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Location: Reno, NV | Let's find out! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | More than 25 years, but only about 2 years of semi regular playing. I wonder if the total playing time would be less than a week. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Since 1965. |
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Location: Orange County, California | I starting counting "Ovation years" when I got my 1763, not when I first tinkered on someone else's Applause (my earliest memory of roundbacked guitars).
I started counting "playing years" when I first leaned some chords. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Since Christmas morning, 1960. |
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Location: East Tennessee | In the majority on both questions.
You'd think I'd be better than I am. :( |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | I had a Matrix (my first real acoustic) when I was about 15 (destroyed in a hideous church accident) and I've had the Preacher since I was about 17.
If I had known JohnnyCash back then, I may have been able to save the Matrix! |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | And like Mark - except for the late teen years, I've only really been playing since last summer. |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Gospel Guitar Guy:
In the majority on both questions.
You'd think I'd be better than I am. :( Same here... |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I quit playing for a year once when I stopped playing fulltime to work in the family grocery biz. Most miserable year of my life, and I didn't even understand why at the time.
But, like many, for all that time on the water I should be better than a 2 trick pony....
(to say nothing of mangling metaphors!) |
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Location: Houston, Texas | Started playing guitar and Ovations in 1978. |
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Location: Tennessee | Since a Monday morning in February 1964. The guitar was bigger than me though. |
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Location: NJ | . . . and it was probably the shortest your hair has ever been since . . . |
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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | Started in 1974; started with Gertrude in 1979 (she was Jack's, so I married into the "family.") You'd think for the length of time I've been at it I'd be a whole lot better than I am--but I guess it's folks like me that make some of the rest of you look so good! :D
--Karen |
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| Interesting, the poll results show a considerable gap between 5 years...and 11 years. Personally, I've been at it since 1971.. |
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| Given the average age from the other poll there should be a 40plus years category. In 3 weeks I've been playing for 43 years.
Does this put me and bobbo in the lead? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | or at least first in line for next available room at Sunset Acres... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | 1972 or 73 for me. First Ovation was in 77. |
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| In which case you are 10 years off the pace. Kindly refrain from comment until you've been playing a little longer. |
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Location: cincinnati, ohio | Started playing guitar in 19 and 69. Got my first Ovation in 1971, and my newest one last July. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Originally posted by schroeder:
In which case you are 10 years off the pace. Kindly refrain from comment until you've been playing a little longer. Whose pace are you talking about? Just because you've been at it longer, doesn't mean you're getting there any sooner. I do agree that I have been incorrectly assuming that I am one of the old farts, but I've now learned that I have a few more years before I can justify being a grumpy old fart like some of you. |
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| :D |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I've now learned that I have a few more years before I can justify being a grumpy old fart like some of you. Be nice. Or at least be accurate. Schroeder's not grumpy. |
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Location: south east Michigan | zzzzzing!!!!!
Except for a entry level Tesio electric for the first couple years, it's been Ovation all the way for me. Probably to a fault to some extent. |
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Location: NJ | Teisco.
(I had one of their basses). |
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Posts: 149
Location: New York, NY | This is a great poll. It's nice to see that I'm not the only relatively new guitar player (I'm in the 3-5 year range). Sometimes being on here it feels like everyone was born with an axe in their hands! :D |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | That's because chainsaws hadn't been invented yet.
John <>{ |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | BTW, started playing around '68. Saw an Ovation for the first time in '71. A christian musician named Danny Taylor was playing it and I was enamoured with them from that point on.
Bought my first one in '93...an '82 Custom Legend 12 string, Tobacco sunburst. Lost it when our house burned down in '02.
Man I miss that guitar!
John <>{ |
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Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | I started playing in '69. Didn't turn to O's until 2000. Got a CS2000. I was soon ready to sell it and go back to the wood backs.
Then I played a 1778 LX.
Never looked back. For the life of me I can't come up with a good reason to spend more on an acoustic (though the siren call of a McPherson still sounds in my ears from time to time). |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I read what steve posted, and I think what the gap from 5 to 11 years shows is that in the first 5 years people are new to it and enthusiastic, and then they put it down and then at year 15 pick it up again seriously and integrate it into their lives. And after 15 years, learn to use their ears instead of the marketing hype, and gravitate towards ovations.
In ovation years, I'm only 13. I feel so young. |
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Posts: 430
Location: Lebanon, TN | Started playing 1974 aged 12 and bought my 1617 brand new with Saturday Job savings in 1978. Traded it in very reluctantly to help my brother buy a precision bass which the bugger sold 6 months later for 10% of what I paid....I was mad for a long time :-) |
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Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | 25 years, 44%, now I know why I feel so comfortable here. |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Wow! This is the only group I know of where I'm normal! Been playing since '73 got my 1st O in '74. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm not sure "old" and "normal" are synonymous anywhere except in Florida, DZ. |
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Posts: 1374
| Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I'm not sure "old" and "normal" are synonymous anywhere except in Florida, DZ. careful now, DZ, Chatman, Jeff, and myself and a few others might resemble that remark.
