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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Check this out:
http://www.ovationguitars.com/index.cfm?fa=news&art=666
Contour bowl, OP-Pro, Scalloped LX bracing, Abalone rosette ... Sub assembled in ASIA.
Actually looks like a lot of guitar for the money.
Dave |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| They are actually saying on their own website that this is the best of both worlds - USA hand finished quality at Asian prices??????
There are quicker ways to commit suicide. |
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Joined: December 2001 Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | they have done this several times already guys. it is nothing new |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Actually, this is a reappearance of the "Ultra" series. So welcome back Mr. Ultra. The exact history of the Ultra name, where they were made, why, how etc, I can't remember. |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | Good, this guitar should put an end to the crappy sounding celebs at GC... |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I wonder how any warranty issue is handled on these.... Shipping to China or Japan can get a little pricey. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . Good, this guitar should put an end to the crappy sounding celebs at GC . ."
How do you figure THAT??
More money is made on Celebs (in volume) than these'll EVER make . . . |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | just wishful thinking, these should be the best guitar bargain, dollar for dollar, my guess is 'bout $500 OTD at GC. |
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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by alpep:
they have done this several times already guys. it is nothing new Al, my point was that it's interesting that this is now being done with contour bowls and stuff like that. I personally think that the contour bowl making it down to the ultra line is great. Just one more step in the gradual extinction of that round bowl.
Dave |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | Good point, Tup, with these around why bother with a balladeer. |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Just curious, Asia is a pretty big place, does anyone know where these are being made? |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Korea, I'd imagine. |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Originally posted by philmax:
just wishful thinking, these should be the best guitar bargain, dollar for dollar, my guess is 'bout $500 OTD at GC. That's a bit too wishfull. OTD at GC will probably be $750-$800 or just about the same price as an Elite T. That's still quite a lot of guitar for the money. |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | If you knew how much I paid for my 1778LX you'd be more optimistic, btw it's not frg, either.
In any case, this model has the potential to put a serious hurt'n on Martin's plastic guitar, which is a very fine sounding instrument. |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | So what, other than the subs being done offshore, makes this guitar different from a Legend LX? Could this be the future for the entire US line? |
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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Legend LX would have the inlaid rosette? Good question, though. Maybe this is the wave of the future. It happened to my Admiral TV.
Dave |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Everybody get their passports in order for the 2010 Factory Tour . . . I got mine. |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 5327
Location: Cicero, NY | At least we'll be able to drink the water. |
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Joined: June 2006 Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Pleees by ur neuw happy joy ohvashun thanks yu much very. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| Still think that saying in the Press Release and the website that it's the best of both worlds can only hurt the US built models. No other way to read it.
It really sounds like they're setting it up to give themselves hte option of building them all this way.
Do they still only make the bowls in America? |
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Joined: September 2003 Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Yep... in Ohio. |
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Joined: November 2004 Posts: 4413
| That'll be next then. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I never DID trust that Phil Wong guy . . . . |
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Joined: July 2005 Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | Now we know why he takes so many pictures. |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | All the more reason to place custom orders.
Soon... |
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Joined: January 2006 Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Isn't this pretty much the way cars, motorcycles, stereos, computers, and about everything else is made in the world these days, called globalization? Aren't components and sub-assemblies farmed out to the lowest bidder, then shipped elsewhere for process assembly, and then perhaps on to further destinations for final assembly? |
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Joined: December 2004 Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Even your income taxes, if done by H & R Block, are probably checked electronically overseas. :confused: |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Well, yeah. We also exported our math skills along with the rest of the jobs. |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | As noted on the Colbert report:
There was recent exhibit of Human Bodies down at the south street seaport. They took the skin off them and replaced the bodily fluids with plastic. I found it odd that everyone, when they die looks chinese, but what they had done was use the bodies from demised chinese prisoners. Interestingly, the fluid replacement job is being done in china. Yet, again, as Colbert pointed out, we importing things from china and exporting our jobs.
But on a lighter note, up to about two years ago, I would have thought that the guitars would be made in Korea, but the chinese are actually making some good stuff. Of course, it's all copies of what we do, but watch out for the day they start designing their own stuff ... |
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Joined: November 2005 Posts: 4820
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | The danger of getting all your news from a comedian is that, just like regular news, they don't let the facts get in the way of a good story.
