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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | If you are in Bellingham to are a stone's throw from Damon, Miles, Ovationluver and probably another handful of OFCers with many models to play and try. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Sure sounds as though a 'local' gathering is in order to aid an OFC brother! |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | It has been said that single hole Ovations sound better to the PLAYER than the multihole models do.
Both types sound great to the listener. |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | MWoody: yeah Im just over an hour and a half to Damon (Bellevue), used to live 5 minutes outside of Bellevue, ofcourse stuff like this comes along just a year or so after I move back. But yeah I would love to get together with someone and try some guitars out or hear them or whatever. |
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February 2009
Posts: 119
Location: New York | Hello Merc,
I don't have any recordings as of yet, need a microphone I think, however, if you can get to a store that has a shallow bowl Elite, I would guess that the sound will be very similar. If I can dig up a microphone, I will make some recordings and email them to you. I'll get back to you on that. Also, I have to agree with Vince that anytime you are purchasing something significant, it is always best not to rush, but rather to be patient and a great deal will eventually fall into your lap. I love the sound of my Elite Special, but it is not as loud as a deep bowl. (I do have a belly) I will try to make a recording for you. Played through the amp it is amazing. |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Hossman: ok great, thanks. Not sure if any of these guys will want to meet up or anytime soon or anything. Would an Ovation sound good through any amp if I was wearing headphones? |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | If you've got great headphones, it'll sound great. If you've got sh*t headphones, it'll sound sh*t. |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | my ipod photo headphones that came with my ipod sound great with my fender electric.... |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Welcome Mercury...
As to Oriental guitars... Celebrity's and Ultra's
(and I'm not quite sure about new Balladeers and Elites)...
My understanding is that they all have 'dove-tail' neck construction.
While this is considered good in alot of guitars, if they put it together wrong from the start, there is nothing that you can do about it.
I have never been to the 'Oversea Affiliate' factories, but their serial numbers run into the Millions!
Whereas my Newest USA Ovations numbers only run to 600,000 so far...
That is after Decades of manufacturing.
Each USO is individually made by people who make more that $6 a day, and are proud of their Company.
I paid $400 for a brand-new CC44 with case, and it was a nice guitar...
But later I bought a coupla used USA Ovations for Less than that and they just sounded Much Better.
(I ended-up selling the CC44 for about half what I paid for it)
So... If given the choice, I would buy a Used USA Ovation before I bought a New Celebrity.
Even though you can buy a Solid Top Celebrity for $400 or $500, you can get a really nice USA Ovation for that much...
BTW- I started-out with a phony strat... But 'Heart of Gold' just didn't sound right on it. |
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February 2009
Posts: 119
Location: New York | I made a few little "demos" with my video on my cell phone, but the quality of the sound kinda sucks. So I wouldn't be doing either of us any favors by sending that to you. Not sure what to do now. I found a computer mic, but it needs batteries, and it is getting late. It probably will sound like crap too, it is a radio shack cheapo mic. I'll keep trying. It was kinda fun making the recordings, but it is also difficult as you are your own worst critic. lol |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | Old man arthur: thanks the information!
Hossman21: no worries man
Just had my weekly lesson and my guitar teacher actually recommended against getting one as my first guitar, he recommended like a regular ibanez acoustic to start out with first. Not sure where ill go from here, probably just need to try out a few for myself and/or hear them... |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| merc - could you please ask you instructor what specifically he dislikes about an Ovation? I'd be curious to know. Just ask nicely, I really am wondering what his objections might be.
My opinion - you can spend $500 for a new Ibanez, and it will have a laminated (plywood) top, plywood back and sides, rosewood fretboard, and (probably) no pre-amp. Or, you can pick up a used Ovation Legend with a AAA-grade solid spruce top, ebony fretboard, and pre-amp for about the same. I will guarantee that the Legend will blow the Ibanez out of the water in tone, volume (unplugged) and playability. |
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Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | well he said that ovations tend to slide down your lap and he was talking about a plytop top also (maybe hes only looked into the imported ones) and he mentioned that in order to get a good one i'd have to spend a ton of money. I mentioned that I saw some used ones and he also said that not a lot of artists really use ovations in bands anymore, he mentioned some chick that I had never heard of so I cant recall her name. He said my suggestion would be to not get one. The ibanez he was referring to belongs to a student of his so its used, and as you said he doesnt think it has a preamp and he said he likes pickups that are put in after the fact more than guitars that have them straight from the factory. He said the ibanez would only set me back like $300. Maybe he just doesnt have all the facts about the higher end ovations? |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by mercury187:
Maybe he just doesnt have all the facts about the higher end ovations? Sorry, no maybe there! Ya need to gather with your regional OFC members. Actually, your teacher needs to do the same! 
BTW, I consider music teachers pushing other students guitars as 'pimps'; especially when they bad mouth something of which they have no knowledge!
Sorry for the rant, but your teacher pizzes me off! |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | I guess I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. He said he would ask the student to bring in the ibanez so I could try/hear it. Looks like I'll have to sample both... If I could find one for sale in my price range I could def. forward him the specs and see what hes got to say.. I guess im on my own again unless I can get him on board with me.. |
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Posts: 3969
| OK, I'll tackle these 1 by 1.
