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Location: Perth Amboy, NJ | I was working in Manhattan in the winter of 1982. There was a blizzard and I was stuck at work (I lived on Staten Island at the time) and a co-worker invited me to stay over at his apartment on 36th Street. He had a Pacemaker 12 string sitting on a stand and he let me play it. (My accoustic at the time was a non-amplified Guild 6). I was blown away by the action and tone ... later that week I went to Mandolin Brothers and walked out with 2! Ovations - a Pacemaker 12 slothead in dark brown sunburst, and a 1983 Collectors Edition (first super-shallow bowl). I own both to this day. The 12 has been tuned to concert pitch for over 20 years and is in near perfect condition too, although the brown case is starting to fall apart and rust. |
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Location: East Flat Rock NC | first post. I needed a gigging acoustic that had a good pickup, was tough, and most importantly played well and was comfortable to my hand, I found a black textured model (1777T I think)that I really bonded with , this was about 2 months ago, still very happy HHB |
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Posts: 45
Location: Oakton, VA | In the Spring of 1970, finally out from under my college tuition, I felt flush with money and purchased a drop dead Gibson Byrdland hollow body electric guitar. Within two years, I realized the Byrdland would be better served in the hands of a far more accomplished musician, my younger brother, then still a teenager. It never sounded better.
A few months later my brother gave me a present, a 1972 Ovation Balladeer which, I imagine, wiped out his savings at the time.
I still have it. |
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Location: SoCal | Does your brother still have the Byrdland? |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | This is quite a thread.
I bought my first Ovation a year ago last February. I had played an Ovation that belonged to Kip Attaway many years ago & was very impressed. When I bought my first O I didn't realize that all Ovations are NOT created equal until after I found this board. The one I bought was a Celebrity 12 string with a poorly set neck. I bought it off ebay & sold it off on ebay. It was my first & last non USA Ovation. If I had not found this board it would have been my first, last & ONLY Ovation. I bought my first American made Ovation brand new about 6 or 8 months ago. It's an 1858 BCB SS 12 string. I love it & I will probably always have it. I bought a 1612-4 (1985) a few months ago "so I would have a 6 string Ovation while I was saving up for a 2003 Collectors". Now I can't bring myself to part with it. I've grown to love that big deep bowl non-cutaway sound. But I still needed a cutaway six string. Soooo... & here's the good part- I lost interest in the 2003 when I bought a 2002 Collectors from Tony Calman the other day. It's prettier than the 2003 imo. It's the same one that Tony got from Paul Hebert. It's gorgeous & I don't care if it's been "sleeping around" before I got it. I think Tony finally got to the "move one in gotta move one out" stage :) With the two twelve strings & the CL & the 30th Anniversary all newly arrived or heading for his house it might be a tad crowded down there, huh Tony? :) Lucky for me! I'm delighted to be able to acquire the 2002. I couldn't have done it through a dealer but Tony is making it very easy for me to buy this guitar. Great deal all around, thanks Tony! It should be here early next week. Right now I have pictures, at least I have pictures...
That African Cherry makes my eyes go funny after a while staring at the pictures, I can't wait to see it in front of me.
/\/\/ |
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Location: Oakton, VA | Paul,
No, he sold the Byrdland some time ago. He never felt perfectly comfortable with the Byrdland's short (24 3/4") scale. He was switching in and out of guitars on a regular basis but a Heritage has been around for quite some now: maybe that is his keeper.
-Tom |
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Posts: 24
Location: Austin, Tx | 1617 Legend. A gift from my father ten years ago; He had It for several years and Gave it to me when I developed an interest in the guitar. I still have it and play it often. It's one of my favorite guitars. |
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February 2002
Posts: 52
Location: PA | This thread has legs! I must've been asleep when it got started....
My first Ovation was the now prized GP. My friend actually found it and bought it for $200 or so, a couple days later I played it and fell in love. This was back in '89 or so....I ended up trading him a Westone pantera guitar and my old Fostex X-30 four-track for it. I still have the GP and it's still my favorite electric. |
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July 2002
Posts: 1900
| First was a balladeer, then...
an artist
a campbell artist
a country artist
a deacon
another country artist
a custom balladeer
an elite 12string...
(next will be a longneck, if i can find one...)
steve |
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Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | Steve,
There's an Elite Longneck listed in the Member's Sell/Trade section....
tim |
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October 2002
Posts: 153
Location: Huntington Beach, CA | Started playing in '65 and have had many cheap and top-end guitars over the years. Bought first Ovation 2 years ago. Its a 1869 Custom Legend with a Cherry top, 1998 I think. Beautiful and sounds great plugged in. Wanted acoustic quality too so I bought an S771, I think its a 1999. This is the best sounding acoustic guitar I have ever owned. Better than my '43 Martin and that's saying something.
Typical of me, always looking to improve on things, I'm looking for a better A/E, maybe with deep bowl and epaulette sound holes. Problem is its hard to part with any of my guitars and I'm out of room. Got plenty to be happy about though.
Best to all and God bless in '04! |
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Posts: 1900
| tim, thanks for the info, but it's already sold...
(i think i have chosen to obtain one of the most difficult ovations ever made...)
steve |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by Steve:
tim, thanks for the info, but it's already sold...
(i think i have chosen to obtain one of the most difficult ovations ever made...)
steve
Which would be a..... ? This should be interesting as we get opinions from the knowledgeable people on here :)
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May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | My first Ovation was an Elite 1868 in 96. My brother in law bought one and after I heard it and played it, I was hooked...I own 5 O's now... I upgraded the preamp this year and subsequently gave it to my oldest son for Christmas...
