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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Hey everyone here is a thought.
We have over 2000 members, many of you have found it difficult to find Ovation usa guitars in the stores.
Why not go to your local dealer and ask the the new LX series? See if that prompts them to order one and have it on display for you to try.
If everyone goes out and hits one store that would be a whole bunch of new places to try these guitars. I know that you get tired of hearing our opinions on them so why not go out and form an opinion of your own?
Go into the stores ask for the LX series and if they don't have one ask them to get one in for you to try. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | anyone try this? |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Nope...but I haven't forgotten. I'll have a chance to do it next Monday.
Brad |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Great Suggestion. Make them order it. Maybe they should get 2 or 3? It's always easier to sell when the customer has to decide which one rather than if he wants to or not. |
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December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I plan on hitting my local dealer tomorrow.
I'll ask about the LX! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | and remember when you ask for the LX tell them aLeX sent you !! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Ok go in the store ask for the LX. If they have no clue tell them to call their ovation rep.
If you want to see an Adamas ask for one. If they have none ask them to order one so you can try it.
IF they give you a song and dance send their address to Kaman and tell them about your experience. I think you this is much more pro active than just talking about and complaing about it.
tell them aLeX sent you. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I was in the city on 48th street on Saturday. Not one of the stores carried an LX, which really surprised me. Most of the Ovations there had severely dead strings, broken eq's, battery covers removed. It was just sad.
The only adamas' I saw were Melissa Etheridge Models (both 12 & 6), one smt 12 string, and a textured top 6 string. The majority of Ovations were Celebrities, an elite here and there.
The whole trip was a let down, and not something I'll do again anytime soon. I asked when they were getting the LX's, and the guy had no clue.
-Johnny |
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December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I thinks Al has the right approach. If they don't have an LX series guitars in, just tell them you have heard so much about them, you're interested, but really want to try one out.
I would really like to see the results of this. Unlike some previous years where you really had to be "connected" to know what was released, this year, they have an updated website, and big promotion/display at NAMM and as I understand it hints on the TV show/interview. It would be interesting to see how long it takes the info to trickle down to the local music store. |
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January 2004
Posts: 16
Location: uconn | I saw the LX stuff on the ovation website and thought it was pretty cool. I asked at a daddies music.. they said they have ordered some, but not recieved yet. I'll let you know when I actually play one. Cool to see ovation doing new stuff |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | SUCCESS!!!
I asked Huber-Breese if they were going to get in any LX. He asked "What's that?". (Oh-Oh...here we go) I rattled off a few features. He said, "Okay, I was just testing to see if YOU knew." He said he had seen them at the show and was going to order some. Then he asked exactly what I was looking for. So.....He is going to order an Elite LX Cherryburst. Just what I want to try.
I guess it does pay to ask!
Brad |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Made a trip to the closest Ovation dealer at lunch today (3 miles from the office). Played a Takamine 2004 Limited Edition , a Martin HD28, an Adamas 597MEWP and a used Ovation Custom Legend (shallow bowl)...then asked about the LX's.
They have been ordered (Ovation rep had been there this week), but it will be 30 - 45 days before they get any. Apparently the reps are pushing them.
Store had 6 Celebrity's, 8 Celelebrity Deluxe's, one Ovation 2003 LTD Edition plus the used CL & Melissa signature edition mentioned above.
PS. The Martin & Takamine were very nice. The CL really doesn't sound as good as my 1778T & the MEWP was not significantly better than it either.
I really want to try an LX. |
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January 2004
Posts: 16
Location: uconn | I got to play an LX at Daddies Music.. IT WAS GREAT!! the store said that ovation just started shipping them, so there was only one in the store. I'm saving for one now!!! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | keep asking for them aLeX guitars!!!!!!!!!! |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Guitar Center - La Mesa/San Diego. No LX, "but I have one coming in." Didn't know which, when, how much. Said "ordered but can't get them in. Check back Dude." Then he went back to hustling a female employee.
No Adamas, Legend, Balladeer, etc., except for a new 1867 on stand in front marked down to $400. Looked clean - a good deal for someone wanting a shallow bowl. Confident that it didn't include case. In the separate room with the upgraded Martins, etc., were about ten Celeb's hung higher than the much higher priced Martins, etc. A little strange. Got my Dunlop 65 and left. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Stopped by a local Ted Brown and saw:
A Balladeer LX
2003 Collector for $1495(???)
4-5 Celebrities
Black Tangent (nice neck)
A quilted maple Super Shallow bowl Celeb that had been there for a very long time.
