Applause AN-13

This guitar has a solid spruce top with low gloss finish and the typical Ovation/Applause bowl bottom. It has a cutaway body that fits comfortably in your lap while siitting in a straight chair - a lazy boy take a little more adjustment because of the bowl design. The fast neck has a thin width 1 11/16, and shallow depth, [no fat neck here] and appears to be maple. It is truely beautiful. There are 18 full frets and 1 space fret. The neck is joined at the 12th fret.

I have to give it a 10 for the robust yet mellow sound that can be produced for this size of guitar. I have several 3/4 guitars and this by far is the best sounding even though it is not the most expensive. A more crip or bright attitude can be obtained by changing the strings to flamenco's or high tention. Most 3/4 guitars will not accept high tention strings without problems - no problem with this one.

The action is excellent for me. I like low action and narrow necks which is what this guitar has. The strings that came with it are better than most original strings and easy to play. the bookmathing of the spruce top is excellent. You have to get very close or take a photograph to see any difference in the woods. This guitar appears to be as well built as their $700.00 models and it equals in quality and fit my $700.00 Yamaha thinline.

This guitar is built like a little tank. Amazingly strong for such a light instrument. It should withstand the rigors of the road although I have not tried it.

Do not need it.

I have played the steel guitar on and off since around '57 but just got into spanish style about a year ago. I bought this guitar to learn with and it has fullfilled its mission. Great for beginners. I would not get another one only because I am moving on to nylon electric guitars for recording. Thisone does record well with a mike. I am not a big fan of the bowl design but it is sturdy and contributes to the great sound. I looked at many 3/4 and this was the easiest playing and most well built for the money.

U.S. made 3/4-size cutaway, 20 frets, no electronics. Spruce top, 23 5/8" neck, 1 11/16" nut. Plastic bridge and nut. Ruby red finish. Gig bag was $30 extra from Music123.com, and the small size makes it hard to find a cheaper alternative.

For a guitar this cheap, the tuners were adequate. You don't expect much in the way of features with this guitar, but it's actually not bad looking, in a cute kind of way.

It's unfair to compare it to a full-size acoustic. For a 3/4, it has a decent amount of volume. Not a complex tone by any means, but not an unappealing one, either. I was originally looking for a Martin Backpacker, but I couldn't live with its sound. I'm giving it a 6 because its sound beats its travel-size competition significantly.

Setup was fine. Played well out of the box. Action is good w/light strings. Virtually no finish on the neck, which feels pretty nice. No cosmetic flaws that I could detect.

I neede a guitar to take camping for a week, and was not about to bring my main acoustic. The plastic bowl back is seemingly impervous to the elements, and I have no concern that a week in the trunk of my car, near the sea, will in any way damage it. As for gigs, I doubt it will see many of those. Spend the extra $20 for the acoustic/electric model if you think you'll ever play out with one of these!

Haven't dealt with Kaman, but Music123 did a good job of processing my order.

I've had a great time with this guitar, and show it off to all my guitar snob friends. For what it is, it's terrific. I leave it on a guitar stand in the living room, and my 2-year-old strums it every time she walks by. My older child will start on lessons with it in a year or so, and I can't wait to take it camping. Easy action, a fun compact size, attractive red finish, and a better tone than an actual travel guitar, by a mile.

One objection is the round back - I've never played an Ovation-style guitar for any length of time before, and I find them kind of uncomfortable. I use a strap even when seated.