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Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | To me CA is trying to fit into the traditional blue grass market with shape and sound. It could be the roots of the makers coming from the South.
But they do it with very innovative ideas within the traditional box concept. But they have it down, so it will be interesting to see them break out into new designs and sounds. The new cutaway looks like the start of that. I think this is free enterprize at its best. Some guys from Lousianna pull the rabbit out of a hat, ya gotta love that. When I was at Gruhn they had Rainsong there as well. Not even close to CA. They did have an old Adamas wood knob, with carved headstock, that was a little worn. It was very nice as well.
Steve |
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May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I just wanted to take this opportunity to clarify my earlier rant, er, post...I meant no disrespect to CA, their luthiers, engineers, designers, etc. In fact, I find the Legacy AEs I've played with to be very attractive, in an "objets d'art" way...those tops look three dimensional to me, staring into the weave can be almost hypnotic (side note: Are the weave tops on Adamas like that?). They feel nice, other than the temperature thing (cold, every time) and the fit/finish has been superb. I just don't like the tone.
If they want to make a guitar that sounds like a pre-war Martin O, then why don't they build it out of wood, just like a pre-war Martin O? The technological achievement of the CA and the Rainsong is fantastic. But, why dink around trying to voice it like something other than what it wants to be? This is the genius of Ovation, in my opinion. I imagine that Kaman, et al could have made the O sound like whatever they wanted, through manufacturing tweaks/design changes, but they didn't...Ovations sound like Ovations, period.
Nobody will ever hear you playing an O and say, 'Hey, man, is that a Gibson J-4...oh, sorry.' And *that* is why I have the Elite. It sounded different than everything I tried, from $79 all the way up to the mid-high five digit range, but it also sounded great, in my not so humble opinion. :)
CA and Rainsong need to stop trying to be something they're not and just be the best at what they are. Then maybe I'd like 'em. :) |
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January 2002
Posts: 970
Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Cruster, i think you have it backwards.Ovations original benchmark was a pre war Martin D45.It is well documented.Thats the sound they were after.It never happened.If their original goal was to sound like a martin,then they failed miserably.Even though ovation sought out to be a martin with space age technology the final outcome was they developed the Ovation signature sound.I think overall this worked out well for ovation.
To Miles,what is "dated sound" ??? I was listening to a Neil Young DVD(all acoustic)where he was playing his pre war D45 on several songs.If that is dated sound ? Then i love dated sound. |
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Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Samova-
WHAT? That's crazy. I am going to have to get a copy of the O book one of these days. Personally, I'm glad they didn't hit that Martin sound, if that's what they were after. If they had, I wouldn't have bought the O, either. :) |
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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | I was at the CA guitar office today and I got to see some really neat guitars. I got to see the new X model for the first time. They were getting this guitar ready to send to Glen Campbell. Very cool stuff. |
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Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | well, don't get carried away - not the right time to sell the LX, 1619, and Anniversary. |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Page 30, New Guitar Player Mag, "CA Guitars Factory Tour".
Good review of the operation, I'll let you all make your own opinions.
Same mag, an opinion of the 50 greatest guitar tones, all attributed to the player not the guitar, there is a very important message there to you pickers. The best made do with what they had and wrung out cheap stuff to produce world beating tones. THE PLAYER MAKES THE SOUND, AND THE BEST COULD ASTONISH WITH JUNKYARD DOGS. The type of guitar won't determine whether you win or lose, mostof the best got their good guitar AFTER they were stars.
Bailey |
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July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | For those of you looking for a deal on the Walter Carter Ovation history book:
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=492682
Glen Campbell has defected to CA????? Say it ain't so, Joe!!!!!
Roger |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . . Glen Campbell has defected to CA????? . . ."
Graphite "goes" better with PrisonGreys . . . . |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Actually the Martin Master was a D-28 not Rickards D-45. His was used for comparison, no question but the day to day benchmark was a D-28.
I know, I know, the story tells better when it's a D-45. |
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July 2004
Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | Bailiey,
You hit the nail with your head about tone and where it really comes from; it's the player!
All of us who are posting on this thread ought to go back and read Bailey's thread two or three times before we write anything else (I have!). :cool:
The past will always provide a "context" if not the "benchmark" for the future. None of us can deny that the context for our tone is the culture and music we've been exposed to; we have nothing else from which to draw upon.
We don't need to apologize for that, but we need to recognize it before we move forward. CA, just like Ovation before it, is building upon the past; they are setting the course for the future. I see nothing to apologize for in that; it's just reality.
;) |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I always have to read Bailey's posts two or three times! But it also takes me 2 hours to watch 60 Minutes, which is really just 32 minutes (with comercials).
Personal flashback to an episode of Hee Haw or Jim Stafford where Roy Clark plays a plastic Drug Store guitar - Really Well!
It's the Artist! |
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Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | Isn't that what I said about 20 posts back? |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . but nobody LISTENS to you!
(You're a husband and a father . . .you should be USED to that by now!) |
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May 2004
Posts: 295
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | Yes, it's the artist - up to a point. But I'd rather listen to Roy Clark playing an Adamas, or Martin, or Larrivee, than a plastic drug store guitar. |
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Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | . . . but nobody LISTENS to you!
(You're a husband and a father . . .you should be USED to that by now!)
;)
How true! Painful, but true!! :p |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I ALWAYS listen to moodypi, he had the imagination to build the Viper Deluxe. He is a "beautiful dreamer", who accomplished something that all of us Viper owners must praise and R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Bailey |
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Posts: 265
Location: Warrenton, Virginia | Baily /Paul
agree. IMHO it's the guitar player...always has been...always will be. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Sound and tone, more than anything else, come from the talent of the player. I recently had a professional classical guitarist at my house. My son handed him his 1862 shallow body to play. The sound that this guitarist produced with his fingers was amazing-loud, clear and sparkling. A great guitarist can get great sound from any guitar. I like to play my Elite 1537 because it makes me sound better than I am, but I'm still just a mediocre hacker.
Put a CA and an Adamas into the hands of a virtuoso guitarist, stand back and listen, and then see which sound you like better. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 266
Location: Tampa, Florida | I recently bought a CA Crown of Thorns model. It is a great guitar. I don't find the amount of overtones present in an all solid wood guitar, but the tone is great. I can tell you one big reason CA's are so popular with bluegrass players is that the tone is CLOSE to classic dreads AND the CA's are impervious to the elements! Think of the typical bluegrass festival in the south (Louisiana) in the summer. Intonation nightmare! The CA's never change. They are also great road guitars for the same reason Ovations are, their durability. The COT does not have a flat back, it is tapered slightly to fit the player. The X model is an extremely ergonomic guitar. I am hoping to get to Lafayette soon to see the factory and give them their kudos. |
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Report from Nashville on CA guitars
