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| I just bought a 2006 Collector. Anybody else got one yet? They play like a dream.
Mike |
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Location: south east Michigan | Ooooo...That's a lot of collectors there pal!
A number of us played the prototype at last years tour. Many were impressed. Including me. |
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Location: Parkersburg, WV | I received mine today. I'm curious. How do you feel about having to "plug in" to use the tuner?
Patsbro |
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Location: Upper Left USA | That can't be right!
OP PRO tuner works in or out and with the Gain at any setting. TRy it with a dummy jack. |
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Location: south east Michigan | That...would be weird. |
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Location: Waxahachie, Tx | Congrats on the Collector. Nice web page and Collection.
You have courage, if their had a been a disgruntled Taylor Fanatic or anti-O-nut on that road, you took that picture(of your Collectors)you could have been Collector-less in an instant. :D |
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Location: Parkersburg, WV | MWoody,
The 2006 Collectors edition has the new VIP preamp. I tried to tweak the tuning using the onboard tuner - No response. Checked the battery - Battery okay. Swapped the VIP with the OP PRO from my U681T. The OP PRO worked fine in the 2006 but the VIP would not work in the U681T. I placed the VIP back in the 2006 and decided to plug in and see if the preamp worked. Voila! The tuner worked - the pre amp did not. Turned off the tuner - the preamp then worked. Conclusion: To use the tuner you must be plugged in, however you must turn off the tuner to use the preamp.
I E-mailed John Budny at the mothership and he stated that this is the way that it is set up and is not a defect. Unfortunately there was no VIP documentation enclosed with the guitar, but I was promised some when it becomes available.
It is rather strange since I spend most of my time playing acoustic only that I will have to plug in to tune up.
Patsbro |
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| It's true, and it is odd. The tuner will not work without the jack sensing an insert. It doesn't really make me happy for it to be that way, but the sound is excellent, and the top on mine is beautiful. I have Number 087.
Word is that they will only make 250, with only about 150 to stay in the US. This will be a rare bird, for sure. So, if you want one, you better get it now. They will be gone in no time.
Mike |
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Location: Waxahachie, Tx | That just seems Strange that you can't use the tuner function unless you are plugged in.
Did you try what MWoody suggested a Dummy plug?
Not a true fix but if you can just carry around a gold plated official 2006 Collectors dummy Plug you could be all set. Who thought of that. |
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Location: Parkersburg, WV | Mine is #266.
Patsbro |
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| Okay, now that kinda ticks me off. I was told that they would only make 250 of these guitars, and if you have #266, then they obviously lied to me, or started their numbering above #001. Anyone else have a # higher than 266?
Mike |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Numbers often don't start at 1. I'm surprised they said they would build so few. Maybe the experiences of the past few years with all the FRG overstock taught them a lesson. Dave |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Photogazer,
I looked at your gallery months ago and wondered where you have been. Those are great pics. That's quite a collection of Collectors. |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Photogazer....no 2005 Collectors????? (just kidding....your list is extremely impressive.....I have a 2002 and a 2005 myself)
Ovation seems to make around 750 of the Collectors the last few years. I haven't heard the total for last year myself, but I know the numbers got into the high 400s for sure. I can attest to the last ones getting cleared out.....number 468 sold at my local GC for only $700 as an after-Christmas clearance item.
Roger |
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| I did not buy any Collectors after the 2003. THere is no 2004, and the 2005 did not suit me at all. I just didn't like the feel of it. I had no plans on buying any more Ovations, but the 2006 Collectors was too nice to pass up.
To see what I have been up to, you can see what has been coming out of my guitar workshop lately at this website.
http://www.stargazerscopes.com
Mike |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by Photogazer:
THere is no 2004 Not quite true. One 2004 Collector proto was built and is owned by an Ovation employee.
For all practical purposes I think most people consider the 30th anniversary Custom Legend as the 2004 Collector. It wasn't exactly a faithful re-issue and did incorporate some new technology. But I agree with you that there was nothing you could buy that said "2004 Collectors" on it.
Dave |
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Location: Keller, TX | Question on the 2006.
The website says it has "Machines: Gold Ovation w/ Pearl Buttons" but the picture shows ebony buttons. Which is true? |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Nice scopes, Photogazer. Looks a lot more interesting than what I'm doing. |
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Location: Parkersburg, WV | ttenn,
Mine has Gold Ovation w/Gold Buttons.
