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Posts: 15
Location: ny | I spent a half hour at the local GC, checking out a mess of guitars, and I have a question. I played another 1861 lx like mine and an elite lx and neither of them had the huevos that mine has, is there really that much difference from guitar to guitar or am I missing something. If so how do people mail order guitars without hearing them? |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | could just be strings. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Buying a guitar to be shipped in a brand or model that you have no familiarity with is certainly a "Hail Mary" play. A trip to the guitar shop or your favorite dealer is the best way to go. Even then there are differences with each individual instrument. Sometimes the lure of the lower price is just too much to pass up with guitars offered to the mass market on the web. I know, I've seen me do it!
Best way to try one out, if your seriously looking for the perfect acoustic sound for you, is to bring another musician to play them while you stand out front and listen to each one while he or she plays the same song or chords on each. |
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Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | One of the real nice things about ovations is that there is tremendous consistency from guitar to guitar within the same exact model. It's not just the plastic bowl that does this. I think there is a lot to be said about how solidly the guitar is built and just how much care goes into making them all the same. You'll never walk into a shop and find someone with 8 indentical balladeers at his feet trying to determine which one sounds the best to him. He'll just pick his favorite color. I ran across a guy who was in his 4th state trying to find the Taylor that sounded "just right" to him. he's probably still looking. Your ovation guitar, and any other identical model should have the potential to sound almost identical. That's what makes buying Ovations from ebay, or from well known registered dealers who have legitimate on-line internet stores, so risk free. The reason the ones at GC sound different to you could be many factors. Strings are a big part of it. The environmwent you are in also has a lot to do with it. Dave |
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October 2006
Posts: 15
Location: ny | I agree that all of the ovations "sounded the same", still had that great ovation sound. My 1861 is much louder, and vibrates much more than the ones in the store. The strings on the other 1861 were definetly new on the elite much less so. thanks for your replies |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Not just string age but, type, gauge and don't forget setup. All can make a huge difference in volume and tone. |
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February 2004
Posts: 2487
| When your comparing guitars from one company or another and similiar models at a store and they are new I think it is reasonable to believe they all have the same make and gauge strings. If your talking about comparing to a guitar you own personally then yeah you have a ton of factors to consider..... As for Ovations I think you guy's are right on the mark about the consistancy.
The Celebs all sound like the cheaper guitars they are. The Deep Bowl American made O's and other's sound great, and the Adamas guitars in the deep bowl are very impressive in fact can compete with the 3K-5K Taylors quite nicely.
With that said the other guitar manufacturers have differences in each guitar. Having been personally involved in helping my gig partner choose a second Taylor it was very important to choose these in person and not just buying one off the internet for the best price. There are amazing differences between the 814 models and again between the 814's & the 914's he chose an 814 we both felt it actually sounded fuller and better than the $2000.00 higher priced guitar.
I have a guitar store close to me that has been in busines for 30 years called Vishnu Music, Guy is a real good Luthier he always tries to talk me out of the Ovations and into a Taylor or other high end traditional guitar. He tells me he can "Hear The Plastic" in the Ovations. I can "hear it" myself, in the Celebs...So I kinda know what he's talking about. But I heard tinny and weak sounds from one of the $2,500.00 Taylors that bothered me just as much. |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by Tupperware:
One of the real nice things about ovations is that there is tremendous consistency from guitar to guitar within the same exact model. It's not just the plastic bowl that does this. I think there is a lot to be said about how solidly the guitar is built and just how much care goes into making them all the same. You'll never walk into a shop and find someone with 8 identical balladeers at his feet trying to determine which one sounds the best to him. He'll just pick his favorite color. I ran across a guy who was in his 4th state trying to find the Taylor that sounded "just right" to him. he's probably still looking. Your ovation guitar, and any other identical model should have the potential to sound almost identical. That's what makes buying Ovations from ebay, or from well known registered dealers who have legitimate on-line internet stores, so risk free. The reason the ones at GC sound different to you could be many factors. Strings are a big part of it. The environment you are in also has a lot to do with it. Dave How true. Not only are Ovations consistent Acoustically, they are consistent plugged in.
About 6 weeks ago I was trying out acoustic amps.
The guy at the GC handed me a Martin with electronics. I saw an old Balladeer and I said I would get a better idea of the amp's sound using the Ovation. He looked a bit confused. |
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June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Upstate - I have a question for you. How long have you have your 1861LX? Reason I ask is that I have a 6778LX-NEB that I love then color of, but when I got it a little over a year ago, just sounded anemic (weak) compared to other 6778LX's I had played. After playing it reasonably regularly for a year now, the top has really started to "come in" (vibrate more freely - less rigidly) and the sound has opened up dramatically. Today it is now a much richer and louder sounding guitar than it was then.
This aging of a solid top guitar is a natural process that the wood fibers go through in response to the vibration of bring played. Its why older, quality guitars often sound so good. The aging process doesn't really have as much to do with how old the top is, but how much it has been vibrated, and vibration generally comes from playing it. The reason I say generally is that there was a thread on this board not long ago about a machine someone has developed to focus sound waves at guitar tops to age them more quickly. I'd rather break in my tops by playing them - much more fun!
So maybe your 1861LX sounds better because it has been played, and the new ones in the store have not. I agree wholeheartedly with Tuppy and the others above when they say that U.S. Ovations - more than any other guitar - are remarkably consistent, instrument to instrument, because of the consistent way they are made in New Hartford. You should really try to join us at the 2007 Factory Tour in the Spring. You will be amazed to see they way they are made and you'll apreciate your LX even more! |
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October 2006
Posts: 15
Location: ny | worshipleader, I suspect that maybe you are right, but I have only had my 1861 for about a month now. But who knows how long it was on the wall being noodled with before I got it. I just didnt think I could have been responsible for it breaking in yet. Either way it means I have a great sounding guitar. Good deal ! |
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consistency
