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September 2005
Posts: 107
Location: South Jersey | I got my first Ovation in the 70's, and ended up smashing it onstage ;-) Anyway, the reason I smashed it was because someone sat on it and bent the neck. It was one of the models with a steel fretboard. I don't know what model it was, and I haven't seen anything about them here through the searches. Does anyone remember these, or know what they were? I bought it at Sam Goodies, of all places! It was a "blem" guitar, and cost 150 with case mid-70's.
thanks! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | One word son, aluminum!
The fretboard and necks were made this way on various entry level models. Check out "the History of Ovation" book and the archives of this site!
Welcome. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 107
Location: South Jersey | If I had known to search on aluminum, I sure would have found some info! Mine was a Matrix, because it said Ovation on the headstock. I tell you what though, they are really difficult to smash! lol Actually, I loved that guitar and was heartbroken when the neck got sat on. It couldn't be played, wasn't repairable, and I wanted to give it a proper burial rather than toss it out in the trash or leave it sitting around unuseable in my room.
Nice place, can't wait to get another and be get "official". At the moment I play a D'Angelico NYL-2, which is a nice guitar. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Other suggestions for the Unloved and Unplugged:
Bird Bath
Bird House
Canoe Paddle
Board of Education (paddle)
Snow Sled
etc. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | I still have my 76. I know I will probably get banned from the board for this, but I compared the sound of it next to my 1537 this weekend and there was not a lot of difference. Those deep bowls are hard to beat. If you had played yours a lot, the frets would have worn out and the one piece fretboard would not have been replaceable. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | That's when y'jack-up the strings, and y'got a GREAT, (& durable) Slide guitar . . . |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | That's when y'jack-up the strings, and y'got a GREAT, (& durable) Slide guitar . . . Yup ... that's exactly the state of my USA Ultra with an original bowed Urelite neck sans truss rod. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Cliff, funny you should mention that....there's a shop in Columbus, IN where they took an old aluminum fretboard Applause that was about to go in the dumpster and made a slide guitar out of it in just that manner!!!! Must have sold it, it wasn't there a month ago when I was back there.
Roger |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Mark, the 1537 will grow on you.
Try it with different strings/gauges/etc until it starts to whisper sweet things into your ears.
Then compare it to the 76. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | It's already grown on me. By far the easiest to play, yet booms right out there, even with the finger picking. It is in great shape, too, thanks to Bruce. I was just surprised at how close the volume was between the 2 deep bowls. I guess I shouldn't have been, since the bowls are the same size.
I played a $2500 Taylor, couple of Martins, Takamines and Ibanez tonight at GC, along with the usual O's. I don't think the Taylor sounds any better, but it definitely played nicely. The fretboard was a little too flat for barre chords, though. The still had 2 Os that they didn't even attempt to tune. Everything else I picked up was at least close to being in tune. Shows you how much they try to sell Ovations. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | Even after getting my 1117 Legend, I'm still MADLY in love with my 1137 Matrix. It's the later one, with the rosewood fingerboard over the aluminum neck, so it's a little friendlier feeling (not to mention re-frettable).
While my Legend is a very dark sounding guitar, most excellent for chord strumming, the low end is sometimes a bit overwhelming for fingerpicking. This is where the Matrix comes in. I feel it's a more well balanced tone - not too much low end, not too much high end. I've also decided that I just like the feel of the Matrix neck a little better too. Very easy to play. I like high action, and it's a bit lower than I'm used to, but that's OK. It seems to sound a little better with the Dean Markley Pro-Mag Grand soundhole pickup that I just bought too. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 8
Location: maryland | jim i have never seen an ovation with a metal fretboard, however, i have an all black applause made by ovation (i think) that has what i think is an aluminum neck.
i bought it second hand at a pawn shop bout 15 years ago just to take camping and such and for that reason alone i would not part with it.
it is bullet proof and i believe i could use it as a canoe paddle and still be able to pick a tune or two by the campfire! |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 8
Location: maryland | correction:
composite neck, aluminum fretboard.
sorry bout that |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | My Matrix also has the composite neck and aluminum fretboard. It is bulletproof until you wear out the frets. Since I didn't play it much for about 20 years and now have lots of other choices, I probably won't wear out the frets by the time I die. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | The frets on my Matrix are in excellent shape. Much better than the frets on my Legend, which are quite visably worn, although you can't tell from just playing it. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 69
Location: Massachusetts | yup, still loving my Matrix. It's just like yours Trag. I've been using a seymour duncan performer maverick soundhole pickup (inexpensive but only available at GC) through my crate ca15 amp. Very sweet! |
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my old dead Ovation
