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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 2
Location: Portugal | Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and Ovation guitars.
I've played electric guitar for a while and I'm currently looking for my first acoustic (steel-string) guitar. Being a big Al Di Meola fan, Ovation was one of the first brands that I looked in to. (The new PRS Angelus also caught my eye, but the price tag is tiny bit high. Maybe in a few years. :p )
So here are a few questions
1) What's the difference between the Standard Elite 2778LX and 2778AX? In other words, what's the difference between LX and AX?
2) What's the difference between the Ovation OCP-1K and Ovation High Output pickups?
3) Are the Standard Elite models US made? What about the Celebrity models (such as the CDX44)?
Also, I searched around the net for a while and ran into a lot of posts complaining about the "bad ovation tone", but no one really seems to elaborate on it. Can anyone tell me what this is all about?
Thanks! :) |
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Joined:
February 2009
Posts: 119
Location: New York | I am no expert, but I do own an Elite Custom C778LX. It is my second Elite and I love them. The Elite is USA made in Connecticut. The Elite, Legend, and Adamas are all US made. The Balladeer was US made until just recently I believe. All Celebrities and Applause models are imported. I believe that the LX indicates that the guitar has a premium upgrades/additions. Not sure what AX is, but someone here will know. Just sit tight, you are about to get some real information from some very knowledgeable folks. As for the sound or tone, you won't have to worry about that with an Elite. Many music stores don't carry the higher end Ovations and as a result, many people think that the Celebrity is par for the course. Not to say that the Celebrity is not a good guitar. I have owned and played a Celebrity since 1985 that still sounds good today. I can't help you with the pickup questions. Good Luck with your acquisition. |
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Joined:
October 2007
Posts: 2711
Location: Vernon CT | Welcome Hylian! Good choice to look for an Ovation. I can't answer all your Questions, but can tell you the LX models are American Made. The AX are made in Asia. Model #'s starting with a "2" have the contour bowl. ("1" old round bowl)
As far as the bad "Tone" questions it's what you like. I find most Deep and Mid depth bowls to have a great tone. What "they " may be talking about is ths Shallow bowl models sound "thin" Acoustically but when played plugged in, sound fine. It's a buyers market right now with the world economy being down. I would suggest looking for a used American made model. There are some great deals out there right now. Check the for sale section on this site. Others will come along soon to answer you other question an give you some additional advise. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | 1) LX is made in USA AX made in Asia.
2) I don't know
3) Standard Elite LX is USA Celberty are imports. |
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Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1453
Location: Texas | Hello Hylian,
Welcome to the board. There are others much more knowledgeable than I on this board, but I'll take a shot at a couple of your questions, if for no better reason than your excellent taste in music. ;) (I am also a big Al DiMeola fan.)
In my opinion, if you own electric guitar(s) that you are happy with and want to add a versatile acoustic to your stable, you should consider a mid or deep bowl Ovation or Adamas. My experience has been that the deeper bowls provide more volume and nicer tone than the shallow bowls WHEN PLAYED UNPLUGGED, (if you plan on mostly playing plugged-in, then the shallow bowls are ideal.) Ovation electronics are really well done and sound terrific.
Your other questions:
1. I don't know if you will ever get a definitive answer, but I believe that the "AX" designation indicates that at least some parts of the guitar were made in Asia, the "LX" is the older version, all made in the USA. There are also some minor differences if you read the specs closely here.
2. I don't know, but someone here will…
3. See answer #1 above, would depend on whether it was "ax" or "lx." Celebrities are made in Asia, they are a great value, and sound quite nice compared to other guitars in that price range. They are entry-level guitars, without the lifetime warranty of USA made Ovations. I personally believe that, for not too much more money, you get much better sound and, in many cases, an included hard-shell case with a USA made Ovation.
You can also find a wide range of used Ovations here in the "For Sale" section, and on EBay, Craig's list, etc.
You will not find many of the (nearly 7,000) :) members here agreeing with that last statement. The tone of the USA made Ovations is rich, full and (again, in my opinion) comparable to guitars costing much, much more. If the only Ovation someone ever heard was a Celebrity or Applause, than they haven't ever heard the real Ovation tone…
…and the tone of the Adamas models is even more amazing; unique, rich, full, with beautiful undertones, and therefore the Admamas prices are correspondingly higher. Check them out here.
