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Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | All guitars are unique, but I'd like to rave about what I love about the Elite T, and ask my fellow Ovation fans what makes it tick.
First my rave. Unlike other O's which sound great in their own right, I have never heard a guitar so effectively combine the "woodiness" of a Martin and the brightness of a Taylor. Feel free to disagree, but that's what I hear, the boomiest and simultaneously brightest sound from any O. (Mind you, I've never played an Adamas, and I'd love to hear what the carbon top sounds like compare to the textured T).
Okay, my questions:
(1) Does any other midbowl O have the slimmed down neck of the Elite T? (Not talking about Tangents or Celebrities! Only mid to high end O's). My small hands have become totally spoiled by the small neck, to the point that I'm going to sell my neglected GC178LX because of its regular neck!
(2) Is the textured surface really the reason for the boominess and brightness? How does it compare to, say, a non-textured flamed Elite? I know that compared to the 1778LX, it's a dramatically different sound.
Thanks, all! I'm a long time O lover, but a new OFC member. I have 2 out of the 3 Elite T's (black and lusty red) with the 3rd (pewter) on the way. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Welcome, Joe. After those three, you'll need to pick up the custom flame models in the various shades available (red, orange, and purple at a minimum). The sound of a 1778T is very distinctive. My best description is a bell-like mid-range. It isn't like any other O or A on my walls. SWMBO really likes it over the others. Personally, I hate getting fingerpints all over those luscious flames. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4075
Location: Utah | Joe, welcome aboard!
I'm a little confused by the difference in your necks. My daughter has a 1778T Red Flame and her friend has a GC178LX. Both guitars are in the living room so I've just compared them and the necks are identical in thickness, with a barely perceptible difference in profile. I'm surprised that you find the GC178LX significantly different.
My other daughter has a 2078T with the industrial black textured finish. My recollection is that the neck is the same thickness as those other two, though her guitar is not at home right now to compare it.
My 6778LX has a similarly thin neck but with a more noticable V shape. The LX neck is a different construction than the T neck, but on my 6778LX it is still just as slim.
So yes, other Ovations do have the same thin neck as the T.
The red flame has a different tone due to the paint vs the texture. It isn't quite as bright as the GC178LX. You'll also find different preamps depending on the year of manufacture, with the earlier ones being Op30 and the more recent having OpPro.
The '07C and the Adamas 2080 are thicker by a bit. |
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Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | I'm surprised that you don't find them different! LOL. They are different both visibly and in the hand, most noticeably when doing bar chords where I wrap my thumb around the top of the guitar. The 6778LX is the same profile as the 1778LX and GC178LX. I've had them all side by side and they are all larger than the 1778T necks. (Or I should say, they are normal, whereas the T has the narrower neck.)
And I'm wondering about the shiny flame tops. Are they different in tone since they don't have the texture?
ProfessorBB: I'm afraid you're right. Eventually I'll have to get the flamers, but I can't go from 3 to 6 guitars just yet (and are all 3 flamers available in T top or just shiny?) I justified the second T because I gig and I "need" a backup guitar. Then I "justified" the pewter because, after all, it's the third of the only 3 colors the T comes in. The Pewter that's on its way is in fact Korean (I had a credit from a guitar store and that's all they could get me) so I'll post my findings as to just how different it is from the American T.
Anyway, thanks for everyone's responses, and please keep responding if you have something to say on the T's. I'm still looking for a definitive answer as to WHY the T's sound so different from every other O out there. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | "I'm still looking for a definitive answer as to WHY the T's sound so different from every other O out there."
The Quintad bracing combined with the textured top... But mostly the top-paint.
There are different necks on some T's... If they do not have a Truss-Rod Cover, they may have a K-Bar neck (depending on year of manufacture).
I have never personally played an Elite T with a K-Bar neck, but I know that they exist.
I had a Flame T... It is an Awesome Looking Guitar.
But! On a side-by-side with a textured top T, the textured top sounds better.
On it's own it was a great sounding guitar, I just had three T's to compare it to.
(And I sold it at a Profit! Which is unusual for me... :p )
Good to have you here, Joe! :cool: |
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Joined:
May 2009
Posts: 325
Location: Utica, NY | Hi Joe, I just recently traded 'down' to a black 1778T and while I have not yet plugged it in to hear it live and amplified I can say that after the initial week of adjustment from the Adamas 1680 sound I am finding that it suits me for a wide of variety of reasons.
