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Location: Missouri | I have a Celebrity Deluxe model CC257 which I have had for many years. I don't know what year it was made. The electronics on it have a bass treble and gain, nothing else. I love the guitar and want to keep it, it sounds great acoustic, but the sound of it plugged in is aweful!! :( Very "thin" like a AM radio. I have tried strings, batteries, LOTS of different amps, every setting known to man, still the same.
I would like to try different electronics, but need advice on what to try and what will fit. I don't mind cutting the body bigger to fit other controls in it, as long as they will fit and look factory when finished. Any ideas?? :confused:
THANKS!! |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | What do you plug it into? You may want to try an external pre-amp in the chain. Dave
PS - Welcome to the club. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Send a picture of the preamp you have. If the saddle/piezo is the wide kind this may work:
Preamp on eBay
Keep your eyes peeled and there may be a replacement out there. |
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Location: Missouri | Standingovation:
I have tried LOTS of different amps. Fender, Marshall, Peavey, Gallien-Krueger, Line 6, Austin, etc. and a Avalon tube preamp in my recording studio. None of them sound great, the Avalon pre sounded the best, but still not like it should. (Thanks for the welcome!!)
MWoody:
I'm not sure if the saddle/piezo is the wide kind or not?? It measures about 1/8 inch wide. Here are some pictures:
Thanks for the help! |
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Location: Missouri | Any other ideas??? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Pickup is thinline. Not the best. I don't recognize the pre-amp? Is that the original Ovation pre-amp? Did you try by-passing the pre-amp and wiring direct to the jack, then to a good external pre-amp? I think you need to get this existing pre-amp somehow out of the equation. Dave |
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Location: NJ | I agree with MasterWitko.
That pre-amp looks suspicious . . . . |
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Location: Denver, PA USA | My question would be, these amps you are trying, are they designed for acoutsic guitars, or electric? Electric guitars amps are very heavy in the mid range. To get a truely good acoustic sound you need an amp designed for acoustic guitars.
Bill |
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Location: closely held secret | I've never seen that pre before. I've also never seen Ovation put one on that overlaps the binding like that.
Dave's advice is good - try wiring the p/u direct to the jack. |
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Location: Monroe, Ohio (Cincinnati) | Your list of amps that you have tried all look like electric guitar amps. There is a big difference between electric guitar amps and acoustic guitar amps. Have you tried your guitar with an acoustic guitar amp or directly into a PA system?
Many of the bigger guitar stores have acoustic guitar amps set up so you can try your guitar with them. A good way to sell an acoustic guitar amp in my opinion. |
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Location: Missouri | Thanks for all the replies!!
You say the thinline is not the best. What would it take to change it to the other style? I assume cutting the groove wider and changing the saddle?
As far as I know it is the original pre-amp, but I am not the original owner, so I am not 100% sure.
The part where it looks like the pre overlaps the binding is just the tuner I put on it. That is not part of the pre-amp.
Most of the amps I have tried are electric guitar amps, but I have tried several amps made for acoustic guitar. I have friends with Ovations, and they sound great in my current rig, much, much better than mine. I have also played their's and mine directly to a P.A. Their guitar sounds great, mine does not. And I have recorded Ovations through my Avalon tube pre in my recording studio. I can get an awesome sound through it----except for mine!!!
What I really think it is going to take is newer/better pick-up/pre-amp. Any ideas on what would be the best pick-up/pre-amp to use in this guitar?? Where can I purchase the newer electronic's, and will they fit? Like I said in my original post, I don't mind cutting the guitar as long as when it is finished it looks like it belongs there. |
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Location: Missouri | Any other idea's??? |
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Location: NJ | buy a USA model. |
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Location: Missouri | That's real helpful. Thanks :rolleyes: |
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Location: south east Michigan | Please don't be put off by the short answer. You could try to fit current up-grades into you guitar, spend alot of money, and still end up with something less than hoped for.
You might concider Cliff's answer.....
abrupt
insensitive
crude
ill-mannered
childish
And just plain rude....However......He's right. |
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Location: SoCal | He is right.
You get what you pay for. Luckily, there are USA built Ovations on ebay for $4-$700 that are outstanding guitars. I would consider something like that. |
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Location: NJ | Aphex makes a stompbox called an Acoustic X-citer (I believe John (Strumming-12) uses one with much accolades). Y'could try one of them.
Or else try following MasterWitko's advice and go "direct out" to a better outboard pre.
