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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 69
Location: UK | Having bought and been very satisfied with an Elite Special a few months back, I'd like to buy another Ovation. It sounds very spoilt of me but I like to keep one guitar in normal tuning and one in open. I think I'll use the Elite Special for open tunings and buy another Ovation for normal tunings.
I'm fortunate enought to live close to a major retailer in London and I've spent some time playing the Adamas SMT, CVT and the new Collectors 2003.
I thought I'd be knocked out by the Adamas but, I don't know, they just didn't do it for me. I was a bit disappointed for some reason and I plan to go back and try them again in case my hearing just wasn't working, or something. On the other hand I thought the Collectors 2003 was very good indeed - equally as good as a high end Martin and a heck of a lot easier to play. I suspect it is down to the quality of the soundboard, in this case Sitka Spruce.
Anyway, there is a point to this post and what I wanted to ask the forum is their view on the difference in quality between say, the top end Ovations, e.g. Custom Legend vs Adamas SMT/CVT. Has anyone made a decision between the two and if so, what was your reason for choosing either model.
TIA for any views and apologies if I am asking a question which has been asked before.
Cheers
Louis |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Louis
The boutique carbon fiber guitar playing crowd will tell you that the Adamas is the best sounding. I like the Adamas guitar myself and find it quite pleasing BUT I will admit that it is a different sounding guitar from many wood top guitars.
I love my Adamas guitars but I also LOVE my 2001 collector's redwood top guitar. To me that guitar sounds fantastic and has a distinctive "woody" tone to it. Is one better than the other...no just different.
Unfortunately it all comes back to "let your own ears decide" |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Get the store to put on a set of new strings & try again. There are other factors to consider with carbon fibre guitars as well as sound. The Adamas top is stronger & more stable than wood. There is no chance of damage due to climate & humidity. The Adamas sounds different to a wood topped Ovation, whether you prefer that sound is a question of taste. There seems to be more variation in tone from sample to sample of the same model with wood-tops, and some will sound better than others. The Adamas is more consistent in that respect. I own a couple of Adamas & several regular Ovations, of those the SMT is my main guitar for live work because it's the best for that job, that may change when my wood-topped custom order arrives. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 147
| The solution to your dilemma is simple. Get one of each. Although this may sound like a factious answer I can assure you that it is not. Buy, or accept the idea that sooner or later you will likely buy another guitar and the decision will become easier. I find that keeping a card in my wallet that says; “I swear that I will not buy more than____(fill in the number) in my lifetime and that I will own no more than____(fill in the number) guitars at the same time.” helps me. I suggest filling in the blanks with a pencil. If it’s any help, I think that a pole of the experts on this board would give a thumps up to either the CTV or Custom Legend and most that own them consider them to be keepers.
Mike |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I kinda agree with the previous, you might want a woody sounding guitar for setting around the house and doing some acoustic pickin' for your own pleasure, maybe late at night or at other private times. Then there is the public playing where you might want to be heard, and therefore, plugging in is required, and you want an acoustic sound. Ovations can do both in the higher end models.
Bailey |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | Louis,
Your question will get as many different answers as there are members on this board! My personnal pecking order will have no value to you, but for the sake of some good arguments here it is. In order of my favorite sounding types of guitars (all of which I have at one time or currently do own):
1. Early deep shiny bowl acoustics.
2. First generation Adamas.
3. Second generation deep bowl non-cutaways.
4. Recent generation Adamas.
In my personal opinion, a deep bowl Custom Legend or a Folklore Deluxe would be a great sounding compliment to your Elite.
Dave |
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High end Ovation vs Adamas
