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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | So, when did you become an Ovation fan? What was your first experience (if you can remember) with and "O"?
I took guitar lessons when I was in the 7th grade (either started lessons in '70 or '71) in San Antonio. My parents bought me a Hofner classical guitar (wish I still had that one...). I walked two blocks over from our house to take lessons from a guy named Mark Moore. He played Ovations! I can't remember any models, etc. but I sure thought they were cool. I quit lessons after about a year and a half and don't know what happened to Mark.
After owning only a Hamer graphic electric guitar for years (got in '78 and still own - needs finish work), I now own two Ovation instruments and have one in layaway.
Proud to be an Ovation Fan Club member! | |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | Early to mid 70's.
2 of my favorite artists were Cat Stevens and Bread. I loved the sound of their guitars, they had a certain "ring" to them that my guitar, a Gibson J-200, didn't have. I saw pictures of them and they were both playing Ovations. I don't know if that's what they used on their recordings, but when I heard Ovations in person, I loved that sound. My first Ovation was a Glen Campbell 12-string which I still own. My second was an acoustic/eletric I bought in 75. Can't remember the model, but it had diamond shaped inlays like my GC. I had to sell it a couple of years later, at least it went to a good home.
I didn't buy any other Ovations until a year or two ago. Ovations were being sold very cheaply on E-Bay and I finally decided to buy a new guitar after holding on to that stupid Gibson after all of theses years. I picked up a couple of acoustics; Custom Legend, then an Elite 1537. That should have been it but an E-Bay selled e-mailed me about an Adamas II for $750. I couldn't resist and bought it. Great sounding guitar.
The only thing left is to sell of the Gibson and probably the Custom Legend. Sad thing is, the Custom Legend is also a great sounding guitar. Hate to part with it but I have too many guitars right now and I did promise the wife when I bought the Adamas that 2 guitars would go. Oh well.
Bradley | |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 20
Location: MN | my Dad got his when I was 5 years old (I am now 36). I thought all other gutiars looked wierd (at that age). | |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I forgot to mention my guitar teacher was a big Glen Campbell fan!
Bradley, I know the story on selling guitars to get guitars. I have a really cheap Court guitar that is going to go for very cheap - if I can find someone to buy it. It's making room for the Legend I have in lay-away - today's payday so at 5:00 I'm off to put some more money towards it. Sweet price on the Adamas.
You know, when I brought home my Applause Mandolin (got it second hand for $250.00, cheaper than I've seen it anywhere else) I expected my wife to give the usual "sell some of the other instruments" routine, but she loved it on first sight and I've showed her some rudiments and talked to her just yesterday about a guy she can take lessons from - got to get her excited about having numerous stringed instruments in the house to play! | |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I FINALLY got my first Ovation in 1983 after lusting after one for many years. I first developed the urge after seeing Cat Stevens, and was even more driven seeing Dave Mason many times.
My wife is quite OK with my GAS, as long as the guitar is interesting from a design and "art" perspective (I tend to hand them on the walls). She admitted that she searched high and low for a Deacon 12-string for me for Christmas, but was unsuccessful (if anyone has one out there that they would like to part with, let me know ... I want to keep her happy :D ). She wouldn't even make me sell anything else, although I might have to part with my Rickenbacker if I got one. | |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Back in '76, I was a 20-year-old singer/bassist playing around in various garage bands. My girlfriend at that time played guitar and had a beautiful Epiphone 12-string. I soon came to realize that I could accompany my singing much better with an acoustic than a bass. I bought a "Beginning Folk Guitar" book from the Toys-R-Us where I was working at the time, and she loaned me her old guitar which was an old Sears/Harmony acoustic to painfully teach myself chords on.
When I had gained a degree of proficiency, I decided that I needed to get a "real" guitar. Being of very limited financial resources, I had my sights set on a Yamaha (or some other Japanese knock-off that was flooding the market at the time) acoustic. A Martin-playing friend of mine and I set about searching various local music stores. The last store we went to was owned by this kindly old woman who showed me what she had to offer in my price range. She then handed me an Ovation and said "Try this". It was the first time I had seen one up close and in person. Prior to that, it had only been in photos or through concert binoculars in the hands of my singer-songwriter heros (Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, America, Loggins & Messina, Al Stewart, etc.) and years previous on TV with Glen Campbell. I had always revered them as this "specialized" instrument designed for professional performing musicians who needed the ability of "plugging in" and not something for an unworthy "hack" as myself. Mrs. Ackerman assured me that if I was willing to "invest" just a little more, the Ovation could be had. She let me pay all that I was able to afford at the time, let me take the guitar home, and "floated" the rest of the money over a couple of months. At the time Ovation was even having a special deal where I got a free hardshell case in the deal!! That's the same Custom Balladeer that I have and mainly play today.
I first saw the very SlotHead that I now own on the same day in that same store, but I didn't come to own it till some 20 years later.
. . . . . . .but that's another LONGwinded ramble for another time. | |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15686
Location: SoCal | Cliff:
I'd love to hear the slothead story.
I first saw an Ovation on tv being played by Glen Campbell (1969-70?). The first I read about one was at the same time, oddly enough, in Mechanics Illustrated.
