What do I have?
James Smith
Posted 2017-09-16 7:52 PM (#537430)
Subject: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
I have two Ovations. One is a model 2788AX S/N K 10102013. The other is missing the Model number label but the serial number is C10040791. I would appreciate any information about either one. The correct model type, year, and details such as recommended string weight, etc.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-16 8:01 PM (#537431 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
To guess the model, a photo would be needed.
Or a link to a photo on another site.

By serial number, I am guessing that the 2778AX was made in Korea in 2010.
And the other is either a Celebrity or Applause made in China in 2010.

Recommended Strings?
I generally tell people to try D'addario EJ16 first.
They are .012-.053 inches.
Plus they are cheap. Well, cheaper than EXP16's or Elixirs or anything weird like that.
Once you see how those play, you can move up or down in gauge, depending on how they feel.

Still... post a photo or a link.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-17 3:34 PM (#537436 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: RE: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Ah, there it is!



(IMG_20170914_182131315 copy.jpg)



(2788AX.jpg)



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Attachments IMG_20170914_182131315 copy.jpg (43KB - 0 downloads)
Attachments 2788AX.jpg (50KB - 0 downloads)
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-17 6:10 PM (#537441 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
I don't know what this is...

It would depend on what kind of preamp it has and the bowl depth.
Mid Depth would be a CC24 or CC26.
Super Shallow would be a CC28, CC057 or a GC057, depending on the preamp.

All of this is guessing.


Edited by Old Man Arthur 2017-09-17 6:14 PM
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-18 7:53 AM (#537456 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
To me, the standard Elite (2788AX) is the better instrument. It just plays better. Although the unplugged volume is not as good. That rather confirms your estimate of a CC24 or CC26. It is definitely not a Super Shallow. Perhaps iif I go to the heavier strings on the Elite, the volume will improve. I'll try that on the next string change. Right now, they are D'Addario EJ15 .010 - .047.

Thanks for your help. BTW, I am the "Old Man " here, I'll be 75 in November.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-18 8:20 AM (#537457 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Update, madditional research confirms that you are correct. It seems to be a Celebrity CC24. I haven't been able to nail down the year, yet
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-18 1:51 PM (#537459 - in reply to #537456)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
James Smith - 2017-09-18 5:53 AM

Thanks for your help. BTW, I am the "Old Man " here, I'll be 75 in November.

I was "old man" before 2006 when I joined the OFC, and I was only 49.
I was just older than all of of the young morons that I worked with.
I would tell stories about the 60's and 70's and $3.50 concert tickets.
Since that was before they were born, I was considered ancient.

Yeah James... You are pretty old.
But I think that some of the OFC may still be older than both of us.
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2017-09-18 2:13 PM (#537460 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
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Posts: 12750

Location: Boise, Idaho
It's all relative. Unfortunately, the number of people around that are younger than us is much larger than the number who are older.
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Love O Fair
Posted 2017-09-18 6:13 PM (#537466 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 1768

Location: When??
@Mark - "Unfortunately, the number of people around that are younger than us is much larger than the number who are older."

Sadly, it's looking like youth internment camps may be the only answer.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-26 6:22 AM (#537559 - in reply to #537466)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
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Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Actually, most people anywhere are younger than I am. I am mystified. It seems like it was only a few weeks ago when I graduated from OCS. I turned my back for just a minute and THIS happened!

An update on my "2788AX" From the Ovation contact link, there is no such model. I photographed the label, and upon enlargement, I seems the first "8" in the label is fake. It is not aligned correctly and seems to have been pasted over the original number. 2778AX is legitimate but the pictures I have found of the model show TWO epaulets with sound holes. Mine has only one. So I am still not sure what I have. Eventually I will learn, either from assistance somewhere or by accident. In the meantime, it plays easily, sounds great, and I am happy.

Only last night a young whippersnapper of 53 came by to see it. He actually played it better than I do. The nerve of that young punk!



(IMG_20170925_123126879.jpg)



(2788AX.jpg)



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Attachments IMG_20170925_123126879.jpg (23KB - 0 downloads)
Attachments 2788AX.jpg (50KB - 0 downloads)
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-26 1:49 PM (#537562 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
Yup... That is a 2778.
It would either be an AX or a TX depending on how it started that day.

I was thinking that a 2788 would have been a 12-string by the numbers.
Maybe someone in Korea thought that they were creating something "new" with the single epi.

HERE is a TX guitar that looks similar to what you have, only in a mid-depth bowl.

Edited by Old Man Arthur 2017-09-26 1:55 PM
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-27 7:32 AM (#537567 - in reply to #537562)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Here is a picture of the Elite back. Note that the curve is more concave than convex. I have not seen that on any other Ovation. Is this a clue or another mystery?



(Elite back.jpg)



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Attachments Elite back.jpg (113KB - 0 downloads)
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-27 10:25 AM (#537569 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
The Ovation factory rep has solved it for this one. He said that particular body was used on Standard Elites with a model number 0f 2778, the letters following are dpendent of where it was made. My AX suffix means Korea.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-27 1:36 PM (#537574 - in reply to #537567)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
James Smith - 2017-09-27 5:32 AM

Here is a picture of the Elite back.

