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#1
03-24-2019, 05:05 PM
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Gift Ovation - what do I have?
Hey Guys - my best friend from college had a friend of his give a guitar to his daughter, who promptly decided to play trumpet instead. My friend said "hey, you want a free guitar?" I of course said yes.
It is an Ovation. I've read about them a little on this forum and seem them on ebay, but this is the first one I've seen in person. The soundhole label says: "Balladeer by Ovation Model 4861, Made in Korea, A Kaman Music Product." Does anyone know anything about these instruments? When I received it, most of the strings were corroded and the action was really high. I took it to my tech who set it up as best he could but he told me it really needs a neck reset and it probably isn't worth it. He guessed it had a laminate top (it had a gloss black finish). With new strings, it is easily the thinnest sounding guitar in our house - even my Ibanez or my son's Yamaha FS820 sounds noticeably richer sounding than this - but plugged in it isn't half bad. Any idea what I just inherited? This seems like the perfect guitar to take to the beach where we don't have to fly.
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Larrivees: SD-40R Moonwood, SD-40 Moonwood, SD-40 All-Hog, SD-40, D-03 Yamahas: F310, FS820 (kid’s guitar) Alvarez AD30 PRS SE P20E Parlor Martin Backpacker 
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#2
03-24-2019, 06:29 PM
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I didn't know they had any laminate tops on Balladeers, but it ha been a few years since I was into them.
Is it a shallow, medium, or deep back? Shallow ones always sound thin, but plugged in is better by far. I can't speak to the neck reset. There is an Ovation forum online as well. There are experts there who can answer any question. Good luck.
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#3
03-24-2019, 08:08 PM
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I have no idea which depth this is, but it seems shallow to me
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Larrivees: SD-40R Moonwood, SD-40 Moonwood, SD-40 All-Hog, SD-40, D-03 Yamahas: F310, FS820 (kid’s guitar) Alvarez AD30 PRS SE P20E Parlor Martin Backpacker
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#4
03-24-2019, 09:00 PM
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From what your tech told you, it sounds to me like a great piece of wall art.
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#5
03-24-2019, 09:04 PM
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You have a Korean Balladeer. They indeed had laminated tops. There were many different "Balladeer" models like the Balladeer, Standard Balladeer, Custom Balladeer. These were among the lower-tier of Ovations guitars (certainly compared to USA Ovations). However, you were gifted a good guitar that you have nothing invested in so why not spend a little bit and get it into perfect playing shape.
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#6
03-24-2019, 09:11 PM
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If it is shallow you may want to try putting 12’s on it and dont be afraid to play it hard. I have never had a balladeer but i have 2 Elites and a deep bowl DJ Asban. The Elites need to be played much harder than the deep bowl. The best Ovations were made in New Haven, CT.
On all 3 models that i own there are shims under the saddle that will lower the action. The Baladeer has a lot of fans and many famous musicians have played Ovations. You have a good instrument and the price was right!
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#7
03-24-2019, 10:49 PM
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I think that model is a "super shallow" bowl model. Not designed to be played without being plugged in, really. Not much air space in the body means not much bass. Even if it's a regular shallow body, the statement still stands.
Most Ovations are REALLY easy to play. If this one has high action, then it hasn't been treated well. If it's rather new, then it should still be adjustable. There is a small pic part way down in this web page that shows SS,S, regular, and contour back bowl shapes. https://uniqueguitar.blogspot.com/20...nd-deacon.html
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2010 Guild F47R 2009 G & L Tribute "Legacy" 1975 Ovation Legend 1986 Ovation 1758 12 String 2007 Walden G2070 2008 Guild D55 Prototype 1998 Guild Starfire IV 2016 Guild Newark St. X-175 Sunburst 1996 Ovation 1768-7LTD " custom "
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#9
03-25-2019, 06:13 AM
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Quote:
Since my tech did the best he could with a setup, it is very easy to play. My tech took the action from ridiculously high to just slightly above average. And it has such an interesting bridge setup!
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Larrivees: SD-40R Moonwood, SD-40 Moonwood, SD-40 All-Hog, SD-40, D-03 Yamahas: F310, FS820 (kid’s guitar) Alvarez AD30 PRS SE P20E Parlor Martin Backpacker
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