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September 2003
Posts: 53
| I was just stumbling around the internet when i came accros these cheap imitations. I have to say they dont look very geed and only at £150ish they seem to be trying to make some money off of ovation. Are htese cheap imitations allowed?
http://www.wesleyguitars.co.uk/
go to the electro acoustic section |
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November 2002
Posts: 3599
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Pretty close copies, I see. At $282.00USD, they are selling cheaper than Korean Celebrity models.
I'm no expert on copyright infringement, but I surmise the legal section at The Mothership is humming pretty good right now. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | These guys are a few miles down the road from me. Looks like they're importing direct & in sufficient quantity to have generic Korean or Chinese guitars badged with their own logo. They're cheap because they're selling direct to the public without a distributor's or dealer's mark-up. The same guitars are available under numerous brand names. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | When I was in Korea at the musical instrument market place in Soeul, I saw roundbacks that were alleged to be from the same factory that made them for Kaman. They were not allowed to use the Ovation name (or Celeb etc..) but they even had the Ovation headstock.
Unfortunately, there is not much one can do as our laws don't apply. Their government was cracking down on the "brand labels" for purses and other leather goods, but still, at the vendor markets if you want a Prada or Gucci purse, it will have a genuine label in it. You can even get Made In USA labels on just about anything too if you ask the right people. Some of the more honest vendors will sell you the item and give you the label separately. In most cases the item is NOT a knock-off. It's the items that are made for these companies with the fancy names, they just do over-runs and sell locally. |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The fingerboards on these things are identical to some Celebs, they may well be from the same source. If you have the contacts and the money to fill a 40ft container or 2 you can ask just about any Chinese or Korean factory to put any name you want on their generic production. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3599
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | OK, Paul, so are you saying these guys "down the street" are selling "unbranded" Korean Ovations? Because, for all intent & purpose, those guitars look like the Celebrity Deluxe models. I'm not "jumping ship", I assure you, but it is an interesting aspect of world trade and free enterprise.
Chris.....waiting patiently for my 1127 to be done (not much tooth enamel left, guys!) |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Here is another one - "Jay Turser acoustic electric guitar with a beautiful mahogany flame top and the comfortable Ovation style black resin body. Bound mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard and pearl markers. Bound body with Ovation-style rosette and rosewood bridge."
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2572681070 |
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November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | I have a friend that just bought one of these for the lead singer in his country band. He said it was thinner than the Ovation, less expensive, and they thought it sounded better. I'e been trying to sell them on an Ovations for months. The singer has gained some weight over the years and every Ovation they looked at "didn't fit her belly". I had suggested they look at super shallow Ovations and when they went looking one weekend, they ended up with one of these. Oh well, I guess we can't win 'em all. |
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February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | I think Paul is right about the brand. I came across this one several times on french and german sites with different names. BTW did anyone notice one soundhole (14 instead of 15) is missing and the epaulets are too big?.
http://cgi.ebay.nl/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2570744009&category=621
The brand name is 'clarity', but the epaulets and everything are the same as the 'wesley'.
Clarity is clearly an attempt to create confusion with Celebrity.
Martin |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Willard
sometimes when you are shopping price your ears convince your wallet that it sounds better even if it does not |
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July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Minimum bid is $36?.....I would guess that would pass for a cheap xmas gift?.....maybe?....how much materials and labor could there possibly be in this instrument?.... |
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February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | Probably hours of work by little Pakistani/Indonesian children. Another reason not to buy these things.
Martin |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | It's a myth that Chinese & Korean guitar factories are sweat shops employing child labour. While they may not have the sophistication of USA factories any guitar production line needs to be highly organised & have skilled or at least well-trained labour. The economies of these countries means that wages are much lower than in the west, and while some may see that as exlpoitative the wages paid in those factories are equivalent to similarly skilled jobs in other industries in those countries. The guitars are cheap (and sometimes poor quality) because Western distributors stipulate the price-point at which they are to be sold. There are Japanese guitars which rival the quality of USA instruments but they cost about the same. The Koreans are capable of making very fine instruments, but because we expect Korean instruments to be "cheap" we never get to see the good stuff. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "The guitars are cheap (and sometimes poor quality) because Western distributors stipulate the price-point at which they are to be sold. There are Japanese guitars which rival the quality of USA instruments but they cost about the same. The Koreans are capable of making very fine instruments, but because we expect Korean instruments to be "cheap" we never get to see the good stuff."
This is so true at least in Korea (and I would expect Japan too.) Both countries have unbelieveable high-tech available, and I saw many outstanding guitars and other things in Korea. You won't find any Korean musicians playing any of what we call "import Korean guitars," they play the good stuff. |
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February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | Paul,
I edited my post. Didn't mean to offend people. It's just that sometimes we want everything a bit too cheap.
Sometimes I'm suspicious of too low a price for too good a product.
BTW My tennis shoes were made in indonesia, so I guess that makes me what?
Martin |
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February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | REF: Paul Templeman's post: Ovation 'experimented' with Japanese made guitars in the early '90's with the original Pinnacle series. These are very nice guitars, but they cost what a USA Balladeer cost. I suspect that is one of the reasons Ovation quit producing them. |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Another Ovation knock-off for your viewing pleasure--the Indiana Guitar Company's "Shannondale" model. It has a shallow-bowl plastic back.
http://www.shsaudio.com/shannondale.htm
A local shop carries these. The acoustic sound quality is very uneven, although I have tried a couple that were decent. Haven't tried one plugged in. |
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February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | Funny that a brand that is 'not so popular' has so many replica's, clones, imitations and rip-offs!
Martin |
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November 2003
Posts: 14
Location: Indiana | If interested, you can also check out Dillionguitars.com.
I own one (a DC360) because I was trying to own the Ovation sound for less $$. I do like the guitar and think it's a decent Korean-made instrument.
They have a couple models that have more of a round back and try to copy the Ovation look.
Breeze :eek:
soon-to-be Ovation owner |
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check out these CHEAP imitations!!!!