Glenn |
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Location: Tucson, AZ | ...got my first Ovation in 1986, been playing since 1959. |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | Although I'd been introduced and dreamed for an Ovation guitar for many years, I've only been playing it for just a little over 3 years ... from the day I purchased my first balladeer.
As far as playing guitars are concerned, in general, I will conservatively say between 6 to 10 years, since I was never consistent with it. There were gaps in between the times I played and stopped playing ... measured mostly in years, if not months... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Maybe Florida has the oldest population because people just live longer down there. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I'll mess-up the count! I've only been seriously practicing/playing every day since 11/05. I have only OWNED an Ovation since 10/06!
But I have known the 7 or 10 CAGED chords since 1975, and played in guitar/drum circles since then. So I only answered 1-2 years on one, and less than a year on the other.
I'm still a Noobie. |
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Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | ive been playing on and off since i was 1997. i learned to play on a national steel body. i bought my first ovation in may of 98 at a pawnshop in sommerset pa. it was a matrix. witch i still have in the attic.
i played it for about a year then bought a 1615 pacemaker. sold it in highschool for reasons i wont disclose..quit playing up untill last year. bought a folklore,academy,2 balladeers,1567,1118,adamas and a 1624...still can only play a few chords..lol jason |
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Posts: 195
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado | Well.. Lets see.. 10 fingers.. 10 toes... ummm. not quite enough...
Ok..
Started guitar in 63.(damn.. 44 years)
The 1112 in my collection is my first Ovation. Bought it for a student in 74. Then she decided to go the classical route so I kept it for myself.
Cc |
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Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Les'see, got my first Sears guitar when I was 13, so playing (or trying to...) 38 years. Got my first 'O'....woulda been '72-'73. |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Hey Mark, down here if I go to the right neighborhood, I'm just a kid!
They say kids make you feel young, BS, If you wanna feel young hang out with some really old folks. After they call you "sonny" and "kid" long enough you start to believe it! |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Now that I've seen it in writing, I should be much better considering how long ago I started.
Trouble is, just because I started playing a long time ago, doesn't mean I've been PLAYING for a long time. |
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Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | I think that could describe a lot of us, muzza. I played for a few years when I was young (25 years ago), started really understanding how to play and then all but stopped for various reasons. Now I'm just getting back into the fray and, while I'm loving every minute of it, I'll never catch back up to anywhere near where I'd always hoped I would be.
Doesn't stop me from inflicting pain on anyone who'll listen though... :rolleyes: |
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December 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Isle of Man, UK | Tricky - 11-15 for both.
Trouble is, it's opposite ends of the scale in each case! Been playing for the best part of 15 years, and my very first O has just had her 11th birthday...
Just realised that I've been playing for around half my life... had a break of six months in the middle , but that's it. Scary!
JB |
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Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | "How Long" is a tricky question.
What matters is how much has been crammed in there over a period of time.
My best "learning phases" have been bursts of about 6 months where I feel I've doubled my experience.
What helps most is playing with others, finding Artist's songs that you want to play, working into a band and having some kind of impossible goal or deadline - and meeting it! |
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Posts: 269
Location: Nîmes, south of France | 23 years Ovation (1 year Adamas)
33 years guitar
:-)) |
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Posts: 140
| I did it just like the Ryan Adams tune" played it til my fingers bled... Was the summer of '69." I wanted to play one of those O's, after seeing the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Got one years later.a re-issue! |
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Location: SoCal | which reissue did you get? |
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| The 6-string natural finish Glen Campbell of course! |
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Location: SoCal | I've got one of those. What do you think of it? |
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Location: Utah | Started learning at age 13 (and still at it at 52). Bought my first Ovation in 1975 (age 21). That was a good year. Meet my wife of 30 years and bought my Custom Balladeer. I wouldn't change a thing!
DANG, I'm old even in guitar years I'm old. |
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Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by matrix:
Ryan Adams tune" played it til my fingers bled... Was the summer of '69." That's BRYAN Adams. Different guy completely.
Lyric probable written by Jim Vallance |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Completely different, Indeed! |
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Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | 
Since August 9th, 1971.
Dave |
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Location: Waurika OK | Got my first guitar in 1957 (50 years).
Got my first O in Sept. 2003 |
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Posts: 23
Location: Westchester, NY | After college I bought a Celebrity C11, that I still own and wrote most of my songs on. I recently bought a used Elite and am activly looking for a used Adamas and Collector series (93, 95, 98 for each of my three children born on those years). Scanning eBay and Craigslist weekly, I dont have a lot of disposable income, but I have a plan.
