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| Random quote: "Ovation Guitars really don't get the respect they deserve!" - Alex Pepiak |
 Some questions from a new O'Junky & member
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| Forums Archive -> The Vault: 2006 | Message format | |
Christian Singer |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Tucson, AZ | Hi guys, I just joined & I thought I'd get some opinions from anyone interested in dropping their two cents in. I've bought my 2ND Ovation after letting the first one...1112-4 from 1974...go to a friend years ago. My new guitar is a 1991 1763 Classical & I love it. In fact, I've decided I love it so much & that these roundbacks will probably do so much better than my conventional guitars in the dry Tucson climate, that I'm going to switch to them exclusively. Oh boy, is my wife rolling her eyes & sighing...;-) I keep trying to convince her that this is an investment strategy for the future. I'm not sure it's working, but she did go w/ me to GC today for some browsing. This will probably mean some Guilds & Yairi's go on the block @ ebay...that's another story. Anyway, q/a time. I'm trying to decide between 1767's, 1768's, & newer LX versions of the Legend & Elite. It's hard, cos the only way to check out the former is to buy them off the net & hope for the best. I play @ church & while I'm often plugged in, just as often I'm not...small groups. I'm looking for something w/ a really warm, wide-open, deep full sound. OK, who's not, but there you go. Also, wanted to know everyone's opinion on real tonal differences between "A", "AA", & "AAA" tops. I know that visually there is quite a bit of difference, but I've always heard that is the extent of it. Also, opinions on the new "GS" backs vs. the backs on the 1767's & 1768's would be welcome. I guess I gotta explain that if you read my profile you'll notice one of my interests is my "aging Golden Retriever Guide Dog." So, the point is I'm blind & this tone issue is the real "rubber meet'n the road" deal for me. Any opinions on these questions would help me spend my money & further my guitar monkey's back-riding, whip-wielding, spur-raking adventures. *laughing* C J AKA Mr. Mom of 5 -- I tell my wife there's not enough guitars & to many kids! | ||
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| OldLiverJones |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 803 Location: Avondale, AZ | Welcom to the club C.S. It is always good to see another Arizonian. There are quite a few. I am the most senior :) :D :) . The answer to your top quetion is: I don't think so. However, I am going by tops on solidbodies and semihollow bodies. I could be wrong. Sounds like you are another Christian. I hope so. Wives mean alot so respect her opion and curbtail the guitar buying if neccessary. | ||
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| bauerhillboy |
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Joined: February 2004 Posts: 1634 Location: Warren,Pa. | You won't hear the difference between the different grades of tops. Since the GS bowl is used in conjunction with the new neck design, you'll feel a BIG difference in the weight of the new LX's. IMHO, the OpPro is miles ahead of most every other preamp in any guitar anywhere. I play 2nd guitar on our worship team next to a new Taylor 814 snob (the senior Pastor/worship leader), and he and most others are blown away with what I can do with my LX 6 & 12 strings. Play different bowl sizes...you'll hear a difference there. I have mid's and am happy with them, but I hear the deep bowl on the AD is better, and the contour bowl better still. But the Elite T with a mid bowl is a killer. Welcome to the club. We should start some sort of networking effort among the Worship players on this board. John <>{ | ||
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| fugot |
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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 640 Location: boulder | I wonder about the tonal differences between grades of tops as well. Would I or most people even hear a difference between two identical models, one with a grade A top, and one with a grade AAA top? just curious.. Welcome christian singer....have a great day, mike | ||
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| GregoryS. |
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| Joined: April 2005 Posts: 331 Location: San Angelo, Texas | Welcome to the board! There are a bunch of us on here that are Worship Leaders or part of the Worship Team/Praise Band at our churches! | ||
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| JeffreyD |
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Joined: September 2004 Posts: 777 Location: East Wenatchee, WA | Welcome to another worship junkie!!!! I have been playing my deep bowl 1537 for a decade or so and it blows away all comers in the box guitar world except perhaps some of the real high end Martins and Taylors, but my ear (and playing) is rather mediocre. However, I did just acquire a used W597 Adamas, and you may want to consider one of them too for your purposes. Absolutely stable since they are almost completely synthetics (carbon fiber) and the tone from this mid-depth bowl is fantastic. People at churh love it. It is different than the 1537 Ovation, not better or worse, just different, but it cuts through the mix plugged and unplugged (we do Sunday through the PA and Wednesday night unplugged) better than any guitar I have played. For about $800-$1000 you can pick up a W597 or 1597 used that will be nearly perfect. Anyway, my 2.5 cents. I like bullet proof guitars which is part of why I like O's anyway, but I am thinking my Adamas may even make a great back up oar if I am ever up a creek without a paddle. | ||
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| Tupperware |
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Joined: January 2005 Posts: 4903 Location: Phoenix AZ | I am a very big fan of the Legend LX. At the OFC Hotel Jam sessions last week, Brian T's 1777LX was one of the most impressive sounding guitars there. For the money it's hard to beat it. The contour bowl version would be my personal choice. Dave | ||
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| Pot_Stirrer |