I have pretty much gone over to the mid depth bowl now, but am still blown away by the sound that the SS bowl can produce...
Dale |
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November 2003
Posts: 12
Location: The Netherlands | In the summer of 2003, on a friday, I went on a little tour-by-train across the country, visiting pawnshops and guitar-stores, in search of a good, preferably used, electric guitar.
My mom used to be an avid bluegrass player, but she hadn't played in over a decade when I picked up the guitar. She always told me how much she loved Ovations, but never had been able to afford them...
..Back to the trip; I played a couple of guitars in a big music store, some of them were ok, and others were great, but they'd always have a thing or two odd about them. I was already fammiliar with the Ovation headstock, and to this day I still absolutely adore it. On my way out, I noticed a guitar in the 2nd hand section, or actually a neck, and I noticed it had an Ovation headstock. It was an electric guitar! I was schocked, but thrilled indeed. It was a 1974 Solid Body Viper. I picked it up and played a bit, the moment I layed hands on the neck, it was like love at first sight. In my search I'd played many guitars, but this one just felt right from the moment I picked it up. I didn't like the body that much, but I told myself: "It sounds great! It plays great! Who cares about what it looks like!?" I ironicly found out that I didn't have enough money with me, even after getting some discount, so I asked them to reserve it, and I'd come pick it up after the weekend. Thrilled and anxious indeed I picked it up, shaking like I was receiving a holy grail.
I've been extremely pleased with it ever since.
Since then, I've leveled a bit, and I'm going to modify it sometime this year. Never the less, it's a brilliant guitar.
I've also recently got a UKII of off ebay. After reading alot about it, I can't say how thrilled I am, I can't wait to get it :) .
I've never played an roundback Ovation before, ironicly. I'm anxious to try one out.
Cheers,
Max - Ovation convert for life :D |
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Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Leafy
Great post, I'm going to log off, plug in my Viper, and make some musical noise. If my wife shouts "turn it down", I will have made a slight protest of quiet at 1:00 AM.
Bailey |
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Posts: 7
Location: Seattle, WA | My first and only is a Celebrity C00026 (Whaleback!) really deep bowl, it sounded SO great, and was easy to play...
I think if I had played it longer, I might have purchased a mid-bowl instead - more comfortable to play, I presume.
I have extra-light strings on it, and it sounds real nice...
I have had it for about 2 years - it is my first steel stringed acoustic - I have a couple other electrics, a '65 Fender Duo-Somic II (bought it new to learn on!), and a '92 Les Paul studio.
My Brother-in-law recently painted it for me - leopard spots! very cool!
-Gary L. |
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Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Gary
Just looked at your flashy guitar on your other post, great attention getter. I believe in having some eye opening flash if you have the balls to get up in front of people and play. Most people who object to that sort of thing spend their life in the audience wishing they could play well enough to get on stage, but are SOOO insulted by anyone who has talent and showmanship. Their idea of being cool is to say to their friends in a scathing, lilting tone "I would never be seen dead wearing a guitar like that, I would only play a Fender Les Paul Rickenbacker model on stage" even though they had never had a guitar in their hands and their favorite rock group was Milli Vanilli, who they would swear were as innocent as Micheal Jackson.
I believe that their isn't such a thing as too much flash.
Bailey |
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Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | I liked it too Bailey. Do you think we'll get blackballed by our fellow geezers?
Hey Gary, you should try to get your bro in law to paint you a 12 string in "Tiger", that would be a nice looking set on stage.
"I believe that their isn't such a thing as too much flash.
Bailey"
I dunno Bailey, Liberace might have been just a tiny bit over the line on flash, but that sucker could play a piano. (pun intended)
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Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | "I dunno Bailey, Liberace might have been just a tiny bit over the line on flash, but that sucker could play a piano. (pun intended)"
That reminds me of the worse joke I've ever heard:
How did Liberace know he had six weeks left to live?
His gerbil came out & saw his shadow. |
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January 2004
Posts: 7
Location: Seattle, WA | Thanks for the compliments on the flash!
I'll pass along the comments to my brother-in-law...
I actually went to see Liberace one time...
I was traveling in Wisconsin on business, and was spending several weeks there and thought it would be a HOOT to drive to the Twin Cities in Minnesota to catch his show...
The audience was a little older than I expected. (Lawrence Welk here we come!) but Liberace put on an AMAZING show, almost 2 hours of nearly every variety of music imaginable.
He also took a gentle self-depreciating humor approach towards himself, it was well worth the 90 minute drive each way from where I was staying.
Talk about yer flash! He could teach Elton John a thing or two!
Interesting, is that having a guitar like this has demonstrated a side of me that most of my co-workers never imagined! I work at a bank, and when it brought in some pictures of the guitar, it really blew everybody's minds!
Thanks again for the kind words!
-Gary L. |
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Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Did they change the combination on the vault? |
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Location: Seattle, WA | Nah..... Nobody has thought of that yet!
(I do computer stuff, anyways, don't get near any money...)
-Gary L. |
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Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | That is a mighty fine looking guitar Gary. Even my wife liked it, and she's picky...
I doubt the bank will change the combination on the vault, unless you change your spots! :D
Dale |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | 1158 Custom Legend slothead 12-str (dark sunburst), new in 1981. Absolutly gorgeous, best 12-str I had ever found. Later, wished I had the 1658 a/e. Had to sell in 1991. Now, have the two 1658's - natural and dark sunburst. |
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What is your 1st Ovation? When & why?