Been playing 25 years, I started when I was 12. |
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Posts: 12762
Location: Boise, Idaho | I used that plan already. I need more kids, I guess, but then I'd have less money for guitars. My wife just realized there are a bunch of 30th Anniversary guitars. I have 2, the Ute and the 30th CL and our 30th isn't tell August. She caught onto the scheme when I was trying to work into a 30th Anniversary Adamas II reissue. Keep working on your plan and come up with a Plan B and C just in case another "must have" comes along. |
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Posts: 1487
Location: Michigan | OK its time to give all of us OLD FARTS a 30 minute break from this thread so we can go change our diapers and take our meds.See Ya then.GWB |
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Posts: 672
Location: New South Wales, Australia | Been playing for 27 years. My wife bought me my first Ovation, an 1860 Custom Balladeer, for my 30th birthday in 1994. |
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Posts: 651
Location: Australia | ....is there an OFC'er who hasn't been playing since the stone age ? |
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Posts: 76
Location: Kent, England | Has anyone done a poll on average age of OFC'ers...if so I',m glad I missed it!!!!!!! :D
...if not...DON'T! :eek:
Cheers |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Since you kinda asked.....
A poll was done.
I think we averaged in the mid-forties. |
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January 2004
Posts: 799
Location: Athens, GA & Gnashville | I've been playing Ovaitions since 1968, no kidding. I was a fetal prodigy. LOL!! |
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Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Roger on the meds. :D
I started playing in 1957 after I saw some guy playing and singing on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Started playing Ovations in 1972 after I saw some guy playing one on the Smothers Brothers Show.
I now know my problem. I watch too much TV.  |
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November 2006
Posts: 2241
Location: Simpsonville, SC | Let's see..started playing with (i can't really describe it as PLAYING) a guitar in 1975. Saw my first Ovation that year and really wanted one, but at 16 years old other things kept getting in the way ( girls, cars, stereos...did I mention GIRLS :D ) anyway, you get the picture. Closeted my beloved Epiphone for 30 years. I occasionally brought it out of the closet to admire it and strum it. Well, mid-life crisis struck, (no not an affair, I have a lovely spouse of 27 years) and I pulled old Epi out and started playing around again (trying to revive the days of old?). Funny thing is, I found out I could actually play something. Then I remembered that early love affair with the Ovations. I went to local pawn shop and found an 1867 and loved it. Money being a little better than when I was 16, I bought a new 1778LX.
So, My response to the poll..played 1-2 years, owned Ovations for less than a year.
End result..a BAD case of G.A.S. :eek:
Somebody, PLEASE help me!!! |
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July 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | I started playing guitar in the mid-60's. I picked it up from my dear ol' Dad. I got my first Ovation product in 1979, with the purchase of an Applause. I'd always been intrigued by Ovations, since no local guitar stores were carrying them back when I was a kid. You just saw 'em on TV, and that was it. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Had a classical back in the mid 70's for about 6 months. Great sounding guitar, wish I kept it, it was drop dead mint and I kept it that way. Went for the hard strings next and sold the classical for a real nice alvarez. Dozens of guitars electric and acoustic after that until I got out of music and bands around 83-84? at that time I had found my way to an elite shallow bowl, I kept this one "only" sold everything else until I returned to music in 2003. At that time I remembered I always wanted an Adamas but never could afford one... so I took the plunge bought a 1688-7 because it was available at the time, Searching the internet I found the holy grail in a slothead for sale by a guy name Elias...........and then found my way to this club that same week, and then Al's great stock of Adamas's. Bought my second from him and just when I thought I was done I discoverd all kinds of great Ovation guitars I never knew existed. And on & on & on & on. You know the rest.
Great guitars
Randy |
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October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | my mom bought me a set of pearl metallic blue drums when i was 10. thought i was so cool. so did the neighborhood girls in thousand oaks, california. i'd set em' up in the garage, open the door and accompany my stereo playing strawberry alarm clock, dave clark five, the rascals etc., etc. cuties from the neighborhood would line the driveway and giggle through it all. soon a couple older guys, 14 or 15 years old, saw all the attention and one day brought their guitars. the three of us had a time impressing the girls week after week. one early morning, against my mom's explicit instructions, i sneeked my drum set out of the house and carried it several blocks away to one of the guitar player's homes to impress a whole new set of neighborhood groupies. i dropped the bass drum and it landed on one of it's legs which busted through the drum, leaving a gaping hole. man, was i in trouble!
my mom's disappointment hurt me more than a whipping would have.
i took up playing guitar a couple years later when i was 12. my mom had remarried and her husband, who was only nine years older than me, played guitar. he showed me my first licks. "washington square" by the village stompers was my first song.
after i took a major interest in guitar, my mom decided to inform me that my biological father, whom i never met until i was 22, had also played guitar and serenaded her off her feet. no one else in the family is musically inclined so i suppose it is in my genes.
i have owned guitars by kay, harmony, conn, martin, gibson, alvarez, almansa, takamine, fender, and framus. bought my first ovation (adamas) 4 months ago when i found this forum.
i'm 50 now, so have been playing guitar 38 years now. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | For me it was "My Goals' Beyond" (McLaughlin on Balladeer), Coryell's "Spaces" along with Abercrombie and Di Meola who followed. I bought my all-acoustic Legend in 1974, so 33 years!! |
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How long have you been playing Ovations..and guitar? ..(poll)