That is a Contour bowl as opposed to the Round back.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-27 3:38 PM (#537575 - in reply to #537574)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Exactly. I have determined that the other one IS a CC24. I have found pictures of them withe same round back, gold-colored hardware and the same basic pre-amp. Thanks for your help. I have to wonder what the advantage of the contour back was.

Edited by James Smith 2017-09-27 3:39 PM
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-27 7:37 PM (#537576 - in reply to #537575)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
James Smith - 2017-09-27 1:38 PM

I have to wonder what the advantage of the contour back was.

Not "WAS"... IS.
Most of the current crop of Ovations are Contour Bowls.
It was/is a response to people saying that the bowl "slides off of their lap", or "flips up like a Dobro".
The contour bowl is also designed to fit the Fatter American Belly.
The contour bowl cures that problem.

My first impressions with the contour bowl were not very good.
When I first got a 2007 Collectors' Edition, I sold it because I didn't like the contour bowl.
I also did not like the VIP Preamp. (Selling that was one of the stupider things that I have done)

I currently own two contour bowls.
Now I have a 2078T and a Sweet-T (which is also a fancy 2078T).
I have grown accustomed to the bowl.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-29 2:39 PM (#537589 - in reply to #537576)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
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Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
I now have one of each and cannot see any difference in the slipping problem. I usually wear a strap even sitting so it isn't a real big problem for me, either way.

Edited by James Smith 2017-09-29 2:42 PM
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2017-09-29 3:25 PM (#537592 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
Yeah... A lot of the "slipping" complaints came from people who were looking for a logical reason to justify their dislike of Ovation guitars.
Complaining that they were too sturdy and inexpensive sounded kinda stupid... So they went with claiming that the round back made the guitar Roll Away from them.
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BCam
Posted 2017-09-29 10:37 PM (#537595 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
October 2014
Posts: 266

My wooden-backed guitars have sharp edges that cut into me when i sit!
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-30 6:57 AM (#537600 - in reply to #537595)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
Me, too. Wearing the strap does take a little of the pressure off, though. I guess we pays our money and takes our chances. My biggest problem is finding time to play each of them every day. Good thing I only have four.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-30 5:07 PM (#537603 - in reply to #537600)
Subject: Slip Fix


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
I tried the rubber place mat trick and it worked so I carried a bit further and used just enough to do the job and glued it to the correct spot. If it had any effect on the tone, It was not detectable by me.

Edited by James Smith 2017-09-30 5:15 PM




(Slip Fix.jpg)



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FlySig
Posted 2017-09-30 5:26 PM (#537604 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4025

Location: Utah
For me, the slipping problem was cured by not hugging the guitar with my right elbow. I find the mid depth bowl to roll up more than the deep bowl when playing standing, though I find I now like a slight roll upward compared to the squared off position of a wood box guitar.

The contour back may well have been designed to accommodate the rounder profiles of Americans these days. The slightly squarer part where it sits on the the thigh also helps prevent slippage, so that may have been a part of the design goal, along with preventing any skyward roll while standing.

Back on topic, sometimes Ovation will release a single sided epaulet using the same model number as the dual epaulet version. My first O was a 6778LX, which is the mid depth bowl version of your guitar. It had only one epaulet. It was a special edition in that it had a different finish only available that one year. Every other color of the 6778LX had two epaulets.

It is possible your guitar was some kind of limited time model or even one only sold in a limited area (such as only Japan or only USA).
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James Smith
Posted 2017-09-30 5:40 PM (#537605 - in reply to #537604)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
I only know what I could learn from a factory rep on their website. He states it is a 2778AX model made i Korea. That's good enough for me. It definitely plays very well although the unplugged volume is not as much as my CC24. But I will be using it tomorrow at a party where I have been invited to play.

My only concern is that it's in a condominium complex and we will be taking over the pool are with guests for the party. If residents slip in, I hope they bring food. I have already bought my own beer and it is chilling in the party refrigerator right now.

I just wish I knew more songs in Portuguese.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-10-01 4:17 PM (#537609 - in reply to #537605)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
It went pretty well. The Elite was flawless and so was the amp. Any fault was mine alone.



(01_10_17.jpg)



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Love O Fair
Posted 2017-10-01 4:33 PM (#537610 - in reply to #537430)
Subject: Re: What do I have?



Joined:
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Posts: 1768

Location: When??
Glad to hear the gig went good. Since I am completely flawless and perfect, I always blame everything that goes wrong on the equipment. Everything. Ya got class, James.
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James Smith
Posted 2017-10-02 8:27 AM (#537615 - in reply to #537610)
Subject: Re: What do I have?


Joined:
September 2017
Posts: 35

Location: João Pessoa, Brazil
I am not sure about the "class" but I do have experience.
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