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Location: South Florida, USA | Greetings,
I recently picked up a VXT on the Bay and I'm amazed at how nice this guitar is built, feels and sounds.
The only flaw I have found is that the volume output of the G string is too low when using the Acoustic Fishman pickup. Does anyone know if this can be adjusted somehow?
Thanks,
Bill
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Location: Upper Left USA | Bill,
The problem might be in the set up. On the VXTs I've had that wasn't a problem.
Sticky saddle on the G string?
String set is too light - switch to a heavier G or better yet a set with the wound G!
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I was looking at the red VXT on ebay last night with what looked like a flamed maple top. Seemed like a custom, because I couldn't find that model anywhere else. The sale ended with no bids for the third time. Is that the one you got, Bill? |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | <p>Bill, the quality and workmanship in the VXT model is a result of the direct working partnership five years ago between the Ovation VXT assembly line on the second floor of the factory and the Hamer custom shop up on the third floor. I have a custom VXT and two custom Hamers built at about the same time and the similarity in workmanship is striking in many respects. Its unfortunate, but the VXT model was worthy of a much more significant investment and effort in marketing than it received.</p>
Edited by ProfessorBB 2012-11-12 3:19 PM
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Mark in Boise - 2012-11-12 8:37 AM
I was looking at the red VXT on ebay last night with what looked like a flamed maple top. Seemed like a custom, because I couldn't find that model anywhere else. The sale ended with no bids for the third time. Is that the one you got, Bill?
I see that it is relisted, so it's obviously not the one that Bill got. I have to quit looking at guitar porn. |
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Location: Denver, CO | Electric/acoustic? Looks really thin to me. Shouldn't that be, more accurately, "chambered body?" Or is this really a hollow body like the original Telecoustics? Sweet looking axe, anyway. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | It's exclusively electric, but can be played to sound like an electric or switched over to sound like an acoustic played through an amp. Like a Hamer Duotone or Taylor T-5. |
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Location: South Florida, USA | Thanks everyone for all the comments.
Mark, I've been looking at that red VXT since it was first listed. I got this one for $525 and it's mint. Had I not won it I would probably bid on the red one which has custom features.
Mr. Woody, I actually have a wound G string on it. It just does not have the proper output, but I'll take your advice and tinker with the saddle a bit. It's not a game changing issue, but when switching over to the full acoustic setting it's evident. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | You got a good deal. Those were way undervalued. I have trouble justifying the guitars I have and having a hybrid might make me agree that I only need one guitar. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | dwg preacher, the VXT is essentially a solid mahogany bodied guitar with dual humbuckers, but with an addiitonal piezo pickup under the saddle that can be "dialed" into a mix with the magnetic pickups. |
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Location: Denver, CO | Ok. gotcha...and there is a Tele with the same configuration... |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | boltonb - 2012-11-13 6:22 AM
dwg preacher, the VXT is essentially a solid mahogany bodied guitar with dual humbuckers, but with an addiitonal piezo pickup under the saddle that can be "dialed" into a mix with the magnetic pickups.
Just to be clear it is a chambered mahogany body.
Additionally, the strength of this guitar is that it's more than just a blend between the humbuckers and the Fishman bridge, there's a circuit that enables a smooth mix without the tonal changes or volume issues that are normally associated with this kind of setup.
I have a custom MWoody finished one and it's one of my favorite guitars.
People compare it to the T-5 a lot and say that the saddle pickup doesn't sound as "Acoustic." I disagree. It sounds like an Ovation-acoustic-plugged-in, or at least pretty close to one. It does not sound like a wood box. The T5 sounds like a wood box on its saddle pickup. Also the T5 is geared toward Acoustic players who need an electric sound. They actually did that routine with the VXT and again, I disagree. It's an electric, and damn fine electric with an awesome sound thanks to the Duncan humbuckers and the chambered body. It also has the ability to get amazing clean and plugged-in-acoustic sound as well.
