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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | If you could design your own Dream Ovation - everything was still being made, and you had Carte Blanche of the entire Factory, woods, colors, exotics, and bling, what would you design? Remember, Everything is available for you!! Money no object!!! GO!
Edited by naellis58 2015-03-18 10:50 AM
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Location: NJ | I've done that several times..... |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | My problem is, every time I designed my perfect Ovation, I came up with another perfect design about a month after I got the previous one.  |
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Location: Utah | I already own a decent cross section of really outstanding Ovations. It would be nearly impossible to design just one perfect guitar. I play the 1537 and the Patriot equally, along with the Adamas 2080.
The A braced legend is a stellar sounding guitar, which is embodied in the Patriot from 1976. I love the stereo FET preamp in the 1537. I love the look of the 1537, too. The tone of the 2007 Collector's edition is the best of the LX series (I no longer own that guitar), rivaling but not quite matching the Adamas 2080. The Op Pro Studio preamp is just the best for live performance, especially plugged directly into the sound system via XLR. The neck on my 6778LX is the easiest playing neck ever, but I sure can't identify what it is about that particular neck that is different. I do prefer the deep bowls over the mid of the 6778LX.
So if I could only have one acoustic wood topped Ovation, it would be an A-braced center hole deep hand laid bowl, non-cutaway, with an LX neck copied from the 6778LX, outfitted with the OP Pro Studio. Or maybe a hand laid deep contour bowl. Can I get two preamps? The Studio and the stereo FET, unless they could build a stereo Studio preamp.
The color would be the deep honey color the 1537 has acquired after 33 yrs. And I want a custom bone saddle on the OPP pickup. Gloss finish on the neck. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | This seems like a clever variation on the "If you could chose only one" theme. If I could design one that fulfilled all my needs, I wouldn't need the ones I have and I'd feel compelled to sell them. I like the variety and, even with my limited uses, I like to have a wider neck for some songs, a flat 12 fret neck for some, a thinner neck for barre chords, etc. Basically, I like having choices. I'll put snow tires on a sports car to use it all winter, but I can't make an acoustic guitar sound like an electric. The VXT was an attempt at an all purpose guitar, but I sure don't grab it off the wall to play unplugged. |
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Location: Paris/France | Done years ago with Al's help!! J  
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Location: Indiana | Mid bowl Adamas II longneck. Beige burst. |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | Mark in Boise - 2015-03-18 12:41 PM
This seems like a clever variation on the "If you could chose only one" theme. If I could design one that fulfilled all my needs, I wouldn't need the ones I have and I'd feel compelled to sell them. I like the variety and, even with my limited uses, I like to have a wider neck for some songs, a flat 12 fret neck for some, a thinner neck for barre chords, etc. Basically, I like having choices. I'll put snow tires on a sports car to use it all winter, but I can't make an acoustic guitar sound like an electric. The VXT was an attempt at an all purpose guitar, but I sure don't grab it off the wall to play unplugged.
Good Point Mark! I hadn't thought of that.... This group has such varied interests, and skills. I was just interested in what everyone would come up with, Artistically speaking. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | You know what would be really cool? A woven-top. cobalt blue mandolin with abalone purfling and walnut binding, gloss neck and a walnut bound fretboard with "Book" style abalone up the neck and into the headstock, which BTW has an ebony veneer to match the ebony bridge. Not that I haven't thought about that instrument for several years or anything but just couldn't afford to make it real..... |
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Location: Jet City | Jonmark Stone - 2015-03-18 12:10 PM Mid bowl Adamas II longneck. Beige burst. yeah... I'll take one of them |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | As others have pointed out, when the Mothership was open, anyone with the resources and ideas could have a guitar built to specifications. When I had the resources, I lacked the ideas. I also lacked the experience with enough guitars to formulate those ideas. You might say I lacked the artistry needed to come up with anything. I came to the party a little late and found out that Al and the OFC had been considering a custom Ovation/Adamas and had settled on the concept of the OFC guitar. I was lucky enough to get the last one available. I would have preferred a red one, so when Stephen offered one of his 47RIs, I bought. It sounds slightly better to me, possibly because of the OFC preamp takes up some space or possibly because I like red.
