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(More customer reviews)I'll start off by saying that my introduction to this instrument came through a rather 'odd' circumstance.
A younger classical guitar student owned it; he dropped it hard enough on a 'sharp surface' to crack the top (through no fault whatsoever of the instrument manufacturer) and was selling it for dirt cheap. While it appeared 'real bad', in reality, it was an easy enough fix to anyone familiar with how that process goes. OK, so after watching enough Buster B Jones video's (but not quite ready to jump into a Multiac), I've been looking for a decent cutaway nylon w/ electronics. I'm always a sucker for a fixer-upper project that saves money on something I want anyway. Sold.
In going through the motions of getting the crack under control, I got pretty familiar with how the guitar is put together. I'm not a guy who believes in 'super glue' or simply cleating the leading edge of a crack- I believe in proper repair and on-body refinish.
First things first, explored around the innards with a little flashlight and dental mirror to see what I was up against... Wow. This thing is VERY well built. The interior components were clearly put together with about as much deliberation as any given Martin or Taylor in terms of fit and finish. By contrast, take a look inside a cheapie sometime and compare. There is no comparison. The overall quality of materials- as far as tuners, neck, bridge, nut and saddle, etc- was all first rate, as was the overall fit and finish (joinery, binding, etc). This thing is an *extremely* well made, professional grade instrument.
Solid cedar top is absolutely gorgeous. Thankfully, the crack on mine was a sharp break, so a bit of time with some hide glue and an Xacto knife to turn the crack into a thin 'glueable channel'... Some more time with stainable wood glue to fill the crack flush with the top and installing some underside cleats along the crack line, the box is ready to rock. Will be undergoing a top refinish soon, but now that the crack is stable and the glue's dry, strung it up to see how it plays and sounds....
I noticed right off the bat that it comes with a high action, due to the Tusq (R) saddle being tall. Some people have complained about this but really, this is fairly standard for higher end instruments, where the saddle comes untuned from the factory with the expectation that the player will have it fit to their individual specifications. Nice touch. A bit of time with some abrasive paper, had it right where I wanted. The nut (also Tusq) was dead on.
The onboard Godin Q1 Saddle pickup sounds amazing. The plug is integrated with the bottom strap stud, while the battery compartment is smartly designed- a simple hatch, right next to the plug. Anyone who has had to change the damn battery in old Ovations will appreciate this. Open door, old battery out, new battery in- a 5 second process.
The acoustic tone was superb, amplified, just as good. Can't really 'explain' this, but go play one, you'll understand.
Overall, this is just a tremendous instrument at this price point. While I bought a 'fixer upper', having handled and played it for a bit now, I would not hesitate to recommend this at it's new price point.
This is a $1500 guitar for $600.
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