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Solid Body Rant

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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2004-01-05 12:21 AM (#197886)
Subject: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7209

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
I've been updating my Solidbody and Storm Series Collection pages all weekend, and I just need to let off some steam. For a company that "couldn't sell solidbody guitars" they sure made a lot of them. Over 30 production models, and a few other hard to classify models like the Bluebirds and PF-22's.

We don't need to go down the "why not?" road, but these are some of the most amazing, well designed state-of-the-art, way ahead of their time designed guitars on the planet. There is more technology in the neck pickup of a Magnum Bass then in an entire Fender Bass line. There are more variations and ranges of tone in a Thunderhead than an ES-335 can dream about. There is more range and flexibility in the Breadwinner preamp than anyone at EMG can fantasize about. You'd have to somehow take a Parker and a Beam, squish them together, and after you hotrod the pickups, you STILL would have to knock off a few pounds weight to get to a UKII.

Well I have more scanning, coding and double-checking of facts, but if anyone is interested in the new format, I have a TON more information than before and it's much better organized. I'm still hassling with some design issues, but there is just a LOT of data.

Feel free to stop by the Ovation Solidbody and Storm Series Collection and Museum
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Bailey
Posted 2004-01-05 2:38 AM (#197887 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005

Location: Las Cruces, NM
Miles

It's a dirty job, and somebody has to do it. You are absolutely right and the only good thing about it is we can buy these wonders for prices that even I, a low income senior citizen, can afford. It is the Hell and Heaven of Ovation solid bodies. Hell is their lack of recognition, Heaven their cheap prices. Stock up everyone, someday Hell will be overcome and we'll all be rich.

Thanks to Miles.

Bailey
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2004-01-05 5:30 AM (#197888 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750

Location: Scotland
And just when you thought you'd seen them all........

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2370943365&category=2384

This is very sexy. No headstock logo, and the seller is in Ct, so maybe this was an employee-built guitar.
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peterbright
Posted 2004-01-05 7:01 AM (#197889 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 420

Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida
Looks fantastic. What do you think of the price?
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alpep
Posted 2004-01-05 7:48 AM (#197890 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581

Location: NJ
sorry I thought this was a thread about the use of ephedra.
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2004-01-05 8:34 AM (#197891 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750

Location: Scotland
I think the price for a guitar as unique as this, made from highly-figured wood, in such great condition is an absolute steal. If I wasn't already committed to paying for at least 3 Ovations in the next 3 months this sucker would be mine.
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2004-01-05 9:11 AM (#197892 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15651

Location: SoCal
Paul, I know what you mean. There may be two new Ovations in my stable this year and I couldn't justify this guitar. But if I could buy it, I'd put the Preacher Deluxe neck that's on my Viper, on it and it would be perfect.
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moody, p.i.
Posted 2004-01-05 9:13 AM (#197893 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15651

Location: SoCal
Hey Miles:

Looking at you Thead info, I think that the pickups were single coil (at least I think that's what Bill said about a year and a half ago.

The improvements you made look great.
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Slipkid
Posted 2004-01-05 2:23 PM (#197894 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant



Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301

Location: south east Michigan
That is quite a site you have going. Lots of work.
I cannot find a model number on my Breadwinner anywhere. Availible info says I should find a paper tag with red numbers. The only number is stamped in the chrome plate (#906).
Brad
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.
Posted 2004-01-05 3:20 PM (#197895 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 10

Location: .
I am a solid body owner also I just bought my first Ovation a 12 String 1975 Deacon you can check it out on my home page I paid $500 for it

http://bfraid.homestead.com/manland3.html
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.
Posted 2004-01-05 3:21 PM (#197896 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 10

Location: .
I am a solid body owner also I just bought my first Ovation a 12 String 1975 Deacon you can check it out on my home page I paid $500 for it

http://bfraid.homestead.com/manland3.html

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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2004-01-05 3:36 PM (#197897 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7209

