Reso, you're betting some great responses here. Rick Fielding is probably a hundred times better picker than I am and I'm sure that RiB and Mick and a lot of the others are a whole lot better too. But I love stringed instruments and do have a certain intimacy with acoustics and the way instruments are built. If you'll notice, Guild is preferred, but there are LOTS of others. The comment was made that 12's differ in sound more than 6's.......True. And I have to add that not everyone likes the same type of sound. What do you like? Boomy, heavy bass types; jangly thinner sounds; ringy with moderate overtones; softer texture but with volume and more harmonics; some combination of all this? Believe me, they're all out there.

Every instrument builder has gone through periods of better and worse instruments. Every small builder has a problem now and then. Rick's Tak came from a period (as does my 6 string Tak) when they were dead copying Martin and they were doing a better job than Martin was at that time. Ovation has built three distinctly different sounding 12's over the years. Gibson had a particular sound that you either loved or hated. Designs are infinitely different as are construction methods. Some 12's are designed to sound their best ONLY when tuned down one and a half or two steps. Strings, bridge saddles, and string attachment (thru bridge/pins/ what material) all have a greater effect on a 12. And then there is the "one-off" factor......everybody who builds any stringed instrument is plagued and blessed by it. Even the big boys with computer assisted assembly to insure accurate assembly deal with it. Some seemingly identical guitars can have very different sounds. No two pieces of wood are alike, a variable that's always there. I read a piece by Jean Larrivee, a truly great luthier and builder, discussing the one-off factor that was just terrific. It was in "Acoustic Guitar" better than a year ago and was part of some builder compilation article. Wish I still had it, but basically he said it was unavoidable, good or bad.

Play a lot of them----Have a friend play them----Listen with your back turned. Or shoot craps and buy something you know is generally reliable to have the sound you want. I went thru a long search awhile back and couldn't find diddly. I finally said to hell with it and saw that Elderly had a pre-82, pre-Adamas, Ovation...one of which I'd owned before and I thought, "This'll do til something better comes along." It was incredibly cheap and the guys said it was in fine shape. It arrived, was unpacked, warmed-up, tuned up and I wondered what the hell happened. Great sound, more like Guild than Ovation, but softer textured like Larrivee......whatever it is, it satisfied me and it's gotten fine comments from listeners. It's not even like the pre-82 Ovations...the one-off factor again......and though I may buy more guitars, if I ever have any money again, I wouldn't dream of giving this girl up.

Have a good time. Ain't it fun finding a new friend? And don't forget to check out the Implosive Pedro Guitar Company......I mean, Rick had one, you know?

catspaw