Ovations Vs Non-Ovations

[AcousticShred]

I have seen this kind of thread in the tools of the trade section and thought this would be a good place to revive it. I want to discuss opinions about using an ovation and using a standard acoustic guitar, like a Martin. I for one prefer the latter, but I know there are many people here who swear by ovations. Any thoughts?

[t_shirtsnjeans]

Ovations have thier place. It requires the taste for the sound of them acoustically, but plugged in they are as good as or better than most on the market.
I had an Ovation/Celebrity acoustic/electric and the pup was nasty, very very thin and needed eq and signal boost to get a propper sound. I then put in a thinline pup under the bridge and it really brought the guitar to life. One thing that bothered me from day one was that the neck was plastic and fretboard was aluminum, also the frets were very sharp and regardless what I did to it I couldn't get them smoothe, I wound up with major calouses that got peeled off when I went on slides. Plus the heat and cold would drastically cause changes in tunings due to the metal fretboard.

I love the looks of Ovations personally, but I'm not much on the sound acoustically.

[zappatude]

I find Ovations to be very incomfortable to play. I can't play them sitting down at all and standing isn't much better. I do like there sound.

[Eclectifish]

I would like to have an Ovation, but really I find their piezo pickup sound a bit odd and prefer the more natural acoustic sound. The best way to get that it by miking, but the Takamines do a pretty good job of getting it with their piezo pickups.

[AcousticShred]

For me, its the sound of them that bugs me. Its so thin and annoying. I think they play pretty well though.

[SG99]

I am short from shoulder to waist, so it's hard for me to find a standard dreadnought acoustic that feels right.

In my search for an acoustic, I find that Ovations are comfortable to play. I just don't like how they sound w/ out plugging in. To me they sound thin unplugged. I prefer the sound of a dreadnought, they seem to have little more low end.



SG99

[fornies]

I love my ovation. I think that it has plenty of bottom end and a full rich tone. They are also very comfortable to play.

[dkitt]

They look real good from the front, but the only ones that sound good are the top line stuff. Anything below that sounds empty and clanky. An acoustic guitar should sound like wood - not plastic.

[ModestCargo]

I don't really like the acoustic sound of them.

[GuitarGretta]

My first (bought by me) acoustic was an Ovation, so I am very comfortable playing them. I have my second one still. And I like the sound ok, but prefer my tak. It is a little thin for my liking.

Has anyone ever had them crack from the bridge straight down the the body? My first was that way when I bought it, and lo and behold, the second one soon developed the same thing. Has been that way for years and years now, and doesn't seem to affect the sound. Maybe it's just in the finish? Guess it's a good time for a humidifier? None of my other guitars ever had that happen.

[t_shirtsnjeans]

My first (bought by me) acoustic was an Ovation, so I am very comfortable playing them. I have my second one still. And I like the sound ok, but prefer my tak. It is a little thin for my liking.

Has anyone ever had them crack from the bridge straight down the the body? My first was that way when I bought it, and lo and behold, the second one soon developed the same thing. Has been that way for years and years now, and doesn't seem to affect the sound. Maybe it's just in the finish? Guess it's a good time for a humidifier? None of my other guitars ever had that happen.
Yeah, the mating of fiberglass, which doesn't get affected by the weather, and wood that does greatly, is a missmatch and unless the humidity is proper ALL the time they will crack. I'd really like to see the Ovations try to put a carbon fiber front onto the fiberglass tub, I'm sure that would sound sweet and it wouldn't have the problems of cracking.

[Harleyboy]

I traded in my Ovation with I got my Takamine. I enjoyed the Ovation becasue it played well and I could play chords & such I couldn't play on the cheap guitar I started with. I'd buy another Ovation, but not until my wife removes the 4 guitar limit.

I've thought about getting her pregnant, and then I could get 4 more guitars and tell her they were for the kid. Anybody think that will work?

[t_shirtsnjeans]

I traded in my Ovation with I got my Takamine. I enjoyed the Ovation becasue it played well and I could play chords & such I couldn't play on the cheap guitar I started with. I'd buy another Ovation, but not until my wife removes the 4 guitar limit.

I've thought about getting her pregnant, and then I could get 4 more guitars and tell her they were for the kid. Anybody think that will work?
Yeah, tell her you love her too and she'll cave........HOW LONG you been married?

