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Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Well I guess you knew this post was coming. I always seem to celebrate the little victories. Maybe once we reach 500 I will only bore you evey 500 new members LOL.
To say that this mark amazes me is an understatement. I am really glad that you have joined our "club" and post and pick up and exchange information.
I find this message board to be a unique one. There is little flaming and the nonsense that I see on other message boards on the internet. YOU all should be proud of that.
Some of you have wondered outloud if your opinion counts and if you can make a difference. Let me assure you it does and it can. I had several conversations with various people in the Ovation organization at the Namm show and it is an absolute YES that they do read this message board and consider what is said here. (maybe KMC would like to finance the addition I need on my house??? just teasing) The two new guitars offered at the summer Namm show the elite T and the limited edition folklore are in response to those board members that wanted an affordable USA made entry level instrument and an instrument that was more like the original deep bowl acoustic instruments. That is your influence going to work.
I know I keep saying that Miles and I have plans for the OFC and in time they will come. My only request as usual is that you be kind to one another. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Congratulations, Gentlemen! |
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Posts: 150
Location: Minneapolis, MN | Woo hoo!! Congrats Al and company!! Anyone want to go on record as to when we get to 500 members??? |
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March 2002
Posts: 20
Location: WPB, FL | Kudos and accolades are in order for you! It certainly takes a great deal of time and effort to keep this going. Lurkers, such as myself, benefit greatly, and assuredly,appreciate it.
Harold |
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July 2002
Posts: 72
Location: Dallas | My I say Congrats also to the Ovation Fan Club. I found it by tripin' over it on the 5th of July. As I see it - 40 new members came in right behind me in a total of 15 days. I'm going out on a limb and lay odds that we hit 500 by the middle of August. Moving Up - Moving On :cool: |
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Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | "Tripping over it" would be a good way to discribed the way I found it...I know nothing about web site design but is there not some way to make is show up in general internet searches? For example, typing in 'Ovation Deacon' in a search should bring a dozen hits leading to here but it dosen't.
Other than that, it's great, I love it, I check in at least a couple times a day...Paul M P.I., if you happen to 'investigate' up a life out there somewhere, pass it along to me would ya?
Wayne |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Wayne: I think we're both up the creek on that one. Is the high bidder on the truss rod cover you?
I found this website when Ovation still had a link to it. Too bad they still don't. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Al, Miles, a job well done.
To all the rest, also a job well done. Let's keep doin it! There is alot of good information given, and some fun had, and not much of the BS and knob waving that happens else where.
Now I'm off to find a Yugo......... |
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Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Hi Paul, nope, not my bid on the TRC.
Wayne |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Thanks to everyone. I had a feeling that "eventually" this would catch on, but could not have predicted the recent growth levels. I agree that we will probably see 500 by late August, and most likely 1000 by New Years.
I have heard that the expanded FAQ is on it's way. The member gallery will not be far behind that.
As far as search engines go, that just happens (depending on the search engine) by folks using the site, linking to it, and entering it as a search. The important pages are loaded with keywords to attract the bots that comb the web in the wee hours looking for pages to index. I'd say at the new average of 100+ members per month, people are finding us.
Thanks again for all of the support, and kudos to all for creating a little community on the web based on great musical instruments, and respect for each others opinions. |
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July 2002
Posts: 327
Location: Houston, TX | I ran across OFC from Miles' site, which I ran across searching for solidbody information. It's now at the top of my favorite places and I find myself here a couple times a day. Great site, great conversation.
CWK2 - I think we may have a mutual friend in Morganton, NC. Mr Earwood ring a bell? |
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Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Congrats
It's a super site, and I'm addicted. 500 will surely appear shortly, all marching towards a better life for us string music lovers. Already we see some improvements. I'm disappointed however that there was absolutely no mention of a shiny deep roundback, acoustic/electric 12 string banjo at NAMM(slothead-I forgot slothead!). That shows that they aren't listening to us at all.
Bailey
[ July 23, 2002: Message edited by: Bailey ] |
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July 2002
Posts: 72
Location: Dallas | 12 string Banjo? who'd play a monster like that. Only one I know would be Roy Clark. I'd pay to see that, if there is one I want to see a pic of it - Bailey. :D
Also would like to welcome #407 member coming from all the way from down Mexico way in Chiapas. See? They are coming from all over to be Ovation Fan Club members -
[ July 23, 2002: Message edited by: Gizz ] |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Intermetroman,
That would be a 10-4 on Ron. Remember him well. I'll try to contact you directly and talk off line. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | If, (by current indications) Ovation IS reading this and (somewhat) responding to our opinions/suggestions, have they made ANY hint of some type of "reciprocity"?
