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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Perhaps I have not played any high end shallow bowl Ovations. Any one I try I find myself greatly underwhelmed. |
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Joined:
December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | They certainly are great when standing up, plugged in playing with a band.... |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | They ARE exactly what they were designed to BE!! . .
. . . an acoustic guitar that can be (comfortably) played in live situations, producing accurate acoustic guitar tones at considerable volume with minimal feedback.
(period).
To consider them inferior because they don't hold up to a Martin or Taylor in front of your fireplace is like saying that a Mercedes SLK coupe is a piece of $*^%# because you can't fit your couch in it on moving day! . . .
I think that innundating the market with them over the years was a mistake and has lost Ovation the credibility it deserves, as much as I think that doing away with them altogether is also a mistake.
(but then, what the &^%# do I know?? I'm a glorified carnival-worker in a tie . . .) |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | re: A shallow bowl guitar does NOT mean it has to have bad acoustic sound. Am I the only one that believes this?
A shallow bowl can sound excellent - may be a little "shallow" v. a dreadnought but try it next to a thin or non-dreadnought box. Also, better playing position can help the player excel.
Yet, I believe there are still some engineering factors that could improve the unplugged sound more on a shallow bowl (may have already been considered.) #1 balance the resonance of the top to the bowl size/capacity, #2 look at how the box inside the bowl disrupts the sound flow...notice that always on bass side, rectangular form, size. As an experiment, took the box out of the 1669 deep-bowl - slight improvement in acoustic sound. Either baffle to control flow, smoother edges, moving the box to more centered position toward end pin, etc. Small bowl, small change...could be a major difference. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | There's no incentive right now for the factory to build ssb guitars, just like there's no incentive for them to build deep bowls. They are back ordered on the LX's so that's what they are concentrating on.
As for acoustic sound vs. plugged in sound, my impression is that Ovation is trying to move back to the quality acoustic sound. Can't do this with a ssb guitar and change how you are perceived.
Cliff --- in a tie???? |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I aggree with Cliff, the fact that supershallows were everywhere for a while didn't help Ovations reputation as a credible acoustic guitar, and keeping them out of the standard line, at least temporalily is probably a good idea. I've heard a small handful of supershallows which sounded amazing acoustically, though why anyone would expect, or for that matter want a supershallow to behave like a full-bodied guitar escapes me.
That said, I have a MOB as back-up slide guitar. Unplugged this plywood-topped imported supershallow POS sounds at least as good as my 72 Deep-bowl Legend (which, as a result has become the back-up) Go figure. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | OK
I took one side, and in the spirit of Fair and Balanced, I must take the other.
In defence of well built shallow bowls, I must point out that those small, shallow Martin's (I think they were 00's) had a sound that blow you away. I heard some at the San Diego folk festival in the 70's played by jazz type pickers that could never be improved on. I went to a jam session here in Las Cruces a few months ago where this old guy had one he put together from broken pieces and it sounded GREAT. A shallow bowl may have it's place in life, if it is built well.
Bailey |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 873
Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | bailey, i'll go to bed if you do. zzzzzzzzzzz |
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The Ending of an Era?
