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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 10
Location: Spain | Good nights.
After seeing a photo of the back of an Ovation "A" braced guitar top, I've been the last hour at the Vault searching for info about different bracings.
I've a rare honey burst finish mid-depth bowl and center hole CC026 (yes it's korean, blame me if you feel in the need of doing so :) ) with "A" bracing. It's my first Ovation and sounds warmer and with more bass presence than what I expected after listening lots of people damning the so-called Ovations bass lack. BTW it's an excellent guitar, with an amazing finish and grrrreat sound, it even smells good!
So I wonder if this (I mean the sound, not the smell :) ) is due to the "A" bracing. After surfing the Vault side to side I've only concluded that the "VT" bracing is the worst sounding bracing ever.
But, what's the difference in sound between "A" and standard "X" bracing? And, what's the best bracing ever?
PS. I was also going to ask what does the three times more expensive USA made Ovations have to be supposedly better than my unbeatable CC026, but I'm too new at this forum and I really value too much my life and phisical integrity to ask this kind of questions here :D . |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 122
Location: Tucson, AZ | ...see page 54 of "the book" (The History of the OVATION GUITAR by Walter Carter, 1996, Hal Leonard Corp.) |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | 
Bracing is only one part of the sound equation. It would be wrong to say that THIS bracing pattern is always better than THAT one, etc. The type of body construction, the top material, bridge location, body cavity size, etc. all play equally important parts.
Limiting the discussion to only Ovations, I would make a very broad generalization and say that many of us do not particularly like the sound of guitars with VT bracing. To my ears, I have a hard time saying A is better than X or the other way around. The early shiny bowl guitars (and the reissues) with X bracing really sound nice. As do the recent LX series guitars with X bracing. The A braced models of the early 70's are (to me) equally as nice. The recent 1627 Glen Campbell reissue with A bracing sounds absolutely amazing. My advice would be to not worry too much on what KIND of bracing pattern it has, but just concentrate on what sounds best to your EARS.
Across the guitar industry, the X pattern is more or less the standard. Of course there are tons of variations. But the X gives a really good compromise of sounding nice, plus good structural stability to the top. A guitar builder will tell you that it's all about compromises. He could build you the "ultimate" sounding guitar. The problem is that it would collapse in a matter of minutes.
I'm as guilty as anyone by loving to read specs of guitars, design details, etc. and make conclusions of what I like and dislike. But the best measure that any of us have is built right into our heads - eyes, ears and a brain. Don't let other people's opinions sway you too much from what your senses tell you.
Dave |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12758
Location: Boise, Idaho | A significant difference between the Korean and USA models is laminate vs. solid tops. Not true in all cases and a laminate top does not necessarily sound worse than a solid top. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Typical lawyerese. "A significant difference" that isn't always true and might not matter at all. ;) |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12758
Location: Boise, Idaho | I can't help it. I knew if I didn't qualify my statements, you guys would jump on me with examples of solid top Korean Ovations or "better" sounding laminate tops. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 1017
Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I was very pleased with the CC026 I got for my son for Christmas. The sound was full and rich, not at all tinny. The neck was very easy to manage, especially after Robbie tweaked it for me. Some of my fellow pickers from church tried it out, and couldn't get over how easy it was to play. (That seems to be a fairly universal reaction whenver someone plays one of mine.) If I hadn't already had a full stable of my own, I seriously would have thought about keeping it.
--Karen |
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"A" Bracing Vs. "X" Bracing
