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Posts: 15676
Location: SoCal | I saw and played my first MOB last night at the Guitar Center in Van Nuys. I just wanted to post my observations on the guitar. Paul Herbert, please don't post and tell us how much you hate it. We all know that. I want to debate the pluses and minuses of this guitar, not just that it offends you. So please, kindly, stay out of this one.
First of all, the guitar is very cool to look at. Fit and finish was very good. The blue colored bowl was very funky looking. Threw me for a bit of a loop and I'm not certain that I liked that Kind of looked like some of the after market stuff you see teenagers do on small Japanese cars. But I suspect that this was what Ovation was going for.
Acoustically, the guitar sounded like a typical sub $600 super shallow bowl. Fun for the beach or home practice, but not much else. It's not going to impress anybody.
Plugged in, typical Ovation sound, ie, wonderful. The neck felt very good, and it played easily. I was playing thru amps that I wasn't familiar with, and couldn't get a Chet Atkins Gibson nylon string (the solid body) to sound as good.
The salesman that I spoke with told me that they sell as soon as they come in. So I would guess that they are serving their purpose and appealing to the market that Ovation identified for it. Would I buy one? Probably not. It wasn't designed for me. I'm a middle age, conservative white guy, a little to the right of Barry Goldwater (just kidding). If I wanted a beach guitar that I could plug in, I'd probably turn to ebay and buy a 20 year old supershallow bowl Balladeer or custom Balladeer with the older preamp, for $3-400. But I'm more traditional is what I like.
But this was a good guitar. While I played it, I had visions of Matt Smith playing Hawaiian steel style, laid flat on his lap.
Anybody else played one? Thoughts? |
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December 2001
Posts: 7232
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Hey P.I.
I have an MOB and like you said, it serves its purpose. It has replaced my Medallion as the "take along" guitar. The Medallion was great because other than the top, it was Lyrachord and Aluminum. The finish on the MOB seems pretty bulletproof too. I would never take my Adamas or 2001 collectors, or even the Elite T, to a picnic, so this works just fine. I'm pretty sure if I was gigging I would play it too. If a roadie dropped it, or stage hand tripped over it etc etc etc... I wouldn't cry too much, and I would guess it looks pretty cool under stage lighting. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Played around with one a couple of weeks ago in a local store (HighwayRobbie's - Totowa, NJ).
Like Moody states, kinda "thin" sounding acoustically. Didn't have the time (nor the patience) to have the teen snapperhead behind the counter get me a cable & plug in. I agree with Miles that the finish'd probably stand up to anything shy of a clamshell fired at close range.
Since getting the Legend12 (thx! again Al) I've developed a new-found respect for shallow bowls and their respective place on the food chain. They are WAY more comfortable to play while standing (especially if you're gonna be doing it for four hours) while at the same time NOT accentuating my less-than-svelte waistline ;)
I'm thinking that maybe a shallow-bowl 6 might be in order to: 1.)facilitate comfort while gigging. 2.) Take up less room in the Cruiser (especially with just a good gig bag). C.) Give my CBalladeer a bit of a respite from the rigors of gigging after serving me so well after these so many years.
I'd have to play the MOB a little more to formulate a better opinion on the neck/playability.
On the plus side: my 18 year-old daughter wouldn't suffer from a "Dad's in an Oldie's Band Syndrome" (and my ex-wife'd think I really went off the deep end).
BUT . . .
I'd have to wear Hawaiian shirts year-round (to "go" with the guitar) even in the depths of NJ winters, . . OR, . . relocate to somewhere that it wouldn't matter.
I wonder if Harry Nillson'd mind if just changed that one verse just a LITTLE bit:
". . goin' where the weather suits my GUITAR . . " |
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Posts: 15676
Location: SoCal | Clifford:
Some of us do live where we can (and do) wear Hawaiian shirts all year round.
Interesting comments on the MOB. Be interesting to hear from more. |
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Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | cliff
when you are ready let me know I can hook you up with a shallow bowl 6 |
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Posts: 7232
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | BY the way, my MOB is a mid bowl, so it's actually not bad acoustically. I know a proper shallow "can" sound great, but I wouldn't expect a guitar under $600.00 to manage that feat, that's why I went with the mid-bowl.
mkb |
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Posts: 84
| Being probabaly the youngest member of the fanclub,few months off 20, the MOB looks great for what it is. It's built for what it is. I mean its a run-around guitar, that meant to sleep at the foot of the bed with the dogs.
I totally agree on the funk appeal; would make u stand out anywhere u go, an i love that fresh blue stylin!
I dunno abt the sound though havent been able to get my hands on one yet.
If i had £550 to throw around i'd get one, dont even have to play it first. Yeh its a more than a couple of hundred quid more that a better sounding and more traditional balladeer i cud get my hands on but i'd be too precious with it.
Its definatley ovations way into the younger generation. An of course u older guys going thru a mid life crisis or two lol!
:p |
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Location: NJ | I prefer to think of it as a "Mid-Crisis LIFE", thank you! ;) |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . cliff
when you are ready let me know I can hook you up with a shallow bowl 6 . ."
C'mon Al, where'dya THINK I was gonna go??!!! :D |
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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | Hey Moody, I spoke to Kim Keller about Ovation making an MOB for me with a few modifications. First, I would like a natural finish solid spruce top. Then give it the standard Ovation peghead and bridge. Then put a black deep bowl on it, and there you go! Well at least Kim got a laugh out of the idea (LOL) |
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Posts: 84
| On second thoughts i wudn't buy a MOB even if i had the money. i like my 1979 1111(no electrics). it's my run around guitar. yeh i cant plug it in but with the yrs of play it has who needs to. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | The latest copy of Acoustic Guitar (cover: Lindsy Buckingham) has a review of the MOB in the "Gearbox" section.
They kinda "lumped it in" with the new low-end Rainsnot as they've reviewed that one as well.
Overall it was a pretty positive review.
The only somewhat negative response was a "comfort" issue regarding the sharp angle of where the top meets the bowl(????).
All in all, not a bad review.
Hats off to Teja Gerken. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Cliff that comparison made no sense to me. I think they may think the guitar has a composite top. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Al;
I suspect that they got "lumped" together because their both somewhat "new" and part of the post-NAMM stuff that they get to review, both utilize alternative materials, and they're "somewhat" near each other in price.
If you re-read the review, he even states that Rainsong took the "opposite" approach of Ovation's (i.e. using an alternate material top with wood sides/back - an inversion to Ovation's approach).
Ultimately, I took it as they weren't doing a "comparison" in that they were just reviewing multiple guitars simultaneously (which they do often) while inferring the whole "alternative material" thing.
Hey, at least he didn't review it while wearing a dress!! :) |
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MOB - Impressions
