Joined:
January 2012
Posts: 3
Location: Wolf Creek, OR | Wow, it’s funny how you can find new forums all the time.
Hello,
My name is Brent and I’m a retired school counselor/teacher that is currently serving several school districts as a substitute teacher. I’ve been playing guitar since I was 13 and now consider my primary instrument the Mandolin. I am a member of other instrument forums/communities: Mandolin Café, Telecaster (TDPRI), Shortscale, Banjo Hangout, Vox, Digitech, Fender and Musical Instrument Makers Forum (MIMF) Forums among others.
I played my first Ovation Balladeer in 1973 while in college. Although I owned a beautiful Japanese made Brazilian Rosewood Martin D-28 Acoustic copy at the time, I longed for the day I would have enough money to own one of these beautiful guitars. Many years later, I found a beautiful Acoustic Balladeer in mint condition advertised in our local classified ads. I paid the man $400 and began a long love affair with Ovations.
Years later, at a Musicians Friend Store in Medford, OR, I could tryout/play most of the Ovation models, I fell in love with the 1995 collectors edition (Mid depth cutaway, Spruce top, Walnut/Maple rosette, Optimax pre-amp). It had the piezo and microphone pickups that were a fairly new development for acoustic guitar amplification/pickup configuration at that time. I lusted for one, but the $1600+ price tag was out of my reach.
I contacted the Kaman Custom Shop to inquire about having my (noncutaway) 1977 Balladeer retrofitted with this new optimax system to upgrade my acoustic to an Acoustic/Electric.
They quoted me $400 US to make the conversion, If I shipped the guitar to them in Bloomfield, CT. I immediately purchased the Postal Money Order and packaged and sent off my prized Balladeer by UPS.
When they returned the guitar many weeks later, I found that something had punctured the box (and hardshell ovation case). I made a claim with UPS and they had a new Ovation Hardshell case sent to my home! Later I went back to the UPS station and asked what they did with the damaged case, they told me had it there and just gave it to me!
In the shipping box, a letter from the custom shop outlined the work that was completed on my Balladeer. In addition to removing and replacing the existing acoustic bridge and installing the piezo and mini-microphone pickups and Optimax preamp system, they did numerous repairs to the internal bracing. I also received a stereo guitar cord and y-cord adapter that allows the guitar 2 separate signals to be sent to 2 separate sources: (PA and acoustic amp).
Needless to say I was ecstatic! Now I had a one-of-a-kind Kaman/ Ovation Custom Shop Guitar for a paltry $800 total outlay.
Since that time. I’ve purchased several USA made Ovation Adamas Guitars and Mandolins.
These are the Ovation Models that I currently own and perform with:
Adamas six string model 1587 cutaway manufactured in 1996
Ovation Mandocello M868, with OP50 XLR, Black 8 string
Ovation Mandolin MM68 -7LTD 8 string (natural wood)
Ovation Balladeer 6 string (non-cutaway, natural wood) customized by Kaman Custom Shop with Optimax Pick-up/Equalizer/Blender system.
Ovation Balladeer 6 string (maroon transparent)
A future project that I have been planning/designing is to convert an Applause AE148 and convert it into an A/E Resonator Guitar for blues/slide work.
I’m glad to finally be part of the Ovation Community and look forward to becoming a contributing member. |
New to this forum.