The Institute for Plastination There are now apparently 400 plastination labs in 40 countries. It is a process first developed in Heidelberg.
Anyone can donate their body to the Institute, many have taken the offer and been interviewed. |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I was plastinated at Cliff's place. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . All the Best Plastinates Have Chinese Eyes . ."
- Pete Townshend |
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Joined: January 2006 Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | There is no question the Chinese can and will produce a level of product quality that will inevitably measure well against the best the rest of the world can offer. What the experts don't know is how long it will take for China to reach that level of quality given their history and culture, but they're sure betting (read investing) that it is going to happen. They have significant natural resources within their borders and eventually will build the necessary infrastructure to accommodate transportation of those resources to support their internal manufacturing industries. Of course, their huge labor supply, low labor rates, lack of employee rights, and unconcern for international copyright and trademark rights, among other things, provide other arguably unfair advantages resulting in very price-competitive marketing strategies. A very good friend of mine built a Caterpiller factory in China a few years ago. He was amazed to learn that China had something like 10 million (then, probably more now) millionaires who are demanding the level of product quality typical of any other affluent society, and at present, they (fortunately) look to the west to obtain those quality goods. Eventually, likely within our lifetime, they'll find them within their own borders, and so will much of the rest of the world. I'd guess that a signaficant percentage of the products on the shelves at Home Depot already originate in China. Just wait until China fields it own car and wins the NASCAR Championship! |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | They will produce whatever the requested spec requires and they will do it cheaper.
As a Nation their potential is downright scary. |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | All I can tell you is the dead people I saw looked awfully chinese. |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | They will produce whatever the requested spec requires and they will do it cheaper.
As a Nation their potential is downright scary. |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | They will produce whatever the requested spec requires and they will do it cheaper.
As a Nation their potential is downright scary. |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | And when they post things, they'll do it identically at least three times, for half the price. |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Y'all better get used to it... the "American" age is drawing to a fast close and China's the one shutting the door.... |
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Joined: November 2005 Posts: 4820
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.......
Yeah, yeah, yeah. We've heard it all before. Post-war Japan would take over the world with their business savvy once they got up to speed. (well, okay. They DO have the number one car company in the world...) The Soviet Union would 'bury' the west. India would....wait, they are!
And strangely, the world and business turn on. If you believe in the power of Capitalism to build and save the world...that means it works for EVERYONE. Not just your family or people you'd like to protect.
A rising tide lifts all boats.
John F. Kennedy
Get a job Sha na na na, na na na na na
The Silhouettes
Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated
Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens |
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Joined: February 2005 Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Avoid fruits and nuts: after all, you are what you eat.
Garfield |
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Joined: December 2003 Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | No worries about Japan. They've become more pompous than us. It's China and for all the reasons stated above.
But don't worry, the end will come before that plays out... |
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Joined: May 2003 Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I agree about Japan, last time I was there they were grousing about the flood of crappy chinese imports!
Does anyone know where the asia factory is? |
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Joined: June 2002 Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | What gives me the red ass about this is that you've now got a contour bowl an some LX features on the freaking Ultra, but STILL no left-handed LX's! :rolleyes: |
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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | I feel for you Jeff. Shipping a bunch of LX/Contour parts overseas and having the Asians slap them together is a lot easier than tooling up your bowl supplier for lefties and whatever else is needed to change in New Hartford.
For all the advantages that Ovation has (and there are many), being locked into the plastic bowl hurts them in that 1) doing lefties is difficult, 2) developong different models with different body sizes, depths, shapes, tonewoods, etc. is difficult.
Dave |
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Joined: December 2004 Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Anyone can donate their body to the Institute, many have taken the offer and been interviewed. I'm gonna donate my body to science...fiction. |
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Joined: March 2002 Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I've actually had a filled-out donation form sitting in my desk here for about 6-8 months . . . just haven't worked up the nerve to send it in . . . |
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Joined: November 2003 Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I heard that if you donate... they don't wait. |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 5327
Location: Cicero, NY | That's the Jersey package. |
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