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June 2004
Posts: 365
Location: NC | I was wondering how everyone here found out about Ovations? I saw them in a magazine and I was intrigued by the design. I went to a local shop to play one and was hooked.
I have always liked what is not ordinary and what others don't find as in style.
I was drawn to the craftsmanship once I got to know the guitar better and would probably be hard pressed to find a replacement.
:D |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | I was frustrated with my playing, acoustic, electric, bass. So, after playing out one night, the next day loaded up some "Stuff" and went in search of one guitar. Traded for a Legend. I knew Ovations existed, but really did not know anything about them. The guy I traded with said it was one of the best sounding guitars he had. He has over 900 guitars in his shop. So I traded. Worried all the way home that I had messed up, but now love my "O".
In trying to find out about my Legend, I stumbled on the OFC. The rest is history. I now have 4 O's. So much for "one guitar" |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I guess I was impressed with the sales catalog. It had alot of information about the science behind the design. This was way back in 1970. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Ovation found me!
My friend Ken, in High School, was an Ovation Nut. He would've fit in with this bunch real well.
He showed me my first Balladeers and a 12 string that you could actually play! He talked me into buying my 1112 that I have today.
They were different and that was OK. The majority of wood boxes floating around in my price range were scary classicals with steel strings.
I was married, broke and no longer playing when the Elites hit he world.
Then last year I found this place and GAS! |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I'm an Engineer. I've always loved music but could not afford a guitar while growing up. As an adult, my daughter asked to learn guitar. I was excited and shopped for a guitar for each of us. I love innovation stories like the one surrounding the Ovation Guitars so I checked into them. I bought my daughter a Balladeer and I bought a used Adamas for myself. I now own 5 O's. Their unusual design is still unique and their sound is superlative. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | stellarjim,
Yes you have five Ovations. But from the look of your list you have a nice selection of flavors. You lack only one item. You....need....a....uke. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Television. January 1969.
And Brad, I still have the 1970 catalog that I got way back when. Did you know that in 1969 Mechanics Illustrated did an article on Ovations? |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Glen Campbell Show on TV, 1969, and Jim Peterik of the Ides of March playing one in concert in 1972. That SOLD me on them.
Roger |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My local guitar shop in '74. Had a nice one in my price range that sounded good and the fact that it was also an electric was just icing on the cake.
Just sold it to my good buddy about 6 months ago and have started him on a righteous path of GAS!
Stephen |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | In 1969, I was looking for a decent guitar. The couple of O's that I saw were interesting but, since I didn't play one, didn't see any reason to buy one. Went to a Martin D-18 12-str. In 1980, Marty of Marty's Guitar (Portland, OR) had just brought back from NAMM a Custom Legend slothead 12-str (dark sunburst.) At first, loved the guitar but put aback by the appearance...thought it needed a Mexican sombrero with silver dripping down - haunted by it, went back to check it out the next three days - then took it home. Now, dark sunburst with abalone is my favorite. Course it helped that Marty only charged me $625 for it ;) |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I decided to learn to play guitar again (with a bit more commitment & consistency this time)about 6 years ago. I had been buying and selling on Fleabay in other merchandise, and thought, "Hey TwitMeister, find a good deal on a guitar!" So, combining my spirit of free enterprise and tireless bargainhunting, I found an old parlor guitar dirt-cheap, fortuitously, close to my abode. I parlayed this critter to a guy in Michigan, as I recall, and set out to find another instrument- this time a POS classical that was utterly unplayable when it arrived. Well, I "had my way" with it and massaged it into a fairly tolerable instrument.
OK,OK....I'm getting to it. So, taking some amount of positive expectancies from these reasonably successful forays into "shadetree luthiery", I returned to the frenetic auction scene, and located- you guessed it- an old Ovation 1111 Balladeer with a busted peghead. Now, I had been brainwashed and indoctrinated, in my youth, in the usual manner, i.e., "Why should I buy a guitar that's going to sound exactly the same in 25 years?!". Poppycock, *I* wasn't the same after those 25 years, either. I bought the poor beast, patched it back together, and fell madly in love with its sound and ease of play. It made me want to play for the first time in my life! The fact it is built like a brick outhouse does nothing to detract from its inherent beauty and charm.
