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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | ultra namm spiel |
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Location: south east Michigan | Looks like a winner.
I look forward to playing one. |
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Location: Wooster, Ohio | Remember the discussion of how long it would take to take the contour bowl to the Korean models. That discussion is over.
Steve |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | It makes sense to me too, because tacoma did something similar with their electric olympia papoose (and mine came out great). I'd have to take a serious look at it.
Ovation, Kam sa ahm ni da! |
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Location: Australia | I wonder how popular the contour is compared to the standard bowl ?
Looks like a great guitar. Does it also come with a standard bowl ? |
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Location: south east Michigan | I betcha not.
1) It seems like the Ultra is all about hitting the right "price point". I think that would mean few, if any options.
2) There might come a time when the "old" style bowl is a custom order. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | hard guitar to ignore at 800 new. I think this will do battle with the "T" series. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think this guitar will be an absolute winner. Should sell really well. I'm just a little befuddled by the marketing and what it really is vs. a balladeer. It's priced below the balladeer but it's got features better than the balladeer. So why would anyone buy a balladeer ??? Ovation seems to do this a lot - introduce a model to prey upon other models. If it was up to me I would have called THIS guitar a balladeer.
Dave |
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Location: NJ | I'm just trying to comprehend the extent of WHAT's done overseas . . .
Dave, while I understand what you're "saying", my feelings are that the Balladeer is a US-made model, and should remain as such. |
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Location: SoCal | Figure a street price of about $600. This guitar ought to sell like hotcakes. I agree with Dave. They should have called this guitar the Baladeer. If I were buying my first Ovation, I'd seriously look at this one.
But there's a snob in me that doesn't like the Korean connection..... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Calling this guitar the Balladeer would completely obscure any line (no matter how hazy it already is) between US Line and Offshore lines.. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I don't think this is aimed at one model "preying" on another. To me, it's Ovation keeping control of production and scaring away competitors and filling a price point niche.
They felt a need to fill that $600 niche. It'd be a good place to park between your upgrade from celebrity to a fully usa model. I'd only be disappointed if they started to discontinue usa models for these usa/korean models, but I haven't heard anyone say that. To me its sensible for ovation and the consumer.
Start with your applause, move on to the celebrity, try your ultra, then to usa ovation, and then adamas. |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | "Start with your applause, move on to the celebrity, try your ultra, then to usa ovation, and then adamas."
Chances are, in my opinion, not everyone will go beyond the USA Ovation. I went from a USA Ovation, to an Applause, and then back to the USA Ovation ... it seems like a roller coaster ride, but that's more enough for me. I'm pretty content with having only one CL, and I believe that it'll stay that way for a very long time.
That ULTRA is very nice, and a good "hybrid" between the USA and Korean models. I had owned several Korean-made guitars, and if you're cautious about what you're shopping for, their quality and craftsmanship are second to none. Unfortunately, their sale/resale values are some of the lowest in the market. Someday, they might be at par with products made in neighboring Japan. In this country alone, it's beginning to be a reality in the electronics and automobile markets. For example, I used to remember a time when Samsung used to be found in the bargain aisle in the electronics dept. at K-Mart. Today, their flat screen HDTVs are not only of high quality, but one of the most expensive purchases. LG used to sell cheap desktop PCs under the Goldstar brand ... today, they sell almost everything from TVs to kitchen appliances.
Just my .02 cents ... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by cliff:
Dave, while I understand what you're "saying", my feelings are that the Balladeer is a US-made model, and should remain as such. Balladeer is a "made" in USA model that is more expensive and has downgraded features than the Ultra that is "assembled" in the USA. You tell me, which is gonna sell better? I predict Balladeer numbers will plummet. Those interested in gen-u-wine USA will go the extra hundreds and pay for the Legend which at least has similar features to the Ultra. People interested in the Ultra aren't gonna pay more for a Balladeer just to get cheaper electronics, old design bowl, chinzy rosette, no abalone. Oh yeah, they get know that not only was the guitar assembled in the USA, is was actually BUILT in the USA. Sorry to be a pessimist, but I see death of the Balladeer on the horizon. Mark my words, just as ford has made the 500 the NEW Tarus, in a few years Ovation will christen the Ultra as the NEW Balladeer.
Dave |
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Location: south east Michigan | Agreed... Well with the realm of possibilities.
Here in Motown, I heard a radio interview with marketing experts who suggested that renaming the 500 to Tarus would be a huge error and have a negative effect on the "Tarus" brand name. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I don't think Ovation will crap out like Ford. Or confront what Tech21 is going thru. Tech21 makes a primo "sansamp", costs about 200. Now behringer (a german company) makes a sansamp acoutic di just as good as tech21's, though with housing of plastic. Behringer's costs only 30 and is made in china. Now, if tech21 was smart they would've come up with a quality alternative, made overseas, or a hybrid us/china item. Instead, they have to compete against this, from a start dead in the water. Ovation won't go thru this and make it difficult for others to compete with them. |
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Location: Round Rock, TX | Does this thing have a solid top? If it does, then I'm in the "the Balladeer is dead" camp. If they come out with a multi-soundhole model, that should put the Elite T in ICU. Without a solid top there's still a clear reason to go with the all-USA models. |
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Location: SoCal | It's got a solid top. I'll be curious to try this guitar. I would guess that it will either kill off the Balladeer or become the Balladeer..... |
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Location: NJ | This this thing WOULD make a serious gigging guitar . . . |
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Location: SoCal | That would be my guess.... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I picked it up and played it at NAMM...
... it's a good guitar |
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Location: SoCal | I was wrong on the street price on this. It should be about $900. About the only thing I don't like is the rosewood fingerboard (I'm an ebony or walnut fan). But even at a grand, it's a helluva bargin.... |
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Location: NJ | Originally posted by an4340:
I don't think Ovation will crap out like Ford. Or confront what Tech21 is going thru. Tech21 makes a primo "sansamp", costs about 200. Now behringer (a german company) makes a sansamp acoutic di just as good as tech21's, though with housing of plastic. Behringer's costs only 30 and is made in china. Now, if tech21 was smart they would've come up with a quality alternative, made overseas, or a hybrid us/china item. Instead, they have to compete against this, from a start dead in the water. Ovation won't go thru this and make it difficult for others to compete with them. behringer has done this over and over and over. this year at namm they had EXACT copies of mxr and electro harmonix pedals. I cannot express the contempt I have for this company in words. I will never support them nor use any of their gear unless I have no other alternative. |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by an4340:
Tech21 makes a primo "sansamp", costs about 200. Now behringer (a german company) makes a sansamp acoutic di just as good as tech21's, The Berhringer DI is great for the money, but it's not in the same league as the Acoustic Sansamp. Not even close. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I'm somewhere between Al's and Paul's opinion. I use a lot of Behringer gear, but I do not expect it to be the same as what they supposedly copy. I can't address the new pieces, but I have seen the inside of several of their pieces out of curiosity or to install upgrades, and the "copy" stops at the box. Overall, I can't say they are built like tanks or built like crap. I love their DI, Shark, RTA's, Feedback Destoyers and rack effects, and these pieces are built like tanks. On the other hand, I really like the features and ease of use of their mixers, eq's and gates, but they must be handled with extreme care. They are a hard company to have "brand loyalty" with as some items I wouldn't go to a gig without, and others I install in the studio and hope I never have to move them. |
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Namm Ultra video
