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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I currently own a medium bowl Adamas and believe it feels good and is easy to play. I'v wanted to bid on several Deep Bowls but have, so far, held off because of concerns about the deep bowls being to big and uncomfortable to really play. For example, when I looked at the profile view of the guitar in the attached link, I felt it would be like holding a bath tub!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2566658179&category=47064
Would appreciate comments from members that own both. Thanks.
Jim |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | "Big"? yeah, maybe.
"Uncomfortable"? I don't think so.
I just recently went in the other direction going from playing deep bowls for 27 years to a recent shallow bowl. That shallow bowl feels like I'm playing an electric.
I'm not sure of the difference between mid to deep, but I don't think it'll be something you won't be able to get used to (my opinion). |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I've played almost exclusively deep bowls and never had a problem. They feel just fine. I've got one medium depth bowl (Country Artist), and it's not that different.
Having said that, the mid depth bowls came about in 1969-70 at the request of Glen Campbell who wanted a slightly shallower bowl because he said it was easier on you back when you play using a strap.
There's a lot of personal preference in bowl size. But I wouldn't let the difference in mid and deep bowls stop you from getting a guitar. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | I have never found a deep bowl Ovation uncomfortable to play. In fact I just got my first mid bowl, and it at first felt a little strage to me when I played it standing up. One thing I have always liked about Ovations is that I could tilt is slightly towards me when standing up. I like the deep bowl for this. I can angle it just like I want it. If you saw Kaki King the other night on Conan O Brien, you saw how she tilts the guitar towards her. I think her style of playing would be difficult on another make of guitar. I have always played deep bowls, and I find them very comfortable to play. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | There are several bowl depths (Supershallow, Artist, Mid, and Deep). Also, the older style Adamas added a little bit more depth because of the way the top binding attaches. That being said, I don't notice much difference in feel between deep and mid depth. Let's face it, probably our waist lines vary more over time than the difference between the two bowl depths. The Artist bowl (some call it shallow) does seem noticably smaller to me and the super shallow to me does not even feel like an acoustic guitar. If you are comfortable playing your mid depth, then I would not hesitate to get a deep. You will not feel much difference. And it will be the best sounding bathtub you've ever heard. Dave
Jim - Also note that the guitar side view picture is sitting on a pretty good angle which makes the bowl look way out of proportion. If I held up a mid and a deep bowl from 10 feet away you would not be able to tell the difference. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Thanks everyone. I'll look forward to buying a deep bowl and working on my waistline to make room for it. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | Jim,
This is the link to the Ovation Model Spec's... it shows very clearly the depth differences... (1/2" between mid & deep)
http://www.ovationguitars.com/?fa=catspecs
tim |
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Joined:
October 2002
Posts: 153
Location: Huntington Beach, CA | The deeper the bowl, the better the sound... acoustically. Also, deep bowls produce more feedback wehen played electronically. I think the mid-bowl is the optimal size. It's deep enough to produce quality acoustic sound with a more manageable degree of feedback. I'd rather play a deep bowl for pure acoustic situations and, plugged-in, I prefer super-shallow which I can control several different ways including through on-board controls.
I play mostly acoustic these days and ended up buying a mid-bowl model. Deep bowls are special order unless you buy used. I'd rather have bought the deep bowl but the mids are in every shop in town and I'm impatient (or maybe I'm an "in-patient" in which case you can disregard all of the above).
Shop based on your needs and always make the final decision on how a particular guitar sounds as they all sound a little different.
Good luck. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Only a 1/2 inch.....God that sounds dirty!!! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "The deeper the bowl, the better the sound."
I just have to laugh everytime I see or hear this statement. I will agree that on many Ovations, the deeper the bowl, the deeper the sound. However, many of us have witnessed shallow-bowls that are deep sounding and deep bowls that because of the top most likely aren't that deep sounding too. And the thought that "deeper" equals "better" maybe a rule for some things in life, but guitar sound is not one of them. You want deep sound, play a bass or at least a Baritone.
My personal experience with EQ'ing live sound also dictates that there is more likelyhood of a shallow body inducing feedback. On deeper sounding guitars I generally use a low shelf to keep it from competing with Bass and Kick drums. It's harder to pull the high-end off any acoustic guitar as unless it's an Ovation the high-end isn't projecting that well in the first place.
In reality, if the soundman knows what he's doing, there is no reason for feedback. Most engineers don't know what to do with an Acoustic guitar on stage anyway, and of the few that really do, only a handful of those understand what to do with an Ovation onstage. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I aggree with Miles, there's way too many variables to generalise about specific aspects of acoustic guitar construction & how they influence the sound of the instrument. Playing in your living room for personal pleasure is one thing, making instuments work in a professional situation is completely different. In a live situation a smaller body cavity will tend to feedback slightly later than a larger one, but a competent engineer with the right equipment should be able to deal with problems regardless of the size of the guitar. When recording the last thing you want in an acoustic guitar which has to sit in a mix with kick-drum & bass guitar is too much low-end response.
Bowl depth is a minor issue. I own examples of all except the Super-shallow, which I neither like or have a use for. The old "Artist" bowl depth works just fine. I can perceive a slight difference between the mid & deep bowls but I like the sound of both & have no real preference, and I've never had a problem holding any Ovation regardless of bowl depth.
If body size is so important, why do most Gibson J200's have absolutely zero bass response, & why is the biggest-sounding guitar I've ever played a tiny Martin 2-17? |
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Joined:
October 2002
Posts: 178
Location: New York, NY | I prefer the mid-depth bowl. I figure that way I'll at least be half-right no matter what! ;) |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I had previously owned a super shallow bowl Balladeer and didn't like it at all. It kept slipping out of my lap. It didn't seem to sound nearly as good as my mid depth Adamas but that probably has a lot to do with the model guitar.
So I'll stick with the mid to deep bowls and leave all those shallow bowls for someone else.
Jim |
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Playing a Deep Bowl vs a Medium Bowl
