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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | If I buy a new O I know I will be getting the latest electronics. If I decide to buy a used guitar, what would be the oldest model year I should concider? I am sure there have been improvements over the years. Is there a certain year where the electronics took a big leap forward?
Thanks, Brad |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | very subjective.
I like the op24 and op 24+ and the optima.
the op series that are moduler are not too different.
many like the old 2 knob or stck pots from the ealry days. they work well but are obviously limited. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | As I've written in previous posts, I would not let the type of electronics dictate my choice of guitar. This can always be upgraded. It's like wheels on a car. Don't buy a car just because you like the chrome wheels. Buy the car you really like and add your own chrome wheels later. Some electronic upgrades are simple (plug and play pre-amps) others are more invasive (like adding pu and pamp to an acoustic only guitar. But anything is possible, as long as you are willing to make the investment to do it. How old of an Ovation should you go? I would not go any earlier than 1966 for obvious reasons.
Dave
PS - I do particularly like the Optima preamp. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 2177
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Hey Dave,
What's wrong with the models earlier than '66??.......something I should know about? :D (I'm always the last to know about somthing that should be obvious!! :eek: )
. . . .
Mike :cool: (I got a great deal on a 1963 Ovation xylophone!!) |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I aggree with Dave, I've said this on several occasions but it's worth repeating:- The Electronics don't matter. The original Ovation pickup is the best there is, bar none. The pickup is the crucial link in the chain, regardless of how sophisticated the preamp may be. As the preamps have developed they've acquired more bells & whistles, such as tuners & feedback notch filters which are very useful & welcome features, but all of the Ovation pre's right from the earliest, do what they're suposed to do, which is impedance matching. Anything else can be done at least as well by external processing.
Having said that, I have used an Ovation Mandolin with an Op24 for years and recently changed to a 30th aninversary Mando with an Op24+. I prefer the sound of the Op24. It's pretty subtle & probably no one else would notice but the earlier pre has more guts. They sound a lot more alike unplugged. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Thanks everyone for the "ahem"....input on the electronics. I sounds like it should not be a factor.
Brad |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The 1964 Deluxe Balladeer Mo Paul model is the most highly sought after, both for it's acoustics and electronics. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | There was a thread about this awhile back, but I too like the sound of the older pre-amps. It's not that they were better or worse or anything like that, but the newer ones specs are overkill. You can search for the thread, but as I recall the frequency response of the new pre-amps cover the range way above and below that of a guitar and most of it's harmonics. SO although an excellent pre-amp on paper, it amplifies things that are just not normally heard from an "unplugged" guitar.
I think the older pre-amps just translated the guitar (what the pickup hears) a little smoother without "enhancing" what we normally can't hear anyway. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The OP-24 was the best one |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Hey Miles, your email dosen't seem to be working. Tried to send you a note.
Wayne |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 651
Location: Australia | I like the Optima best.
Sounds great, easy to use and the tuner is very handy.
My 96' Custom Legend has one, the 1687 Adamas I special ordered has one and the 1688 Adamas 12 string I'm thinking of ordering will also have one.
....it is still avaliable.....isn't it ? |
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Evolution of electronics
