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Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Can one of you seasoned O veterans explain if there is any substantial sound quality loss in the cutaway guitar models? Bottom line: If you had your eyes closed, could you tell the difference between cutaway and non-cutaway models of the same guitar? Thanks.
Jim |
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Posts: 7237
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I would say they are different slightly, but there is no sound quality loss. |
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Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Thanks Miles.
Personally, I think the cutaways look better and they give you access to the higher frets. I've never even heard a non-cutaway Ovation yet. Still, some people seem to prefer the non-cutaways. I'd like to hear from them, their opinion for the advantages of a non-cutaway. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I prefer the looks of the non-cutaways and I think they do sound better, although I doubt if I could tell in a blind test. The closest I came to an objective test was when I owned a deep bowl Legend in cutaway and non-cutaway at the same time. The non-cutaway sounded clearly better to me, both playing and listening to other play it. But the cutaway also had electronics ( the non-cutaway was just acoustic). So I think maybe the electronics also acted to choke the sound somewhat. Dave |
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Location: Central Oregon | I'm very interested in how much difference I'm going to find in sound & feel between the 1858, SS, 12 string, cutaway, multi hole Elite I've been playing & the 1612, deep bowl, 6 string, non cutaway, round hole Custom Balladeer that's on it's way. I think I'm going from one extreme to the other. Apples & oranges. This is gunna be fun :) Hope it shows up by Thursday. I also hope to have my Kalamazoo back by then too. I got a call from the guy that's working on it yesterday & he says it's coming along fine. The fiddle & bow are done but I'm not going to make a special trip to Bend for 'em.
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Location: Scotland | Take a cutaway & non-cut of the same model & bowl depth & I'd defy anyone to identify which is which blind. |
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Location: Australia | Yep, I don't believe anyone would pass the blindfold test.
I've always had non cutaway models (except for an Adamas 2 a few years back) and I think they look better.
I'm used to playing up on the dusty bit fairly well on my non cuts and have adapted my technique to suit. |
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Location: North Carolina | I agree that it all comes down to whether or not you need access to the upper register. Of course, if you don't need access, you can always get a cut-away anyway to look like you do! ;)
Franklin |
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Location: NJ | Real players don't need no stinking cutaways....or electronics....or tuners....or strings....or |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I would agree that I probably would fail the "blindfold test" for telling whether I'm playing a cutaway model or not...but I much prefer the looks of a non-cutaway model. Wish there was a CHOICE with some models!
I'm getting ready to get a U.S.-made Ovation 12-string, and all there is available new is the cutaway models...I'd buy a non-cutaway if I had a choice. Also wish there was a "no-electronics" option, too..... |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Just to clarify... I would probably also fail the "blind test" but that is not to say that the guitars sound the same. They do sound slightly different. With a blindfold you could probably identify that there are indeed two guitars, but to know which one was which... you would have to look. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Nah, I wouldn't have to look, the cutaway would be playing "Freebird", and the non cutaway "Wildwood Flower". It's that simple. |
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Location: Australia | I know you can special order whatever you like but "Old Applause Owner" makes a very valid point about the lack of choice in the current range for the non cutaway/acoustic only loving crowd. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | There is a difference between a cutaway and non cutaway. However it is the same difference that there is from guitar to guitar.
I think Al summed it up best.
If you really want to impress your friends get a left handed cutaway and play it righty....... |
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Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | ... strumming on the neck with your toes while fretting notes on the body with your teeth.
Martin |
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June 2002
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Let us not forget why cutaway acoustics were invented in the first place. It leaves you room to stash a kilo brick inside your guitar case. Dave |
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Location: Yucaipa, California | Hmmmm.. I was never quite able to fit the kilo brick into my Les Paul case... always needed to "remove some"... ahem...
back to the thread... I play both a Balladeer 12 and Balladeer 6 w/ cutaways and I play several songs capoed at the 7th fret... without the cutaways that, for me, would be nearly impossible... I have never noticed any tonality differences....
tim |
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Cutaways vs non-cutaways