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Joined: April 2006 Posts: 176 Location: Denver Colorado | Welcome... I'm relatively new here as well (and everyone here has been great - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!). Anyway... I'm seconding the vote for you to try the contour bowl. I live in Denver, and Stephen Terry, another member here, lives nearby and was nice enough to let me come buy his house to see the contour bowl on one of his guitars. I wound up buying it off of him. :) If you don't get hooked on the contour bowl, he has a really terrific Adamas for sale. You should try to get a chance to talk to him before buying anything. He knows his stuff. (and he's a really bad O junkie!) Wishing you the best, | ||
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| OldLiverJones |
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Joined: October 2005 Posts: 803 Location: Avondale, AZ | Nice rose Sally. ---<--<-@ | ||
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| mtnbikerfred |
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Joined: March 2005 Posts: 1421 Location: Orange County, California | Welcome Christian! I started out with a 1763, and now have and Adamas 12 fret slot head, and recently God (and Ovation) blessed me with a brand new Custom Elite LX with the contour bowl. There's a big difference between the original Legend and Elite models and the LX versions of the same. The Lyrachord GS bowl, and Advanced Neck system weigh allot less than the K-bar neck and original Lyrachord bowl. there is a difference in sound, but it's not a better or worse comparison, just a difference I could hear. The GS bowl feels like it resonates more (which it does), but it's hard to say how much difference it makes when 95% of the sound comes from the top. You're correct that the main difference in the "aaa" to "a" graded top wood is mostly appearance. I think most people here will agree that the 1778T is one of Ovation's best sounding sounding guitars. Period. if you read the description of the top on the website, all it says is "solid spruce" I saw stacks and stacks of tops at the factory, and a bunch of them were marked "b-grade". Not good for transparent finishes, but man!! do they sound great or what!? Tony Calman has a pre-production model 1718 elite with what he believes is "aaa" top. He says it "sounds like" a "aaa" top, and he has enough guitars to make a statement like that believable. He and a blind worship singer are probably the only ones who could tell difference. :D :p . Do smilies work in your reader? I will make a rather broad statement about Elite's vs. Legends (and other center sound hole guitars). To me, center sound hole guitars generally sound like they they are "EQed" with the mids scooped out. they have great bass, and sparkling treble, but you have work really hard to have a tone that cuts through. Especially when playing quietly. Elites sound like you took a great guitar, and brought the midrange up to the level of the lows and highs, and balanced everything out better, like running them through a good tube pre-amp or compressor. I'm using terms that would apply when plugged in, but I'm talking about their "acoustic sound". One more thing. You've got to try a set strings on your 1763. They're called "Savarez 520P1". They are all wrapped!! the basses are silver over nylon filament, which are pretty normal. The trebles however are plastic wound over the nylon filament. Lots of texture. Great Tone. You'll either love them or hate them. | ||
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| Christian Singer |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Tucson, AZ | Originally posted by bauerhillboy: Hi, You won't hear the difference between the different grades of tops. Since the GS bowl is used in conjunction with the new neck design, you'll feel a BIG difference in the weight of the new LX's. IMHO, the OpPro is miles ahead of most every other preamp in any guitar anywhere. I play 2nd guitar on our worship team next to a new Taylor 814 snob (the senior Pastor/worship leader), and he and most others are blown away with what I can do with my LX 6 & 12 strings. Play different bowl sizes...you'll hear a difference there. I have mid's and am happy with them, but I hear the deep bowl on the AD is better, and the contour bowl better still. But the Elite T with a mid bowl is a killer. Welcome to the club. We should start some sort of networking effort among the Worship players on this board. John <>{ I did play a couple of LX's this weekend. & I must say, I was impressed w/ the Elite. The Balladeer was nice, but it just sounded like another guitar. &, now that I think of it that's a good thing. Just shows that O's have come a long way & can sound, acoustically, like a full-on wood guitar. But, I'm confused about one thing. I saw/played an Elite T & I didn't even realize it was in the same class as the Elite LX. Is it? I mean does it have a GS body & LX bracing. &, I'm not sure...not being able to see it...but the top/finish sounds a little much for me. I'm a little adventurous, but not that much. Lastly, "taylor snob?" *grin* I could be wrong having owned a few, but I don't understand all the hype. There's other real nice guitars out there. On the other hand, got to say I played a Taylor recently w/ the new expression system & wow! No kidd'n it takes a lot to fool my ears & it, truly, did sound like the guitar unplugged...just bigger & louder. They ever sell that system as an add-on & their gonna make another mint. C J | ||
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| Christian Singer |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Tucson, AZ | Originally posted by Pot_Stirrer: Sally, Welcome... I'm relatively new here as well (and everyone here has been great - I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!). Anyway... I'm seconding the vote for you to try the contour bowl. I live in Denver, and Stephen Terry, another member here, lives nearby and was nice enough to let me come buy his house to see the contour bowl on one of his guitars. I wound up buying it off of him. :) If you don't get hooked on the contour bowl, he has a really terrific Adamas for sale. You should try to get a chance to talk to him before buying anything. He knows his stuff. (and he's a really bad O junkie!) Wishing you the best, Thanks & who do I talk to about the Adamas for sell? Also, hope you get that white 12-string back. C J | ||
