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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Madison, WI | I'm a professional musician, I play guitar and keyboards. I started on guitar, played primarily keys through most of school, and in recent years have been doing mostly guitars. My acoustic at home was an Alvarez, and I never did any acoustic gigs on the road, but every so often in the studio I'd be asked to play one. I learned to trust Ovations, as they were very reliable-- great playability, and great plugged in tone, consistently, with no tweaking-- and so that is what I always requested.
My Alvarez was stolen some years ago, and I never replaced it. Recently I've had some gigs where an acoustic has become more of a necessity, and so I decided to buy my own. Of course it would be an Ovation. I had played several different models over the years, and knew (for stage use) I preferred the models with the epaulets, and the shallower bowls. I decided on a Celebrity Deluxe for the same reason my main guitar is a Mexican Strat and not an American: on the road, ultimately there will be scratches, dings, etc, and there's always the possibility it could be more severly damaged or even lost. That happening to a $400 guitar is far less tragic than to a $1000 guitar. The more expensive instruments are for the home and studio, at least until my budget increases.
And so I've had my Celebrity for a few months now, and enjoyed it. I've changed string tensions, had the action adjusted, nit-picked over every tiny imperfection in the finish, and played it a lot. Meanwhile I've had plenty of opportunities to play other Ovation guitars. Elites, Legends, all the way down to the Applause line . . . now that I owned one I wanted to see how it compared to all the different models. And overall, I was happy. Needless to say my Korean guitar didnt play as well as the similar American models . . . but I felt, for the price difference, and what I was using it for, I had made the right choice. And so on.
And then, I had the opportunity to visit a music store I dont normally frequent. I was getting a very specific pack of strings, and while they dug them out of the back, I wandered into the acoustic room to see what they had. Only two Ovations, one a 12 string Balladeer, and the other . . . I didnt know what it was, but it had 6 strings and the epaulets, so I picked it up.
And played for about 15 minutes.
At which time the store was closing, so I grabbed my strings, and left. Later that night I played m y own guitar . . . and realized how much I liked the guitar at the store. There were no tangible differenes between how the two played, other than that the store guitar was a bit louder and had a bit more bottom end. But . . . you know how sometimes you run across an instrument that brings out the best in your playing, that feels and sounds comfortable to the point where you actually play better. And the rest of the night I did little but think of how much I liked the guitar in the music store.
So, after a night of turmoil, I decided I would go back to the store first thing in the morning, bring my Celebrity Deluxe, and see how much it would cost as a trade in. The store's guitar was marked "clearance - half off - $678" and my guitar was in new condition, I figured maybe the difference would be affordable.
So I arrive at the music store, and as I am walking in the door, someone else is walking out . . . with an Ovation case.
Well, it could of been the other guitar, or maybe he was just bringing his own guitar in for lessons. So I run to the acoustic room, and there is an empty peg where I remember. So I ask the guy at the counter, yep it just walked out. Here's the clincher: "Do you know what model it was?" "Nope we didnt keep track of that, sorry"
So . . . the point of my long, winding, but hopefully interesting story . . . what guitar was it? Here's what I remember, and keep in mind when I saw and was playing the guitar, I didnt think I was interested in it, so I didnt pay close attention:
-Red top, darker around the edges, honestly I didnt pay too close attention to the finish. It may have been a quilted top.*
-Mid-depth or contoured bowl. I didnt look at the back, so I didnt notice the shape, but I did notice it was deeper than my C, and yet didnt feel bulky like the deep bowls.
-It had the preamp with the tuner like a digital clock, and a dial for the volume. I believe it's the OP-Pro
I understand that this could be many different models, but I'm hoping someone hear can identify my lost love. Or just comment on the story, if you enjoyed it.
*I really dont care what color a guitar is if it plays well, although I do prefer the natural and wood finishes. Black is also nice. I'm reappy not a big fan of primary colors. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 383
Location: Indiana | I think your best bet is to go to the "links" on the left, then go to the Ovation site. Look under guitars and see if you can find a pic of a similar guitar. You may have to check the "Adamas" site also. There is also pics of discontinued items. Be warned,there are lots of them.Good luck. And welcome to the G.a.s station, er, club.
Bill |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Sounds like a 1778LX in Black Cherry Burst. Here are the details from the Ovation website. The LX's are sweet guitars! |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ...that'd be my guess |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Might also be a 6778LX in New England Burst. Did it have a gloss or matte finish neck???? Gloss is 1778LX in BCB, matte is 6778LX in NEB.
Roger |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | spiffy...that is a good, yet tragic, story. The lesson for the rest of us here is that if you find the right guitar don't let a single night pass before you take it home.
Keep hunting spiffy!!!...there are more out there! |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 111
Location: Southern California | I'd pass on the black unless you're a big fan of cleaning...
Don't give up hope finding your lost love. That guitar has a lot of twins, and you've already got a bunch of good pointers as to which model it could have been. The OFC was the place to ask!
