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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Opening up the latest Musicians Friend catalog, guess what we see...Ovation Ultra 2071LX with deep contour bowl, only $799. How long until it hits the Celery models, do you think?
Anyone know if the new Ultras are even made in CT or not? |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I believe that I saw a video-link on some YouTube thread where they were bragging about the New Ultra. They were saying that a bunch of parts (I'm assuming not the bowl) would be imported from Asia. Then the guitars would be assembled in the USA. [Kinda like most Automobiles]
Aren't Ultra's borderline-Celebrity's anyway? :cool: |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | What Arthur said. Ultras are assembled [or built] in CT, with components imported from the far east. I have known a couple of people who own them currently, and I think one of them recently acquired the one with the contour back. To date, their advocacy for the instrument has been very positive. I still have yet to play and hear one though... |
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Location: Connecticut | The Ultra's are made in Korea.They are set up here but they arrive as a completed guitar. |
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Location: CT | No, sub assemblies are made offshore (i.e. the entire neck, the bowl/top etc.), then the sub assemblies are shipped to New Hartford where final assembly and set-up takes place. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Well, this'll be interesting ... |
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Location: Texas | I saw this ovatiion 1578 -dLX - I really thought this was a very good price for a beautiful top like that and being made in the USA but the wording seemed funny to me - it said designed, assembled and fully set up in the USA. If you read down in the description - you will see it saying some parts come from other countries - I don't know if it makes a difference other than it could bring down the value of an ovations made exclusively in the US. Do a few imported parts make a difference if ovation is making sure they are not cheap parts?
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-2007-Ovation-1578-dLX-Quilt-Mahogany-Guitar... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | A good dealer will never let the facts get in the way of making a sale. "Assembled" in the USA may mean nothing more than installing the strings.
I would be less concerned with "where" something is made, and more concerned with "how" it's made. It's a global economy and parts come from everywhere. I don't know this, but I would very surprised if the electronics in your high end USA Made Ovation are made in the USA. That's life.
Hey, I bought a brand new BMW 5-series which is considered to be one of the "standards" of German engineering and craftmanship. The transmission is made in France.
Dave |
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Location: Tennessee | All the bowls are made in the USA. Not sure what it all means, but I doubt the abalone is being inlaid in New Hartford given the price point. Regardless, the Ultra is a very good offering from Ovation. I don't think the quilt-top in the auction is a solid top, but all of the other Ultras I've seen in natural are solid spruce. Al has had some of these, maybe still does. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Al has the brand new Ultra Contour bowl w/ OP-PRO on ebay right now for $499 BIN. This has got to be the deal of the century.
Dave |
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Location: Texas | Hey Dave,
You are right - Global ecomony is the optimal word. I have a Mini Cooper - parts from England and parts from Germany. I think I have a Heinz 57 car - like most cars - but it is fun to drive :D
AKA Leslie |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by Tupperware:
Al has the brand new Ultra Contour bowl w/ OP-PRO on ebay right now for $499 BIN. This has got to be the deal of the century.
Dave Dude! That's incredible - I haven't even paid attention to there being a new Ultra series, and if they're anything at all to brag about, $500 is an incredible price for one. Way to go, Al! |
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Location: Connecticut | They're nice enough,they're just not made here. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ovations press release said "a team of skilled craftsman in New Hartford CT carry out final assembly and setup."
I know during the reecent factory tour I saw exactly zero Ultra's being "assembled". Granted, the definition of "assembly" could very well mean assembling the guitar into the case.
Probably a good test would be to call the service department and tell them you have a new assembled-in-the-USA ultra with a warranty claim. See if they give you an RG number or tell you to contact your dealer.
Either way, $500. for this guitar is a SMOKING GOOD DEAL, no matter where they actually come from.
http://www.ovationguitars.com/index.cfm?fa=news&art=666
Dave |
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Location: Upper Left USA | As most of the work is done in "runs" I think they just weren't working them at the time.
You might need to coordinate a drop in sometime so you can watch what I understand is a four step process:
1 Uncrate and preload the bodies and necks.
2 Run Body and Neck through the CNC Router for Neck and Bridge cavity.
3 Fit Body, Neck, Bridge into position to glue and clamp.
4 Place Label on crooked... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Mike, I can't believe they could do all that and sell the guitars for $500. If they can, then that's great and the concept of building major assemblies overseas should also be looked into for other models (balladeers, legends, elites, etc.) because it obviously works.
But I'll be honest with you, when I read their press release about the new Ultra, my initial reaction was that it was total bullshit and they were just juicing up the Ultra with some USA type "features" like the OPPro and contour bowl and giving it some marketing spew about assembled in the USA to jack sales. Nothing wrong with that in my opinion. Again, at price point I think it's a killer guitar.
Dave |
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Location: Upper Left USA | My Chevy Silverado says it was made in Ontario but my Toyota Camry doesn't lie to me...
The Overseas/Pacific Rim Manufacturers will make exactly what you pay them to make for you. Their tooling has gotten to be fantastic!
Their work environment and Hazmat issues are the part I don't care for.
So if the Labels were placed on over there would they read from the lower right??? |
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Location: Tychy, Poland | http://www.ovationguitars.com/index.cfm?fa=news&art=666
that 666 at the end must mean something :-) |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Tupperware:
Probably a good test would be to call the service department and tell them you have a new assembled-in-the-USA ultra with a warranty claim. See if they give you an RG number or tell you to contact your dealer.
From The Right Reverend Robert's posting: "This new Ovation 1578-4-DLX Guitar is new and spotless and has the Ovation Lifetime Factory Warranty from Ovation USA.". But you're right ... this is a great price no matter where the parts come from. Check out this one: Bear Claw and Abalone Ultra. |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | interesting, the epaulets are not inlaid. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Not only that, they're higher up on the guitar face, or I need to adjust my glasses I'm not wearing...
It's really interesting - I want to look at it ans say "that's a beautiful Ovation," but you can definitely see the difference between this, as nice as it is, and the US-made Legends & Elites. Something about it just isn't quite right.
Then again, I'd bet there's not a whole lot out there that could touch it for the price. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Tupperware:
Mike, I can't believe they could do all that and sell the guitars for $500. If they can, then that's great and the concept of building major assemblies overseas should also be looked into for other models (balladeers, legends, elites, etc.) because it obviously works. Dave My 4861 Balladeer was made in Korea, and it has a solid top and an OP24+...
BTW-- That Bear Claw Ultra is the spittin' image of my CC44,
with a different pre-amp and a nicer head. Mine's got abalone binding too... |
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| Hi Arthur, I was surfing the board and noticed this post. I thought the 'Balladeer' was always a USA guitar from start to finish?..otherwise it wasn't called a Balladeer. Oh well, next thing ya know they'll have korean legends and elites.. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Some balladeers (model numbers 4xxx) were made overseas. Dave |
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Location: NJ | regends & erites . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I love it when folks from Jersey make fun of other peoples accents ... |
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Location: NJ | I love it when folks from Jersey make fun of other people . . . |
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| Tupp,
Are they still making 'korean' Balladeers, or was that discontinued?.. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | As far as I know these days all balladeers are made in the US. |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I've played a couple of the new non-contour bowl Ultras, a shop in Lansing carries them. They are OK, but not up to the standard of the 1771LX (I did an A/B with a couple). If sound is the primary consideration, the Ultras lose.
Roger |
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Contour bowl trickle-down continues