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| Christian Singer |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Tucson, AZ | Originally posted by mtnbikerfred: Fred, Welcome Christian! I started out with a 1763, and now have and Adamas 12 fret slot head, and recently God (and Ovation) blessed me with a brand new Custom Elite LX with the contour bowl. There's a big difference between the original Legend and Elite models and the LX versions of the same. The Lyrachord GS bowl, and Advanced Neck system weigh allot less than the K-bar neck and original Lyrachord bowl. there is a difference in sound, but it's not a better or worse comparison, just a difference I could hear. The GS bowl feels like it resonates more (which it does), but it's hard to say how much difference it makes when 95% of the sound comes from the top. You're correct that the main difference in the "aaa" to "a" graded top wood is mostly appearance. I think most people here will agree that the 1778T is one of Ovation's best sounding sounding guitars. Period. if you read the description of the top on the website, all it says is "solid spruce" I saw stacks and stacks of tops at the factory, and a bunch of them were marked "b-grade". Not good for transparent finishes, but man!! do they sound great or what!? Tony Calman has a pre-production model 1718 elite with what he believes is "aaa" top. He says it "sounds like" a "aaa" top, and he has enough guitars to make a statement like that believable. He and a blind worship singer are probably the only ones who could tell difference. :D :p . Do smilies work in your reader? I will make a rather broad statement about Elite's vs. Legends (and other center sound hole guitars). To me, center sound hole guitars generally sound like they they are "EQed" with the mids scooped out. they have great bass, and sparkling treble, but you have work really hard to have a tone that cuts through. Especially when playing quietly. Elites sound like you took a great guitar, and brought the midrange up to the level of the lows and highs, and balanced everything out better, like running them through a good tube pre-amp or compressor. I'm using terms that would apply when plugged in, but I'm talking about their "acoustic sound". One more thing. You've got to try a set strings on your 1763. They're called "Savarez 520P1". They are all wrapped!! the basses are silver over nylon filament, which are pretty normal. The trebles however are plastic wound over the nylon filament. Lots of texture. Great Tone. You'll either love them or hate them. I compliment your ears & ability to describe what their hearing in such a great analagy. I think that is exactly what I'm hearing in the Elites & why I'm liking them so much. They have a real "across the board" sound. I just wish I could "A...B" a 1768 & a 1778 LX. Yes, modicons...did I spell that right?...do work w/ my "screen reader." &, I've made a note about those strings. I'll try them out after I wear out the La Bella "Super Folk Singers" I just ordered from Just Strings. Also, a wound G-string. I love this guitar & know there is tone to burn in there. C J | ||
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| Christian Singer |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 7 Location: Tucson, AZ | Thanks to everyone for their greetings & their input& advice. Anymore? *smile* Keep'em coming & I'll keep you posted on the search. Also, feel free to let me know if you see anything that might fill the bill. C J | ||
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| Tom Duncan |
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Joined: May 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Massachusetts | I also am new to this site. I went to the OFC tour & jam session on the 19th and had my interest in my 23 year old 1983 Balladeer (1612) renewed. I play left handed, so my guitars have been special orders in all cases, which poses its own set of problems. One of which was referred to earlier - I have to buy them unplayed/unseen and take my chances that I will get what I ordered and that I will like it. Back in '83 when I ordered my lefty balladeer, it came in perfectly set up, and I was thrilled with it. I played it pretty much exclusively (except when I was doing the electric set on my Gibson SG with my band) for almost all of those 20 years. A year and a half ago I decided it was about time I invested in a nice new acoustic guitar and decided that my approach would be to ask the store manager to send an acoustic player into the acoustic room with me to play guitars for me so I could listen to them. Nobody around here has high end stuff in stock left handed - always been a pet pieve of mine. But, what I discovered was that standing or sitting in front of the guitar when someone else plays it, made a huge difference in what I perceived the sound to be. I drove that poor guy nuts asking him to pick this one up and put that one down and play the other one again, but when he picked up and played a Taylor 714 with ceder top and rosewood sides & back, my heart nearly stopped & I ordered it on the spot. It had the sound that I have dreamed of and it continues to make my heart sing when I finger pick it quietly. All this to say that my "problem" led very nicely to my solution. When you're in front of them, they sound a whole lot different than when you're behind them. No matter who makes them. So I suggest you ask somebody to play them for you so you can just listen from the best ;) side. 2 weeks ago on the 19th I fell in love all over again with the Ovation sound. Listening to folks play them around the room unplugged, they sounded wonderful and full, and hearing them through the PA was inspiring. I played a few songs on my old balladeer and it still sounds fabulous. But... I asked the reps at the Q&A on the tour about getting the new guitars with contour bowls lefty & it ain't happenin' this year, and maybe not even next. :( Maybe I'll buy a T5 next - I can get that lefty. | ||
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| TexasDoc |
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Joined: December 2004 Posts: 1116 Location: Keller, TX | Fred, what strings were you using on the UTE? I know, you told me already, but I forgot. Um, nevermind. Did a search, eventually found it. Savarez Argentine 1610MF, right? | ||
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