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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 5
Location: NH | Hey everybody!
I have a very unique pre-production ovation roundback to post. its a 1578 ultra-deluxe. Only 25 ever made. I was hoping for some information on it.
Here are some pictures.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffsphotos9/5500329843/ |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Not to be thick here, but that looks like a standard Korean-made quilted mahogany 1578 from a few years back. What makes it pre-production? |
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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 5
Location: NH | I acquired it from a distributor in new hartford that said it was part of a pre production run that was sent out as a tester to professional musicians. I haven't been able to find any information regarding the exact guitar. Perhaps I was misled as it was channeled down to me (I was only a teenager back then).
Do you have any info on the standard 1578? I can't seem to find anything anywhere outside of the decoder that says it even exists! Any information would be much appreciated. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | That does have a sticker with the MotherShip Factory on it... :confused:
Yours has a standard Celebrity-looking fingerboard ending, which is confusing.
Later production 1578's had a long tongue like USA Ovations.
Here is one of the 1578 that Brother Bobby B has been peddling on eBay for years...
I had Korean Ultras and they had the Factory on the sticker and stated "Made in Korea" "Designed and Set-up in USA" or something like that.
So that looks like it could have been an early run...
And the people who tried the prototype said "Fix the fingerboard!" |
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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 5
Location: NH | the sticker says "Designed in the USA-Made in Korea- Final Assembly and Quality Inspection in New Hartford, CT USA."
I also have a serial number (3006121)on a small silver label.
My fingerboard is still a little different from that picture mine has a different curve.
Is the Korean 1578 a common model? I've been having a hard time finding solid info on it? |
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Joined:
August 2007
Posts: 1008
Location: Tuscany, Italy | Looks like my old Korean made Celeb CS 247 Nutmeg quilted maple top. Nice guitar. Sold it locally few of years back .....
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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 10
| Hmmm I thought as a general rule, model numbers beginning with a 1 are US made? |
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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 5
Location: NH | it does look like the CS, but the CS is a deep bowl and mine is a mid depth bowl. Should I conclude that this is in fact a pre-production run because its not the same as anything anybody can find? Also, just out of curiosity, any guesses on what mine might be worth? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | No, the CS 247 Nutmeg quilted maple that marenostrum was talking about has a mid bowl and an OP30. I thought that's what yours was, too. I bought one for my daughter a few years ago and she still has it. It has fretmarkers, though. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | You can probably find some information/discussion in the archives here.
As I remember, Ovation had an initiative where they'd make the guitars at the Korean factory, and ship them to CT to put on strings and QA them and ship them out. The 1578 came in two models - the FMH (figured mahogany) which was a laminated top, and a bear claw spruce solid top with abalone purfling ala Custom Elite. They were top of the line Korean guitars which originally sold for somewhere around $800 if memory serves. Later on, they started making other Ultra models with contour bowls which were also quite nice, but the whole process was halted a few years ago.
It's entirely possible your particular guitars was one of the first batch to come over and got through the process, and was never put into the distribution chain and kept around as a sample until they needed to clean house and then it made it's way to you.
All that matters in the end is the answer to this question: do YOU like this guitar? As far as pricing in the secondary market ... that's real hard to say but you should probably set your expectations around a few hundred dollars. |
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Joined:
March 2011
Posts: 5
Location: NH | This guitar is so hard to gauge on a "how much do I like it scale" because it's so different than anything else I've ever owned. My primary use is playing in my little studio apartment by myself. I think the guitar sounds great plugged in, but plugging in almost never happens because it would bother everyone else in the building, so I rarely plug it in.
when its not plugged in its heavily muted because of the elite sound hole set up. It gives good darker and blues tones, but isn't good for anything bright or fast. It's a bit cumbersome to play sitting down because of the roundback shape and it slides off my leg a lot, even with the little rough patch on the body.
I've lent it to friends for gigs and they love it, but for my purposes I don't know if it's ideal. |
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I have a unique ovation to post
