Ovation 6751LX Standard Balladeer

This review for is for a 2006, USA made Ovation Standard Balladeer LX 12 string. It has an "A" grade solid Sitka Spruce top with scalloped X bracing and natural high gloss finish.
Hand inlaid maple leaf rosette.
Mid depth GS Lycracord Bowl with cutaway.
5 Piece Mahogany & Maple neck with a Rosewood fingerboard & satin finish. The scale lengh is 25 1/4". Dot Diamond fret board inlay.
LX 2 way adjustable low mass truss rod. Bound neck and body.
Rosewood Bridge with OCP-1 Pickup.
OP-Pro preamp with 3 band EQ and electronic tuner.
Ovation Chrome tuners. Dunlop strap lock system buttons.
Ovation hardshell case

I am currently playing orginal and classic country music.
This 12 string is full warm and lush, with shimmering angelic highs and thunderous booming lows. It sounds like a 12 string should sound acoustically. The OP-Pro and OCP-1 Pickup reproduce that sound when plugged in. The sound is impressive and memorable.
There nothing I would change.

I bought this 6751LX from Lost Art Vintage Instruments in NJ.
This guitar was technically "used" as it had been a factory demo guitar.
The price reflects its being used.
In reality its was perfect condition with the tags still on it.
It had 0 wear on it. As with all Ovation Guitars it ships with 3 shims under the bridge pickup and D'Addario EXP38 Coated Phosphor Bronze strings. I removed 2 shims and replaced the strings with Adamas 1616 Phosphor Bronze strings. The action is amazing for a 12 string.
Its effortless. You can play barr cords down to the 14th fret.
The frets work is as good as any boutique builders.
The Sitka Spruce top has straight tight graining.
Ovation "A" grade Sitka is impressive.

The good people in New Hartford Connecticut factory take pride in thier work and it shows.
The rating of 9 reflects the shim removal and not liking the coated strings. The guitar itself is flawless in fit & finish.

There are no more road worthy acoustic guitar than Ovation USA.
The high gloss top finish is polyurathan and very tough.
No pick guard is needed. The 5 piece necks do not warp, twist or bow unless you put the guitar in extreme conditions. Just don't leave it in car trunk and it will be fine. Everything on the guitar is is first rate. I would have absolute confidence in my Standard Balladeer LX by itself. I expect it to withstand 20 years of hard use before needing repairs.

Ovation customer service is hands down best in the business.
They offer factory service as well as service centers.
The USA Ovations have a Limited Lifetime Warrenty to the orginal owner. ( I had no fears in buying the demo model, used, without the Warrenty. )
John Budny and Kim Keller know how to treat people. Any questions are addressed quickly and politely. Both have been at Ovation a very long time.
Ovation owners lovingly refer to New Hartford as the Mothership.
First Charlie and later Bill Kaman created the feel of small family business at Ovation. Its still there.
I hope that remains now that Ovation is part of Fender Musical Instruments.
They recently also worked on
my 1968 Ovation Tornado Hollowbody electric guitar.
Even out of warrenty (bought the Tornado used in 1992).
As usual, it done on time or early for the quoated price or less.
They also did aftermarket custom inlay work for me in the past.
(my intials spell PEZ)
My Ovation Thunderbolt needed a neck reset after 18 years.
It was inpart covered by the Limited Lifetime Warrenty.
It came back looking and playing like new.

How long have I been playing? Since the mid 80's.
My other acoustic guitars are a 1988 Guild D-25, 1988 Ovation Thunderbolt, 2007 Ovation 1719 Traditional Custom Legend
and a 2003 Martin D-28.
I play these through a Fender Passport 150.
I use Adamas Phospher Bronze on all my acoustics.
On the electric side I have a 1968 Ovation Tornado,
1983 BC Rich Neck thru-body Wave, 1995 Fender Custom Shop
Set-neck Strat one-off.
I play them through a Fender 1990 "The Twin" tube amp.
Sometimes I mic a Fender Champion 600 5 watt tube amp.
When I use effects (rarely) I have 10 Danelectro mini effects petals
in 2 petal boards. I use GHS Burnished Pure Nickel strings on the Strat and DR Pure Blues Pure Nickel on the other 2.
I use Dava Control Picks.
I use Electro-Voice ND257a mics for vocals.

If it was lost or stolen I would buy another Ovation mid bowl LX 12 string.
This one was an incredable deal at $699. (list price $1849.00, and $1299.00 street price) No doubt even at $1299 it is a real steal for an American made guitar.
However if I lost it, I would replace it with Ovation C759LX Custom Legend 12 string. While the Balladeer is simple, eligant and understated in its look; I perfer the visually stunning Custom Legend.
I like the bling. If you like a simple look the Standard Balladeer is the way to go. For me this was too good of a deal to pass up.

What I love about the Balladeer is the sound and playability.
This guitar exceeded my expectations.
This 12 string plays better than other makes 6 string models.
I can play it for hours without my fingers hurting.
The pinless bridge makes for easy replacement of a broken strings.
The built in tuner is a wonderfull feature and makes tuning simple.
The OP Pro preamp was designed with input from Melissa Etheridge and Al DiMeola. It shows in how user friendly it is. The sound plugged in is very acoustic. I do wish it had a balanced line out and may look into adding one, as the OP Pro has one in other models. The new GS bowl is noticiably lighter. The mid depth bowl pumps out impressive volume. Its really comfy against your body. Its nice to not have to reach around a Jumbo body on a 12 string. This guitar compares favorably to American made Guild & Taylor 12 strings.
The Standard Balladeer LX is a proffesional grade instrument at home in any venue from a coffee house to a stadium.


LX SERIES Standard Balladeer 12-String photo and specs are here.
http://www.ovationguitars.com/index.cfm?fa=detail&mid=2037
If you would like to see how Ovation USA are made here is a link to the May 2007 Factory Tour.
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Ovation_Factory_Tour_2007/Ovation_Factory_Tour.html
If you would like to attend please join the Ovation Fan Club
http://www.ovationfanclub.com
Its free and not company sponcered with 6000 plus members.
Its a great resource for any Ovation owner.