Now, as to how I stumbled onto THIS place- I suppose some repression is a good thing, time-to-time. Actually, I honestly have forgotten- must be the vicissitudes of Age & Gravity. I'm thankful & grateful, just organic.
So, some 20-odd "O"-critters have come & gone from The "O"rphange- literally across North America and parts of Europe, but Ol' Faithful is still holdin' down the fort. "May it ever be so humble"...... |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | 1975. San Diego Civic Auditorium. 2nd row. Dave Mason and Jim Krueger opening the show on stools with a 12 and a 6. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413
| The neck.
Pick one up and you'll never put it down. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | A good friend and his band, The Wright Brothers Overland Stage Company, from the '70's played them and I always wanted to get one. When I got rich and famous (ha), I needed to get a guitar for my son that he could use as a paddle for all those times he found himself up the creek. Bought a Legend on Ebay and fell in love. I was only rich and famous for 1 night so I have only been able to get one more guitar, my Custom Legend. |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I thought that they looked cool when I saw Alex Lifeson of "Rush" using them when I was a kid. He uses an Ovation classical for the intro of "the trees" and he's used other Ovation thoughout the years. One of Alex's O's are featured in their video for "mystic rhythms". They play it on VH1 Classic every now and then. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | It's just TOO long of a story . . . . . . . wait for the book . . . . ;) |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 327
Location: Houston, TX | A guy that worked for Kaman Music Corp gave my next door neighbor's son a guitar and amp when he got interested in learning how to play.
Always remembered that, and checked out Ovations first when I wanted to learn. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ...easy... I needed a 12-string that could be amplified... a friend had a Custom Legend-12 so, I went to GC looking for a Legend... no luck, but there was a Balladeer on the wall (really high up) that the GC Sales Geek didn't even know they had... took it down....took it home... got GAS! |
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Joined:
October 2004
Posts: 256
Location: chicago | had a poster on my wall circa 1978 w/ larry coryell doing a seven fret strectch an ad for ovation. playing cl.he had an inst.album solo acoustic stuff live at montreux jazz fest.loved the way he played and that sound.after that, hooked! |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 795
Location: Texas | Glen Campbell, John McLaughlin, Jim Croce, Kenny Loggins, Al Di Meola, Tony Rice, etc.
Blind Lemon Parker
www.sergiolara.com |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 79
Location: Minnesota | About 25 years ago I tried a friend's Deacon and absolutely loved it! He offered to sell it to me so I bought it. 5 yrs later I found myself in need of money, so I traded it to a friend for a Conn 6 string acoustic and some cash!(stupid I know!) He promised to sell it back to me for $300.00 anytime I wanted, but when I was financially stable again and asked for it back he refused. When I started dealing on fleabay and seeing O's I made up my mind to find one to replace it. I'm happy to say I finally found one and am also working on a BW re-finnish project as well! I own an Applause classical, but don't own any O acoustics YET! Hoping to change that when I become indepenently wealthy someday. Love to try the 2005 collectors sometime. Can't see parting with any of my many electrics to afford one though :(
Constant GAS :) :cool: |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| ..when i was in high-school i saw some skinny kid from arkansas playing one...
steve |
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Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 604
Location: Tampa, FL | 32 years ago, preparing to depart for 3 months under the North Atlantic, I bought a used Balladeer from a departing shipmate. The winter seas in that area are not kind and I had a close up and personal education in the difference between destruction resistant and destruction proof. Poor thing did a wonderfully graceful leap from a top bunk to a less graceful landing on the deck. In modern times I would not hesitate to send it to the mothership for a looksee. Back then, however, I didn't even know they were made in CT (I was stationed in New London, CT). I took it to a luthier in Bridgeport that was making awesome woodbox nylon classical instruments. He gave it a cursoy glance, sniffed a couple of times and told me, "Sure, I could replace the top. But why?" :rolleyes:
I guess somethings change and I guess somethings don't. I do wonder though, why guitars often get referred to as an axe. Seems to me my Ovation has more of a paddle look. Maybe a spoon. Think I'm going to have work on my macho some. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | For 26 years I had one guitar, a Guild. I had the opportunity to play a friend's 1717 Legend and was surprised that the acoustic sound was better than the Guild. I then sold the Guild and bought my first Ovation. I now have four of them. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | One day this funny shaped guitar was in the house..... |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | It was at 7:30 Wednesday night, January 29th, 1969... The occasion... The premier episode of the "Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour." The rest is history!
