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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Okay, so before Christmas, I tried to order an 1861, but by the time I pulled the trigger, everybody was out of stock. :mad:
It all worked out in my favor though.. I just placed an order for a 1771LX-CCB Standard Balladeer LX instead! :cool:
I placed the order thru an online retailer. They don't have it on their website yet, but I was able to get them to have it drop shipped direct from Ovation. Supposedly it will ship out next week.
The price is/will be $879 including hard case. (Their non-LX 1771 was $699 with hard case, for the sake of comparison.)
No disrespect to you Al, I'd buy from you in an instant if I had the cash. I'm "pre-spending" my tax return, so I'm taking advantage of their "12 months, no finance charges" deal.
I haven't posted the name of the retailer or the person who processed my order, as I'm not sure if it's appropriate in this forum. If there's enough interest and it doesn't violate the ethics of this board, let me know and I'll post the details.
Thanks to the members of this board for posting so much detail about the LX models! I'll post pics as soon as it arrives. |
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Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | A post Xmas present. Let us know how you enjoy it. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | You are the first on the board to purchase what I believe is a very significant guitar from Ovation. I'm looking forward to a report and photos. |
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December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | Congrats on the new purchase! Enjoy. I'm guessing we'll get to see/play some of these at the factory tour.... |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | The LX has arrived! Serial 577772.
I haven't even tuned it yet. Just took it out of the case long enough to take a couple quick photos. I will post more later after it's acclimated.
See the pics here:
2004 Ovation Standard Balladeer LX 1771LX-CCB |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Oooooooooooo
Man....I have been thinking that I want a red one. Now I am sure.
Very, Very nice. I hope you have a good report on how it sounds.
HOWEVER.....I wish they would have something a little classier looking than a paper tag. At least in the single sound hole units.
Brad |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Lovely. Go tune it up! :)
/\/\/ |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Very nice! When I first saw the pre-release photos on Ovation's website, I wasn't too sure about the rosette. But on your guitar, I really like the way it looks ... looks retro to me. The bound fretboard is also a nice look. Enjoy! Let us know how it sounds so we all turn green with jealousy. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Okay, I am finally able to put my new baby down long enough to provide this report... :)
My apologies, as this may be a bit lengthy...
This is my first acoustic, so I'm comparing this to the various Ovations I've strummed at my local GC -- mostly 1771's, 1861's, and the occasional Legend. I'm also a beginning player, so I can't give you an expert analysis.
Out of the box, the guitar is set up perfectly for my taste. Perfect intonation, nice low action all the way down the neck.. feels like my electric, only better! No fret buzz whatsoever.
The neck is very comfortable.. one of the reasons I went with an Ovation in the first place. And I absolutely love the look and feel of the 5-piece neck. The neck is straight as an arrow.
The fit and finish is nearly flawless. excellent finish, great binding (including the neck), the frets and fretboard are top-notch. The absolutely only flaws to be found with the finish are some white hairline marks in the black part of the rosette. They run parallel to the wood grain and neck. They aren't scratches, but I can't really say what they are. You might be able to make them out at about the 10 and 2 positions of my rosette picture. I'm not at all concerned about them, but I am curious what they are.
I can't say too much about the OP-Pro pre-amp, as I've spent very little time with it plugged in. The onboard tuner is excellent. It shows little v's or ^'s to tell you you're out of tune. They flash to indicate how close you are, and both go solid when you are spot on. The guitar sounds good thru my Fender 15R practice amp, but I need to spend more time twiddling them both to get a quality sound. This is all me, not the guitar.
Let me take this opportunity to thank those of you who told me to "go deep" when I was seeking advice in December. I was leaning away from the mid-depth because I didn't find it as comfortable to hold as the shallow bowl. I found that by taking the time to work with it a bit, the mid-depth just sounds so much better. I really like the extra "presence" and oomph I'm getting with the mid-bowl. The sound is very warm, and the volume seems consistant as I work my way up and down the fretboard. Plenty of sustain, although it's been a week or two since I played anything at GC, and their environment is not real condusive to analyzing that sort of thing anyway.
The top is very, very slightly arched.. not visible with the naked eye, but when I hold a flat surface up to it, it definitely arches up to the bridge.
Couple of final notes.. the output jack is much closer to the strap button than I was expecting.. it's about 3 inches down from the strap button and basically even with it. seems like most of the other models I've played with the jack is lower and more towards the back of the body.
Also, and this will be a popular feature.. most of the body is what I would consider a semi-gloss finish. But at the waist on the bottom of the guitar, there is an area that has more of a textured finish, to give you some grip where it contacts your leg. My wife is one of those who complained that the roundbacks slide off your leg and she gives this the seal of approval.