For me the best part is blending in enough of the saddle to add articulation when running full-on distortion. |
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Location: Texas | Hey Mr O...just curious as to your opinion on the differences between the acoustic ouptut between the VXT and the EA68? |
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Location: Denver, CO | Thanks, Mr. O! Now I want to check one out too! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I know "do a search" isn't polite, but there were some pretty good threads on this site shortly after the VXT came out. There were also some good videos by Ovation that were on Youtube when I last looked. I owned a Hamer Duotone for awhile that I never used, but even based on that very limited experience, I thought the VXT was better. At the time, I just played acoustic, so I sold the Duotone and passed on the VXT. Now that I'm playing more electric guitar, the VXT is becoming more interesting. |
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Location: Jet City | amosmoses - 2012-11-13 8:59 AM Hey Mr O...just curious as to your opinion on the differences between the acoustic ouptut between the VXT and the EA68? I'm not Mr. O, but I can tell you the VXT acoustic output sounds very different than a typical O. The entire system is different. The Viper still has acoustic strings and it has the same pickup as a standard O, so it would be very similar to what you know the plugged in Ovation sound to be. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | When we toured the factory five years ago, we watched several technicians sodering up a circuit board for the VXTs. The circuitry might provide some imaging technology behind the acoustic sound. Anybody else remember this? I don't know if the EA Vipers have any imaging technology in their electronics. I doubt it. This may be one of the bigger differences in acoustic tone between the two models. Then again, I have no real clue what I'm talking about here, just recollection of what I saw and was told during the tour, and my own ears. |
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Location: South Florida, USA | There is nothing quite like an EA 68 Viper. It's like playing a Les Paul but getting wonderful full acoustic tones. You can also get a nice electric tone by adjusting the controls a bit. The VXT, however, goes from a great sounding Electric guitar to an Acoustic with just a turn of the control. Quick and easy.
I must say that my VXT has a very bright acoustic tone. It's ok, but the amp has to be adjusted to make it sound the way I prefer. There are no tone controls for the acoustic setting on this instrument. I am running mine in the Stereo mode and it is awesome. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | amosmoses - 2012-11-13 8:59 AM
Hey Mr O...just curious as to your opinion on the differences between the acoustic ouptut between the VXT and the EA68?
The EA68 has a tone of its own, although it still has the signature clarity of Ovation.
For clarification... I'm a Boston fan. A lot of the acoustic guitar in Boston was an Ovation through rockman effects. I still use Rockman effects, and when I set the VXT to full Acoustic with the Rockman chorus on... It's the Boston clean acoustic sound. |
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Location: Fort Worth, TX |
The EA68 has a tone of its own, although it still has the signature clarity of Ovation.
This is first I've heard of this model. Just spent a half hour googling them. Seems like an awesome guitar... yep, it just hit my "I WANT ONE" list! |
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Location: Canada | I just found two of these posted in my area, at a fairly high price (around 1200 C$). Never heard of them - I assume they were not produced for a very long time? |
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Location: SE Michigan | I picked up a VXT on Ebay a couple years back for an embarrassingly low price. The prior owner had some strange hybrid bronze strings on it and the set-up was all messed up. A few tweaks to the set up and a set of real nickle-wound electric strings and it is now one fine electric guitar. Electric guitar pickups require nickle strings, putting bronze strings on such a guitar defeats the purpose of using humbucker pickups. I have a friend that has a classic 1970's Les Paul and I like the VXT better. It has tons of sustain and depth and weighs about half what the Les Paul weighs.
I have to say that I am not impressed with the "acoustic" tone or the piezo pickup features of the VXT. I have yet to play any hybrid (I used to own a Taylor T5) that comes anywhere remotely close to the tone, percussive-ness , and feel that you get out of an actual acoustic guitar. If you want acoustic sound play an acoustic guitar.
But I am very pleased with the VXT as a worthy dual humbucker electric guitar. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | My VXT is one of my Favorites. I don't exactly agree with the Acoustic assessment as through the right amp to me is sounds like a plugged in Ovation, but that being said... I don't use it for that anyway so I might not be the best judge. To me, the #1 feature of this guitar is that it is a light-weight setneck two humbucker guitar that has a piezo that you can blend in to taste. The possibilities are endless. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | bkok999 - 2013-03-29 6:33 AM
I have to say that I am not impressed with the "acoustic" tone or the piezo pickup features of the VXT. I have yet to play any hybrid (I used to own a Taylor T5) that comes anywhere remotely close to the tone, percussive-ness , and feel that you get out of an actual acoustic guitar.
In the "Hybrid" guitar world I have found an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II.
This has a Chambered body and a Shadow Nano-Mag pickup at the end of the fingerboard along with the standard Les Paul-style Alnico humbuckers.
It does not have a piezo bridge, but the Nano-Mag active pickup creates a unique acoustic-like sound.
And it does have that percussive aspect to it that is interesting.
Don't let the Epiphone sticker fool you this is a top-of-the-line guitar. (not cheap neither)
I am also proud to own a VXT. 
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Location: Canada | I will think about putting in a offer, the few reviews from when they were new in 2007 certainly were very favourable. Why were they discontinued so quickly? |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | 'coz they didn't market them properly, so didn't sell many, so they thought they weren't popular, so they stopped making them.
Could've been Ovations way 'back in' but they dropped the ball.... again.
Imagine if Steve Jobs had bought KMC instead of Fender. (I think they tried to get his attention with the iDea.) |
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Ovation VXT