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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Has anybody ever done an objective head-to-dead comparison of the Ovation EA68 versus the Tatylor T-5? |
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Location: Scotland | I don't see the point, they are really 2 completely different concepts. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | My thinking is that they are both thin hollow-bodied guitars from companies known to produce excellent electric/acoustic models, and both are advertised to bridge the gap between electric/acoustics and all electrics. Their list prices are also relatively close so I am also assuming they are competing for similar customers. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | The T-5 is much more like a semi-hollow archtop electric. The EA-68 (I have) plays more like a shallow ovation acoustic, with an electric-style preamp and acoustic pickup. The Viper really is unlike anything else you've played before, but still plays as good as any other O I've tried.
The T-5 is REALLY nice, but has its own set of uses separate from the Viper. I guess you could use both the same, but I'd be more inclined to see the T-5 as a jazz or blues-type guitar, where the EA-68 does more from acoustic to rock.
Of course with the right amp (and someone who knows how to play...). |
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Location: NJ | I'd be more inclined to compare a T-5 to a Hamer DuoTone . . . |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | So, EH, the T-5 might be competing more with, say, a Gibson ES archtop? |
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Location: Tennessee | I agree ... two different beasts at this point. Now, if Ovation was able to put a mini-humbucker in the neck position and upgrade the electronics, then it would be even more special and compete very effectively with the T-5. But then it would be encroaching on DuoTone territory. But the way my Viper is now, it really doesn't do electric guitar very well ... either that or I'm just hopeless when it comes to dialing in tone. |
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Location: SE Michigan | I never tried a EA68, but I kind of ruled it out when I was looking because of the piezo pickup.
I own a T5 standard spruce. It has 2 humbuckings and a body sensor. It does electric guitar very very well, as good as any ES335 or Les Paul that I have sampled. And it does a passable acoustic, not as good as a true acoustic, but you can plug it straight into a PA or clean amp channel and get a decent acoustic sound, and even better yet no piezo quack. It is also light and well balanced and feels more like an acoustic guitar than many other electrics. The more I play it and try different things with it the more I like it. I do wish it came with pick guard on it.
Id like to see Ovation put a magnetic pickup or even a mic-blend preamp on one of their guitars. I am a fairly agressive-percussive player and I am getting tired of all the piezo noise from the standard Ovation pickups. |
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Location: south of munich, Germany | Hi Brian, or anybody else...
have you ever compared the T5 to a Godin Flat Five X?
thanks for any comments...
Tobias |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Prof,
Sort of...though the traditional archtop w/humbuckers is much more gutsy of a sound. It's more of a "one-size-fits-all" version of a blended acoustic and electric. If you only could use one guitar on stage and needed both, it would work well. If they put HB's in the Viper, it would be a lot closer. As it is, it's more of an easy-playing heavy acoustic/lite electric blend. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Next project will be a Mahogany Viper with the LR Baggs Piezo Tune-o-matic bridge and a Twin Blade HB routed out separately.
We'll see what happens... |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Sounds fun, Mike. Are you now up to four projects at the same time? |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
But the way my Viper is now, it really doesn't do electric guitar very well It's not supposed to do electric guitar. That's why it's pointless comparing it to the T5. The T5 is designed to produce convincing electric guitar sounds and convincing acoustic sounds, which is why it has both piezo and magnetic pickups. The Viper is designed to sound like an acoustic guitar at volume. The chambered semi-solid body means your ears will bleed before it produces feedback.
There are rumours of a new Viper model. Lets wait and see if the T-5 gets it's ass kicked. |
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Location: NJ | now if only someone thought of putting a single coil and a HB in a viper????? |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Thanks, Paul. That makes sense. It is odd that the T-5 is marketed in the acoustic room with its acoustic brothers instead of out with the real electrics. A Viper with a single coil and a HB? Yummy. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | A new viper? Hope those rumors are true. |
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Location: Toronto | I think I'm starting to understand the Viper. So according to Paul, it's design is to be an acoustic at volume. I get that, but can you get any kind of electric crunch out of it as well? For example, could I use the Viper to play something like Bad Company's Shooting Star, where you may want straight acoustic for the verses, but flip over to more of an electric sound for the chorus? I can do this kind of thing with my Variax - but it requires me to use the bridge switch and a foot pedal simultaneously - which is far too much to ask of my simple, single threaded brain!
Dano |
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Location: NJ | ". . . now if only someone thought of putting a single coil and a HB in a viper????? . . ."
Al;
A guitar like THAT would just be . . . well, . . . "wrong"!
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Location: Upper Left USA | "Sounds fun, Mike. Are you now up to four projects at the same time?"
Tomorrow I go to Yelm to un-install a gas stove and bring it home to install it. Saturday is go to Canby OR and pick up a 6' Soaking tub before heading to GH's. I actually finished the Transom window at home this week. As far as guitars go there is the Mahogany Viper, a possible Waskel We-finish and the never-ending bottom feeding of Ebay for parts. I need to drop in on Miles as soon as I can and help him clean his garage out! :D
Back on topic question: If I added a single coil to a Viper which Pup would be "the one"? |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | When you drop in on Miles, find a red neck for an Ultra GS. I've been trying to get one for a friend of mine, but we keep falling apart in mid-transaction. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | You can't find a single red neck in in all of Idaho???
Try the swap meet at a Drive-In!
I'll git-er-done fer ya. |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | I have experimented with crunchy distortion on an EA68, and it worked.... but it doesn't sound like an electric guitar. That is probably because it isn't.
The comparison in question here is better one with a Hamer Duotone, or one of the Godins with Piezo. I happen to think the acoustic sound on the better Parkers is excellent.... but solidbodies are an even different comparison, I think. |
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Location: Orange County, California | Originally posted by cwk2:
A new viper? Hope those rumors are true. All I heard was "Youz didn't see nothin' unless youz wants to take a little nap wit da fishes out in the creek" :D :p :D :p |
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Location: NJ | I Know Something - I Won't Tell!! - I Know Something - I Won't Tell!! - I Know Something - I Won't Tell!! - I Know Somehing - I Won't Tell!! . . . . |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | There's already photos of the new Viper prototype on the Martin board ...
made ya look, made ya look, now Martin has your IP address and you'll get all kinds of Ovation hate mail. Na na na na na ...
Dave |
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Viper EA68 vs. Taylor T-5
