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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 95
Location: Monroe, Ohio (Cincinnati) | Hi All,
As a new member I thought I would tell you how I came to this site. WARNING - might be long.
I started to play guitar in 1978 when I bought a $60 used plywood box guitar. In 1980 I picked up a new Applause AE14-4 guitar from a music store that was going out of business. Can't remember what I paid, maybe $150. It was the guitar I played for a long time and I just played FOR MYSELF.
Along the way I played in a folk group at mass for about a year. During the folk group days I picked up a Fender 12 String and played it some also.
Continued to play, and started to write songs again, FOR MYSELF, until about 1999. Played the Applause 90% of the time FOR MYSELF.
At that time a friend introduced me to Praise & Worship Music. I began playing for small groups at church and soon needed amplification so I bought a Peavey Ecoustic 112. The Applause had never been plugged in before, but I thought it sounded fine through the amp.
In 2000 I had several people join me and we had a Praise Band. One member had a PA system and I started plugging into it when we played. Since the Applause has a passive pickup, it was a little weak in the PA, however.
In 2002 I picked up a Seagull S6 which has a beautiful Chimey acoustic sound with lots of overtones. I put a Seymour Duncan Acoustic Tube Pickup in the sound hole. It was ok, but I could never get it to really sound the way I wanted amplified and the output was still a little weak. So I put the S-D A Tube pickup in my Fender 12 string and had a Fishman Rare Earth Humbucker put in my Seagull. Being an active pickup the Fishman was a lot louder and I was able to get a little better sound from it, but was still not satisfied.
I tried all kinds of EQ, a Danelectro Daddy-O overdrive pedal and a Cool Cat Chorus pedal. Everything I tried helped some, but I still couldn't get that sound I can only describe as a chingy or chimey acoustic sound.
About a year ago I picked up a Seagull S12+ at a good price on Ebay. It also had a great acoustic sound, but I still could not get the sound I really wanted.
A couple of weeks ago our Praise band played at our church fesitval and I got the Applause out, because I wanted to use it as a backup since it was outdoors and I didn't want to mess with the 12 String and try to keep it in tune. When I tried to tune the Applause, the strings (2 years old) where totally gone and I gave up on trying to tune it. I broke a string on my Seagull during our festival gig and thanks to a quick string change by the guy providing the sound reinforcement, it was not a disaster.
When I found time I replaced the rest of the strings on my Seagull to match the new one, and while I was at it replaced the set on my Applause also.
I played the Applause a few times over the next week and it really plays easily, but doesn't have the acoustic sound that my Seagull has.
Now I know that the Applause is not supposed to be a real good representation of the Ovation sound, but I decided to plug it in to my Ecoustic 112 amp just to see how it sounded. Shazam, there was the sound I was trying to get. EQ straight across neutral, plugged straight into the amp. A great balance between Highs, Lows, and Mids. None of that sound that I can only describe as pan slapping that I need to EQ out with my other guitars. There it was, that chimey, chingy acoustic sound I had been trying to acheive.
So now I don't know what to make of all this, but I checked out Ovations on Ebay and did a web search on Ovation and ended up here.
That's my tale, sad, but true.
Sorry for the long post. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Great first post!
You managed to tell us who you are, what you play, how you found it here and why you care about your Ovation.
I also did a lot of things for myself and now I'm in a praise band :D That means my guitars are Tools and not toys!
If you are looking for the next step up or over in a guitar I suggest you keep your eyes open to the posts about various models and when you can get your hands on them and try them.
Ask questions and make connections! There is a search feature and a couple of different topic areas. Members love to sell stuff to other Members too.
Peace |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Welcome. Nice story too, glad you found us to share it. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Hi Mark, good post, you've come to the right place. There are some extremely knowledgeable people here, as well as some great musicians, guitar collectors & general Ovation loving idiots like me :)
Belated Warning: Hanging around in here will give you GAS. Actually if you stayed here long enough to read this you are already doomed. Within a few weeks to a few months you will begin to feel an incurable deep *need* to buy another Ovation guitar. Eventually SONAR will probably kick in.
