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Joined:
May 2012
Posts: 55
| Bought this closet find Ovation USA made Academy acoustic from a yard sale lady who said her husband bought it to learn guitar but put it in the closet and never played it again. I have minimal knowledge of these old Ovation guitars. Is it a prototype of some kind? The guitar is without a doubt the loudest acoustic I have ever played. And I'm not exaggerating. Imagine attaching a guitar neck to an oil drum. That's how loud it is. The back is the same material and size as a neighbor's old Folklore model. The top looks like some type of non-wood material. It is flawless with a perfect action, very easy to play. Why would Ovation abandon a guitar that was this loud? Really puzzles me. Thanks for any information.
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Those were made in Moosup during the early 80's. As the name implies, they were made for a music school. (Don't ask me the name because I don't know.) Back when we first started making them they were the poorest excuse for a guitar that I had ever encountered. The plastic top gave them NO volume. It seems there are a lot of folks here who love them, and like you, claim that they are VERY loud. I guess that just goes to show that wood is not the only material that "opens up" over time. Someday someone will bring one into my shop and I will get to see how much they have improved in the years since we first made them.  |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4044
Location: Utah | Great find! If I understand correctly the frets are molded into the neck structure and are not replaceable. So when the guitar gets a lot of use it becomes a throwaway item. There don't seem to be many around, and they all seem to be in very used condition. You hit the jackpot with this one!
It is the perfect all-weather instrument. I'd love to have one for Christmas caroling in the snow.
Edited by FlySig 2014-09-25 11:45 AM
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3611
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Have one, exactly like this one. My understanding is, the Academy was a model, for music programs, but it may have been for a specific school. I recently sold an Academy that had the rosewood fretboard, with replaceable frets. As many around here have observed, "They sound a lot better, than they should." |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 2791
Location: Atlanta, GA. | I have a wide neck slothead Academy I bought from OMA a few years ago. I love it.
And yes... It's pretty loud also, for a nearly all plastic gitfiddle.
Edited by cholloway 2014-09-25 6:51 PM
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yeah...
I have sold TWO KA-17 Academy guitars....
And I regret both of those sales. 
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | And if you think the Academy kicks butt, you oughta try the AA-12, which is basically a regular Applause with an Academy top. I've got 4 of them, all 1983 or so. I maintain they were using up leftover parts before they unscrewed all the light bulbs and went home. They also had rosettes with no guards and the necks were black instead of wood grain. The KA-14s are in front; the AA-12s in back. One is missing a rosette.
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Academy was just a name, no school. |
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Could someone tell me what I found here?