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Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Anybody have a list of the models prodiced in black? |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | All of them? It was just a standard color..... |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Really, I just looked at the archive and there are alot of older models that only come in natural and sunburst. But most everything nowadays comes in Black...
BUT! I have pretty much given-up on black guitars, because you can see every fingerprint and pick track on them. They look pretty while they are new... |
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October 2005
Posts: 4046
Location: Utah | "I wanna new tour bus fulla O Guitars"
OMA, can I steal that from you? Sara and I are doing up an acoustic version of that song. That line would be a fun inside joke. |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | At one time or another the following models came in BLACK
Balladeer, Custom Balladeer, Pacemaker, Matrix, Celebrity CC57, Legend, Custom Legend, Elite, Custom Elite, Classic, Folklore, Ultra, Pinnacle, Balladeer LX, Legend LX, Elite LX, Viper, VXT, Adamas I, Adamas II, Al Dimeola, Balladeer 12-string, Legend 12-string, Custom Legend 12-string, Eclipse, Elite Special, Custom Elite LX, Elite 1537, Elite 12-string, Breadwinner, Elite-T, Elite-T LX, Tangent, Elite Bass, Mandolin, Country Artist, Preacher Deluxe, Magnum Bass, Ultra GP, UK II, 1987 Collector, 2008 Collector.
I may have missed a few. |
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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Thunderbolt as well if include pearl black. |
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March 2006
Posts: 482
Location: enid, ok | When i was quite young, a guy that worked at a music store that I hung around in took me aside and told me, "never buy a black guitar-or one where the finish is such that you can't see the wood grain. That's where they hide the imperfections in the wood." This is for solidbodies, mostly. And I have a few black guitars, but the price was right. But he was dead-on. I saw a breadwinner that was refinished recently-the body was two pieces of wood. I generally buy natural finishes for that reason. That, and they look so cool anyway. |
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July 2005
Posts: 92
Location: Northeast Ohio | Can the black finishes be removed to reveil the wood grain or is it truly not worth the hassle? Just wondering, does the paint dampen the vibration of the top? Also what about the thick clear coat on natural models for that matter? |
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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | Pretty wood and good sound is not the same.
Pretty wood gets a natural finish.
I own a couple of great sounding black guitars. |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Originally posted by bowl playin boy:
Can the black finishes be removed to reveil the wood grain or is it truly not worth the hassle? Just wondering, does the paint dampen the vibration of the top? Also what about the thick clear coat on natural models for that matter? I found out the hard way they cannot be removed. It is a very hard, thick finish.
Anyway thanks to all esp. Gallerinski for the list. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I don't think I'd go with black & shiney.
I you just gotta have a black guitar, go with something like a UTE. Or at the other end of the spectrum... an Elite T. No issues with fingerprints there.
But at the end of the day, if it's a wood top, I'd much rather see the grain. |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | A shiny black guitar is a bitch to keep clean, no doubt about that. Then again so is a black Ferarri. But some things are worth a little extra elbow grease.
As far as the black paint covering what's undernieth, well that's true and I do know that some builders will use the less visually attractrive woods for black guitars. But that does not mean they sound inferior. In fact they could sound better.
I know that Ovation build a small number of the 87 Collectors guitars in black. The reason was that they had a few soundboards that actually looked stunning. So much so that if they made them natural nobody would have bought the "regular" natural ones. So they painted them black to hide the "goodness". Or so I've been told.
I wouldn't buy or not buy a guitar because it was black. I'd base it on sound and feel. If a certain model was absolutely identical in both natural and black then it would just be a personal preference. Some guitars just look good being black - the Al Dimola model, the Takamine Bon Jovi model, Strats, etc. At least to me.
Toby |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Which reminds me of a topic I've been hesitant to bring up here. I know all of you who have "bearclaw" guitars think they are great, but I have to tell you, bearclaw is NOT a desirable feature. It restricts the vibrations on the top and reduces the sound. Back in the old days, it was my job to grade wood for the tops, and as pretty as it was, I was instructed to have any bearclaw tops painted. For the bast sounding guitar, what you want is an extremely tight and even grain.
