Ovation Celebrity CC245 12-String Acoustic-Electric Guitar  

I am tickled pink by the features that this guitar has. Let's start with the inclusion of a tuner on a guitar of this quality and price. since this is the first 12 string I've ever owned the tuner is an excellent addition and makes getting the guitar playing almost immediately. An interesting note, is that the tuner turns itself off after a few seconds of inactivity, and this was a welcome feature. Add to this a three band equalizer and gain control to make this an excellent feature enhanced guitar. about the only negative I could add is that I would like to have seen the tuner on the other side of the battery compartment; or maybe just swap their positions. The reason I suggest this is that with a rounded back I tend to sit with the wider part of the body type further under my arm, which in turn means that working the farthest tuner heads and looking at the relatively small display is not always comfortable. Even with that, I'm still so happy with the overall quality and features but I would never consider not buying this guitar because of the single item.

The fret board, guitar top, and inlay are all exceptional. The grain of the wood and the guitar top is beautiful and the finish is well above what I would expect of a guitar in this price range. More importantly, the headstock and overall finish should be considered a top feature for this guitar.

as you can tell, I was very pleased by the overall quality of this guitar. Of course, the proof of the value is in how playable guitar is and how it sounds. In this case, the sound is superb and fits perfectly with the type of music I enjoy playing. Songs like "Eight Miles High," "Free Falling" and many others sound so much better on a 12 string. The projection of the guitar is great for both practice and small room playing. I took the instrument to a jam session at a local bookstore the 2nd night I had it. I had no problem being heard, and I had several people in the audience comment about how beautiful the guitar sounds. Frankly, this guitar makes me sound a lot better than I really am, and a big part of that is the surprisingly high quality of an instrument made in China. I'm not a China-basher, by any stretch of the imagination, but this is the ONLY instrument I own from there. Fortunately, I was familiar with Ovation and knew their quality, so I didn't hesitate buying the instrument. The quality has rewarded me well.

A couple items worth mentioning when it comese to quality. first, the feel of the overall guitar is very solid and everything fits together well. There are no unusual gaps or joints that look out of place. As noted, the paint and finish work is exceptional, and I would put the quality of his work against instruments made in some of the top factories around the world. I don't take instrument quality lightly, either, since I also own two very nice Taylor guitars. My preference, of course, would have been for Taylor 12 string but at one third the price this little Ovation fit well within my budget.

I do not think you can find another 12 string in this price range that has as many features and is of higher quality. Some may prefer another manufacturer, but when that is like saying you like Chevy more than Ford. The true test of the value is in the quality of the two similar priced units, and in this instance the quality-value of the Ovation is exceptional. The only way to top this guitar, in my mind, is to step up to the Ovation Elite or Adama models; however, you'd also be doubling or tripling the price of this unit, so there's not really an apple to apple comparison here.

With that said, the only other guitar I might consider is actually $140 more, and that is the Martin D12X1. If you can afford the more expensive unit then it might be worth considering. Other guitars tha are of similar price to the Martin include a Takamine and Ibanez (which is about half-way between the Ovation and Martin on the price scale). I'm not a Takamine fan, so it never really got considered too strongly.

Obviously, with the more expensive guitars you may get something that is more recognizable in name (Martin), but I don't think it will necessarily be as good of quality or sound any better. The sound of this Ovation is spot on with a nice bright tone offset by excellent response all along the fretboard. That is what makes this such an excellent value guitar.

Clearly, I am very happy with this guitar. The price, product quality, and more importantly the sound are all great. I think this unit will hold up well to general amateaur playing, including taking it to gigs and jam sessions, and I would not hesitate buying it again.

This is an awesome guitar.  Sounds great through a pa or a guitar amp.   Plays well.  Looks great !!!  I am amazed at the price.  Tuner is awesome....battery design is great for the stage

Great electronics......battery ease of change.....build for the stage

So far, built to last.......Again, I can't believe the price.....

Great sound, great electronics....I love the tuner....you need it on a 12 string !!!   The battery holder and ease to change it great for the stage.    Built for performers.