I will say that there was a noticeable step back in overall quality, i.e. a lower quality bridge, tuners, overall set-up, etc. but as time goes by and I realize just what an incredible value this guitar is all these little concerns are fading away.
I believe that the neck was aimed at electric players and I can say that it does feel very much like that to me. Smaller and thinner, 2-piece maple, etc. I have some big hands and kinda likes the wider neck on the 1680 but that's just the way it is. As I say, time is my friend.
There is a bass quality in the 1778T that I liked in the 1778LX that I had that I honestly didn't hear in my 2077LX or the 1680 (ducking). It also lends itself well to the electric guitar technique of palm muting and you can dig in. It does not make sound as 'easily' as the 1680 nor does it 'sing' as nicely but I honestly wouldn't expect it too. At a third of the cost there should be some noticeable differences.
I do like it's appearance and really like that it has no fingerboard fret markers. Very clean.
So at the present I think that I am happily right where I want to be with an inexpensive, worry free guitar that looks very contemporary, plays beautifully and sounds like it's worth a whole lot more money. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Joe, my red flamer has the rarer full bowl paint with the Op Pro. I'm not exactly sure how it compares to the flame top only models. You don't need to play it. Just looking at it will make you feel good, kinda like parking next to a flamed '32 deuce at the drive-in. |
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Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | Just some quick responses before I lose track:
nervous: "time goes by and I realize just what an incredible value this guitar is all these little concerns are fading away". Indeed. After playing around with some of the higher priced Martins and Taylors at the shop, the Elite T feels cheaper, but it doesn't always sound cheaper, and that's what amazes me. Combine this with the narrow neck (and the round back, which I find INFINITELY more comfortable than a flatback!), and it goes beyond the fact that the Elite T is an incredible value at its price (which it is). Even if it was twice the price I would consider it an incredible value for the mere fact that it's the most ergonomic guitar (for me) AND it combines a good amount of that Martin woodiness with a good amount of that Taylor brightness. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3410
Location: GA USA | Nervous, I think "trading down" is underrated. I traded up from my T to an Adamas, and found I liked playing it less, and went back to Elites. Finding the guitar that fits perfectly is a wonderful thing. It took me a few years, and it's a fun journey. |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Well said, Head Counselor. I like talking big bowls, but for rehearsals and on game day, I almost always turn to the SSBs or a thin-bodied crossover. |
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Joined:
May 2009
Posts: 131
Location: Yalova/Turkey | @Old Man Arthur,
Hi, what you write above must be one of the reasons you like the 2058-5 (12 string) too, as far as I remember (we had a chat about that before)... do you think that a textured top also produces a similar good sound on a Korea made 2058-5? I am thinking about buying one as soon as I get the money together... |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Chris, Don't know about the Korean TX's. I would think that the top would be the same. The lower-price Ovations that are being made over there are supposed to be made according to USA specs.
The Ovation website says that the Korean TX's have AA Spruce, while the USA T's just have Solid Spruce-spruce.
I have never played a Koren TX. But they have Scalloped X bracing and the T's have Quintad.
Other than that, the textured paint oughta let more sound out.
So comparing the TX to an Elite AX oughta have similar results.
Since Joe has a coupla USA T's and he has a Korean TX coming...
Maybe we can finally get a side-by-side review. |
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Joined:
May 2009
Posts: 131
Location: Yalova/Turkey | OMA, such a side-by-side review would be splendid... I guess I will be able to go to Germany some time in autumn to get a 2058 TX-5 there. Hard to believe but true no shop in Turkey sells any 12 string Ovations at all, so I have to wait for the opportunity to visit Germany. Well, have to save some money as well... :) But life is hard without a 12 string :( I´ll have to try and play the 2058 TX-5, but a review would be helpful anyway. Thanks for your patience and helpfulness... |
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Joined:
August 2008
Posts: 90
Location: los angeles | I have a GC178LX and I had a 1778LX at the same time. I found the neck on the GC substantially thinner than the 1778, which is why I kept it - way more comfortable for me. |
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The uniqueness of the Elite T
