my stage mando. It's nigh undestructible. The appeal of the Ovation (for me anyway) is it's playability and how sturdy it is. I'd be afraid to take that one out of the house!

Really great instrument though - thanks for sharing.

Wow! This is a beauty ... congrats.