Just remember, if the shop you eventually find one in won't give you an acceptable deal, between here and Ebay you should be able to get one at a reasonable cost, and be able to sell your Celebrity, too.
Good luck! :) |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | Everything happens for a reason. Your dream guitar will someday be right before your eyes. The trick is to know what you want and what you are willing to pay in advance, so when the opportunity arises you can pounce on it.
I bought a fairly expensive guitar at GC once ($1500.) and it was a really bizarre transaction. The other two customers in the acoustic room must have thought I was nuts. I walked in, grabbed the sales guy, pointed to the guitar said "I'll take it". Do you want to play it? NOPE. Do you want to know how the preamp works? NOPE. Do you want me to change the strings and tune it? NOPE. The entire transaction took less than 5 minutes. Of course I had played the guitar before, knew it was exactly what I wanted, and knew the price was good. Lots of homework. Ten years later I still have the guitar (which can't be said for most things I buy).
Happy hunting,
Dave |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I've had many that got away that I regret. Also one or two that I bought that I shouldn't have. My last 2 purchases were sort of like Dave's. I was in GC to look at a cheap Kaman label for my daughter's boyfriend and a guy was playing a Celebrity Deluxe. While I was putting the one guitar on layaway I decided to buy the CD for my daughter. Both were thrilled with their Christmas presents.
Do a lot of studying on this board and the Ovation site and play as many as you can. When something turns up, you'll know whether it's the one you want right away. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Madison, WI | The thing is, I've played many different Ovations, all across the price and quality scale. And while I've certainly come across many guitars that were better than mine, it's not usual that I run across a guitar I'd rather have than mine-- combination of price, sound quality, and playability. You know, "this guitar plays X amount better than mine, and costs Y amount more, and Y > X, so I'll stick with mine". I've certainly never otherwise come across a guitar that I absolultely loved without having to consider those things. And so this particular guitar was an anomaly. Since I have yet to play another I enjoy so much, I wonder, was it this particular model that was so special, or this particular guitar?
Yes, I should have picked it up while I was there the first time. The thing is, I didnt realize how much I loved it until I got home. Not only that, but it took all night to convince myself that it would kill me and my tightly strained budget to pay the difference on trading in my Celebrity. Considering that the only music store in the area that is actually an Ovation dealer sells Celebrities for $700+, I figured I might actually get a decent value.
As it is, it wasnt meant to happen. I'm really not in the market to buy another guitar, this was one of those one time "now or never" things. But I do want to know what it was, in case such an opportunity arises again. Or when I can afford to treat myself.
Looking at the finishes page on Ovation's website, I'm thinking it was Black Cherry Burst Quilt. It could have also been Black Cherry, Ruby Red, or Plum Burst.
On a related note, I dont normally like the burst finishes, however the Autumn and New England are pretty nice. My current guitar is the Vintage Flame Top and it is SEXY. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Madison, WI | I will ask a question also, only partly related: Are the LX Series the only guitars with the OP-Pro? |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | Did the Store not take the serial number for Warranty. Every time I have bought, they make a note of the invoice.
Still sounds like a 1887LX-BCB
Piers |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I believe the '05 Collectors and the LX series were the first with OP-Pro. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I've seen Elite Ts with OP-Pros since introduction, also.
Take note of the serial number for warranty???? I've NEVER had a shop do that. I'm usually lucky to get the correct owner's manual and warranty card. Many shops play "musical chairs" with Ovation cases. Example: the case for my 1771LX I bought at GC last September got sold out from under it, so the acoustic room guy gave me the better case for a C779LX they had, the ONLY Ovation case in the place. That guitar is still there....I feel for whoever buys it, they won't get the correct case, since I have it.
Roger |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Madison, WI | One disadvantage of the supposedly 1778LX is that the bowl is deeper, ergo case is bigger (yes?) I travel a lot, my guitar is carried on, shipped, etc. I need the guitar/case that takes up the least amount of room possible, to keep fights with the airlines and shipping charges at a minimum. Shallow bowl it is.
See, there was a reason it didnt work out.
Sob. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Dan, they do make LX's with super shallow bowls now days. I just bought one and to me it sounds just as good as my mid-depth Balladeer LX.
Mine is a base model Standard Elite LX (6868LX) and you can see pics of it in the gallery. These are hard to find, but I think they can be ordered by your dealer. You can also step up to the regular Elite or Custom Elite. I think those are custom order, but you can find any of them on eBay and elsewhere, often as FRGs. |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 49
Location: Madison, WI | Yes, I was catching up on forum posts, and coincidentally just saw the thread with pictures of your shallow LX. Verra verra nice!
However I think one of the important factors in the store guitar was the deeper bowl. I was playing it unplugged, when of course the tone is much fuller than a shallow bowl. Outside of trying random guitars at the music store and practicing at home, I play plugged in.
I havent had much experience with the contoured bowl, I look forward to spending some more time with one of those. Perhaps the best balance between the factors? |
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The One That Got Away