Those are as close as I'll get to an Ovation of my design. The LAV Koa is another example. It's a totally different guitar from the OFC or any Adamas. The most obvious part of the guitar is the Koa top, but it is also a 12 fretter with a cutaway and a modern preamp. A totally different stroke for the same folk (me). There are fewer than 24 of us in the world who own those two guitars. I don't think I could design anything that would suit me better. |
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Location: Flahdaw | It's kinda like cars. The ones you thought were the coolest things EVER, look dated and old fashioned 10 years later. I think you would always have "guitar envy" and never be completely satisfied, no matter WHAT you had made today.... |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Like a lot of others, Al helped me make my dream guitar come true. An Adamas deep hand laid bowl baritone with the same electronics as in the OFCII. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Since I like car analogies, I'll add to Bob's. Some of us want what we couldn't have years ago. It might not have been cool then, but a few years later it becomes cool. That might be why I like the Ovation reissues and would like a Porsche 1959 Convertible D, even though I didn't have a clue that they even existed in 1959. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | I fantasized about this for many years, but never had the money. 1 3/4" nut width, same carbon fibre top as the 1187 (or maybe the 08C), long neck, hand-laid contour bowl, slot head with broccoli, walnut neck with carbon fibre strip (ala original slot heads and 1187 reissue), carved bridge and heel, Op Pro Studio, some sort of unique colour or just looking like the 1187. |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | darkbarguitar - 2015-03-18 3:54 PM
It's kinda like cars. The ones you thought were the coolest things EVER, look dated and old fashioned 10 years later. I think you would always have "guitar envy" and never be completely satisfied, no matter WHAT you had made today....
I dunno... I still think that a Candy Apple Red 1969 Ford Mach I Mustang is the coolest car ever made!!!!  |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I agree with Al. He has helped me build three of my dream guitars, and I also have three more of his. |
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Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I'll take Jerome's guitar pictured!...man what a beauty! He's got good taste. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Mark in Boise - 2015-03-19 7:30 AM I would have preferred a red one, so when Stephen offered one of his 47RIs, I bought. It sounds slightly better to me, possibly because of the OFC preamp takes up some space or possibly because I like red. Nah! It's definitely because its red. Just like red Ducatis are faster than yellow Ducatis. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Mark in Boise - 2015-03-19 7:30 AM I would have preferred a red one, so when Stephen offered one of his 47RIs, I bought. It sounds slightly better to me, possibly because of the OFC preamp takes up some space or possibly because I like red. Nah! It's definitely because its red. Just like red Ducatis are faster than yellow Ducatis. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I swear I only clicked the button once... |
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Location: Tennessee | CanterburyStrings - 2015-03-18 2:34 PM Like a lot of others, Al helped me make my dream guitar come true. An Adamas deep hand laid bowl baritone with the same electronics as in the OFCII. is this the one with the swan inlays? That is a nice guitar. Must be something about longnecks. I envisioned one with a brown hand laid fiberglass bowl, the top a -7 Lennon/Patriot nutmeg color, walnut binding (a la 1537), MOP purfling aroung the top, walnut bridge and headstock overlay (a la 1537 or Adamas 2), ebony fretboard with the Legend Limited MOP large diamonds and dots, reissue two knob bet stereo preamp. i have no idea if a center hole longneck would sound good, but my eyes would think it sounded great.
Edited by stonebobbo 2015-03-19 2:07 AM
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Location: Munich, Germany | All I wanted was not possible, when it would have been possible, so I still miss
- an 1187 (slothead reissue) with a 1 7/8 neck in Beige Burst and
- an A-braced Custom Legend, acoustic only, in Cadillac Green Burst |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | I really enjoy questions like this, and this one's been in my mind for several years. What's really cool is that some of you have been able to realize your dream "O"...testimony of how customer-centric Ovation was, at least before Fxxxxr came into the picture. Well, this is bound to change in a year, but hears to dreamin'...
I know I'd be at odds with most of you, but I really like the shape of the iDea guitar with the tri-oval sound-hole. My ideal "O" would be shaped like the iDea, have a figured Japanese cherry (Sakura) variable thickness sound-board, offset Quintad bracing, and mounted on a suspension ring. The pre-amp would have to be the OP-Pro Studio with XLR and stereo output. Five piece neck with standard headstock, ebony fingerboard and bridge (no broccoli for me). Some abalone purfling around the oval soundholes and finished with a nice clear polyurethane based natural gloss finish.
