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Location: SoCal | I was just looking thru some pics of Ovation guitars on my computer and was looking at the a pic of a Koa topped Elite that somebody was selling here a month ago.
Cwk2, were you still with the company when that guitar was produced? I played one of those in a music store and was very impressed with it. The sound matched the appearance of the guitar, which is to say, it was wonderful. Any idea how many were produced? It seems as if the last few years Collectors have been based upon that idea.
Paul |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | After my time. It's probably one of the ongoing panelmaster series. |
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Location: SoCal | Panelmaster?? |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | The koa top Elites were a "Guitar Center" exclusive.I dont think they have built any as a regular production koa top elite model.The ones i have seen and played had GC in the model which stood for guitar center...Elias from this site has one .Maybe he can shed some light on the koa Elites........ |
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Location: Scotland | I have a '99 UK catalog which shows the Koa elites with the GC suffix. About 16 years ago I commmisioned a guitar & a tiple made entirely from Koa, from a superb British Luthier called Ralph Bown. I still have both of them. In retrospect I should have had spruce tops on them. Koa is way too dense & hard for a soundboard material, it's almost like rosewood. It produces a very good tone, not unlike a mahogany-topped guitar, but to my ear doesn't have the complexity or depth of spruce (or carbon-fibre!!!) It's very pretty wood though and It's probably ideal for an electro.
Paul
[ April 18, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | In 1990 we used a liminated top for the collectors series, the birdseye maple. After that we had several more and then some more. Then there were other limited editions with laminated tops. Now keep in mind the Elite configuration guitar was designed to work very well with a laminated top (as in grafito/birch/grafito).
Marketing kept coming up with different wood options for "specials". After a while it got boring since they all really sound about the same. The phrase "panelmaster" came into use and is not all that complemintary. It was like, why don't you just go down to Home Depot to the panel section and pick what wood you want for the next model. You kindof had to be working there to appreciate the black humor side of it. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | As a further note it would be very interesting to hear a solid Koa model. I have an all koa (curley)Collings C-10 and it's a stonking little guitar. |
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Location: Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Hi guys,
I just saw the topic, and since I own an Elite Koa allow me to say that this guitar is a KILEEEEEEEER! Looks and sound (plugged or unplugged)!
It is an Ovation CUSTOM Elite (1778-KGC) [Koa Guitar Center] with solid flamed KOA soundboard, and the unique HeXFX STEREO preamp.
The sound unplugged is very woody, warm sound, well balanced, not as open and brilliant as the sitka spruce, but warmer. The action is perfectly low and this guitar is IDEAL!!!! for fast soloing (and not only!)!
When plugged in? HEX-FX effects!!! I have no words to describe it! It's like a warm sea of sound effects (and combinations of stereo effects)!
Amazing! incredible, fantastic, astonishing, unbelievable, phenomenal stereo sound!
I believe that less than 50 or 30 Koa Elites have been made.
The guys (Kim, John) at Ovation should know.
Enjoy the pics at: http://mail.med.upenn.edu/~elias/Koa.jpg |
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| Those koa tops they used were KICKBUTT. Look like brown fire sometimes. When I look at one I think Native American for some reason. |
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Location: Downstate New York | re: Elias's pix--
WOW! I can only imagine the "fire" play but your pix do a good job of showing different light angles. A real beauty.
--SGfantod |
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Location: UK | Yumm, looks like a nice top, ive come to the conclusion that Ovation maybe doing the right thing experimenting with different wood tops, im getting a Russian Burr walnut because i personally think it looks "Killer!" The sound will come second on this,though as yu know the plugged in sound wont be much different;be honest wouldnt the same looks on a guitar be Boring as hell after a few years, you wouldnt be able to tell them apart, plus the wood will give its own characteristic tone or sound, whether that be perfect or not.
I hear they got a good combination with the Redwood top, meant to sound awesome.
As they say, you never know until you try it.
Well thats my opinion anyways ;) |
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Location: NJ | I've played the redwood top one (thanx again, Al) and can attest that it looks and sounds NICE!! |
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| The redwoods are awesome sounding guitars. The tops are solid though. Only as strong as the redwood itself. Take care of it,... Wish I owned one
[ April 18, 2002: Message edited by: luthier444 ] |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I agree the Redwood is a fantastic sound. It doesn't have as much of the bright "ring" that similar guitars have... it sounds a little like an elite or Adamas that one was able to tone down the treble if that makes sence. I have one and really like it. I did see Luthier444 that you too raise the obvious... Redwood is Redwood.. and I will be taking EXTRA special care, but I am curious what will happen in 15 years... will it hold up... only time will tell I guess. |
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Location: NJ | Miles, was that YOU'RE redwood that I played at the show Sunday?
If it was, THANX! (and sorry about giving Al credit on the previous post - and Al, if it was YOURS, apologies for THIS post.....OHHHH!, you guys know what I mean!!!!!!)
Anyway, yeah, that thing has a gorgeous, warm tone to it. Even if it didn't, it would be worth the purchase price for the looks alone! Truly a wooden work of art. It takes me back to the days years ago when I worked in a sign shop in South Jersey where we did a lot of carved and sandblasted redwood signs. When I was playing it and the light hit it right, I could SMELL the redwood from that shop through my eyes somehow.
I know what you mean about "taking care" of it, though.
Funny stuff, that redwood.
Are you the registered original owner?
You should be covered then through Ovation, no?
I had a SERIOUS top failure on my CB some years ago, and they stepped up to the plate and did right by me (big time!). They didn't have a new top on hand and couldn't get one in time, so they replaced the entire BODY, so I got a cutaway and upgraded electronics in the deal!!
In me, they've got a customer for life! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | A solid top will have different sound charistics depending on the wood. I has been my opinion that all the guitars in the panelmaster series sound the same.
Now the question; There are many different ply topped Elite style Ovations out there. Do you guys hear a difference between them, acoustically? I'd really like to know.
Thanks. |
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Location: Scotland | Bill, What kind of laminates were used on these guitars? there's ply & there's ply. 2 layers of any old crap with a nice looking veneer on the outside probably wont sound as good as three pieces of reasonable quality spruce or whatever.
Do the adhesives used in the lamination process have an effect? In my experience laminated-wood guitars tend to sound "generic". The differences between laminated spruce, cedar or Koa or whatever must be pretty subtle.
Paul
[ April 19, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I think that they were all about .100" thick. Each venerial is 1/28th (.030 about) thick, the glus makes up the rest. It's all musical grade wood and I would guess that the middle is spruce and the top and bottom is whatever the flavor du jour is. They need to be the same so it won't warp funny. I would guess that the grain of the middle is 90 degrees to the t&b.
Don't get me wrong, it's all top quality stuff, and quiet expensive. I just always felt that the differences were more cosmetic than tonal. But what do all of you out there think? |
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Location: Scotland | It seems to me that the big guitar industry battle over the last few years has been who can produce the best solid-top USA-made guitar for under a grand. A few manufacturers have managed to do that, but most of the guitars are very average, & I would include the current USA Balladeers among them. I think the next battle may be a guitar made entirely out of solid wood for under a grand. It's interesting to note that some $500 or less Korean laminates can hold their own sound-wise with a 300/400 series Taylor & the like. This industry & consumer obsession with maximum bang-for-the-buck is producing very uninspiring instruments. Ultimately, you gets what you pays for.
[ April 19, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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| I played a really nice sounding Babinga top. Sounded like spruce to me. Guitar center model I think. Wanted a little to much. |
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Koa Elite
