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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | I'm a huge fan of A braced Ovations (specifically, deep bowls). I think they may be the best acoustic sound Ovation ever got from a wood topped guitar.
But I recognize that the new LX, modified X bracing is damned good. I've always thought tho', that it's too bad that a side by side coomparison couldn't be done. 2 deep bowl guitars, no electronics, one A braced and one with the new modified X bracing. Same material for the bowls, same strings, same set up.
I would love to know the difference in the sound of the bracing of the two tops. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | I'd love to make that comparison. I really like my LX, but it's a mid-bowl and an Elite. My A braced Legend eats it for lunch acoustically, especially in volume. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Even if you could find a deep bowl, acoustic only, LX braced guitar it would be tough to do a comparison to a top that has 30 some years of seasoning on it. A difference in bowl materials would also make it difficult for an apples to apples bracing evaluation.
I never checked before but I did last night.
My '70 Balladeer has some form of X bracing. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Brad brings up a good point. The closest A/B comparison using actual guitars might be a Legend with A bracing and a old Balladeer with X bracing. I've done that comparison and the Legend sounds much better to my ear.
I've also done an A/B with my Custom Legend to my son's Elite LX with airlocks in the lower epaulets. The Legend has more volume but doesn't really sound better. The two guitars have markedly different acoustic tone. I find the Elite to be more responsive to a softer playing style while the Legend sounds best when played a bit harder. The Elite is substantially lighter and perhaps that's one of the reasons. One thing that the Elite excells at, with the air locks, is response to palm muting. It has some real thump and it's easier to get a nice muted sound as compared with the CL. |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | The 30CM Legend is fairly new,(non aged top) and I believe it has the A bracing pattern, not sure though. True, it is a deep bowl, but the mid and deep are so close, isn't it like 1/4 inch difference? If all this is true, it would be easy to compare that with an LX. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Paul, change the specs on that custom-made O so you can make the comparison |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | The custom order's on hold due to bucks being tight.
But even tho' we can compare old 1960's guitars with A braced deep bowls, there are also other differences in those guitars (bowl material, finish on top, etc). I'd love to see two guitars with identical specs except for the top bracing. That would tell us what the difference is between the two patterns. I would guess that this was done with the modified X was being developed, but I don't know.... |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 498
| I have a newly refurbed X braced deep bowl shiny 1115 circa 68/69 what's the difference between the x brace and modified X?
only additions are thinline pickup and fd14 preamp.
Glenn |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | The 1115 has fan bracing, not X. As to the difference between the old X and the new modified X, one's modified and the other isn't?
I donno.... |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
I'd love to see two guitars with identical specs except for the top bracing. That would tell us what the difference is between the two patterns. I gotta wonder if I'd even hear any difference. And if I did, could it be the top and not the bracing? After all, no two pieces of wood are the same.
This getting perilously close to doily knitting. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | No two doilies are the same either, like snowflakes. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . or SlotHeads. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | I'm just saying that Ovation has gone full tilt with the X bracing. That's fine, but at the same time they also improved the guitars with all of the LX appointments which is also great. But I don't know which bracing pattern is better because there were so many changes at once. I'd like to know. I never will, but I'd like to..... |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Closest I've gotten is the Josh White v. FD14...
X v. V.... but also, Cedar v. Spruce and Shiny bowl v. Molded...
FD= Warm and Creamy
JW= Bright and Shiny |
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A vs. Modified X bracing
