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Posts: 354
Location: Flushing, MI | I feel like the poster boy for DGOS - that's Deprived of a Good Ovation Syndrome.
At 44 years of age, and playing since I was about 5, and I can count the number of non-shallow, US made Ovations that I've played on one hand. That's just not right folks! It's not like I've avoided them. They weren't there!
For years all I've read over the net was how bad Ovations are, and how terrible they sound, yada yada. My Legend was an EYE-OPENER! |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | OH, this is sounding like marketing....again...click.
Well before I go click, your point that Jim Croce and Cat Litter and the Doobies and all the rest is valid. It was the music of the day and they played Ovation.
What is the music of today? Good question and one that the people in Bloomfield need to be answering, not just for Ovation but ALL the lines. Now they need those answers, and get those people.....
now, click |
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Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | ...and yet another traveller nearly gets sucked into the giant planets orbit...
This sounds like a great new topic! |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Stephen, my daughter has heard both guitars. She even tried out a 1537 for me. Unfortunately, it was out of tune and she was just a beginner. Box guitars do tend to sound better from the back than Ovations and she has this opinion that guitars should have wood backs. My parents didn't know anything when I was her age, either. She lived around an Ovation her whole life and expressed no interest. I was shocked when she bought her Ibanez in college. At 22 or 13 or any of those years, her friends know everything and their opinions are all that matters. |
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Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | I had an experience last weekend that seems relevant here. My partner and his wife were over, and he was playing my new Balladeer 12. His wife--who plays some herself and has been with this guy for close to thirty five years and thus knows something about guitars--remarked that you don't normally get such a balanced, well-integrated sound from a guitar right out of the Guitar Center acoustic room. And when I listened--I hadn't been in front of the guitar to hear it played--she was right. And we know the tone of an all-wood guitar will change more over time than an Ovation. . . . So if you buy a Marin or Taylor at Guitar Center, you're probably buying a guitar with a somewhat raw tone and hoping that your playing (or your amp?) will mellow it out--which might or might not really happen.
Marketing has a lot of work to do. Of course, if they get the point across, the supply of Ovations relative to supply goes down, and we know what happens to prices. . . . |
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Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | amstphd,
I assume you mean, "the supply of Ovations relative to DEMAND goes down, and we know what happens to prices..."
That doesn't have to be the case; like others here, I'm wondering why I don't see more LX models and an occasional 05 Collector's or Adamas somewhere local...are these that heavily back ordered? Are they not being ordered because everyone wants wood guitars instead? Are dealers becoming biased against Ovations/Adamas for some reason?
Still patiently waiting for either a non-cutaway lefty LX or the real deal...
:rolleyes: |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Mike - The Real Deal. |
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October 2005
Posts: 16
Location: Atlanta, GA | I'm a newbie to Ovations, but I was in the local Guitar Center a couple of days ago and they had an Ovation in the "used" section that was far and away the best sounding guitar in the room. Which got me thinking . . . I'm looking for a 12 string for accent/different sounds and the Ovations suddenly became a viable choice. I love the sound of 12 fret slothead 6 string guitars and I was wondering if anyone had a quick version of the distinctions between the Pacemaker, the Glen Campbell, and some of the other Ovation 12 strings, particularly any that it would be wise to avoid. I've got a budget of around $500, if that helps.
As far as the "dark days" for other acoustic manufacturers, most sources agree that the '70s were it for Martin, Gibson and Guild. They were struggling to keep up with demand and quality suffered, not only at Gibson after it was bought out by Norlin (who wanted the guitars overbuilt to reduce warranty work), but even at Martin. By the early to mid 1980's both Gibson and Martin had had to refocus on quality since the onslaught of Japanese guitars had stripped away the bottom of the market and Martin and Gibson both realized that their only hope was to reclaim the high end by delivering quality. By the late 1980's Martin was back to some semblance of its former glory (and finally introduced a adjustable truss rod!) and Gibson followed a couple of years later after a buy-out from Norlin and a move of acoustic manufacture to Montana.
Any advice on Ovation 12 strings would be greatly appreciated.
Bill
'68 Gibson Hummingbird (bought new in 1968!)
'81 Gallagher Doc Watson (flatpickin' hoss/banjo killer) |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Interesting thread, I've only now gotten around to reading it. I'm not sure if I believe Ovations ever had dark days. It became a fad instrument, for a long time, and the company had to produce a hugh quantity and enough variety to keep the fickle public happy. I do know that folks keep buying Ovations, even the "dark age" ones. What I think is, the only problem with Ovation guitars is very simple. Some people just do not like the round back shape of the instrument. The line is based on that engineered acoustic technology. The same design that makes the guitars sound so great is responsible, ergonomically, for limiting their desirability. Yes, Virginia, the instrument does slide off of your lap. Everyone on this forum has heard about the lap thing. It does not bother me in the least, I wear a strap to prevent slippage, however, many people hate the shape we know and love. That's cool with me. Let them unload those pesky Ovations all they want to. There are plenty of O fans to grab 'em up.
