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A Brief History of Me and Ovation
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SillyLittleBoy |
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Joined: July 2013 Posts: 98 Location: Des Moines, Iowa | I first started playing guitar while serving in the US Army. My first guitar was a Sears Teisco Electric and I think for some beginners an electric, with it's thin neck and easy action, can be easier to finger (so to speak). To show you how ignorant I was about guitars, there was another soldier who bought a Gibson Hummingbird guitar and paid over $1,000 for it. I thought HE was an idiot for spending that much money on a guitar (silly me). I eventually switched to acoustic because it was easier on my neighbors AND MTV's Unplugged showed me just how cool and amazing and acoustic guitar can sound. My introduction to the Ovation can from a live one-man show. The guy had some drum/tambourine things he stomped on while playing these amazingly fast rhythms on this way cool looking and sounding guitar with this funny rounded plastic back. I had a nice Epiphone 12-string, but usually ended up taking the extra six strings off because it was so hard to keep all 12 strings in tune. It doesn't help that my ears are extra sensitive to any note being even 1/10th of a Hz off. Still I remained ignorant about what elements of an acoustic guitar make it a good guitar or a GREAT guitar. My first Ovation guitar I didn't even think was an Ovation. It had the signature finned tuning area (whatever you call that piece) and the signature round back, but I thought it was a cheap imitation brand called Matrix. I later learned that the Matrix brand WAS made by Ovation. Then one day I was browsing through a pawn shop and came across a really beautiful looking Ovation that even had this gold colored tuning pegs. They wanted $265 for it and I walked out with it for $240. It seemed to be a pretty good guitar, which I later learned was actually a GREAT guitar.... very vintage, but it had a solid AAA Sitka Spruce top with an Ebony and Ivory fretboard that was inlaid with mother of pearl. Oh... and those gold colored tuning pegs, well they were actually real 24K gold plated. It was a 1979 Legend LTD Model 1651 Ovation. I still have both of these guitars. I've been kind of dreaming of getting me a nice Ovation Balladeer, but today I was again browsing through a Pawn shop and found an Ovation (I just find myself drawn to them). It was a very shiny black colored one with gold plated tuning pegs, so I took it down to try it out... and MAN... I was hooked and had to have it. Now that I know a bit more about guitars, I went home and did a little research on the model (Legend 1867) and read many reviews. It had the obligatory solid AA Sitka Spruce top and much nicer electronics than my old Ovations (not much there but a volume and tone adjustment). I though the price on it was $415, so after tuning it up and sitting and playing it for awhile, I went to negotiate and told the guy all I had was $400 and that would have to include the tax. He looked rather surprised and said $420 was the lowest he could go. That's when I looked again at the price, a bit confused that his counter-offer would be more than the asking price - AHA... it's $475 on it, not $415. I found this forum and posted a message about the guitar with the question, "Should I buy it?" User TAFKAR set me straight with a straight answer, "Did you really expect that anyone here is going to say "Don't do it"? So, I did... I bought it and it is in pretty much MINT condition. There's not a single chip, dent, or scratch of ANY kind on it anywhere. The finish polishes up very shiny and the ONLY thing that would give away it's "used" condition is a small worn area of the top where many guitars might have a pick guard for protection, but you can barely see it. ANYWAY... that's me, folks... I'm Cuckoo for Ovations and while my recent Ovation purchase was not yet my Balladeer Dream guitar, I'll be getting that one, too... it might just be another few months or a year or more. I'm happy to have found a whole gaggle of Ovation Cuckoos to fly with here in this group. My next Ovation educational need is to figure out what all the fuss is about with this carbon fiber topped guitars, Adammas or Adamantium (isn't that the stuff they put in X-Men's Wolverine?) Or maybe I'm just a... SillyLittleBoy Here's my collection... | ||
muzza |
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Joined: August 2005 Posts: 3736 Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Brief...? | ||
SillyLittleBoy |
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Joined: July 2013 Posts: 98 Location: Des Moines, Iowa | Yea... it was meant to be a bit "Silly," but how can one describe the journey one takes when they go down that path towards finding their true love. You date around for awhile and eventually you learn exactly what you're looking for in that perfect love, how you discovered it, how you came to seek it, and how you finally found it. Of course with guitars there's always another one more beautiful, with sweeter sound, with softer body, with more vibrance, and one that your fingers can just slide across so effortlessly.... So, it's a journey without end, but who wants it to end? Not me, cause I'm just a... SillyLittleBoy | ||
Damon67 |
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Joined: December 2006 Posts: 6994 Location: Jet City | still don't understand the Balladeer thing. it would be a step backwards from your Legends | ||
SillyLittleBoy |
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Joined: July 2013 Posts: 98 Location: Des Moines, Iowa | Thanks Damon67... see that's why I'm often just a SillyLittleBoy. I'm still learning and as far as Ovations, it sounds like I'm in just the right place to expand my knowledge of these amazing guitars by Ovation. I do see that my most recent purchase of a Legend 1867 is one that originally retailed for around $1499, which is more than the Balladeer's retail price... so I guess it's just the fact that the Ovation Balladeer is so iconic that has had me dreaming of one. Maybe I need to start dreaming of an Adamas guitar, though that may take me a few years with their fantastically expensive price tags. Thanks again.... for helping me find my way through all of these guitar choices | ||
stonebobbo |
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Joined: August 2002 Posts: 8307 Location: Tennessee | A K1111RI Balladeer would be a step up from the guitars you have. | ||
SillyLittleBoy |
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Joined: July 2013 Posts: 98 Location: Des Moines, Iowa | stonebobbo, I don't believe I've ever heard OR seen a "K1111RI Balladeer," but I'm hearing about many new/old models and re-issues of older classic/vintage models that are totally retro, right down to the old fashioned dual POT/single post (volume on top, tone on the bottom). It's been kind of throwing me off on what's old and what's new. When I originally researched my 1979 Legend Ltd. #1651, I could not find even ONE other Ovation model before or since that had that same unique finish (medium brown with a touch of orange). Now I'm seeing other guitars that I swear are just like my old one, but then I learn it's practically brand new. So... I'm sure there are a lot more models of Ovation guitars that are available (or were recently) that are not featured or listed on the BIG BOX Online music stores, such as Musician's Friend, Sweetwater Sound, or Zzounds to name a few), but may only be available in very limited quantities from exclusive dealers or thru Ovation Guitars directly. Hey, if I keep learning something new, each and every day... then maybe I won't always be a.... SillyLittleBoy | ||
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