Patsbro |
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| Same with mine. Gold tuners with gold buttons. As for the 2004 Collector, there was no 2004 Collector for sale by the general public. The Ovation rep tried to hand off the "the 30th Custom Legend is the 2004 Collector" to me. That ticked me off pretty bad, and that day I swore I would never buy another Ovation. It's 2006 and I bought another Ovation, but they had to go back to there yearly series before I did. Plus, they lost a huge chunk of my loyalty.
I might not mean anything to Ovation, obviously, but I can guarantee you that I have turned on alot of buyers to Ovations in the past years.
Mike |
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| Thanks Mark for the compliment. BTW, what are you doing?
Mike |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | What ticked you off about the CL30? Most would agree it's one of the best wood topped guitars they have made recently. Just curious. Dave |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I would presume that the 30CL being called the "2004 Collectors" ticked him off. I thought it was a bit cheesy myself.
This is NOT a comment on the quality of the guitar, simply on how it was marketed as an apparent excuse to not make a 2004 Collectors. It is a great guitar.
Roger |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I don't think Ovation ever tried to pass it off as the '04 Collector. It was more like, well we're really busy trying to finally ditch the k-bar, develop a new neck attachment, patent a new bowl shape, implement computerized milling, etc. so we don't really have an '04 Collector, BUT we've got this dandy limited edition (250?) Collectable custom legend with all the bells and wistles and damn if we don't even have full page colour adverts. I think a lot of dealers just assumed it was the '04 because that's what showed up as a collectable guitar in 2004. And I know around here a lot of us, myself included, fall into the same trap and just think of it as the '04. No harm, no foul. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Photogazer, you haven't been around much lately. The regulars found out my dirty little secret--I'm a lawyer. I admire people that actually make something besides trouble. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | A lawyer who spends a lot of time on internet forums like the OFC. Yeah, we need more of those. Just curious Mark, do those court rooms have WiFi? On TV I always see the judge has a laptop open and of course nobody but Judy can see the screen. I always wonder what they're looking at? I can just imagine that they're surfing for deals on RV rentals or buying rubber sex toys, or something ... Dave |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I'm a lawyer. I admire people that actually make something besides trouble. You should give it a try. You might be good at it. |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Dave, I'm simply reiterating what Photogazer himself said...
"The Ovation rep tried to hand off the "the 30th Custom Legend is the 2004 Collector" to me."
I don't think there was any OFFICIAL attempt to say that the 30CL was the "2004 Collector", but I remember there was more than one "unofficial" inference to that fact. Given the apparently weak sales performance of the 2003(remember all the closeouts and FRGs????), it may have been decided to give priority to something that customers would like (the 30CL and the LX series), rather than make another weak Collectors. Makes sense.
Roger |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I agree.
I have always thought that the ANNUAL Collectors idea was a bad one. Who's to say that some years you don't have TWO good ideas for limited edition collectable guitars and other years you have NONE? I think that's why we saw so many years of basically the same old thing - shallow bowl multihole with some new-fangled top, blah, blah, blah. That's not to say there have not been some steller Collectors over the years. The 87, 97 and 05 jump out at me as WOW that's something different and it's awesome. Others will disagree, whihc is OK. I just think the ANNUAL aspect of the whole thing should be dumped and just put out something special when and if you have it. Examples like the FD14, U681, John Lennon reissue, CL30, the shiny bowl reissues, the new adamas, etc.
Dave |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I suspect the Collector's editions have more to do with marketing than innovation. Some people just like to collect stuff. Nothing wrong with that.
I have never watched Judge Judy, Dave, but if she's for real, she's watching the transcript of the testimony as the court reporter takes it down. They use software called RealTime, or something similar. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I have never watched Judge Judy, Dave, but if she's for real, she's watching the transcript of the testimony as the court reporter takes it down. Oh, come on Mark. YOU know she's reading Dilbert cartoons. Admit it.
To be clear, the Collectors series DID serve as the launching grounds for a lot of innovations. As I recall the various collectors guitars were the first editions of shallow bowl, onboard tuners, OP-X, Optima, Trubalance pickup, OP-Pro, inlaid epaulets, contour bowl, VIP and lots more. But some years were just very bland.
Dave |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I agree, the Collectors series has launched some important features. I'm firmly convinced that the 2002, despite its "panelmaster" tag, was at least a partial prototype for the LX series. It has a TRC and a light neck. Plus, it sounds far better than a panelmaster has a right to!!!!