Mine says "How many guitars can you play at one time?" And I tell her "How many shoes can YOU wear at one time?" :D

She wins though, because she knows I won't leave, but she might :o

[Harleyboy]

We are in our mid-50s and have been married 36 years. This could be a tough sell-

[t_shirtsnjeans]

We are in our mid-50s and have been married 36 years. This could be a tough sell-
Dude, married that long you should have a 20 guitar limit, and that could be flexible too :D

[sambo555]

ovations are excellent guitars
i don't own one but like you lot when im allowed to expand my collection im buying a 12 string ovation, or maybe the 6 & 12 string double neck:crossed: - that guitar is sweet

they have a much purer tone and greater volume (because of the one piece bowl at the back = no sound trapped in the corners of the sound box)

they play excellently, they sound great --- what more do you want


here's a piece of useless info - the guy how developed the ovation guitars made his living designing and developing helicopter blades....then he made guitars

[Chelsthom]

I Friday night I had the opportunity to play the last set at a pub my friend was playing at. I played my Ovation, through the PA system, and got a number of comments on how good it sounded. People in the audience even commented that the "guitar I was playing had a really good sound."
This is unusual for an audience to comment specifically on the guitar sound.
I have found at home though that the Ovation sounds much better than the takamine when played through the PA, but unplugged they are hard to compare as they sound so different.

[fornies]

Also i think that Ovations are just plain beautiful
http://power.vzz.net/images/Ovation.JPG

[FadedCayenne]

I find Ovations to be very incomfortable to play. I can't play them sitting down at all and standing isn't much better. I do like there sound.

agreed.
the problem is, the bad outweighs the good. to quote the great paul mccartney "I've got blisters on my fingers!"

they sound great... if you're playing with gloves.

[martinedwards]

The roundbacks don't seem to feed back played with a PA like a standard acoustic can. One of the manufacturers has that as a selling point in one of their ads......
But then I remember the Lowden Ad from the 80s which said that their guitars didn't hold water like a plastic bowl, but then didn't sound like one either.........

Personally, I prefer a wooden guitar......but then I've yet to play a resonator!!!

[Jtaylor]

Ovations do have good looks. Don't like the sound though. I have both Martins and Taylors. I think the Ovations have their place but it's not when you're unplugged.

[SGshredder]

i perfer good 'ol Martins, but i played this Ovation 12-string at Guitar Center that i would commit murder to have. Martins and Ovations each have their goods and bads. i wouldn't mind having either.

[CaptainSG]

yeah. I have a 12 string epi texan. my cousin has an applause (ovation's sister company) 6 string.....very nice my cons for that guitar though, is that it slips out of my lap when I play it.

[SGshredder]

yeah. I have a 12 string epi texan. my cousin has an applause (ovation's sister company) 6 string.....very nice my cons for that guitar though, is that it slips out of my lap when I play it.

Yeah the rounded body can be quite the B**** sometimes

[shiggity]

I found mine at a tag sale for 200 beans, Custom legend. beutiful guitar, The key to a good tone on a ovation is the deep bowl. The shallow bowls are very thin/brittle sounding. The biggest problem is palying standing up. I have a very aggressive playing style and the guitar will roll back and forth. This changes where the strings are causing you(me) to miss with my pick one way or the other. Once at a show the low E cut the top pf my finger and by the end of the show my Ovation was covered in blood.
The plus... I have owned this guitar for 10 or so years and I have only had to set it up once because of buzzing. Otherwise it plays like a song!


Thats my 2 cents

[Terren]

I'd love an Ovation one day. They've got a modern and unique look, and they play and sound really well from the one model I tried.

[shiggity]

my $200 tag sale special

http://www.ovationguitars.com/pics/models/1767_lg.jpg :toohappy:

[shiggity]

actually this is the exact model color everything, if I didnt kno any better I'd think someone was selling my 'coustic geetar
http://images.instrumentexchange.com/images/photos/a_696902701683_1.jpg

[Mr. Acoustic]

Here's how Ovations and other guitars of their kind got their start. There were some engineers who were hired to create a plastic for airplanes that would vibrate as little as possible. They completed the job and decided to reverse the concept and create a plastic that is condusive to vibrations and make a guitar out of it (or at least the body).
Ovations may be good guitars when it comes to transportation and modeling (recording), but other than that, I feel they are useless. They do perform well when played with an effect because of their low acoustic sound, but other than that, I don't feel they have much use.
One can attain the same sound, quality of sound, and versatility of sound with a traditional acoustic, so why go for an Ovation? The versatility of a traditional acoustic guitar is phenomenal. I highly recommend them. I play my acoustic so much more than my electric it's not even funny.
That's my opinion (for what it's worth.).