I hope that is helpful… |
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Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1453
Location: Texas | øops, sorry, I made a typo above: Adamas are guitars, Admamas is a slang term for women who work at advertising agencies… ;) |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 1553
Location: Indiana | The High Output PU is a thinline similar to LR Baggs.
The OCP is the original style wide slot Ovation PU with 6 individual saddles and piezo's.
As a general rule (with exceptions), you'll usually find the OCP on USA's, and the thinlines on imports. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4028
Location: Utah | I believe that the AX models have a different neck construction from the LX. The AX is a "T" neck, as they put on the 1778T, which is a single piece of maple with truss rod. The LX is a 5 piece walnut neck with carbon fiber stiffeners.
But there does seem to be some variability and uncertainty with the AX features since they are so new to the market.
As for the "bad Ovation tone" comments, those are just jealousy! Seriously, though, usually those comments come from people who are either snobs about wood (but are quick to praise Composite Acoustics all carbon fiber guitars), or they have only played a low end Celebrity at Guitar Center with crappy strings on it.
Ovations aren't as woody of a tone as some all-wood guitars. But they are clean and pleasant sounding. Not muddy or artificial, and not plastic sounding.
If you are looking for a guitar that plays like an electric, Ovation is a great choice. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Welcome Hylian!
1) LX models are USA-made. AX and TX models are Totally mass-produced overseas. All of the 'Bowls' are made in the USA and say so inside. But on recent models, the ones made in the USA say "USA" on the back of the headstock.
2) Haven't a clue! But the guitars with the OP-Pro Pre-Amp have the heftier saddle and the pick-up is part of the unit. Models with the slimmer saddle have a thin strip under that saddle that is the pick-up.
3) LX's are USA made. AX's are not. Celebrity's are imports.
This info is for Newer models. Once you get into older models, the line can get alittle blurry. But if it sez USA on the headstock or label it is USA made. When buying used, online, sight unseen, mistakes can be made. There are older Korean Balladeers, Ultras and Pinnacles. Many of these say 'Made in USA' on the BOWL... That meaning that the bowl was made in USA, not the guitar.
If you are buying new, get an LX or a Legend. Or get something used from someone here.
Or go see Al! :cool: (Alpep on this board, Lost Art Vintage guitars) |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 1132
Location: Parrish, FL | Here you go. See the 6778LX that FlySig has on the 'For Sale'board right now. It is a FANTASTIC '1st' Ovation at a good price.
Blues |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 2
Location: Portugal | Thank you for the replies everyone, they have been quite helpful!
One problem I have with buying a used guitar is the fact that I live in Portugal. Buying from the US means that I get charged by the customs department and it's probably not as easy to find used models within Europe. Still, I'm going to check that 6778LX. :)
Here's one further question: In terms of tone, is there a big difference between the contour and medium bowls? |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Contour bowls are comparable to the deep bowls. Much better (IMO) than medium bowls for acoustic playing. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | One thing I'm not sure of is exactly how much interior space (cubic inches) are in a contour bowl in comparison to the deep bowl. I do know that the contour bowl I have on my 2007 Collectors seems to be just as capable of producing a full, strong volume and tone as the deep bowls on my other guitars. Both produce a noticeable difference in low-end tone and unplugged volume over the medium bowl guitars I have previously owned. One such observation was a medium bowl Custom Legend I had. It was a GREAT sounding and playing instrument, but it didn't produce the unplugged volume of the deep bowl. I believe what you gain on the deep bowl is the additional lower end frequency range. I guess it doesn't take rocket science to understand why traditional acoustic guitarists choose the big dreadnaught guitars for the "big sound" over their smaller-bodied counterparts. As far as "tone quality" is concerned, that probably has a lot more to do with the quality of guitar's top. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I'm tending to be more concerned with "how it is" than "what it is". Specs are nice but some of the best spec'd items I've every read on paper turned out to be terrible in person. If it's deep, shallow, rosewood or plastic ... big deal as long as it does the job that you need it to do and does it well in YOUR opinion.
I certainly have my opinions, I like contour bowls for comfort and because they don't slip off your knee. But I've heard some pretty bad contour bowl guitars. I've heard bad deep bowls, and bad wooden guitars. Also heard a buhc of nice ones. You need to evaluate the WHOLE package.
Toby |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Welcome Hylian. Since you indicated that you're an electric player, is it your intent to play your acoustic plugged in? If so, bowl size may not be all that important. Because I play primarily with an amp, I favor the super shallow bowls and the hybrids. |
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Buying an Ovation - Lots of questions
