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April 2004
Posts: 234
Location: Phoenix, AZ | I'm just a hacker who likes to play for my own enjoyment. But, I expect to keep this guitar for a long, long time. (I still have my original Deluxe Balladeer purchased new in 1969.) I understand the Elite has "better" materials, what I'm wondering is will a carefully owned and handled Celebrity Deluxe last as long as a carefully owned and handled Elite? In 5-10 years will I have wished I'd bought the Elite instead of the Celebrity Deluxe? |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | First of all welcome! You have come to the right place for opinions and information.
First- an opinion - Celebrities are nice guitars. They use the same bowls, design concepts and electronics that the USA made ones have - but do not have the care and craftsmanship put into them. For new - look into the LX series and get as much as you can afford now. For used - there are many good deals on a variety of models either discussed or through this board.
Most importantly - use the search and archived features of this site to arm yourself with information.
Get a USA Ovation and you will not regret it. But you will not be immune to want another... and another... |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Welcome aboard.
While The Celebrity are pretty nice I would like to recommend trying A USA Made Elite LX. If you want something that will bring years of enjoyment Give one a try! The Craftmanship, Materials, and sound of these guitars are outstanding. Plus you can get the LX Models at good price right now.
If you have any questions,..seek out an Ovation Dealer That can answer you. If you Don't have a Dealer nearby You're in Luck, Our Very own Alpep
can help. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | Now my 2 cents worth:
First of all, welcome aboard. Now, forget the Celebrity. As previously stated, the craftsmanship and the quality of the wood are nowhere close to the USA Ovations. I for one am not yet on the LX bandwagon. I would recommend that you check out a Legend or an Elite. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . or an Adamas (even used). |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | The Celebrity is a perfectly good guitar but, as the others have stated, there is no comparison to a USA made model. All USA Ovations have solid tops (in different grades of wood), while the Korean made Celebrity has a laminated top which, while durable, has a much lesser quality of sound. If money is an issue, I would recommend getting an entry level Standard Baladeer which is only about $200.00 more than a Celebrity. Of course, if you can swing the Elite, go for it. Wecome to the board and good luck! Let us know what you get.
John |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | Welcome to the board!
For what it's worth, I've owned a couple of Celebritys, but I've owned a bunch more US made Ovations. In terms of durability, I think the Celebs are pretty solidly built. But, when it comes to sound quality, IMHO, they just don't stack up against their US made counterparts.
Both of the Celebs I owned had laminated tops. I don't know if there is a solid top guitar in the Celebrity line. If so, you might want to look into that. But, I can tell you now you're gonna be hard pressed to find any guitar that sounds as good as your '69 Deluxe Balladeer. I agree with MWoody, if you're looking for new, you might want to look into the LX series.
Jeff |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Welcome to the Club!
My advice is very simple. Check out eBay and buy a USA made model. For less than the price of a new Celeb, you can get an Elite or Legend which is head and shoulders above any Korean Ovation. Right now there are two nice 1768 Elites, with deep bowls, cutaways and equilizers that will probably sell for $400-$450. Ovations are so durable that even a 15 year old model will look and play like new. I agree with the above replys that the LX models are great, but you can get an older elite on eBay for half of what a new LX will cost. That kind of value for the money cannot be beat. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Go with a USA built Ovation over the Korean ones. If you're looking for a bargin, take a look at this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3715039376&category=47064
It could go for as little $500 which would be an incredible bargin, considering materials, tone, quality, etc.
I've got both a 1537 Elite and a 1968 Deluxe Balladeer. Different guitars, different sounds, and I wouldn't part with either. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Wow, Moody!
That certainly IS a bar-GAIN!!
I guess spelling doesn't factor into "admirable qualities" ;) |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Clifford, Clifford, Clifford:
When I was in high school in Houston, getting to a good thing was known as a barg in. I just left out the space. I'm an excellent speler.
Did that sound desparate or what? |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | So dmkozak, what kind of Celibicy are you going to get?
Welcome to the board. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 234
Location: Phoenix, AZ | Originally posted by cwk2:
[QB]So dmkozak, what kind of Celibicy are you going to get? [QB]
Probably whatever kind my wife tells me I'm going to get! |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Spoken like a true OFC'er! |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | Welcome to the board. As you can tell, there is a lot of help here. Some of it is even helpful. :D |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | What it basically boils down to is how much money do you want to spend.
