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| I'm in the market for an Ovation having previously owned an Applause (in my younger poorer days). Where can I get the low down on all the different models and their differences? What's the difference between a Legend, Elite, Balladeer, Celebrity,etc. etc.?
Is there a model particularly suited for finger picking?
Edited by Cecil4445 2020-09-01 1:54 PM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | http://www.ovationtribute.com/
https://www.ovationguitars.com/
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Posts: 556
Location: Denmark | Q: Where can I get the low down on all the different models and their differences?
A: Here http://www.ovationtribute.com/O_Decoder/O-Decoder%20rev8.htm
The list is old so new models may not be there. Some models were delivered with different preamps.
Very, very basic models:
Legend, Balladeer, Celebrity: Center sound hole, wood top
Elite, Celebrity Deluxe: Multiple small soundholes, wood top
Adamas: Multiple small soundholes, wood/carbon fibre laminate top
Variables within models: Bowl depth, bracing pattern, top wood quality, neck construction and bling
Edited by tpa 2020-09-01 3:36 PM
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Location: northern Georgia | I had a similar search. Of course, people have used almost any type of guitar for fingerpicking, but typically an instrument with a wider neck and bridge spacing is wanted. In terms of Ovations, the models that were originally meant for steel-string fingerpicking were the Josh White and the successor Folklore models. These had wider necks (1 7/8" or 1 3/4" and the bridge string spacing was wider as well, at 2 1/4". These were mostly 12 frets to the body, later some Folklores were 14 fret. The 12 fret instruments are a bit louder acoustically and have a better bass response. For anniversary occasions, Ovation would also release special models based on their older designs, some of these were near replicas of the original Josh White and early 12 fret Folklores, so there may be some things available after 2000 that you might like.
Most of Ovation's output of nice steel-string acoustic instruments was for the Balladeer, Legend and Elite lines, so Folklores and Josh Whites are a bit harder to come by, but they are out there. Mine is an early 70s Folklore 1114 that had been played a lot; I suspect that before me, it was someone's beater. After new tuners, a re-fret, crack repairs and finish touch-ups, it is plays well and sounds amazing, especially for the $300 that I paid for it a year ago. I learned a few new repair techniques as a result, and had more excuses for looking at Stewart-MacDonald and other guitar maintenance and parts sites.
If your interest is in nylon strings, Ovation made some of those as well. They are not as plentiful as the steel string types, and due to some design decisions they tend to be a bit less responsive acoustically than a similarly priced instrument from a company that specializes in nylon string instruments. I believe that they do work well in an amplified, live setting, and are more resistant to feedback than the typical good classical with a soundboard pickup. For those, such as my Ovation 1763 classical, I recommend the Savarez Corum Alliance strings which have a brighter, more forward treble response, to improve the normal Ovation nylon treble output.
Edited by keldon85 2020-09-01 4:10 PM
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| Thank you for your respones! |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | All true but I also love fingerpicking my Adamas with the narrower 14 fret neck. You can adapt to anything. Just gotta love the guitar!! And let it for a while at least take you away to another place!! |
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Location: northern Georgia | Yes, certainly you can do finger style on an instrument with a narrower neck. Several well known players used regular Ovations and Adamases finger style, such as Adrian Legg, Preston Reed, and Kaki King. Using other brands finger style on standard width necks, you would have a bunch of others (including Merle Travis, Rev Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Michael Hedges, Ed Gerhardt, John Fahey, Peter Lang, Leo Kotke, Doyle Dykes -- to name a few). If you are trying to keep from accidentally damping out notes by your left hand fingers, you may want a wider neck, and a wider bridge spacing makes finger style a bit easier. However, if you want to be able to use your left thumb to fret or dampen notes, you might want a standard width instead. For most pieces, Chet Atkins preferred a neck just a little wider than normal to fret a bit more cleanly and to still be able to use his left thumb on occasion. However, he also used classical guitars with wide necks as well. You really should think about what you want to play and what techniques you want to use, and then go out and try a bunch of different instruments. |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | That´s why I have a bunch of several instruments. Finger style is not finger style. If you want to play some oldschool brazilian samba you may be unlucky with a guitar that is perfect for some fingerstyle country blues.
But of course there are some more versatile guitars than others. The better a guitar is the more styles you can easily play.
One of the best guitars is/was the custom legend deep bowl. It´s not only more bling, these guitars have the best guitar tops and are very well balanced. You may find some in pretty good used condition for relatively small money. I love the older ones (1619) even more than the newer (1719)
The second guitar for all purposes is the Adamas 1687, but always four-digit prices.
The third Ovation with built-in surprises is the 1718 Elite, one of the most underrated guitars.
If possible, go for the Ovations with solid tops. |
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I'm so confused!
