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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4
Location: Kanab Utah | Ok, I am the newest of the new to guitars and Ovation. I don't play now, but want to learn. I like the concept of the ovations but need advice of what to buy. I am thinking used, and thinking about buying on E bay. I went to a guitar store in Tucson, and fooled around with some ovations. My sense is the round hole models sound fuller than the celebrity type multi hole tops. Am I correct on that?
I love the look of the quilted tops. (except the purple ones) Does the quilted top make the guitar sound poorly?
Now the tough question. I want to spend under 350. on ebay for my first guitar. What models whould you look for. Should I abandone the quilted fetish and go for a sound older guitar that does not look as cool but may play better? How about action. What am I looking for in a first guitar?
What is up with the foreign made vrs. the US made guitars?
Thanks for your help on my quest for my first Ovation. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Look for a Legend or a good Balladeer (USA made)on Ebay. Buy from a seller who has 10 to 100 all-positive feedbacks, any negitive feedback is bad. Avoid the mass merchandisers and power Ebay sellers who show hundreds or thousands of feedbacks, they might have a decent guitar, but you will not get the best deal. When you've got a good one in your sites, email the seller a question or two even if you don't have a question, good sellers respond promptly to emails, bad sellers ignore emails. And only place your bid in the last 30 seconds of the auction, and then place the maximum you want to spend.
As far as quilted top goes, it looks nice but the best sounding ovations are USA made with conventional tops, you will also get the best bargain with these models. There is nothing wrong with quilted tops, it will just cost you more on the good models, or steer you to a laminated top korean model which you should avoid. Then try to meet some other guitar players, take some lessons and enjoy! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Play the multi-holes against a reflective wall or listen to someone else play. The sound focusses more outward!
Know the difference between a solid nd a laminate top.
Know the difference between a five piece neck and the others.
Pick a Flavor. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3666
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Dave, lend him a hand. Sounds like he's in your baliwick. I would agree with my colleagues here. Get a sound USA "O", and get a good setup done on it. |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | It's pretty hard to go wrong with an Ovation that's been treated well. Despite the way that Korean-made Celebrity models get bad-mouthed around here, everybody who has played my CCO57 has commented favorably on its light action, fast neck, loudness (unplugged), and balanced tone--and these are guys who have played a lot of makes and models over a lot of years. You might be able to get a new CC057 for around what you're prepared to pay.
Keep this in mind: for someone just learning to play, the neck and the comfort of the body mean just about everything. If you get a guitar that has a high or stiff action or a neck that doesn't fit your hand well or is too wide or too narrow, you won't play as much and you won't learn as fast. Some things can be adjusted by getting the guitar set up professionally. Others, like scale length, neck width, and neck radius, are forever unless you shell out for what almost amounts to a rebuild.
You may pick up dissenting opinions on this board, but I think all of us pretty much agree that the best guitar for you is the one that feels and sounds best to you.
Good luck,
John |
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Newby model advice