I've been way too busy to even get my hands on my 1868 project that I shared in the BFLG, but when that's done, my iDea will be in the shop for conversion. I've already bought the Sakura wood blanks, and I'm hoping I might be able to realize this dream (at least to some degree) next summer...we shall see, but fantasizing is fun, fun, fun...
Edited by arumako 2015-03-19 1:23 PM
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Location: Phoenix AZ | The adamas ukulele was on the drawing board but never saw the light of day. |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Not to throw water on anyone's parade but I am so happy with my Adamas and my 1537 that I have no desire for dreaming of other guitars or what could be. And remember that Buddha said desire is the root of suffering. I remain a perhaps misguided minority of one. But a happy minority. |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | nerdydave - 2015-03-20 10:37 AM
Not to throw water on anyone's parade but I am so happy with my Adamas and my 1537 that I have no desire for dreaming of other guitars or what could be. And remember that Buddha said desire is the root of suffering. I remain a perhaps misguided minority of one. But a happy minority.
Not at all Dave!! It speaks highly of you and your content with what you already have! You have already got your dream Ovations!!!
I think I would like a straight accoustic, hand laid deep bowl, non cutaway, center hole, the 5 piece gloss neck, with the bling from my Custom 1769, the carved headstock, bridge and heel of the Adamas I, but some really exotic face wood! Something like this:
Edited by naellis58 2015-03-20 11:30 AM
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Location: Orlando, FL | OFC II Longneck. Although something like that may cause earthquakes... |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Nancy you appear to be a wise and compassionate young woman!! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Yeah Al I've done it several times as well, the cool collectors, the long necks, uk2 and a few more I can't remember |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | I´ve had quite a number of Ovation guitars, but with the time there is a small number of them left which I regard to be the best -for me-.
A 82 collector´s. Technically a heavyweight A-braced custom legend guitar, soo easy to play and with a sound that I consider to be perfect for the more rocky side. An old ´82 custom legend would be good as well, but the blue colour makes the guitar very special, too bad they did not add the abalone purflings to this guitar, and a blue bowl would have been possible, too, it´s colored anyway, not courageous enough?
The 1537 Elite has not that heavy bass but has what I would call a greater"voice", more projection and a stronger mid-range, makes the guitar louder and even a little dreadnaught-like to play.Needs a little more power in the right hand to wake up and sounds extremely balanced. Close to perfection, sounds much better with an armrest, the quintad bracing is very sensitive to pressure on the top. By the way, I must say that all Elites I played were great guitars.
The 1687 Adamas has it all, best of both worlds but not easy to control. You have to play very precisely, the guitar excuses no mistakes. At a defined energy level of string movement it has its maximum power, fills every room with music but if you go beyond a certain playing force the guitar seems to refuse to answer, like an engine with exceeded r.p.m.. Relatively smoothly played there´s no comparable guitar.This applies to the 1688 12string as well.
The newer high-tech 2087 Adamas plays very easy, is very lightweight and the deep contour body is extremely ergonomic. But the deep basses of the clear E-string have much less sustain the higher you walk on the fretboard, the sound is not well balanced and the non-adjustable neck-angle in combination with the unlucky string-angle of the "broccoli"bridge and the inaccurate neck impairs the pleasure with this instrument a bit. Lamenting on quite high level, I know, I know...
By the way, I prefer to call the "broccoli" design the "art nouveau" design, it reminds me more to the projects of Antoni Gaudi then to vegetables...
I love them all.
Now to answer your question, maybe my dream Ovation would be a 1687-style Adamas with a heavy deep contour body, an art nouveau bridge with the string angle of the standard bridges, a bolt-on neck with a brass saddle, tuning machines with a 16:1 ratio and a factory-made armrest of the body material.
Don´t ask me what colour. I love the old brown bodies, maybe something like that with a lovely sunburst on the top.
Any tobacco sunburst Adamii out there?
Not really that far from what I do already own, so I feel quite content, but the impossible must be thought to make it possible. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | How about a 1687 deep bowl adamas in a dreadnaught size ??? |
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Location: Jet City | cwk2 - 2015-03-22 1:22 PM Yeah Al I've done it several times as well... uk2 It's hard to improve on that one. |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | DetlefMichel - 2015-03-23 12:37 PM
...
