|
|
Joined:
May 2014
Posts: 4
| Hello, Ovation people.
Been seeking an inexpensive-but-fabulous acoustic for a while. My impression is that the world is awash with a surplus of neglected, unappreciated acoustics, which should mean there's some great value out there. My intention was to pick up one of these vintage Yamahas that have such a cult following. Some had a pretty nice sound, but every one I was able to actually put my hands on was in need of a neck reset likely more costly than the guitar. I tried entry level things from Martin and Taylor but they had a closed, congested sound and the raw, loveless vibe of production line imports.
And everything new and old had utterly brutal action I wasn't sure I could adapt to after 25 years of electrics! (Why is this still the norm? Is it a masochist thing?)
Saw a local ad for a '73 Ovation Legend at a very attractive price, Googled like mad (the best of which kept bringing me here) and wound up taking it home. Couldn't believe the spec for the money: the solid top, ebony board, abalone (I think?!) inlays, that luxurious looking five-piece neck, everything bound. Best of all I could really play it, and that snappy, bright response... with some fast picking it reminded me of Friday Night in San Francisco (Di Meola, McLaughlin, De Lucia).
About 10 mins into the deal, I'm sitting picking away, and the guy mentions that I might know his friend, the local player he bought it from in the 70s: Joe "Handyman" Negri, of Mr Rogers' Neighborhood. We are in Pittsburgh, so this makes sense. Negri was apparently the first owner. As an outlander I haven't seen much of the show, but I thought that was cool.
Anyway, pics.
I loved that this was still there:
These were the only bummers. The seller at some point electrified it with an under-bridge pickup, so there's a jack; and these wrinkles in the back near the heel worried me a little, but not enough to pass on the deal:
I could only find a couple cracks in the finish, which I knew to look for having come here, and to tap test them. I knew to check for the bridge lifting, too. Thanks for contributing to and maintaining this resource. It really helped. After reading so many accounts of sending guitars back to the factory for excellent service work at low cost, it's sad to see that I've gotten into Ovation just as it has closed. At least there seems to be a well-stocked used market to draw on. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Looks really nice. (did it come with a little cardigan sweater?) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | You did good! I wouldn't worry about the bowl, and it looks like they did a good job installing the electronics so that is a plus.
You can either very carefully scrape the gunk off the fretboard with and exacto knife (that's the way I do it here at my shop), or maybe try some steel wool, but be careful not to snag the frets with it. Then oil that baby with mineral oil. It'll make the fretboard look like new.
Welcome to the "family", but I warn you, even if you can't get new ones anymore, you will probably end up wanting more. All of the different models have a different sound, but they all have that incredible playability. I have three Adamas' and three wood Ovations. They all sound different and depending on the type of music I'm playing or the mood I'm in, I play and love them all. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | Everyone needs a 12 string Ovation because they're the best. Then you need a nylon string. Then you need something with a bit wider fretboard for fingerstyle. The Elites sound different from the centerhole Ovations, so you need at least one Elite. Then you need an Adamas. Then you need an electric guitar or several, because, despite all the effects, different electrics sound different even with the same effects. You can't really get a Tele sound out of a double humbucker. Then for some variety other than Adamas, you need a top other than spruce, or at least something besides Sitka spruce. Koa would be nice, as well as cedar (although that's on your classical guitar.) A VXT for all those times you want to switch from an electric to an acoustic sound and you don't want to switch guitars. If you stand and play a lot, you may want a supershallow bowl or a contour bowl. A variety of preamps would be handy. Then there are just some nice Ovations that you'd like to have, even though you have others that are similar. Pretty soon you can start on different amps. If I'd have bought the VXT first, instead of last, I'd probably have made the mistake of telling SWMBO that a hybrid is multipurpose and I wouldn't have all this experience with the other models. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6994
Location: Jet City | That one should be a cannon. Wait till you play it with some of your wood back friends. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2014
Posts: 4
| A cannon! What a great term.
I can certainly detect a gateway drug in the Legend. Those multi-holed tops have always been alluring; a shallower bowl might be nice for plinking around on the couch; with such good action, a cutaway would actually be of some use...
Thanks for the tips, Canterbury. Normally I'd go at the fretboard gunk with some regular not-really-lemon-oil cleaner, but you can see some inlays have been worn through with play. They're very thin and I don't want to unseat anything with the solvent in the cleaner.
Some Q's:
Can I just leave this out of its case year round, so it's easily grabbable, or am I asking for many more of those surface cracks? Pennsylvania, A/C.
What gauge strings would this likely have by default? I'm guessing matching that will give me the best intonation.
Who sells those grippy thigh pad things? This has the outline of one, but it's gone.
Edited by Honk 2014-05-10 10:02 AM
|
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | Get a hygrometer and check the humidity in the room where you keep the guitar. If it stays above 40%, you should be OK. I leave mine out all year, but I can close off the room in the winter when it gets really dry and I have a humidifier that keeps the humidity at 46%.
The default strings are light gauge D'Addarios, 12-53.
I don't know if anyone sells the thigh pad things. You might try a building materials store and get some grippy tape they put on stairs and cut it to shape. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4039
Location: Utah | You're best off having a humidifier set to 40% where you keep your guitar. Especially in the winter in PA when you'll be running heat. In the summer your humidity is probably above 30% almost all the time, though A/C could dry it out too much.
As far as thinner bowls go, I find the old fashioned deep bowl like yours to be more comfortable than a mid bowl.
If your guitar is tending to slip on your knee, and if your leg is not slanted downward, the problem could be your right elbow is hugging the guitar too tightly. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2014
Posts: 4
| Oh the slipping is just laziness. I've played for hours without issue. If I sit in the classical style or like Paco, no problem. When I get tired and slouchy and am just plinking around, that's when it slips.
D'Addario 12s ordered. Cheers.
There is a humidifier built in to the air system of the house, but I've no idea what number it keeps the rooms at. I'll find a hygrometer. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | When we lived in the Midwest ("back East" to the Westerners), many homes had built in dehumidifiers. I'm surprised you have a humidifier. If we ever build another house we'll add a humidifier. |
|
| |
Handyman Negri's 1117 Legend