Roger |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Standingovation:
Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I have never watched Judge Judy, Dave, but if she's for real, she's watching the transcript of the testimony as the court reporter takes it down. Oh, come on Mark. YOU know she's reading Dilbert cartoons. Admit it.
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I learn the hard way. I was arguing with a judge about what somebody had testified, and I was sure he didn't know what he was talking about because he hardly ever took notes. Later in the trial I found out that he had "Real time" on the monitor and could see exactly what everyone had said.
Sort of like trying to argue with Dave about Ovations. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I don't need no stinkin notes ... |
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| I liked the Collectors series because the guitar was usually a benchmark for new ideas in design, woods, and electronics. Some were excellent, some were not, just like every other guitar brand made anywhere. Sure Ovation might have multiple good ideas in one year and none the next, but the whole idea is marketing, so you produce some, and you sit on some. It all evens out in the end. There are very few standard model Ovations that tickle my fancy. Every once in a while they come out with one, and most of the time, they could have easily been released as a Collector Series.
Oh yeah, Mark, I have no problems with lawyers, until they send me the bill. :>
Mike |
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Location: Keller, TX | I just picked up #053. Gotta agree with everything everybody has said. Tons of bass, sustain is incredible, easy player, gorgeous looks.
I wonder if I can send it in and have:
1. abalone binding added.
2. fix the stoopid tuner issue. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I've seen them do the abalone binding and my guess is that it would be REAL difficult to do as an after-the-fact. But it's probably worth asking. Dave |
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Location: boulder | Actually when you read the VIP user manual, it states "Only after you've connected your guitar (or used the included activation plug) will pressing this button activate the tuner."
Of course neither of the two guitars with the VIP electronics I have played, had the "activation plug " included with it.
But I do have two other comments here. I hope they do not come off as to disorganized- i am tired , but here goes...1)The 2006 Koa is a great sounding guitar. I think it holds its own in its price range.
the second is the Vip electronics. I really don't understand why i would want or need a digital image of my guitar through a microphone, rather then just the sound of the guitar itself. (Ditto for me wanting my guitar to sound like another guitar through a microphone-WTH)
The koa collector and the adamas 2080 I own, both sounded better to my hear played straight without any imaging mixed in. i played them both through my small tube amp and straight into my small multitrack recorder at home. The sound images just did not impress me, but I could be missing the point here since i do not play out where it might be beneficial.
But my point is not to knock the VIP. I really want to let everyone think of the possibilities. ...If digital images can be stored in a preamp, so can effects, if effects can be stored, an external memory card can be inserted to store any personally chosen effects. If a memory card can be inserted, you could store background tracks to be played as you play leads over it. Or you could store the recording of your playing as you play it. Basically what I am driving at it is, Ovation just took electronics to a whole new level.
activation plugs-that's a good one though...peace |
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Location: Keller, TX | I need to modify my previous comments a little. The 2006 is a great guitar with a beautiful tone when strung with medium strings. I restrung it with Adamas 1818s (lights) today and took out one of the shims to lower the action. Now it sounds flat, dead, no sustain.
Same thing happened to the Custom Elite I had a while back. I had to use mediums and had to have the saddle up high enough to make the top vibrate. If I lowered the action or put on light strings, it just killed the sound.
I will try to put the shim back in. I don't have any medium strings right now, but will try that too. (I do have a pair of light-medium elixirs on the way from Amazon).
Fred, any suggestions on different strings to try? You seem to always have the right string suggestions. |
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Location: SoCal | Fred has some great recommendations - if you can pronounce the name :p
IMHO, 1818 or 1818E's (or D'Ad equiv) work well across the board. |
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Location: Orange County, California | I took out 1 .020" shim from the Custom Elite, and took a bunch of relief out of the neck. This is important, because as you lower the bridge, the angle of the strings from the frets to the bridge changes. by "straightening out" the neck you keep that angle steep. So you may need to play with the truss rod a bit too :D
I think the 1818's are a good "all around" string, but they may not be the "end-all" for that guitar. I think if your're comparing it to the Mill-CB, you're going to be disappointed though. Not that it's bad, just that I think the Adamas top is way more responsive. It's not all about guage or tension. Ask anyone who played my U681T if they thought it lacked bass. Those are 10-46's on it :eek: |
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Location: CT | I don't know if the serial #'s started at 001 for the 2006, but it must be close. #033 is hanging the wall in Sam Ash NYC |
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2006 Collectors Edition