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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 396
| When the new models come out, are there bowl sizes that you just wouldn't consider?
For me, two of the most attractive qualities of Ovations are the ease of play and the comfort based on the bowl sizes. I'm sure I'm in the minority, but for me (generally speaking) ..
1. I just say yes to Shallow and Mid, and I just say no to deep and contour.
I'm curious what works for the rest of you. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Yep... minority.
I prefer..
Deep
then contour
then a mid bowl combined with the right top can be just fine.
for me shallow would only be for plugged in stage work ... and I do very, very little of that. |
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Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 1137
Location: Germany, where delicious wine is growing (Rheinh) | I love the shallow/super shallow bowl for playing plugged in and the contour for acoustic playing but I will not sell my mid and depp bowl guitars....
Bernie |
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Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 1008
Location: Tuscany, Italy | Brad Durasa - 2015-10-10 7:14 PM
Yep... minority.
I prefer..
Deep
then contour
then a mid bowl combined with the right top can be just fine.
for me shallow would only be for plugged in stage work ... and I do very, very little of that.
+1 |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6995
Location: Jet City | 80% of the time I'm playing it's electrified.
I like shallows and deeps for different reasons. I find the mid bowl pointless unless you play by yourself. Contours are great for sitting down, but I rarely play seated.
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December 2003
Posts: 852
Location: Canada | I only play mid bowl 12s acoustically and they are perfect in my opinion. |
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January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | Acoustically, it matters. Plugged in...not really. The acoustic essesense of Ovation is still captured in the deep bowl. As the bowl shrinks, so does the acoustic response. Go deep or go home...a motto I have always lived by :-) |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I like Mid-Depth for comfort when standing or sitting.
Deep bowls do sound great and that is the original Ovation bowl.
Contour bowls sound nice but I do not prefer them when standing... Okay for sitting.
SSB's are designed for standing on stage and should be plugged-in.
Although my Adamas 1881 still sounds quite loud for an SSB.
Having said all that...
DW Ovation should probably start with Deep and Mid-Depth Bowls.
Once they are up-and-running I think that they should allow for choice on the cutaway models.
If you want a cutaway you can have it in Contour, Mid, or Super-Shallow.
But Deep Bowls are really for people who want a classic Ovation sound and shape.
They're All Good. 
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December 2008
Posts: 1454
Location: Texas | amosmoses - 2015-10-11 1:37 PM
Acoustically, it matters. Plugged in...not really. The acoustic essesense of Ovation is still captured in the deep bowl. As the bowl shrinks, so does the acoustic response. Go deep or go home...a motto I have always lived by :-)
+1 IMO, the original (and highly-desirable) "Ovation Sound" was, and still is, defined by the original deep bowl, all the others compromise that sound significantly enough to negate any minor gain in comfort or appearance.
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Even in practice I am plugged in, so SSBs, EA hybrids, and my beloved VXT for me. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | I'm mainly playing for myself, so I like the sound from the deep bowls over the medium and shallow. For comfort, I find the contour bowl works well both standing up and sitting down, as it keeps the face of the guitar almost perpendicular to the ground. Depending on the strap attachment, deep bowls tend to roll up a bit (with the ring attachment on the OSH & 47RI being the worst offender). Attaching the strap to the lower (treble side) of the bowl fixes that problem.
My 08C is the best sounding guitar I have (to my ear) and it has a contour bowl. So I don't think the deep bowl gains much over the contour. However, I suspect that the hand-laid bowls sound better than the molded ones. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | The rounded bowls always slip off my knee, so I really like the contour bowl.
Before the custom shop closed I was in early talks of a countour bowl cut down about an inch all around to make basically a "supershallow contour bowl". But from a technical standpoint it sounded like mission impossible. Probably would have sounded like crap, but for plugged in comfort I think it would have been a cool idea. |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | 1. Deep
2. Contour
3. Mid
4. Shallow
But there are exceptions. Elite T's have a mid-depth bowl but sound as good or better (IMO) than a lot of deep bowls.
And Guitar Center had a shallow bowl, matte finish Elite Legend made that honestly sounds better acoustically than almost anything I've ever played. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Deep. I've never had a problem with them slipping off the knee. I must be just the right size. I like the full sound and rarely plug in or play standing up.
I didn't think the contour bowl was comfortable when they first came out, but I increased the padding on my body and they seem better now.
I think the medium and supershallow bowls were compromises to suit people other than me, so I don't have to accept those compromises. I've sold or given away all the medium or shallow bowl Ovations I've had. |
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Joined:
September 2012
Posts: 813
Location: Thredbo, NSW, Australia | I love my deep bowl guitars, and I think my one and only contour is great as well.
I don't own any mid or shallow, but have played a couple of mids and don't like the loss of punch unplugged.
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May 2006
Posts: 4232
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | CanterburyStrings - 2015-10-12 11:03 AM 1. Deep 2. Contour 3. Mid 4. Shallow But there are exceptions. Elite T's have a mid-depth bowl but sound as good or better (IMO) than a lot of deep bowls. This is pretty much how I feel as well. I have some preferences, but I'll play'em all, and if possible, keep the ones I like. |
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June 2012
Posts: 162
Location: Pittsburgh | Deep, contour, mid. I've never played a shallow I liked, though I haven't played a USA shallow. |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I changed my mind. I haven't played in months between the psoriasis on my hands and the lupus arthritis. (If they'd only told me what getting old was really like!) Anyway, the other day I picked up my 2077LX with the contour bowl and managed to play a few chords. That is still by far the very best guitar I have ever owned, so I change my vote - contour bowl is #1, and deep is #2. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | I spent some time with the #47RI last night and it confirmed my opinion that the deepest bowls, especially combined with an Adamas top and suspension ring, are the best. |
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Bowls for you?