There are a lot of companies that spend boatloads of money on market analysis, demographic studies, etc. and here they have free access to over 400 "lab rats" (some of which 2nd generation) that pretty much have the product ingrained in their DNA and would like nothing better than seeing both the product AND the company SUCCEED.
I'm not suggesting any freebies, discounts, or preferrential treatment (although it would be NICE), but just the simple aspect of reinstating the link from their web page (which hasn't been upgraded since early 2001) to ours. That alone would save THEM from being innundated with e-mail questions that they can't/WON'T respond to.
No offense to them, but it seems that there is more current/credible information HERE than on their own page. There were two new guitars debuted at the recent NAMM show. WHO'S webpage did they premiere on? Those guitars SHOULD have been on their page the first morning of the show!
If you scroll through the current product listings, you'll notice TOO MANY guitars with "No Photo Available". C'mon!, you don't have a PHOTO of something you MAKE?!?! Don't even get me started on the Adamas (their "flagship" model) webpage that's STILL "Coming Soon..."!!
My opinion:
They've got a 400+ Reference/Initial Technical Support Team/Field Public Relations Department that's FREE and does nothing more than encourage others to CONSIDER and at least TRY their product(s) with an open mind/ear. I think it behooves them to not offer a link to a site that can only help them succeed.
(Sorry for the rant, . . . . I gotta switch to Dunkin' Donuts "Unleaded".) |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | What's the point of drinking coffee if you're gonna drink unleaded?
I agree Cliff. If nothing else, they should at least have a link on their page to this one. The enthusiasm that they don't generate is right here. A link would be good for them as well as good for us. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Miles has told me that that link is back up on their page but I'll be damned if I can find it Or maybe it was going to be put back up on a special links page (which I can't find either)
Miles suggested that the link should not go on the ovation home page but on a links page. I do not agree with this but I am not an I.T. guy. I am just an idiot with a bunch of guitars. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | The last incarnation of the webpage (a couple of years ago) had this whole "Club Ovation" section which was (I thought) pretty cool. At least it offered some info and a little extra stuff.
To me, the current page design is pretty lame. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Yes the "Club Ovation" was pretty cool... Not sure why it went away, I still use my graphite KeyChain. but I guess as a corperate effort it didn't fly. And yes, there is a link to the OFC from Ovation... I guess they keep moving things around as they design, but just click on "Customer Service" then on FAQ and it's right there.
Although having the link on their homepage was kinda cool... would you hang a big sign on the front door of your buisness telling people to go elsewhere before they even come inside to look around.... I think not... Besides.. Appearently it's in an excellent place as OVER 90% of our visitors got here by clicking on the link at Ovation.
Just as an FYI, we have 400+ members, but have probably the same number of lurkers. Pretty kewl... |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | As mentioned in a previous post.. Ovation DOES have a link to us, and in fact 90%+ of our traffic comes from it. It's under Support and FAQ. It's in an excellent spot obviously. Remember, if you are looking for the link now, you have some knowledge, and would not be approaching it like someone looking for the first time. Go to OvationGuitars.com and look around like you knew NOTHING about it.. and you will eventually learn lots of cool info and end up at the FAQ, which amoung other things... points here. Compared to most sites, I think they are using a very forward thinking approach, which after 20+ years in the IT world... is nice to see. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | That's good to hear, Miles.
By the way, how's the CD Project going?
Received any entries yet?
I've got two consecutive weekends off from the band (finally!) and I've made it a personal goal to get the four-track out and get my ass on tape no matter what it takes (unless of course there are nice beach days! - hey! I can always record at night!!). |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Not as many folks are signed up as I expected, but there is still time. I will send an eMail out in mid August about getting the tracks to me. Should be pretty cool. At that time we will also have a member-wide vote on the title and get the artwork going. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | MIles if we threathen to do free form jazz odessey for the remainder of the cd time I bet we will get more entries than we will ever need |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . . .our bass player wrote this one . . . ." |
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July 2002
Posts: 72
Location: Dallas | Don't look now, but Ovation Fan Club has had 21 new members join in 5 yes (5)five ! DAYS...Welcome new members and bare with us if we have Enquiring minds and ask weird questions. Lately it's been because of the Full Moon and unleaded donuts and coffee, and the urge to start Yodoolin'
Post often
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Gizz |
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We are 400 !!!!!!!!!!
