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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 5
Location: Salisbury, MD | I'm new to the forum, planning to buy a mid-range Ovation - I owned a cheaper one years ago and loved it.
Questions about the Korean-made vs. US models:
1. There appears to be very little substantive difference (assembly aside) between the AX and LX models, apart from price that is. Anyone aware of any differences not listed on the O website?
2. Looking at the Standard Balladeer 2771 and Standard Elite 2778, the US LX's have an "A-grade solid spruce top," while the Korean AX's have an "AA-grade solid spruce top." Has anyone compared the two, and could the better top on the import make the purchase more worthwhile?
3. On the O website they sometimes list an A or AA grade "solid spruce top," and sometimes they list it as a "solid sitka spruce top." Is this deliberate, or an omission? Are they actually using non-sitka spruce tops all over their product line now?
Cheers to all! |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Starting form the bottom up:
3) A, AA, etc. is a lot of BS. The best stuff in the house will always be called AAA. But todays AAA and next weeks A might be exact the same thing. I would waste ZERO effort worrying if you should buy A vs AA. I think all of the solid top spruce are sitka wether they state it or not. Just make sure you get a solid top.
2) Same answer as 3. Again there are no real standards. The USA A and the Korean AA could be exactly the same thing, or not, but in the grand scheme of things it is a moot point in my opinion.
1) I believe the necks and neck attachment is quite different. The LX have the "duh" LX neck and dual action truss rod. I think the AX have some variation of the old k-bar type attachment.
Hope this helps. |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Also, things could be very fluid over the next few years. For a while all (or nearly all?) Celebrities were made with laminated tops, which are duller and don't appear to improve with age. Now that the Asian factories are using better materials and specifications, it is likely that their workmanship will improve (just as Japanese cars improved over time). In two years time we may be drooling over Chinese Ovations.
Oh, nearly forgot, Welcome!! |
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Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Welcome Edd!! You can't go wrong with an American made Ovation. My gut is the Asian ones will be hit or miss for a couple of years like
TAFKAR said ,BUT, Still not as "High" quality as the USA models. JMHO! |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Welcome!!!
General rule #1... ya get what you pay for.
General rule #2... doing the research and spending the time comparitive shop pays off.
As TAFKAR said, things are currently in a state of change. Who knows how it will shake out.
I would strongly suggest a USA model if you can swing it. And I'm not suggesting that based on a narrow-minded "BUY U.S. only" mind set. |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 5
Location: Salisbury, MD | Thanks for the welcome, chaps, and for all the great advice.
I'm keen on the dual truss rod if that is only in the US models. Anybody had trouble with the older system, or is it good enough?
It is frustrating to not be able to compare them. I'd have to drive hours to find a store that carries a decent selection of US-made Ovations. I've played a few cheap and mid-range imports, and of course some stores have the odd $2,000 Custom Legend or Adamas lying around (they're awesome, btw, but will have to wait a few years!), but that's not a reasonable comparison. Trying out a good selection of mid-range O's seems difficult to arrange.
This forum has been indispensable so far in helping me with my choice, and so thanks for it! |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | You should call Al and spend a little time on the phone. Not sure how far a drive NJ is from MD but it might be worth the time to drive to LostArts/Vintage and check out the inventory. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by EddTheBrit:
Trying out a good selection of mid-range O's seems difficult to arrange. That's the second best reason to attend an OFC gathering.  |
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Joined:
April 2009
Posts: 130
Location: London, UK | Takes me back to 1985 or thereabouts when I went into a UK music shop to buy a US-made Balladeer, but the dealer just had stock of a JAPAN-made 'Pinnacle' model that he swore was identical if not better.
Well, the finishing and look of the guitar was immaculate, and it was 300 quid cheaper, so I bought the Pinnacle rather than the Balladeer. (Note, Ovation used the Pinnacle model name in a different context more recently - these guitars had Ovation on the headstock and were a short-lived attempt to build a Balladeer in the far east.)
Fast forward 10 or 15 years and I sold the Pinnacle on to a friend and bought the equivalent Balladeer model second hand. It had a warped neck and needed a bit of work, but the sound was just in a different league. There was a rich, deep bass response and the whole instrument just felt better. The US model was more quirky; the bridge was about 5mm out of line and so the strings had to be encouraged to go over offset notches in the saddle piezo pieces. But if they did that to get THAT sound then who cares?
So I would say if you can afford it, go for a US-made Ovation every time! |
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Overseas Ovations...