A lot of the flaws that are covered up with paint are minor. There may be a small knot, or even an inadvertant mark with a felt tip pen that soaked in too much to sand out. Most sunbursts have some flaw in the outside, most solid colored tops have flaws in the middle. Does the paint change the tone? I really don't think so, but in some cases, the flaw in the wood that caused them to paint the guitar will. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
Which reminds me of a topic I've been hesitant to bring up here. I know all of you who have "bearclaw" guitars think they are great, but I have to tell you, bearclaw is NOT a desirable feature. It restricts the vibrations on the top and reduces the sound. Back in the old days, it was my job to grade wood for the tops, and as pretty as it was, I was instructed to have any bearclaw tops painted. For the bast sounding guitar, what you want is an extremely tight and even grain.
A lot of the flaws that are covered up with paint are minor. There may be a small knot, or even an inadvertant mark with a felt tip pen that soaked in too much to sand out. Most sunbursts have some flaw in the outside, most solid colored tops have flaws in the middle. Does the paint change the tone? I really don't think so, but in some cases, the flaw in the wood that caused them to paint the guitar will. One of the more interesting reads posted here today. It makes a lot of sense.
I recently had somebody at a GC show me a D-45 w/ bearclaw spruce. I suspect that he doesn't know this much about it (and he's a very nice guy to boot)..... |
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March 2005
Posts: 12758
Location: Boise, Idaho | Many of our ears might be misled by our eyes. Fortunately, my ears aren't that discerning. I rather doubt, if blindfolded, I could tell the difference between a Sitka spruce vs. an Engleman spruce guitar, but I might tell spruce from cedar. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I just knew there was a good reason why I didn't own any painted or Bear Paw guitars.
Thanks for that, CS! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | About 2 years ago I paid $50 for a pallet load of "outs". Sitka Spruce and Western Red Cedar.
Sometimes the Spruce looked more interesting with a wavy grain or darker line showing up. Probably just visual characteristics that don't impede sound.
I also learned with a -5 12 Custom Legend that you don't truly know how much spit and dead skin you produce until you play a Black guitar under bright lights. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Black lacquer finishes maintained correctly are beautiful. They can also be ruined in a heartbeat with the wrong polish. Learned the hard way on this one. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4046
Location: Utah | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
Which reminds me of a topic I've been hesitant to bring up here. I know all of you who have "bearclaw" guitars think they are great, but I have to tell you, bearclaw is NOT a desirable feature. Yeah, but us guys are visually oriented. So whatever looks good, is good.
Would bog wood be good stuff? I've got a private source of 10,000 yr old hardwood that's been in a bog. It has made some spectacular furniture. Might there be a market for guitars? |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | only if it's from a snipe bog . . . |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I've always been suspect of BC for the reasons CS mentioned. When I look at tops. I want straight and tight (ShutUp et al) |
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October 2008
Posts: 489
| I have natural and black guitars. No red, no blue, and absolutely no sunburst. |
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Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1
Location: Nashville | i am new to this forum and hope to spend some time getting to know my around. but for now, i need help. just recieved an Ovation cc245 as a surprise anniversary gift from my wife ( ha who else ) i have always been curious about these guitars even really wanted one in the 80's but not ever learned enough about them to have a favorite. my ? is ... is it normal for the back of the guitar to leave your pants leg looking like an oil change rag. the guitar is new and maybe it will rub off.. or it is shipping or warehouse dust.. i don't know if it was packed air tight my wife bought a case for it as well and it was in there... if this is a common thing and someone knows what to do about it i would be very happy to hear. may post this as a new thread somewhere but i just wanted to get the ? out there for now. it sounds great and i look forward to playing it and learning from you folks here in the community about this specific breed of guitars. thanks... Lee |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Welcome SUMNA...
No! That is not normal.
If it was damp, oily stuff, I would say someone wiped the bowl off with something.
If it is dry, powdery stuff, I would think that it is warehouse dust.
Either way, it is not normal. I have only received two new Ovations, and two new Celebrity's.
None of them left crap on my leg. They should have been packed with those little silica packs and it should be dry. (not dusty)
I hope that the guitar is alright, but if it ain't...Send it Back.
[Also, you could, and maybe should, start a 'New Topic' under 'General Posting' :cool: ] |
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July 2005
Posts: 3410
Location: GA USA | That's good OMA, SUMNA sounds almost as good as TAFKAR, but not quite up there with Iffy. |
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black finish ovations