I still have not heard a word from the seller of that 4 year old 1979 1624. I'm beginning to think he's reluctant to give it up. Buck |
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Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Slide off your lap???? Never has for me.......I dislike guitars with square-cornered backs, especially dreadnoughts, they jab me and are uncomfortable....the rounded backs fit me PERFECTLY.
Roger |
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June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I have never had an Ovation slip off my lap with the sole exception of the '97 Collector. My conclusion is that if you have lap slipping, the problem is most likely your lap and not the guitar. Look in the mirror and see how you are holding it. Dave |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Ditto, never had ANY ovation slip off my lap. I think Dave is right on the money. Check how it is being held on you lap. |
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Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Geesh! |
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June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | You would think, with my guitars having roundbacks and me having a round front, that they'd be two opposing forces working against each other. But I can honestly say I've never had a problem with "slipage." The key to playing an Ovation while sitting is to hold them close to the body, with the guitar sitting approximately mid-thigh, rather than out towards the knee. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Slippage is not due to the lap or the belly. It has everything to do with the force of your strumming forearm and positioning. If you are a lazy, poor postured player you will tend to rest too much on the upper bout with your elbow instep. I fall into this catagory when I play seated.
Another reason to play standing up! |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | No slippage here. Even though I've gained 30 pounds or so since I started playing Ovations. I think that was a rumor started with the shiney bowls. I have 3 depths and don't see any difference in whether it stays on my leg. I rarely play standing up. The only time I recall having a guitar slide off was when I was given a stool to sit on and the rung for my foot was too low. |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | The only time I recall having a guitar slide off was when I was given a stool to sit on and the rung for my foot was too low.
Same here. It was at an open mic night. I have learned to be wary of that before I start to play.
And I only play deep bowls. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Have you ever put your foot in an awkward position until your leg started shaking? That also happened at the same wedding. That was the last public appearance for a few years. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | There must be some misunderstanding. My post was refering to those who don't like the guitars. I do not have any problems playing Ovations myself, with a strap, or otherwise. I think that players who like, or love the roundbacks "learn" to hold them, and do so instintively. Clearly, a curved surface is more prone to slip than is a squared, cornered one. I've played Ovations for more than thirty years and have kinda gotten the hang of it, however, during that time hundreds of people have asked if they could play mine. At least half of them complained about the shape and said it felt funny. Again, those are not my words, they are comments from others. If we look at guitar sales since 1967 I believe we'd find that conventional guitars have outsold our preference by a wide margin. I don't have the numbers to back up this assumption, but that's my guess. Since the quality, playabilty, and the tone of the Ovations are equal to, or greater than other instruments, in their price range, then there must be other factors. I've never heard a complaint from an Ovation owner, but I've heard them from others. Fess up boys and girls. I suspect some O fans have heard similar remarks from non O players, but I could be wrong. No one in the galaxy likes Ovation guitars more than I do, but I can admit that not everyone, who has ever bent a string, feels the same way. Cheers, Buck |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | While at first I found the roundness of the lower edge disconcerting, I quickly learned how to deal with it. I play both sitting and standing, but I usually wear a strap when playing to an audience, even if I'm sitting (never know when you might get an urge to stand for a song). What I hate now is the top edge of box guitars. It digs into my chest and my arm goes numb.
My experience with introducing Ovations to other players is this: IF they are more interested in the sound, quality of build, and playability of a guitar than their image, they take what I have very seriously.
The people who turn their nose up at a Legend LX are the ones who mutter things like 'plastic' and 'skunk stripe'. The strangest ones are those that hear the price paid, and simply assume it can't be any good because I didn't pay $2k+ for it...
You'd think after 30 years people would get it... |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I love the skunk stripe.
However, I don't think Rick Hall cared for that term when I used it at the tour.
I was bummed to learn that the skunk stripe is more for looks than anything else. I always had thought it added strength to the neck. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | The skunk strip did add strength in the early days, before the K bar. From the advent of the K bar forward, it's just been decoration. But it's kept (I'm speculating here) because it's part of what makes Ovation, well, Ovation. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
The skunk strip did add strength in the early days, before the K bar. From the advent of the K bar forward, it's just been decoration. But it's kept (I'm speculating here) because it's part of what makes Ovation, well, Ovation. True. But could it be possible that it was still used to add strength and stability to the neck until the recent addition of the new LX system? On my 2003 Legend the amount of 'stripe' material was signifigantly greater then on the LX. Or was it just cost-cutting? |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | To me, an Ovation is way more comfortable to hold. Like a big puppy dog with strings. As Waskel said, a "normal" guitar digs in, and I've experienced the numbness thing also. It's funny that many people think the shape is new. Some of the earliest stringed instruments built had a similar design. Without the plastic, of course. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | For whatever reason, with the advent of the LX, the skunk strip was been much narrower. Maybe it was decided that costs could be cut..... |
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Ovation "golden years" or "rust years"?