After tuning 2 of them I asked if they would get some 12 strings in and told them what I thought about the LXs. Not known and oh yeah were the responses. Obviously he was not a member of the OFC. |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | Yesterday, bit the bullet and went to the Guitar Center in Arlington, TX - several Celebrities, a MOB, one Balladeer, one Legend, one Elite 12-string, one Adamas CVT, which I got an employee to get down, put a battery in the preamp, tuned it up and it was s-u-p-e-r nice ($1648). All the Ovations were together, but none in the "high dollar" room.
Asked about the LX models - hadn't heard of them, wasn't sure about getting any in. The young guy was actually helpfull and not disparaging of Ovation's at all. I had him strum it a little so I could hear it on the "listener" side. We talked about what guitars I have, playing in a band, seemed to be a nice guy. I'm sure he would have loved for me to walk out with the CVT.
Left after purchasing a couple of things (tuner, cords), was there for maybe 30 minutes, which was all I could stand on a Saturday afternoon!!!
:rolleyes: |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | OK, I finally found someone in the acoustic room at my local Guitar Center to ask about when they are getting LXs.....
Me: "Hi, when you getting the new Ovation LX models in?"
GC Dude: "What?"
Me: "Ovation showed them at the NAMM show last month...."
GC Dude: "Oh, we won't have them for a couple of months at least, then...it takes that long for them to come in."
Me: "But Elderly has one already."
GC Dude: "Elderly is one of the major acoustic places in the country, they should."
Me: (thinking to myself..."HUH?")
GC Dude: "We have plenty of Celebrities, they sell really well..."
Hello, Huber & Breese. Hello, Elderly. Hello, anywhere but Guitar Center......
Roger
1976 Applause AA14-4 6-String
1981 Ovation 1118-1 Glen Campbell 12-string
2001 Adamas 1598-MERB Melissa Etheridge 12-String
2003 Celebrity CC01 Spruce Top 6-String |
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January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | So...
I've been to two GC's, two SA's, and a few independant shops, nobody knows anything about the LX introduction, OR, they're holding back.
Regardless of the price point - if you're sitting on a boatload of Celebrities, you wanna move 'em. And todays spifs and commissions are made on todays sales.
The real fun is the speculation about the backstory. Its too easy to just say the GC's of this world have their head in the sand. So whats the backstory here?
a. Could be the sales dudes and dudettes have been groomed into their position by management. That is... management may have told them that new models are coming (no suprise after NAMM) and they gotta move the existing stock. Could be they're raising the spiffs to make the point.
b. Could be that the Ovation sales force has oversold Celebrity models to its dealers. This is not unbelievable. It happens, and it happens all the time in retail. You can't do it too often, or too severely... or you really piss off the dealerships.
c. Could be that management and Ovation's sales team are working together to phase in sales. Could be - and I think this is the case - that Ovation is going to go long term with the LX concept across the entire product line, and needs to manage the phase in by keeping new model introduction in "steady Eddy" mode.
d. Could be Ovation has totally underestimated the demand and impact of its product. Now THAT never happens.
Or... it could REALLY be that sales dudes and dudettes are really a bunch of dolts. Nah. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | I did an interesting thing today. Basically there are three major guitar sellers in Phoenix - Guitar Center, Milano's Music, and Guitar & Keyboard City. So today I went into Milano's and asked to be put on their "will call" list to be notified as soon as they get in an LX. The guy looked at me like I was crazy. I told him (a fib) that "Hey, GC and G&KC are taking a waiting list already. These thngs are going to be hot. They said their first allotments are already spoken for." I'm hoping that he called his distributer and asked WTF is an LX and how do I order some. We'll see ...
I also ventured to GC (I had a coupon for a free pair of drumsticks). It was nice to see that they had moved the one SMT and two CL's into the "wood room". Sadly, they looked somewhat out of place.
Dave |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | GC has ordered a large number of LX's. Pretty obvious that once the supply increases, there will be a lot of sales.
With GC, assume once they have inventory there will be more enthusiasm by the sales staff.
Sounds like this will be a very good couple of years for Ovation.
By the way, had one of my facilitators that work with me play the 30th CL Anniv today...went nuts, couldn't get him to leave. Asked for a loan to buy one - may give him more hours of work but not a loan. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | ...well, at least there ARE LX's in the US.
The german distributor for the Netherlands doesn't even mention them on the site, only the 30th anniversary Legend.
But then again, until a few months ago he was still advertising the Optima as the state the art preamp. The site still mentions the 'new OP-30 and 40 preamps'. NO word about the OP-50 or the new preamp in the LX. Well, at the retail prices overhere they can't be much of a priority to the distributor. (SMT retails for € 2800, which, at the current exchange rate, is about $ 3400,-).
Martin |
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June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | Got to play a burgandy Legend LX today at my favorite store. SWEEEEEEEEEET! :) |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 1614
Location: Converse, Texas | What I absolutely LOVED about the LX I played today -- besides the standard "playability" of a Legend -- was the tuner! |
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ask for the new LX
