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Location: Flahdaw | That's a very cool looking guitar, but I never cared for that Rainsong color choice....too industrial looking for me. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | More truth: That IS how you market a guitar!!
http://www.ovationfanclub.com/megabbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=34...
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Posts: 349
Location: Denver, CO | A few weeks ago my lead guitarist and I were sitting around on the porch fiddling with some riffs for a couple of new songs. I was on the LX and he had my yellow strat, since his was in the shop and the only guitar he will play is a strat... I said something about the T, and he said, "Oh, yeah, the plastic guitar!" Kind of sarcastic. I informed him that no, it's actually just like this one except it only has 1 set of sound holes and the kind of strange textured finish, and then we moved on to something else. Sunday, we played a baptismal service together, and there was no electricity out by the pool, so I brought 2 Elites, the T for me and the LX for Stevie. So we played for about half an hour or so, and as we were packing up, he says, "Wow! That's awesome! I've gotta get me one of these! This thing is so much nicer than the Taylor I used to have!" THAT, my friends, is how you market a guitar! IMHO, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for getting your superior product into the hands of those who are capable of personally recognizing its quality. Now, Stevie may never actually go out and buy an Ovation acoustic guitar, but I GUARANTEE that when the subject of acoustics, or acoustic/electrics, comes up, he will mention Ovations and how sweet they are. At what point did Ovation stop making an effort to put their top-line instruments in the hands of the people who can best understand them, and therefore best represent them to the public? |
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Posts: 400
Location: Northwest Arkansas | Just have them play an LX or an older deep bowl. I have a whole new admiration since I got the 1983-1111 Balladeer. I heard a lot of smart remarks about it today when I picked it up from getting a bone bridge put in. They heard it and one of the sales guys came over and said it had a great neck. All they have in stock are a bunch of Celebrities. Nice guitars, but they just do not stack up to the American ones. |
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Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | It's interesting how a guitar brand can "define" the player and his music BEFORE he's even played a note. An old Martin means one thing, an Adamas another. A few years ago Jeff and I entered this video in a Guitar Player performance contest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8wdKrVAQk4
Almost immediately there was criticism: we are clones of "World Sinfonia" (a DiMeola record) because we were holding Ovations.... yadayada. The tune ("Black Adamas" is HONESTLY not in an Al D. style. Influences, yes, but what's up with the "Ovation=Glenn, Al, fusion... whatever" knee-jerk assessment? I was told at a gig a while ago that I'd strike a better "pose" or image without the Ovation. Bollocks, I say! |
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Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | darkbarguitar - 2013-05-01 9:45 AM
How much would it cost to have, say Taylor Swift, strap on an Ovation when she performs on stage?
I'm not sure this is much of a selling point... |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Have you actually listened to any Sailor Twit stuff? Some of it is actually quite good.
I wanted my daughter to experience an open mic and she chose two Taylor Swift songs. I'd never listened to any of her stuff before and I had the same automatic opinion as TexasDoc.
Now having said that, if Ovation DID attract Saylor Twit as an endorsee, her fans wouldn't be looking to buy a $2000+ dollar guitar, so the Taylor Swift signature model would invariably be a Celibacy - so back to square one. |
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Location: Flahdaw | My point was apparently missed...... |
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August 2002
Posts: 599
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hi, Everyone!
I still get comments on my 1990 Ovation Elite. The WOW factor is still there after over 20 years. I remember when I saw my first Ovation. It was Glen Campbell playing it on TV. Then in 1969, a friend of my brother brought the second one ever sold in CANADA to our local high school, and I got to play it, under close scrutiny by its owner, from time to time for week! Can you say, "I GOTTA GETME WONNA THOSE!", or what? Ovation had put a franchise in our local drugstore? just to get the guitars out there, and this was in CANADA, remember? The druggist's son, who was a DRUMMER, got the first one. It came in a cardboard box. My brothers' friend, a bass player, lived in our basement for 8 days while his parent went through a divorce. After the 8th day, I went into Ovation withdrawl. I later sold all 5 of my guitars to get my first Ovation, and later in 1990, 5 more guitars including 2 Ovations, to get my Elite. Ovation really dropped the ball when tried make an electric guitar, and then lost Glen Campbell as an endorsee at one point. I think the Collectors Series left the average guy, who could always afford a great product for the money from Ovation, at all levels, a bit out in the cold. I worked in a music store from 1982-1985, and guess what happened in 1983? Everybody wanted a Martin 150th Anniversary, not a 1983 Ovation Collector's Series. The franchise got moved to the big Canadian chains after that, like STEVE KRIMAN's, Long & MacQuade, and we became a Martin dealer. Ooops, I said the "M" word. I still love my Ovation, but being on a disability pension , I can no longer afford to buy a USA-made Ovation. I always wanted an Adamas since they were first made, but the moon is going to touch the earth tomorrow, too, so ladies and gentlemen in Ovation land, somebody, "has got some splanin' to do" about my beloved guitar. Stick a fork in me, I'm done.
Mike S. |
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The "O Stigma": getting the truth