Jeff |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Jeez! Even I don't remember the exact date and time. |
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Joined:
October 2004
Posts: 81
Location: N W Ohio | To make a short story long. I played in a garage band (late sixties early seventies, that period is a little fuzzy)with a guy who had an Ovation that sounded so good and was so easy to play that it haunted me for years. I stopped playing electric and switched to strictly acoustic when children started showing up. Bought my D28, my dream guitar then and is still my favorite. That Ovation still haunted me. Enter Ebay, and statred selling off old and unused electric gear so I had some extra disposable income. Here I am five Ovations and another Martin later. |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 370
Location: Isle of Man, UK | Just over nine years ago (December of 1995) - I was in a rock and roll band, was still living with my Mum, and working, so I had the money to treat myself.
The pickup and jack on my old Yamaha were getting old and unreliable in a gig situation (much like myself now!), so I decided to get a new guitar one day. Went down to the music shop one lunchtime (we only have one on the Island...) and they had an O in the window. Sat and played for an hour, bought it, brought it home. I was fascinated that it was so different in sound, ease of playing, and looks, and I got the "History of the Ovation Guitar" book, and was hooked.
Now I have pretty much the whole acoustic family - Uke, Mandolin, Celeb Deluxe 6, Elite 12, 5-string bass, and a brand new Viper due in about 4 weeks. Just need to discpline myself to save enough cash, and it's "hunt the Breadwinner" time...
Thank you Kaman - you given me, and others who've heard your guitar in my just-about-capable hands much listening pleasure. One day, I'll find myself Stateside, and come see you at the 'mothership'.
I never thought that I'd still be playing that first O nine years later. Amazing where the time goes.
JB |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 100
Location: Asheville, North Carolina | I got my first OV in 1974...everyone was using them to play live and they sounded better than anything available. That continued for atleast a decade or two. The good ol'Balladeer...Everyone from Cat Stevens to Bread played one. :D
Ovation is back with the LX and some other new innovations. I read they are kickin sales of late.
** By the way the term "axe" comes from jazz players refering to their "chops". |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 29
Location: Hyattsville, MD | Well, I LOVED the sound of my Ibanez PF3, but the thing came to need so much work done that it would've cost me more than I paid for the guitar in the first place. So I trekked to the second-nearest music store and played a bunch of axes in my price range. It was down to an Ovation Celebrity CC026 and a Takamine, and the O won out due to the plugin-ability and plugged in sound, and because the Tak had a couple frets which seemed 'dead', which might've been remedied with some simple adjustments, but I didn't wanna do that! Also, the Ovation is just a pretty design. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 36
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1 | Had a Cimar (anyone heard of Cimar?) 12 string for years when I saw Joan Armatrading play in 1994. What a unique sound! Found me a new black Ultra Deluxe in my price range and never looked back. Picked up an 1867 last year and just ordered an 1866.
Love one woman... many guitars...
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Multiple sources:
Glen campbell singing southern nights, then in college saw Dave Mason, then saw my CC0057 loved it, and that was it. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Hey Waskel,
Cool T-shirt.....where can I score one. :D |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | In the words of Vincent Van Go...
Ear!
T Shirt link |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 36
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1 | ah, Woody, you beat me to it....
I picked mine up at the 2004 Christian Musicians Summit in Tacoma.
Hmmm... upper left corner... were you there? |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | BAAMMMMM!!!!!
Just like that.... a cool "T-Shirt" is now on its way to my house :D :D :D !
Thanks for the links guys. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I was at the Summit in Tacoma as well this last go around! Had a very inspiring time!
There's a chance that we may have Rick Hall and even Al Pep come to the next one and put on an OFC and Ovation Display.
This would be an excellant chance for a Northwest OFC Gathering! |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 36
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1 | Excellent, Mike! I'll look for you next November.
We can sit together with that glassy-eyed stare while Phil plays... |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 36
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1 | Good score Stephen... Did you order that in Urban, Suburban or Rural size? |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | My best guess would be suburban.
I find that urban living is just a little to tight for my liking and while all that extra space is wonderful in the rural, I find that eventually the upkeep is just too darn much trouble. :D |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 36
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1 | I'm sort of suburban, but pushing rural faster than I like.... |
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How did you find Ovation?