By the way, I prefer to call the "broccoli" design the "art nouveau" design, it reminds me more to the projects of Antoni Gaudi then to vegetables...
I have thought that too, or perhaps a Renaissance design, which would make sense creating a Renaissance Guitar, a few have even looked like peacock tails. |
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Location: NJ | It's NOT "Broccoli", but an Acanthus leaf, which is a popular element in ornamental WoodCarving . . . |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | Adamas Acanthus sounds noble. |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | Standingovation - 2015-03-23 9:25 PM
How about a 1687 deep bowl adamas in a dreadnaught size ???
No. I love the round shape of the Ovations.
But they never made a real JUMBO guitar.
Now:what about a 1687 deep bowl with the front size of a Guild/ Gibson Jumbo? Or even better a 1688 ! Jumbo? |
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Location: Canada | DetlefMichel - 2015-03-24 6:14 AM No. I love the round shape of the Ovations. But they never made a real JUMBO guitar. Now:what about a 1687 deep bowl with the front size of a Guild/ Gibson Jumbo? Or even better a 1688 ! Jumbo? I think it would take a BIG player to handle those proportions gracefully. Maybe with a long neck attached and 4 strings it could make an impressive acoustic bass. I actually really love the size and shape of the regular Ovations, and the mid-size bowl has a perfect fit for me. Just have a look at the contrast between this Guild Jumbo and Ovation Legend (with a Tenor Uke thrown in for fun) ... 
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Location: Orlando, FL | That Ovation Jumbo might slide off your lap... |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | That´s why I´m so fond of the contour body. A Jumbo contour bowl would perfectly fit my waist - and hide it;-)..and imagine the BIG sound of a monster-Ovation bowl 12string guitar with the thin Adamas top. Just compare the acoustic sound of a SSB with a deep bowl. My beloved luthier-made 12string guitar has a complete 12cm (sorry, 4,73in) body, and growls pretty good.
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Location: Muenster/Germany | nerdydave - 2015-03-20 5:37 PM
I remain a perhaps misguided minority of one. But a happy minority.
No, you are not misguided at all. You are right. I try to live to similar ideals, less is more.
The only exception I´m allowing of is haunting and collecting and buying and selling guitars, that´s a great pleasure for me and a continuum for the last 40 years. My guitars are hanging on the wall of my living-room like paintings, every now and then I pick one and play. The good thing is that I only have a defined number of wall-hangers so that I always have to give one away when I´m on for a new one. That keeps me off from being attached to things. |
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Location: Canada | DetlefMichel - 2015-03-25 9:19 AM The good thing is that I only have a defined number of wall-hangers so that I always have to give one away when I´m on for a new one. That keeps me off from being attached to things. Did you not also have a wood topped Adamas 1681 ... it's not in your sig? As for a jumbo, it's not only the bigger body but as you can see in the pic it also has considerably longer scale, can a bit of a stretch - actually for me it's more the change in poition of the right hand that's interesting. Going back to the Lagend is almost harder than switchng to the Jumbo. |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | (I traded the WT for a very special handmade guitar, which I then later sold to buy the 1537, that´s how life is sometimes.)
Regarding the longer scale you are right, I forgot that. It´s one of the reasons I love to play Ovations, only 64cm and a bit.Easier to play.
I hereby do confess that the Ovation bowl has perfect dimensions. |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Okay...so, I just couldn't wait anymore! I made a photoshop mock-up of my dream iDea with the Sakura top! The top is a figured "nami" or wavy Sakura. 
I tried to add some bling to it in Photoshop, but it just didn't look right! So here is version 1.0. What do you all think?
Edited by arumako 2015-03-26 10:36 AM
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | I Like it very much!!!
It is simple, elegant, and well balanced looking! While still having enough going on to keep the eye moving to see more!!! I really like it!!!! Wish I could Photoshop!!
And with the way you can play a guitar, you don't need to have a distracting guitar, your playing is enough to keep the audience enthralled!!! |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Thanks naellis58! But just the right amount of bling can sure help when the fingers slip! I'm thinking sunburst and some maple binding for version 2.0. The nice thing about Sakura (cherry) is that it darkens over time, and the grain gets accentuated with exposure to light...fun, fun, fun... |
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