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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Recently, someone posted a question about a list of the Ovation lines rated generally from top down. Could somebody do the same for the electronics installed on the Adamas and top Ovation lines? I get confused hearing about original FET stacked and two knobber stereos, OP 24, Op 30 to 50, Op-X, Op Pro, Op whatever . . . Generally, what is considered the top line electronics now used by Adamas/Ovation? I only have two roundback models, one with the stacked stereo configuration on my 1651 that I absolutely love, and the other an OP-40 on an 1866/12 that requires much more fiddling with certainly no better result. This question came to mind when I noticed the variance of responses for preferences on the OFC wish list guitar. |
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Location: closely held secret | Currently the standard is the OP-Pro. OP-Pro Studio is a variation on that, with a built in compressor and a low frequency exciter. The "new thing" is the VIP, with modeling features. I would say the Studio and the VIP are not for everyone.
I believe (not positive about the timeline and models) the line goes:
OP-Pro - New standard, introduced on the LX models.
OP50 - found on late model CL's, CE's and Adamaii.
OP40 - Legends and Elites
OP30 - Balladeers
Optima - CL's, CE's and Adamaii
OP24+ - Legends, Elites, Balladeers
OPx is in there somewhere, they show up occasionally. Not sure if they were standard on any model for any length of time.
OP20 - Celery and Applesauce
Then there's the Thinline (Viper) and HexFX(Legend).
I'm sure the historians around here can do better, and I'm sure I've left some out, but that's my understanding as I can figure out from the resources available.
Btw, to me, the Optima is the best of the older generatons of preamps. Quiet, good eq, notch filter, latching volume button, tuner, XLR... that thing has it all. |
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Location: Scotland | The only really important thing about Ovation electronics is the pickup. That thing has yet to be surpassed. As for preamps the original volume-only FET3 works just fine. The others just have extra bells and whistles, all of which are great( I agree with Waskel about the Optima, it's killer) but there is outboard gear which does the same job a lot better. I guess what I'm trying to say is if you have an old guitar with old electronics you're better off buying something like a Focusrite channel strip and keeping the guitar original than upgrading the preamp. That said, the Op-Pro Studio and VIP are AMAZING. |
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Location: closely held secret | Good points, Paul. |
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Location: Australia | I wonder if you can still order a new guitar with an Optima ? |
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Location: Scotland | As long as the factory has supplies, and they must even if it's just for warranty purposes, I guess there's no reason why you couldn't custom order any guitar with an Optima.
Until I sold my SMT my 2 main gigging guitars had the Optima and Op50. In terms of sound and functionality there wasn't a whole lot of difference, but I found the need for a "special" XLR cable for the Op50 to be a major pain in the ass. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | My 1881 has the Optima, and it's AWESOME. I've had the OP-24 in my CL for twelve years, and it's finally fritzing out, so I'll probably have the factory upgrade that to an Optima instead.
Waskel, the 1778T also had the OP-30, which is very nice - decent controls, eq, tuner, etc. I'm looking to order a CL12 with the Studio, just because it's the new thing, but I'm really fond of the Optima. |
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Location: Australia | I thing I particularly like about the Optima (apart from the sound) is the fact that it tucks away neatly, flush with the guitar.
Both my O's sport Optima's. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | I agree. It's a big improvement over the OP-24, which does have the main volume knob that sticks out past the body of the guitar. The tuner on the Optima is nice, and allows for alternate tunings, but I must say that I like the cutout feature that the OP-30 has for tuning, and the fact that you can turn the tuner both ON and OFF with the push of a button. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I also like the Optima and the XLR output is scary good. So quiet that you don't know it's on until you touch the strings. Only problem I have with my Optima is that it eats batteries even when not in use. I think a ghost turns it on at night. Anyway, I just take the battery out when I'm not using it. |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | Just as the factory claims, the OP Pro doesn't require any eq gymnastics to get great sound. With my Crate amp totally flat, the pre-eq on and the guitar eq flat,the sound is very natural. There's no low end boom or brittle piezo quackyness.
Ovation has come a long way in making great acoutic guitar electronics. The old FET-3 and OP-24 pre-amps are functional and extremely durable, but cannot compare to the OP Pro. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Dispite all the newer OP-whatevers, my favorite preamp still remains OPTIMA. Dave |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Amen to that, Dave!
Does anyone know the "standard" info on what the differences are between the OP-Pro and the Studio version?
(I'd look it up, but it's more fun this way) :D |
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Location: closely held secret | :rolleyes: Here... |
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Location: San Angelo, Texas | Played an Op-Pro Studio dropped into my 1777LX...BIG difference! I use a boss Chorus pedal installed at the board, and through the church house sound it is awesome! Took a great sound and made it even better! |
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| Mark In Boise, If the Optima eats batteries when not in use, sounds like a design flaw or an intermittant problem in the circuitry, doesn't it? I've had the same battery in my op24 longer than I can remember and it works like new every time.. |
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Location: NJ | Mark;
You need to check the contacts at the input jack.
The power to the pre-amp should be disconnected when the plug is pulled out. Sounds like something is still "touching", and is keeping that circuit closed. . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Yeah, cliff is right. When you unplug the jack from the guitar, the optimia draws no power. I usually don't have to change batteries until I see battery acid oozing out the hatch door. Dave |
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Location: New Hampsha | Sometimes the knobs are labeled; sometimes the knobs aren't - the label went MIA, whatever. So all one faces is an anonymous bunch of knobs and sliders, etc. My Adamas is like that - No ID that I can see.
It would be really neat to have a section in the Reference section that had a picture of what each of these look like so they could be ID'd when they aren't new.
