1991 Ovation Pinnacle 385T 12-String Ac/Elec Guitar

Ah, the 90s. That's exactly what I thought when I saw this coming in for sale via friends of mine. This is a well-preserved, Japan-made Ovation 12 that was obviously targeted directly at the stage musician with its shallow-depth bowlback, undersaddle pickup, onboard preamp, and comfortable (aren't all Ovation 12s?) neck.

Despite the acoustic-electric vibe, I find that it does have a pretty good amount of acoustic volume and the shallower depth and 000 sizing/body shape means it's a guitar that sits easily in the lap on the couch. My only work was a bit of light setup and cleaning -- though when I get around to restringing this I'll also be recompensating the saddle for better intonation string-to-string.

The top is laminate flamed maple and x-braced inside.

Individual, Schaller-style tuners make tuning easy -- though they do add weight to the headstock. All the hardware is "gold" on this.

The neck has a modern C shape with a 1 7/8" nut width and radiused, rosewood board. Yes, the dots are pearl.

Action is spot-on at 1/16" DGBE and 3/32" EA at the 12th fret. It appears to be strung with something like regular 47w-10 12-string "lights" and I've got it tuned-down half a step but don't see any reason it wouldn't do standard pitch just fine. The truss works and the neck dials-in dead straight on the treble side with just a hair of relief (1/64") on the bass side. I haven't worked on the frets but they have such minimal playwear that it wasn't needed.

While the bridge appears black, it seems to be stained rosewood.

It's hard to tell, but the bowl is actually a dark brown color. The "grip" at the treble waist does help keep this upright in the lap.