The first time I ever saw one in person was in 1971, in the window of Parker Music in the Memorial Shopping Center in Houston TX. I sat there for hours in front of the window just looking at the display. I ended up taking lessons from a guy in the store, and finally decided to put an Artist model on layaway (I wanted the Glen Campbell model but thought that for another $45 it was too much money). After a month of making payments, my father went down and co-signed the loan and I took home my first Ovation. Wish I still had it. I've always played Ovations since then. | |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | It was a non-forgettable day in 3rd grade ('77 I think)...someone brought in KISS ALIVE II to class and played it. My only records at the time was the Monkees (since I watched the show-heck I was a kid). I didn't know much about music, 'cept for my classical piano lessons which I hated. I brought the KISS record to my piano teacher and said "I want to sound like this". She explained that guitars were the intruments on the record. That was my last piano lesson.
Fortunately, dad had an old guitar in the basement closet...his high school graduation present...(get this)a '57 Fender strat! (yes, I still have it! Cost him $150 then!).
Anyway, getting to the Ovation...my parents agreed I could switch to guitar if I still took lessons. So my first teacher shows up a week later with an Ovation Balladeer. For the next few years, I adored his guitar, even though it wasn't what ACE Frehley played!
It wasn't 'til '89 when I heard Melissa Etheridge's first album that I found the urge to own and play acoustic. I bought an elite 12 string (still my baby and favorite guitar), later a 6 string custom legend, and then an adamas 12 string last year.
Oddly enough, 3 years ago I invited my guitar teacher, whom I hadn't seen in 15+ years, to one of my shows. When I showed him my Ovation guitars, he said he got rid of his for a Martin. He wanted a "guitar that sounded like wood".
I punched him.
Not really.
-Johnny | |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 28
Location: Singapore | First experience? Hmm,...
I started playing guitar way 15yrs back and that was with a very old Yamaha nylon gut that my sis had. After it fell off a table and broke, I could only afford cheap Korean made acoustics. Finally got my first electric 3yrs later, which happened to be a Korean made one as well. Cash flow was a major factor. 1yr later I got an Ibanez Roadstar from a friend and was an electric guitar nut with my stomp boxes and all!
Can't really recall where I saw an Ovation, but It must have been on TV during someones concert. I remember I was going ' WOW! that guitar looks beautiful and has a great Twang!' Finally finding out that the guitar I saw was an acoustic 'O', my hungry lust began.
Finally giving up the electric, mostly because it was such a hassle to lug the stuff around, I started acoustic playing again, but with a cheap model guitar. Till finally I got my hands on a Celebrity Deluxe. Though Korean made, it thought me alot and I still have a soft spot for it. Have to admit that it took me awhile to learn about sound, resonance and tone, but the time has paid off, and I awarded myself with an Elite!
Why Ovation and not some other brand?
Well an Ovation is unique with it's round fibre back and not normal soundhole design. For it to punch out such sound and tone, the guitar impressed me ever since I laid eyes on it! Well done Ovation for inventing such a beautiful guitar that has great sound and impressive looks!
Gonna get a tangent soon for dropped 'D' tuning(expense problem,..lol)But at least I'm assured of a good lookin guitar with good playability and tone!
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 110
| My first O, Christmas of 2001. It actually is the first guitar that I own. My second O will be coming home soon.
Most of you guys own O's that are older than I am. | |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 13
Location: Lafayette, La | i was a junior in high school, 1974, and every day i drove my best friend to the mall where he worked at bresler's ice cream. he of course paid me with a free double scoop of peppermint, every frigging day. i think i owe my weight problem to him. anyway, in the mall is this local music store, prof ernie's. after scarfing the ice cream, i would go there and dream. they had a preacher which i played on every day. it was $650.00, way out of my mcdonald's paycheck price range. the owner i think finally got tired of me hanging around, and made me a deal on a balladeer. the only problem i had with it was the roundness of the guitar back matched the roundness of my stomach. traded the balladeer in 1996 to buy an acoustic/electric for the band i was in. there were no ovation dealers with any stock at the time around here. ended up with a yamaha apx-20, which i also deeply love. best fit and finish, and best plugged in sound i have ever seen on a guitar. but thats a story for a different message board.
it took 27 years, but i finally got my preacher. bought it off ebay for probably too much money, but did not care. i cannot describe the emotion of opening the case and seeing the object i had wanted so many years ago. some days i just open the case and look at it. like they say, little things amuse little minds......
marty | |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | I heard my first Ovation when I was stationed in Korea back in 1995. I had an old Sears special guitar that I was trying to learn to play. A guy that I was stationed with brought over his Ovation deep bowl (don't remember the model) to try to teach me some with. I loved the sound of it. Three years later I was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida on a ship, and saw a Celebrity in a music store for $300. I didn't have the money, but regretted not buying it ever since. Last summer I was in Mars Music and saw a used Standard Balladeer for $500 with case. I decided that if it was still there in two weeks, I was going to buy it. I was able to talk them down to $450, and put it on layaway. I picked up the guitar a week before leaving on deployment. It is hard to find a quiet place on this ship to practice, but I love the sound of my Balladeer. Hopefully by the time I return home I will be playing a little better. I am still trying to teach myself, but really enjoy playing. It helps me relax, and the Ovation sound can't be geat.
Chuck
(Somewhere in the Persian Gulf) | |
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First Ovation experience