Possible Homework Assignment for Somebody? Pretty Please? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ovation website has section with photos of all pre-amps. Dave |
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Location: closely held secret | Right here. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Any idea if the factory can still upgrade a guitar with an original OP-24 to an Optima? |
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Location: New Hampsha | Originally posted by Standingovation:
Ovation website has section with photos of all pre-amps. Dave Someone Missed the Point - that's great for the current crop of pre-amps, but what about the older discontinued stuff? 'Bay sellers sometimes include a semi-fuzzy pic of the faceplate or just a description; it would be neat to have a resource and be able to compare it to a known pic to ID it; or be able to look at a pic from a description and get an inkling of what it can/can't do.
You guys wax enthusaistic about the "Optima" but perhaps you might realize that not everyone has a mental image of what all the discontinued pre-amps looked like or had for features!
Give us poor guy guys who don't own one of each a break in the reference section. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | It's all right HERE
Ovation Electronics Archive |
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Location: closely held secret | No, it's not. Those are just the older ones. :p |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | OK MISTER WIZARD. So you have to go to TWO different links. One for the OP series and one for the Pre OP series. EXCUUUUSE Me !!!!! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | My Optima doesn't work without a dummy plug. I know, it usually has a dummy operator, too. I thought that I was leaving the plug in, but the battery seems to drain when the plug is out. It just has never been a big enough deal for me to bother with. I just take out the battery whenever I pull the plug. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
My Optima doesn't work without a dummy plug. I know, it usually has a dummy operator, too. Mark,
Way to beat about 10 other members to the punch.
To be honest I don't change my settings much so except for the onboard tuner feature in the OP series, I would just as soon have Two knobs,( Tone & Volume), or the stacked knobs. But what do I know, I just like to play and let a good Sound Tech take care of the rest. :) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm the sound tech, band and audience. I'm best at the audience part. |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Standingovation:
EXCUUUUSE Me !!!!! :) Made me smile.
Does the Optima need a dummy plug? I'm not sure that mine does, I'll have to check it tonight.
I know that with my 6778LX (OP-Pro), I had to be careful which XLR cable I used. Lately I've been playing my 1581, and it doesn't seem to matter which cable I use, it always works. I'll test it with a cable I know is not pin1>shell.
Mark, Cliff's right (life is full of wonders, isn't it?) about checking the jack. That's the one place there could be enough of a short to kill the battery without noticeably affecting the sound. It may be fine when there's a plug in it, but shorted when you unplug. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks, friends, for your comments. I have the Op-Pro and Optima ranking pretty well figured, but who can tell me how they stack up against the original two knob stereo FET set up? I would like to know as it may have some bearing on choosing a U681 with the Op-Pro over an Adamas I or II reissue two-knobber. |
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Location: Keller, TX | Another difference: The Op50 and Optima have the notch filter, the OpPro doesn't. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks, tten. The OP 40 and several of my Acoustasonic Jr amps also have the notch filter feature, but I have to admit I seldom use it except when I'm facing an amp and it is usually to eliminate a low A feedback issue in my studio. It has never been a problem anywhere else. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
I would like to know as it may have some bearing on choosing a U681 with the Op-Pro over an Adamas I or II reissue two-knobber. Professor - With all due respect, the U681 and the I/II reissues are two completely different guitars in many regards. There are a HELL of a lot bigger differences between them than the pre-amps. For one thing, the U is a 12-fret wideneck. The I/II are 14-fret standard neck. That's a major difference. It just seems to me that choosing between them based on pre-amp would be like choosing a new car between a sedan and an SUV and you choose the SUV because it has a better CD player. Just my opinion.
Dave |
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Location: SoCal | The reissue Adamas I and II have the two knob pre-amp, probably even better than the original. Probably more than you will ever need.
EQ, XLR, tuner, etc., are the advantages of the OP-Pro.
Agree with Dave, don't worry about the pre-amp, make your decision based on the guitar. |
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Location: SoCal | It makes a difference in how the guitar will be used. I was playing my 1537 last night at church and plugged straight thru the PA, it doesn't have a great sound. You've got to remember that the electronics are a 30 year old design --- excellent for the time, but surpassed today.
I've got 2 guitars with OP24's --- Big Blue and the 87 C. Both are much better plugged in.
But the 1537 has a great acoustic sound. If it were my only guitar to play, I'd order up the redesigned 2 knob electronics that Ovation is using on it's reissues (might do that anyway, but I'm not real certain that the 1537 is going to get "plugged in" use. Might just remove the battery and keep it as an acoustic only guitar). |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Paul, I had the new electronics put in my 1547. HUGE FULL sound....just totally blows away the original electronics IMHO. Well worth the upgrade if you ever plan to play it plugged in.
Since the reissues will eventually go away, I wonder how long they will have spare electronics for it? I am definately glad I performed the upgrade. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | T28, which electronics did you have put in ??? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | The Adamas reissue electronics that apparently are direct replacements for the old 2 knobbers. |
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Location: closely held secret | Wouldn't it have been cheaper to just put the new knobs on? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Silly wabbit. |
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Location: closely held secret | I may be a silly wabbit, but I'm not going to Alcatwaz!*
*Hare Brush |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | and I'm not going to CT.
PHHHHSSSSTTT
no wait....that's not right....I do want to go to CT.
Curse you Wabbit....you win this round. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Stephen, come to CT.
You can clap for me when I win the guitar giveaway! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I hear they are giving away a FRG #47 :eek: |
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Location: Denmark | The Optima sounds better than the OP-20 in my previous Ovation. Especially the attack. A better pick-up could be part of the explanation for that.
Both have been quite noisy with hum. |
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Location: Berkeley, CA | Backing it up a bit... what's the deal with the special OP50 XLR cable?
My dream Adamas has been a textured top W597 with an OP50, so my dream might be shattering...
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Which Electronics Are Best?