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Location: Warren,Pa. | I paid $150 for this a couple of months ago. It will be my project for a while till I get it just right, then it'll be my main 6str. Problem is I don't like the way it sounds AT ALL. I'm sure it didn't start out sounding bad back when it was made, so I'm also sure I can bring it back. Right off, there's a wire stuck with a double-stick fastener to the underside of the soundboard...removing that should help. Then there's the issue of a slight belly behind the bridge. It's not too bad, but all the shims have been removed from under the p/u to compensate for this...resulting in great action but very little break-angle. Factory neck-reset needed??? Finally...the P/U and nut material appear to be plastic-like compared to the Tusq they use now. Should I rpl. these with a current-issue nut and P/U?? Ant of you Tech types think I'm on the right track? John <>{ |
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Location: SoCal | In my own personal, humble experience, Legends from the 1970's, with the VT-8 bracing pattern, don't sound good at all. Most of the standard Ovations from those years (and I am not including the Adamii, Custom Legends, or nylon strings in this assesment) have a very plastic sound in the bass strings. The "A" bracing used in the Custom Legends and later in the Legends of the 1980's and later provided a much better sound.
There are people out there who disagree with me. But I've got a 1978 Legend and strung normally, it sucks. Strung Nashville style, or "high string", it's great. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | That's EXACTLY the way I'd describe the sound from the bass strings! So I guess at least I got my money's worth. I'll work on it a little anyway. I do use the '97 Collectors' as my high strung guitar when I need one, but maybe I'll try it on the Legeng. Thanks Moody. (Anyone got anything ENCOURAGING to say?) |
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Location: SoCal | You know, the other thing is that a plugged in sound is different then an acoustic sound. If you're going to plug it in, it should be fine. Nowdays, you can get almost any plugged in sound that you want, with external boards and pedals. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Try putting a 10 set on it and playing more electric oriented stuff. Would give you a different sound. |
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Location: SoCal | Bill:
In the 70's did anybody at Ovation ever comment on how the guitars sounded with the VT bracing as opposed to the original X bracing? It's a real different, and excuse for saying it, but a real inferior sound. |
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Location: Scotland | Yep, some of those 70's guitars really suck. I have a '72 VT-braced Legend that is put to shame, unplugged, by my supershallow MOB. I have a couple of X-braced '60's shiney-bowls that sound amazing. What the hell happened in those few years? |
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Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | Wow, put to shame by an MOB. Now that is bad! :D |
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Location: SoCal | Still looking for an answer, Bill. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | So then....am I to understand that I bought this guitar out of ignorance, it was a bad sounding guitar from the day it was made, and I ought to be happy I only paid $150? |
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Location: SoCal | Well, yeah.
There are some people who swear by 70's Ovation steel strings. CountryArtist, here on the board, has a Glen Campbell model that he loves to record with (and he's a professional).
They have always just sounded odd to me. And I own one.
Now, here's something really strange. I bought, recently, a 72 Balladeer (bit of nostalgia, and as a beach guitar). In July took it to the mountains to play at a campfire. You would have sworn that I was playing big D size guitar from the sound of it in the open air. Damnedest thing.
Bill, still waitng/hoping for an answer to my question. |
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Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | My 1619 Custom Legend was made in 1979. It is a wonderful sounding guitar, but it has the A bracing pattern. |
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Location: Central Florida | Up until just a couple of years ago, I had no idea how much the bracing factored in to the sound of an instrument. I always thought they were just for structural reinforcement and all that talk about this bracing producing a different sound than that bracing pattern was just sales hype. Then I got my first Custom Legend, and the rest is history. I couldn't believe how rich and full it sounded.
As much as I admire Glen Campbell (and he's THE guy that turned me on to Ovations back in the day), I've never particularly cared for the sound of his signature model 6-string (the GC Artist), despite having owned three or four of them over the years. I always assumed the reason for the less-than-desireable sound was the shallow artist bowl. But as I mentioned in an earlier post this week, I have a '73 Legend (deep bowl) that sounds about as "deep" as a super-shallow bowl when compared to any one of my three 1619 Custom Legends.
Sorry for my meandering, but I say all that simply to support what the others are saying. As I've recently discovered, bracing can make a huge difference in sound, and depending on the bracing pattern, a deep bowl doesn't necessarily equal deep, rich sound.
Jeff |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | bauerhillboy
I have a few suggestions that might spruce it up a bit acoustically.
Put on the heaviest strings you can tolerate, my son recently gave me a set of Martin 80/20 medium Acoustic SP's that sound pretty good.
Raise the saddle with shims a little to increase the action to see if that improves the sound and if it does a neck reset or adjustment might be needed. Just try it to see if the sound improves, you can take the shims back out if not.
Play with a capo, sometimes a guitar will really sound good capoed high for finger pickin' etc.
Look inside with a mirror and be sure none of the bracing is loose or cracked.
Try a stiffer pick to get some volume, I use a 1mm on all my acoustic instruments and wouldn't play with less in a band situation, I like to hear what I'm playing.
Just by trying such things some other ideas may emerge as you get close and personal with the guitar.
Bailey |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Paul, you still waiting? |
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Location: SoCal | Yup. |
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Location: NJ | I think that the prosecution is badgering the witness . . . . ;) |
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Location: SoCal | Yup. |
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Location: Texas | The reason why many session players including myself like the old Glen Campbell like the late 70s model I have, is because it is a great guitar to record rhythm parts in the studio.
It is not a big sound, it feels good and it sounds very clear in the mix.
Many session players in Nashville use this model as well as old Legends for the same reason, and it is for the same reason that session players also use the Gibson LG series small model flatops, instead of the D sizes.
These guitars played in the living room don't project like an Adamas or a D-28, but in the studio mix with drums, pianos, and other instruments they are very easy to blend and to get a nice texture. Specially with 2 tracks paned left and right.
It is interesting to realize that the set up includes using extra light gauge strings and a thin pick for it to sound great. I learned this from Henry Gross many years ago and from many great Nashville session players that play regularly in Country and pop records.
You will be very surprised when you find out what guitars were used for rhythm tracks on your favorite country, rock and pop records.
I am talking about rhythm parts, not leads.
Plus those necks are my favorite Ovation necks.
Serge
www.sergiolara.com ;) |
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Location: Scotland | A very valid point, but from a sound-engineering perspective, you can EQ frequencies out of a full-sounding guitar to make it sit in a mix, but you can't EQ in what isn't there in the first place. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Back then they wanted a different sound for different models to help define their reason to be. (a novel idea!) This was eventually got replaced with the A brace that someone thought was great so that went on everything. |
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Location: SoCal | I understand, but the deep bowl sound was just so bad...... Didn't anybody notice?
Sorry Bill. Hate to be a prick about this, but it's something that's bothered me for a long time. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Paul, I think the fact that Ovation stopped making the VT bracing tells you that they admitted it was crap. Same for shiny bowls, gloss necks, truss rods and textured top adamas. All crap, otherwise they'd still be in production. Wait ... that makes no sense, does it. |
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Tweaking my '76 Legend