There, now you have a few reasons to try out the search engine :)
Welcome,
/\/\/ |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Hey Mark, Welcome. Glad to hear the Applesause story with such a happy ending. You'll like it here. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Mark,
That's the same sound our sound guy gets out of my Custom Legend in our Praise band. I always liked a fuller (more full?) sound but in the mix, the "chimey, chingy acoustic sound" seems to fit better.
Welcome! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Fullerest sound.
Definately a fuller-est sound. I have played some lovely box guitars and they are all special but It is the roundback design that keeps drawing me in.
Prior to buying your next Ovation I would suggest a sort of "Wine List" of six string models to taste test. I'm sure others will have a "vintage" to add.
Applause deep body 6 string
Midi Celebrity multi-hole
Shallow Celebrity multi-hole
S771 Ballader Special
Midi and/or deep Elite
2003 Collectors
Elite T
Custom Legend Super Shallow
Custom Legend Mid Bowl
Elite LX and Legend LX
Adamas I, Adamas II, Adamas New
FD 14
A full report, single spaced, no pictures beyond 500 pixels wide please.
Stay away from the 12 strings. mandolins and Ukelele's since they will only take you off your course. Personnaly I have to run when someone uses the word Baritone.
Peace |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | Welcome! Great post....
Check out the Posting "Bang For The Buck" ..."northcountry" bought the Peavey 112 and loves it also!
... one word of warning: You now have thousands of Ovationaholics watching your every move to see which new Ovation will be your next purchase... no, you cannot escape... we are in control of that white balloon that stopped The Prisoner from escaping.... you will conform, you will post pictures, you will succumb!! |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | Ditto on welcome to the club. Many of us are worship and praise musicians.
We do indeed have wine lists of what we like, and whine lists of what we don't. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Welcome aboard Mark.
Get ready......my bet is that you will be in the market for a new Ovation soon!
I just bought a new one so all I can do is help other people spend their money. That's fun too!
Brad |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | OK, GAS I know all about...I'm currently embroiled in the feverish search for a telecaster style solid body with humbucker in the neck but it seems my favorite luthier never built one! Drat and curses on Kaman!...but what the heck is SONAR?
I mean, I have Cakewalk Sonar (2.2XL and 3.1 PE), but you can't mean *that* Sonar, can you? |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | According to "Stonebobbo":
"Significant Other Negative Acquisition Reaction" (SONAR) :cool: |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I'm currently embroiled in the feverish search for a telecaster style solid body with humbucker in the neck but it seems my favorite luthier never built one! Drat and curses on Kaman!
Yeah, but Hamer (the good looking stepchild) made some! I think they called them a T-51? They show up every once in a while on eBay. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Great story Mark
I grew up in Conneaut, Ohio what part are you residing in?
You will be sorely tempted on this site to become the owner of many great, but useless, guitars. Learn to get the best from your Applause, then demand the best deal possible as you move up, a few weeks here will make you aware of that deal.
Welcome
Bailey |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | I grew up in Marion, Ohio... but don't hold that against me. :D |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 95
Location: Monroe, Ohio (Cincinnati) | I lived in Marion, OH for 6 years and it was during that time that I was in the folk band that played for mass.
I was raised in Greenwich, OH, which is between Mansfield and Sandusky. Then moved to Mansfield and lived there for 8 years, during which time I bought my Applause.
Then moved to Marion.
Then to Middletown, OH which is between Dayton and Cincinnati.
Then to Monroe, OH which is about 6 miles South of Middletown.
I enjoyed Marion except that it must be the mosquito capitol of Ohio. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | Um ... Markthemagic ... Marion IS the mosquito capital of the world! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | You guys've obviously never been to the Hackensack Meadowlands . . . . the FAA has required that all of the mosquitoes here be fitted with landing lights . . . . . |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Good thing that There are no mosquitoes in North Carolina...The Snakes ate the all!! :D :D
There is no truth in the above statement.. but it sure sounded good when i came up with it! :D |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I had almost forgotten the mosquitos, I lived accross the road from Lake Erie, in a swampy grove of trees, one time I thought my three year old had measles and it was mosquito bites. I have forgotten a lot of reasons I left Ohio, winter, rain, mud, Ohio natives (other than me), chemical plants in the late 50's, more rain, mosquitos in the swamp from the rain, snow in April, milking cows 7 days a week when I was 17, missing milking cows when I returned at 20.
Bailey |
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