Are the Special/Standard Elites (and Balladeers) upscale to the Celebrity's? Yes. Are the Legends upscale to the Balladeers? Yes. Are the Custom Legends and Adamas upscale... you get the idea. There's always a better model. Look around a bit, take your time. REPEAT - Take your time! Ease into the decision and decide where you want to be in terms of instrument vs price.
Having said all that - It would do the stores much better to properly set up the guitars they are trying to sell. When I was looking... there were playable Celebrities, and unplayable ones. The one Balladeer and Custom Legend I saw were only so-so. That really sux.
Also... places like Guitar (ripoff) Center seperate the case from the instrument, so you may not get the included items like wrench, book, etc etc, even if you buy the case. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | dmkozac
Darn good question, and some darn good answers. I would try to add to the great information you have gotten up to now but my first inclination is to say: RUN LIKE HELL, you are on the verge of catching incurable Guitar Aquisition Syndrome (GAS), a disease that usually leads to a financial demise on the road to hell, paved all the way with Ovationists good intentions, advice and opinions. Again, RUN LIKE HELL.
Bailey :D |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | The problem with this board is that there are so many that seem to ba able to pull it off and (supposedly) still have happy marriages and reletively respectable lives! Don't run - cross over to the dark side!
Go out right now and pick a wall in your house that you can call your own - besides the garage!
Every 26 1/2" place a guitar hanger.
Build it and they will come...
Set it across from the Beanie-Baby Collection if you must :D |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | You're right Woody! You can have a respectable life and a happy marriage for a while. That's because you must not have reached the advanced stages of "Guitar Addiction".
I've seen some sad, heartbreaking cases. Here are sone of the classic symptoms of AGA. (Advanced Guitar Addiction).
1.) You carry a picture of any of your guitars in your wallet.
2.) You have a humidity gauge with an alarm by your bed, so that if the humidity level in your house strays from proper levels, you can get up and turn on the humidifier / de-humidifier.
3.) Your guitar's maintenance records are in better order than your own medical records.
4.)You're guitars have names.
5.)You have considered cutting back on food to save money for a new guitar.
6.) You know every single person in your local music store by name.
7.) When you go into a music store and the salesperson offers you "the usual".
8.) You have considered naming your child "Custom Legend".
9.) You actually think that "thou shalt play guitar" is one of the ten commandments.
10.) You would rather play guitar than discuss your "feelings" with your wife / husband. Now that one is really a joke!
:D |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 12
Location: Atlanta, GA | As the proud owner of a new Celebrity CC057 here is my take on this thread. I had a 21 + year old Epiphone acoustic that was a bear to play. I decided to start playing again after 20 lost years and have always wanted an Ovation as my acoustic guitar. Since I am essentially just a beginner, and had limited funds to spend, I elected to buy the Celebrity CC057. An Ovation Celebrity is better than no Ovation at all.
Of course my goal over the next year or so is to improve my playing and graduate up to the next level of Ovation guitar. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | John B,
1.) You carry a picture of any of your guitars in your wallet.
Does my desktop picture count?
2.) You have a humidity gauge with an alarm by your bed, so that if the humidity level in your house strays from proper levels, you can get up and turn on the humidifier / de-humidifier.
I live in western WA - humidity is constant!
3.) Your guitar's maintenance records are in better order than your own medical records.
Maybe!
4.)You're guitars have names.
No names. Just excamations!
5.)You have considered cutting back on food to save money for a new guitar.
Only eating in restaurants.
7.) When you go into a music store and the salesperson offers you "the usual".
No. They do give me the "You again" look though!
9.) You actually think that "thou shalt play guitar" is one of the ten commandments.
No but I have memorized "Make a joyous noise" and "Let everything that has breath priase the Lord".
10.) You would rather play guitar than discuss your "feelings" with your wife.
This is a trick question, right? |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 181
Location: North Carolina | I have a Celebrity CC026 and an O CE778. I think the fit and finish on my Celebrity is better than I expected. It has a strong bass with the deep bowl. The biggest difference between it and the Custom Elite is the depth and richness of the sound from the Elite. Hard to explain but world's apart in quality. The Elite also has a more solid feel overall and a better feel to the neck. I would unabashedly recommend any USA model with a solid-top over a Korean model.
Franklin |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Anal???? |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Is that a comment or an offer? |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Comment. Definitely a comment. Without a doubt, a comment. Never meant as anything but a comment. Wouldn't think of making it as anything but a comment.
Why? How did you take it? |
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Worth it to buy Elite over a Celebrity?
