|
|
Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Iowa | I'm a poor college student who quite some time ago discovered the superb qualities of Ovation. Right now i'm playing a '92 1862 Custom Balladeer. My local music store, to my suprise, dropped Ovation from their selection. Last time I went there they had 1 ovation left, a 1717 legend. It was suprisingly heavy but in absolutley immaculate condition. I asked an employee about it and he said it was an '82 or '83, and I was shocked, considering age seemed to ignore its presence. My ovation is a shallow bowl, and this 1717 is a deep bowl. So my predicament is whether to trade in my 1862 for the measly $200 they are offering to get this better model, and take into account its age, or to keep my current one, with superior electronics. I play more unplugged, and the deep bowls sound i found better. What do you all think, is it a deal or should I hold out? The price is $450. Being that i'm not able to purchase the other one straight up, i can't keep them both. If I trade mine, i'd only have to scrounge up another $250. I've been unable to find any other Ovation with a sound as good as that deep bowl, within my price range. Any ideas, opinions would be appreciated. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | I'd get the Legend defintely based on your description. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | Trade in your Balladeer for the Legend! Or sell your Baladeer to someone on here then buy the Legend. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Iowa | Seems like pretty unanimous decisions. The 1717 is a pearl white color, very beautiful. My only hesitation I guess is whether its age will suddenly creep up on it. And i've yet to hear it plugged in; i've never actually heard old ovation's electronics. So this is a rare opportunity? The reason it is priced so low is of course it's age. Any body else with something to add to my wavering mentality of the situation is requested to respond. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | There's really not much difference in the electronics as both the 1862 and the 1717 have 3 band equalizers. If you primarily use the guitar acoustically, the 1717 is vastly superior. However $200 is way below the value of your 1862. You can get double that on eBay. Even though it's more effort, list the 1862 on eBay with a starting price of $300 plus shipping, get the money, ship it out and then buy the 1717. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Iowa | I actually just called the place and asked for the serial number. It turns out to have been born in 1990. So that mere fact heavily weighs my decision in favor of replacement. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I am not familiar with either of these guitars. My thought is, that it's always good to have more than one guitar on hand, if possible. You may find these two have different applications based on their variation in sound (luxury, I know), or one day might need one as a backup. You never know what the future holds (do I hear 'college band'?), and those better electronics may come in handy someday soon. Seems a shame to lose a USA O for only $200 bucks.
Would it be possible to consider some kind of layaway plan? Also a lot of music stores offer 12-15 months same as cash offers, which is nice if you're reliable about paying things off. That way you can pay it off next summer when you're working again, and not have any interest build up. Or, you can play at a local coffee shop or bar a few times and pay it off. Maybe the guy at the music store needs part time help at the store on saturdays or something.
Just a thought. Nice of me to feed someone else's gas, as if my own isn't bad enough!
Otherwise, follow your heart and ears to make the decision. There also might be someone on campus or ebay who might give you more than $200 for your guitar if you decide to get the new one.
Johnny |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Stop smoking, drinking, chasing wimmen, and bailing out your buddies. Paid for in two months, or less, depending on the level of your profligate activities.
Hmmmmmmmm......now how would I know about these ideas? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Iowa | I decided to get it, but it doesn't come with a case. Does a mid-bowl case work with deep bowls? These hard cases are expensive, so i'm looking for more of a used one. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | RE: "Deep in a Mid"- I've had deeps that didn't fit in a deep, for that matter. For some reason, my 1111 doesn't fit in the same case as my 1115. Go figure......so, DC, probably not. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | dcrunner, a mid-bowl case DOES NOT WORK with deep bowls. Do not try it, you will likely be sorry. Trust me on this one.
Roger |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | FWIW, I have played both models. The 1717 is a much, much better guitar. It was pretty much unchanged for many years until the OP24 preamp was phased out. It could be had with an OP-X for a year or two.
Second, the #1862 is not that highly sought after when one can get a newer #1861 with better electronics for not much more. $200 trade is a fair offer, as trade-ins go. (Which is why I never trade at a music store.)
If you were to sell the #1862 on eBay, you might get $300 for it but I think it highly optimistic to hope for a lot more than that. But you would still come out ahead selling your guitar on eBay and then offering less for the Legend.
Finally, you do need a deepbowl case. Cases sell for a lot on eBay, so good luck. A gig bag will work for a while.
P.S. I have a #1717 for sale on eBay with a link from the sell/trade board on this site IF anyone is interested in one of these. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | OK, so you're poor NOW. You wind up with a much better guitar acoustically speaking. You fall in love with the sound of your new guitar. Some day you'll have some money(trust me...you will!) So then you send it to the Ovation factory for updated electronics and a little tweaking. Sounds like a great future! John. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 709
Location: Germany | dcrunner,
I recently bought an 1862 on ebay. Here ist what I payed for it:
Price 1862
The 1862 is a great guitar for playing on stage, but if you play mainly acousticly the 1717 is the much better guitar! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 52
Location: Iowa | Hey everyone, thanks for the advice. I have one last question before I put everything in action. What's the method of choice for shipping a guitar across the country, and how much should I expect to be put back by it? I'll post it for sell on here in a day or two, depending when I can borrow a digital camera, and then possibly over to ebay. Thanks again! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Access the major carrier websites- USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL, with box size about 48x20x9, and 15# for weight, and see what each source says, Point A to Point B. I just sent out 4 guitars in the past two weeks, ranging in cost from $8.60 (USPS- electric guitar- 300 miles) to $24.00 (FedEx-acoustic- 3500 miles). UPS & USPS is generally higher, especially on oversize parcels. Insurance is usually a good idea, also. USPS appears to have lost a hardshell case on me- DRAT!! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Count on $25 to $30. I think most members would agree. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | $30-$35. Go with UPS. |
|
| |
Decisions