Slide off your lap - that's an objection commonly heard from people who've never played them & heard that complaint from someone else or who tried one out once. As long as your thigh is straight out and not pointed down there's no reason an O would slide any more so than any other guitar held improperly. A strap would fix that tendency in any case.
Plywood top - the only Os you ever see new in the big box stores are the Celebs, which are almost all laminate tops. As I said, you can get a used O with just about the highest grade tonewood top for the price of a new woodbox that's all laminate. The difference in tone and volume between a solid wood top and a laminate is large.
Not used by many bands these days - absolutely true. But that's due to many factors, not the least of which is that big guitar manufacturers sign popular artists to endorsement deals, then every guitar wannabe sees their favorite artist playing a certain brand and wants only that same brand, on the theory that the guitar is what makes that artist great, and not talent plus years of practice. Brands go in and out of style, and IMO there are a lot of people who pay big bucks for a particular brand of guitar based only on marketing. No different than cola or shoes. During the 70s, 80s, and into the early 90s Ovation owned the guitar market, they had to be doing something right.
The chick - probably Kaki King. She plays an Adamas (carbon fiber top), which is well out of your price range anyway.
Soundhole pickup - these can reduce the volume and tone unplugged since they both block the soundhole and, by way of attachment, can reduce top vibration. To get a good one you'd have to spend more than the asking price on the Ibanez.
Bottom line - don't be hasty. Try out as many guitars as you can, both woodboxes and Ovations. Ask people to play different guitars for you, because the sound of a particular guitar is different if you're in front of it vs. playing it. Pick the guitar that "speaks" to you. It sounds like this will be your only guitar for awhile, so you owe it to yourself to get one that you'll be happy with. |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | yeah I probably made a few mistakes by not really knowing what im talking about, he did say laminate, im not sure if he said soundhole pickup or just a custom preamp being put in the guitar, can you have any "woodbox" installed with a preamp just like an ovation? maybe thats what he said, it was before we started the lesson so its hard to remember exactly what he said but basically it sounded like he hadnt checked into them that much or used them that much for that matter. From the videos I've seen on this site and ones that are on youtube I def. like the sound of an ovation... |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Serge,
Thanx for taking the high road and your patience.  I kinda lost mine...
mercury187 ,
You've been given some excellent info. Now go out there and get the best 'bang for your buck'. Good luck on your venture! ;) |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | G8r: yeah my birthday isnt until August so yeah it would have to last at least until then |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Your teacher has the standard Anti-Ovation bias... Which is Cool.
[Personally, I love owning guitars that everybody hates... Just my Anti-Establishment bias]
Every time I went into a store to look at Ovations, they always wanted to sell me something else cuz Ovations are crap. Of course, all they ever have for Ovations are new, cheap Celebrity's...
So they are Right.
Understand that one of the Joys of owning an Ovation is that everybody thinks they Suck.
Then you can play it for them and watch them Grudgingly admit that yours I nice...
[But all the other Ovations still suck]
BTW- Kaki King has a Hamer, Nancy Wilson has a Takamine and a Hot Pink explorer-looking thing...
And probably Dozens of others.
When you get famous you can play whatever you want.
I saw Kim Simmons of Savoy Brown on stage with a $97 Wal-mart First Act, and it sounded great!
[Your teacher probaly told his other student that he would help sell that Ibanez. :p ]
Like the G8r sez, take your time. |
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March 2008
Posts: 179
Location: Central Florida | What G8r said, Merc.
You'll get very little argument that there's a bit of bias here but there's plenty of reasons for it.
Definitely owe it to yourself to try a couple deep bowl U.S. Ovations before buying anything. You need to hear what we're talking about. Bring your teacher when you do. He'll probably end up wanting one, too.
Welcome to the board, by the way.
Otto
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March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | There are some nice sounding Ibanez guitars out there cheap. I helped a guy pick out one new for $150 that had a solid top. I haven't seen one that good since. If you want one with a pretty top, it is probably a laminate. My daughter's teacher told her the same thing and she bought an Ibanez. Took her 3 times to get one that worked properly and it's a laminate top. Now she has an 83 Collectors Ovation that sounds much better, even with a shallow bowl.
Have him teach you how to hold the guitar correctly instead of telling you they slide off your "knee". You won't have a problem. |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | I've got a beat up old 1537 within your price range that will kick but on most Woodbox specials. |
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February 2009
Posts: 78
Location: Bellingham, WA, USA | unfortunately I dont see my teacher ever having the time to take a couple hour trip to the nearsest store that has nice ones, not unless I paid him for his time or something, hes pretty busy. But yeah, I'll try out the ibanez he was talking about and just keep it in my mind and try an ovation as well and anything else the store has. I'm not going to make any hasty decisions unless theres a killer deal that you guys think I should jump on but I would like to buy one pretty soon..... Been thinking about getting an acoustic since I started playing, I've just happened to have this electric for a while so its not like I went out and got something when I wanted to start taking lessons.
Mwoody: does it have a preamp and everything?? |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| I would pay to see a video of that instructor's face listening to an A/B between an Ibanez (any Ibanez) and Mike's 1537.
Merc, the 1537 is a kick-ass guitar. I have one, and I'll never get rid of it. It's one of Ovation's all-time best wood-top guitars. They had some extra mojo-juice lying around in the factory when they made these, and they poured it on. |
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looking at getting my 1st ovation