To me, going through the time, EXPENSE and aggravation of routing/cutting a Celebrity for a different pickup/preamp just isn't worth it. The analogy of "polishing a turd" comes to mind . . .
but then, being abrupt, insensitive, crude, ill-mannered, childish, and just plain rude, . . . what th'F(&^@ do I know?? . . . |
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Location: Missouri | Thanks again for the replies. I realize my guitar is a cheap one, and you are probably right it does make since to go with something else, BUT I really, REALLY like this guitar!!!
Also you are probably right if I were go direct out to a good preamp it might sound good, but if the pickup is not a good one either, then your analogy of "polishing a turd" would apply to that also. Plus I would have controls on the guitar that didn't work, that would drive me NUTS!!!!
This guitar plays exactly like I like, and sounds great acoustic. So I do want to keep it, even if it doesn't make since. Plus I enjoy working on things (I have built a couple of custom show cars) so the time spent routing/cutting for different pickup/preamp would be enjoyable for me.
So what I am trying to say is, I want to give it a try. But I still need to know the answer to my original question. What Ovation pickup/preamp do you guys think sounds best, (I would like to keep it a factory, Ovation style), and where can I get them??
THANKS!!! |
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Location: Denmark | I had a Celebrity CC024 also with a thinline. It wasn't bad. The main annoyances were that (a) is was very sensitive to picking noises (b) it was humming sensitive. The preamp was OP-20.
You should consider removing the strings, saddle and pickup for inspecting the electrical connections and checking that the pickup seat is OK under all strings. You can find a description in the manual page 6. The second reference provides some good technical considerations which may also be of help in trouble shooting.
http://www.ovationguitars.com/img/OVmanual.pdf
http://www.fishman.com/uploads/products/documents/118.pdf |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Keep in mind that if the preamp is not original, chances are the pickup is not the oem Ovation thinline either. I have on thinline equipped Ovation that I run directly to the output jack and then to a LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI. This sounds wonderful live.
However, for recording, I would try straight miking or double dtracking with a mike and blending the two sounds together.
Wayne |
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Location: SoCal | That's that cheesy shiny plastic guitar, isn't it Wayne? |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Yes Paul, but it is that vintage shiny cheese that sounds vastly superior to some of the newer cheese!
Wayne |
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Location: SoCal | Agreed. |
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Location: Missouri | Thanks again for all the replies, I do appreciate them. But none of them have answered my origianl questions!! I have asked the same basic questions three times before, so I will try to rephrase them, maybe that will help!!
1. What Ovation pre/pickup do you like best? (This question is an opinion, so I know you can answer it...everyone has an opinion!!)
2. Where can I purchase these parts?? (Maybe you haven't answered this question because you don't know???)
Thanks again!! |
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Location: SoCal | 1. OP 24 OP 50 OP Pro -- all with original pickup
2. Ovation Customer Service.
That's as clear as I can make it. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by jbob30:
What Ovation pre/pickup do you like best? Optima with XLR output |
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Location: south east Michigan | I would guess that most here think the "wider" pickup performs better than the "thinline" pick-up. I don't think the wide pick-up has a consumer type part number. Some guitars are built for the thin, some for the thick. I would think the only place to buy them is from Ovation Customer Service or have your dealer order one for you.
That being said, I think your going to wind up with a "round peg in a square hole" situation. Are you prepared to take a router to the saddle groove in the bridge? And there might be other things to concider that I don't know about. |
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Location: Tampa, FL | I'd go with SO's recommendation. Optima with XLR try it with the existing pickup and if you don't like that, then go the router route. But I like the Optima better than anything else I've tried (OP24+E , OP PRO and Optima). |
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Location: Orange County, California | Anyone ever see this?
Not an OPP |
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Location: Upper Left USA | I'm thinking its the Celebrity made unit. Alls fair in the World market. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | me like Optima too.
with opp |
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Location: Missouri | It seems most votes are for the Optima, so I thought I would give that a try. I went to the Ovation web site and under the title "where to buy parts for your Ovation" it said call your local dealer. So I did and was told Ovation will not sell upgrade parts for their guitars. So am I out of luck, or is there another place to get parts??
There must be a way to buy parts or on Ovations web site under "where to buy parts for your Ovation" it would have said "parts are not available"....wouldn't it??? |
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Location: closely held secret | Email Kim Keller, Customer Service. [email]kkeller-kmc@kaman.com[/email] |
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Location: Missouri | Thanks for the info, I will give that a try!! |
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Ovation "Plugged In"