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
I thought the Tornado's were single coil and the Thunderhead Humbuckers but acording to several different spec sheets, they all say humbucking and also info I have from DeArmond sais Humbucking. I wonder is there is a way to look at it, or test it and tell. I have a few dead ones to work with I think.
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2004-01-05 6:06 PM (#197898 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750

Location: Scotland
Miles, the T-Head pickups are basically the same DeArmond single coils as used on early Gretsch guitars, which have become known as "2K" pickups. They are without doubt, single coils. The Tornado pickups, which appear to be humbuckers & may well be, sound to me like single coils. They're pretty noisy, which reinforces that assumption, but I haven't been inside one so I can't be sure. As you know, the early Breadwiner/Deacon pickups also appeared to be humbuckers, but were in fact single coils.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2004-01-06 12:29 AM (#197899 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7209

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Thanks Paul, I agree about the Thunderhead pickups being single-coil. I don't find the Tornado pickups to be all that noisey, I kindof like them and I believe they are indeed thumbsuckers as someone calls them. But who knows from batch to batch in those days.

If anyone sees any other blatent errors please let me know. I'd hate to think I did all this work and had mistakes. I was basically copying info from several sources at once and even made a few trips to the studio to pull out the real deal.

I did get one clarification, for those that may be interested. I was mistaken, there never was a regular 12-string Viper in production. What is funny is that several years ago I put a "timeline" together using all of the price sheets I have. I must have typoed in a Viper 12 and later when I saw it on "the list," went on a mission to find one, and did. How's that for an if you can dream it attitude. Anyway, I don't recall where I got this one, but it's either a factory custom, or a very good luthier did it. The neck cavity is of course wider to accomodate the 12 string neck, and it has not been re-finished, so I guess I move this from the "Production" pile to the "Rare" pile.
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Bluebird
Posted 2004-01-07 3:48 PM (#197900 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant



Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
I just had to pull the trigger on the cool Custom Viper III after the seller dropped the "Buy-It-Now" to $600. It it will be a nice addition to the Ovation Wall in the office, next to it's blue feathered brethren.
Another reason is that I had a hankering for some strattish type of tones and suspect this three pickup single coil guitar will be the ticket.

For those on the board that have Viper III's, just how well do these guitars emulate Leo's favourite creation?

Also, does anyone have any idea what the body wood on this guitar may be? It could be a stained maple (most of the production guitars were maple) but doesn't look like it.

Wayne

Custom Viper III
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Paul Templeman
Posted 2004-01-07 4:30 PM (#197901 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750

Location: Scotland
Wayne, the body looks like stained maple, though I've seen similar figuring to the back in mahogany. The flame in the maple neck is stunning. You lucky dog.

The Viper 111 sounds exactly like a standard Viper with the addition of the Stratty tones provided by the middle P/U. It does a pretty convincing Strat impersonation, but can never be identical due to the 2-octave neck, which completely changes the position & spacing of the pickups. To me Vipers sound like a good Tele with a little more balls, the middle pick-up of the 111 adds a Strat flavour. The Viper switching allows a couple of tones that a Strat can't do without modification, which is bridge & neck together & all 3 on together. All 3 on is a great clean rhythm tone.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2004-01-07 10:36 PM (#197902 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7209

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
I concur with PT. and also add that with the right AMP the hotter viper pickups can produce an almost humbucker tone. I compare the Viper to Hot-Rodded strat or tele with lets say those hot Seymour Duncan replacement pickups. I never liked the 3-switch configuration. I like the extra tones you can get, but the look and the bit of finger contortions to switch quickly never quite suited my style. I would have preferred a knife switch with a secondary toggle to bring the other pickup online. This would ressemble the switching normally found on a Strat with 1 humbucker and 2 singles. But that's just personal taste.
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Bluebird
Posted 2004-01-08 8:03 AM (#197903 - in reply to #197886)
Subject: Re: Solid Body Rant



Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Paul, Miles. Thanks for the info, very informative as usual! I figured the 24 fret neck would change some things as far as being a true 'Stratovation'.

I'll post some pics and any additional info when I get it.

Wayne
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