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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Not mine, but check out the construction of the back. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Hohner-ECT60-Acoustic-Guitar-Ovation-Style-Woven-Alder-Rare-Find-/350541987600?pt=Guitar&hash=item519dee3f10 EDIT: My apologies if everyone else here knew about this guitar. If I'm nothing else, I'm uninformed.
Edited by Nick B. 2012-02-29 9:02 PM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Once upon a time there was a discussion about how nice it would be to have wood-backed Ovations.
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Seems like it would be a fun addition just for giggles. Wish I had a few $'s |
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Location: Orlando, FL | One of these pops up on the Bay every once in a while. I've always wondered how they sound. I seriously doubt they feel and play as nice as a good US made O. Still interesting though. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | We've seen a few of these wood backed knock offs at NAMM. They are everything you would expect. and possibly more.
As far as a real wood backed USA Ovation, they DO exist. They are called Guild. Before you all start moaning that it's not an ovation, Fender is evil and moved our Ovations to Asia so so they could build these stupid wooden boxes, blah, blah ... let me just say the IF you want to see all the love, passion and high quality workmanship of our New Hartford friends displayed in some kick *** beautiful sounding and playing instruments you should do yourself a favor and at least LOOK at some of the current Guilds. I own 4 of them (2 dreads, 1 orchestra, 1 twelve string) and could NOT be more impressed with what THE factory is doing these days. |
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Location: sitting at my computer | It's an interesting critter. I've wondered too why Ovation didn't offer a couple laminated wood bowl models. Might have gotten a few "all wood purists" to at least give 'em a try. Something along the lines of the curved technique used on the Eames designer lounge chairs with high-quality veneers. |
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Location: Jet City | It's ok to say ***.
I've been cravin' a D55... and or a F47 |
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Location: Jet City | oh, apparently it isn't
Big Brotha's watchin' |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Standingovation - 2012-03-01 5:58 AM
As far as a real wood backed USA Ovation, they DO exist. They are called Guild.
If I wanted a wood box, I would own a wood box. There a many choices out there...
Just cuz a wood box is made in the New Hartford Ovation factory does not make it more desirable.
There is no reason for me to have any loyalty to Guild, just cuz it is made in the same factory where the guitar that I really want used to be made.
If they close my favorite bar and make a Yogurt stand out of it... Should I start hanging-out there?
And Yes... Fender DID take our beloved O's and moved them overseas, thereby outsourcing American jobs and creating inferior guitars with Ovation model names on them.
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1681-5, 6778LX-NEB, 1778-OFT, 1612-4, Sweet T, 1114-TJ, 2078T-?, 1115 Flame & Skulls, S771-4, 6778LX-NEB#2, 1685-5, 1868T-5, GCXT,
Lyon Strat, Parker PM20, Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro, Epiphone G-400, BC Rich NJ Bich, Traveler EG-2 & EG-1, Antonio Hermosa AH50, Oscar Schmidt OE30, Peavey EXP acm,
NO WOOD BOXES! |
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Location: Tennessee | @SOB - "I've wondered too why Ovation didn't offer a couple laminated wood bowl models."
Because they would've sounded like crap. I've played a few of these wood back bowls and they all sounded like crap. One cat from Virginnie had a really cool one custom made in the orient, and it was puffy but paled in comparison to an Ovation.
@OMA - "Fender DID take our beloved O's and moved them overseas, thereby outsourcing American jobs"
Bullshit. The folks in New Hartford are doing higher quality, more skilled work than before. Their jobs were SAVED by Fender who gave each of them the opportunity to add higher value to the workplace, the consumer, and themselves. Their jobs were definitely NOT outsourced. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | arthurseery - 2012-03-01 7:13 PM
There is no reason for me to have any loyalty to Guild, just cuz it is made in the same factory where the guitar that I really want used to be made. If they close my favorite bar and make a Yogurt stand out of it... Should I start hanging-out there?
That would be a true statement if you only cared about what YOU want and didn't give a damn about the hard working people that are employed there. I for one have great loyalty and compassion to these craftsmen and am thrilled as hell that 1) they have jobs, 2) they have been able to up the overall skill and quality level of the plant and 3) they are making some of the best guitars out there.
Would Joe Blow New Hartford factory worker rather be gluing a soundboard to a plastic bowl than fitting an end block on a rosewood rim? Maybe. But work is work, and I bet he has no regrets. |
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Location: sitting at my computer | stonebobbo - ... it was puffy but paled in comparison to an Ovation. I guess even a hard-wood bowl is gonna absorb (rather than reflect) more sound waves than a fiberglass bowl. |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Bobbo brings up a valid point and I'll certainly give Guild another look next time I'm at GC, however at one time both Ovation and Guild guitars were built onshore. Now, Guild instruments are built onshore by the people that used to build Ovations and Ovations are built offshore. Unless there are twice as many people building Guild guitars as there used to be, then American jobs were lost.
Edited by Nick B. 2012-03-01 10:21 PM
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Location: Texas | I've tried a few of those new Guilds, and they really ARE fabulous guitars. But it's apples and oranges compared to Ovation for a lot of reasons.
I'm happy that the craftsmen that used to make Ovations in the U.S. are still employed making Guilds, that's a good thing. The well-earned reputation of the crew in New Hartford gives me confidence that any guitar coming out of that plant will be top-notch.
So, yes, some US jobs were "saved," but only at the cost of others, it's just harder to tell where, since Guild has been shuffled around so much. I don't see how anyone could deny that outsourcing production of Ovation guitars (or anything else) to Korea (or anywhere else) cost US jobs. Spin it any way you want, but FMIC really did outsource US jobs right in the middle of record-high unemployment in the US.
Anyway, back to the OP. The subject says "Hofner" but I think you meant "Hohner"? A guitar shop in our area had several of the Hohner round-backs in stock a few years ago. I tried them all, and I found the tone to be very unbalanced and thin. IMO, they were a poorly-executed attempt to imitate Ovation. ymmv, but probably won't…
Edit: We must have been typing at the same time… but yeah, what Nick said…
Edited by standing 2012-03-01 11:33 PM
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Hofner knocked off Ovation!?
