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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | Am one of the Sweetwater T recipients and have enjoyed breaking the new guitar in. Removed some shims and now the action is just right. As noted elsewhere, the bass end booms more than the 1778T that this guitar replaced in my fleet, and I just love the way it looks. But something about it has been bugging me and last night it finally occurred to me what: I don't like the contour back.
The next thing you have to know is I'm kind of thin. Okay, really skinny. Some of you may think this is a good thing, as I don't really have to watch what I eat too much. But not always. I've run into old friends several times in the last year that I haven't seen in awhile and — in two separate incidents — they treated me weird and finally got around to asking what terminal illness I had. THAT skinny.
So... 'relaxed fit' jeans make me look like a concentration camp inmate. And that contour back is just . . . not right. . . for this body. No offense to anyone here, but the shape suggest that it was conceived to make it easier on some of you 'deep bowl' guys. Me, I'm more concave. The Ovation regular bowls fit me fine.
Of course, this is not really a 'flaw' in the Sweet T. And it's not that I can't get used to it and perhaps even come to like it. It's just that, at the moment, I feel a lot like Kilroy — always struggling to look over the top of that sign he's hiding behind so he can see what's going on. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Strap a pillow to your tummy when you play. |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 118
Location: Winter Haven, FL | As a person who deals with the concave side reversed, I can say that the contour bowl is perfect for me...I love the fit. I'm sorry to hear that your T is a little awkward for you. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Spend more time at Hardees. |
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Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I'm not skinny, but I'm so used to the standard bowls that the contour feels strange to me too, especially when I'm using a strap. I like them when I play sitting down though. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | The first time I tried one I didn't like the fit. My daughter liked it less. Maybe I was 20 lbs thinner then, but the contour bowl seemed better when I played one recently.
There is no doubt in my mind that Ovation went away from the deep bowl and ended up with the contour bowl because the expected market is fat guys. You, Oddball, are an oddball in this country and don't fit that marketing demographic. Try the pillow or Hardee's. I'm sorry we don't have Hardees out here, but you can find something similar. If you don't want to try either of those methods, get a deep bowl. I bet it will fit you well and won't slide off your leg. (Because your gut won't be pushing it off.) |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | Ha ha ha. Thanks for the suggestions. The day EVH uses a pillow, I'll follow suit. Until then, I'll try more carbo loading. Not a big ice cream kinda guy, but perhaps more Corona might help as well. If I drink enough of those, I always begin to think I actually have talent anyway. A win-win situation if I ever heard one.
FWIW, as noted in my 'gearbag' at the bottom of this post, I've been enjoying a deep-bowl '71 Ovation since it was new, and it never felt uncomfortable or as though it's 'pushing me away' (which is the closest I can come to describing how the contour T feels). And of course the shallow-bowl Legend is very comfy. For my 2 cents, the mid-bowl O's are the best of all my worlds — good tone and perfect fit.
Hey, I'll get used to the Sweetwater. I liken it to getting behind the wheel of a nice car you've never driven before: awkward at first but pretty soon you're zooming along like you were made for each other. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Hardee's is Carl's Jr here in California. They don't have the Green Burrito half at Hardee's but they do have the Super Star. ;) |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Y'all have been beating around the bush for the sake of Political Correctness...
I have no such qualms...
Americans Are Fat! 
Having said that, I like both of my contour bowls when I am sitting down. They lead me to hold my guitar in a more vertical position. And, surprisingly, this makes it easier for my fret hand.
{Wow! :eek: kinda wish I found that out earlier)
Standing-up is still kinda weird, but I don't perform, so I rarely stand.
('cept when I'm pretending to be a Rock God! :cool: )
But! The reason why they are suddenly issuing so many contour bowls is....(wait on it)....
AMERICANS ARE FAT! |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | ford issued a "contour" model too but i don't see many fat people driving them. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | bondo... lots and lots of bondo.... no more contour |
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Joined:
May 2005
Posts: 486
Location: North Carolina | I'm thin, not skinny, but I can take or leave the contour. It just takes a little getting used to. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
The first time I tried one I didn't like the fit. My daughter liked it less. Maybe I was 20 lbs thinner then You've gained 20lbs in 3 years? :eek: |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | Homer (on the scale):"Ooh. I'm a whale."
Marge: "You're just big boned, Homie."
Homer: "Marge, no one gains 30 pounds of bone."
Ha ha ha ha ha. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Kinda, sorta, back to the topic...
After I posted the rude remarks about big-boned Americans, I chose a strap that looked good with the Sweet-T and stood-up...
If I hold the guitar the way it was designed to be held I cannot even see the the picking-strings.
I look down and see a mile of black bowl and the Pre-amp.
So unless I halfway bend-over, I cannot see what I am doing.
And yes, I know that I am supposed to keep my pinky on the top so I will KNOW were my strings are! And I usually know where I am at, but I like to look. But I just thought I would see how well I could see when standing. And I can't see nuthin!
Like I said, I play seated anyway. And when I get famous, I will play on a barstool.
If that ain't interesting enough to the audience, I will find a weird looking speed-freak for a bass player, and Animal (the Muppet) on drums. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 843
Location: CA | What OMA said (well, the looking at a mile of black bowl part). Here's a really weird thought — it would work better for me if the contour 'cutout' part were on the top.
Otherwise, a very nice guitar. Getting to like it better every day. |
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Joined:
November 2007
Posts: 143
Location: Feeding Hills, MA | Originally posted by Oddball:
— it would work better for me if the contour 'cutout' part were on the top. Get a lefty and flip it! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Originally posted by muzzlitebeer:
Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
The first time I tried one I didn't like the fit. My daughter liked it less. Maybe I was 20 lbs thinner then You've gained 20lbs in 3 years? :eek: |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Being svelte myself and playing so many mid/deep bowled 'O's, I also found the Sweet T a bit odd at first. But I play sitting so it didn't take much to adjust. As to standing, I have no idea! But watch out when I grab the air guitar! 
Some of our members aren't fat, just fluffy!  |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I stand while playing, and not having any stomach to speak of, the deeper bowls don't pose any problems against my shape. However, I hold the guitar relatively high so my right forearm rests severly against the top edge of the guitar, which I do find a bit uncomfortable, and over time, it shows in the finish. With a deep round back, and without consciously thinking about it, I roll the guitar slightly, thereby lowering the top edge and decreasing the point of impact. With the shallow bowls, this is not a problem at all. With the regular flat back Taks, I can only grin and bear it, although with my Taks, its a lot more grinning and a lot less bearing it. Here's a pic with the 1581 taken at a wedding in Medocino. Note the slight upturn and the reduced angle where my forearm rests on the upper body. Again, this isn't possible with the squarebacks, and isn't necessary with the shallow bowls.
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Skinny guy observation