One question for anybody who may be in the know.. the Ovation web page and the docs that come with the guitar say this has the StrapLok strap buttons. I'm not sure what I'm looking at.. could somebody tell me (either by looking at the pictures, or perhaps an Ovation employee).. are these buttons ready to use with the Dunlop StrapLok system?? i.e. if I just buy the pieces that attach to the strap itself, can I attach those to the buttons that are in place?
Looks like MF is listing this model for a mere $100 more than the base 1771.. I think you'd be crazy not to go with the LX for that small of a difference. I played lots of 1771's and 1861's, and this blows them away.
That's all I can think of for now, sorry for rambling on. Let me know if anybody has any more questions or anything specific they want me to take pictures of.. I'll try to answer them the best I can.
Bottom line is I'm really excited to have picked this as my first acoustic.. I feel like this is a guitar I will hold dear for years to come.
Thanks to all of you who were able to post so much pre-release LX info. With your knowledge and opinions, I had no qualms about ordering this model site unseen, and I am extremely pleased with the result. |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by dvd:
are these buttons ready to use with the Dunlop StrapLok system?? i.e. if I just buy the pieces that attach to the strap itself, can I attach those to the buttons that are in place?
Yes, they are the Dunlop dual-design type which work with the locking mechanism or as a standard non-locking button. It's a pain that dunlop don't sell the locking mechanism by itself, you have to buy the buttons also. |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Great that you are enjoying your new baby. Keep us updated. |
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August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | David,
Do me (and yourself) a favor: Put a strap on the LX, stand up and let the guitar rest on or near your hipbone. Now, play anything you can... it doesn't matter... experiment (unplugged) with force/pressure applied to the strings.
Now, tell me if you experienced the "vibration transfer" from the body of the guitar to your bones. Everytime I play my O's I get that vibration connection that I have never experienced with a "box" accoustic...
let me know.... it's always a stunner when it happens!
Another Ovation benefit!
tim |
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June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | I predict a long thread of Ovation orgasm jokes. DW |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | cum again? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | And I predict Cliff will be the first one to post them. DW |
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Location: NJ | Close, Dave . . . ya' missed by TWO minutes!! :D |
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Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Now I know why my wife likes my Ovations....It's that "vibration transfer" thingy!! :eek:
* * * *
Mike :D |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | It's the "SpinDry Cycle" of the 21st Century!!! |
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Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | Cliff, I KNOW I missed by two minutes - THAT was the whole brillence of my post. You missed my entire tongue in cheek humor. If I have to tell you the punch line in advance, the joke isn't funny anymore. Please try to keep up to speed, OK? Dave |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . . Please try to keep up to speed, OK? . . ."
Okay, I'll TRY.
btw there Sparky, the word is spelled B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-C-E !
Unless of course you were comparing your post to a quantity of steel-wool pads ;) |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Are the LX's available in shallow bowl? |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Don't think so. It would defeat the purpose of the great acoustic sound the LX is striving for. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | That's what I kind of figured.
My next goal is a shallow 6-string guitar for gigs. LX's wouldn't apply. |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | And...get off on the subject! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Back on...
What's the buzz on a 12 string LX?
Too much tension? |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I was just taking another look at your new LX. I cannot see a flaw in the rossette.
I also don't see any hidden images in the tuning pegs.
And I am finding it hard to read the CDs that are on your shelf.
But it is a fantasic guitar. It's really got me wanting one.
Brad |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Paul, thanks for the info re: the StrapLok buttons. I picked up a set and they work great. You're right, it's a bummer you can't just buy the removable mechanisms separately. Worked out okay for me, though, as I can use the extra buttons to rig up my old electric.
Tim, sorry, no O-gasm's yet, but I'll keep trying. Might be due to my "well padded" hipbone. :-) It may not be excactly stylin' but I keep the strap pretty short on the rare occasions when I do play standing up, i.e. following my wife around the house strumming chords. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I'd been thinking about going w/StrapLocks and now I probably will.
I just went out at lunch to a local muso shop and bought myself a nice matched pair of Levy's leather straps (nice wide black leather w/soft padded black leather on the underside - comfy!).
I think two sets of StrapLocks may be apropo. :) |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | They certainly come in handy for taking the strap off when putting the baby in the case for travelling. Would Dunlop sell the parts we need separately in bulk? |
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November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | :D
Since they are only sold in complete sets, I wonder what Ovation does with the other half. Maybe we could find the barrell at the factory and talk them into selling us a few. :rolleyes: |
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Pulled the trigger on a Standard Balladeer LX...