Future of Ovations

[keyshore]

Hi,

In my part of the world it's impossible to buy high end Acoustic guitars, i have never seen a real Taylor or a Martin guitar only seen them in catalogues, I am a pro musician when I started performing professionally in 1988, I used a Takamine EN10 guitar which I had imported from Rose Morris UK.

 

In 1992 shifted to an Ovation Custom Legend 1719 guitar. I must give credit to Ovation for being the company who were the pioneers of the Acoustic-Electric guitars on stage and although my 1719 did not sound very good acoustically, once she was plugged in, her sound was that unique A/E ovation sound, I was inspired by the 1981 Simon and Garfunkel central park concert to shift to Ovation. Well after 14 long years with Ovation i felt the urge to shift to the traditional wood sound and feel so I am in the process of buying the Takamine EF400SC(12 string) and the TNV360S guitars.

 

I notice that there are hardly any Ovation users in these forums, what do you think is the future of Ovations? do you think that after their initial foray in the market whereby they have till date sold hundreds of roundbacks and now are in a decline or will dwindling wood resources in future see lot more people going in for Ovation type guitars?

BTW there are no takers for my well matured 1719. strange

Regads,

Keyshore

[babablowfish]

Folks who play acoustics, IMHO, are invested in the whole aesthetic of the guitar; the look of the grain in the wood, the way it feels in your hands and the way it sounds when you are sitting in those quiet hours just plunking away. If we only cared about what a guitar sounds like plugged in, I guess we would be playing electric guitars fed through all kinds of electronic modulators.

 

The (mercifully) few times I have played an Ovation have always been uplugged. I didn't like the looks, the sound, the feel or the fact that the SOB kept sliding off my lap.

 

All that said, if anyone out there does like them, then that is all that really matters for them.

[Queequeg]

I got a hunch that lots of us feel just as babablowfish has so articulately defined the ovation experience.

Some are far less charitable.

as for me, I'm firmly in the baba camp. guitars are such a personal expression that if somebody selects that guitar or any other guitar for any of, or a multitude of the myriad reasons, play it; enjoy it; don't apolgize for it.

[hasbeen]

...don't know about the future but:

 

My number one steel string acoustic is an Adamas that I bought new in 1990. Unplugged it sounds huge and balanced.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Used to play a couple of "Glen Campbells" (one 6-string, one 12-string)...the 12-string was a pain, due to it's poorly designed neck, but the 6-string is still in use (gave it to my gospel-singing cousin several years ago).

 

Better sound when plugged in, but still not too bad acoustically...I know a guy w/ an Adamas model that sounds amazing unplugged, otoh...

[Queequeg]

(not just) For Ovation Lovers Only

[AK47]

Ovation has been a pioneer of many guitar ideas.

They need to pioneer away from that plastic back.

Trying carbon/graphite or something that seems more acoustically sound if they want to stay away from wood. Brass and steel works for dobros'.

It might help their acoustic sound if they used more conventional top bracing. IMHO Ovation is the ultimate "cookie cutter" guitar. I just feel that if Ovation doesn't come up with some new Ideas to justify their high costs they will fall the way of the "Indian motorcycle." They will still be around in small numbers for loyalists at high prices but are easily out perfomed by cheaper models.

 

I would really like to see Ovation succeed in a more conventional acoustic guitar market. It just seems that a company that wasn't afraid to break from the norm is now afraid to break from the rut it has put itself into. It could still make the plastic backs for the loyalists but make something to interest the rest of us too.

[guitarist21]

I'm with AK47. They've prided themselves on being on the cutting edge, but now that everyone makes acoustic-electric guitars, I'd like to see some new things come out of their camp. Their new LX series doesn't really provide much "new" anything. Its a little disappointing.

 

I have a friend from church who loves his Ovation. It has lasted him a long time and he swears by it. So its great that he likes it and I'm glad it works for him, but if Ovation wants me for a customer, they're going to have to come up with something really cool.

 

Ellen

[PintoMusic]

My gigging acoustic is a Celebrity Deluxe with the multi-holes and the shallow back. It sounds like crap acoustically but it's an excellent guitar for gigging because it plays like an electric, it never feeds back and it's very durable when it comes to weather/temperature changes and other such abuse.

 

Despite all these bonuses, many musicians do just fine with regular acoustics so I'm not sure what lies ahead for Ovation.

[Sledgehammer]

I've got 8 guitars two of which are Ovations. The guitar that gets the most play is the Ovation Classical. I recently participated in "1000 Guitars of Praise" in Dallas. Almost 1100 acoustic guitarist together at once at Reunion Arena. The event itself was a let down for multiple reasons I don't need to go into but there were probably more Ovations there than any other particular brand. O's tend to be very popular with the church crowd. Where are Ovations headed... I couldn't say but they have a following for sure.

 

Check out the Ovation Fan Club Forum

[T'aint]

I bought one waaaaaay back and thought I'd "arrived" until I played with a few people playing all wood guitars. The guitar sounded muted and had nothing to offer in the mix. I tried the string-thing but it was what it was. I bought it because I saw Cat Stevens and others using one. I ended up trading it while it was still new and glad I did because they started having problems with top separation. I haven't looked at one since.

[Hudman]

I owned 2 different Ovations over the years. I was never able to get used to the "metallic tone" unplugged and the round back.

 

They are awesome playing guitars and I actually like the looks of them too.

 

I am VERY curious to try a Rainsong guitar. I love the fact that they are almost bullet proof AND they look like a traditional guitar.

[Queequeg]

I think they have plenty of money behind them. Other makers such as CA seems to struggle financially. Not sure about Rainsong's balance sheet. But these smaller companies with some innovative engineering might be ripe for a buyout from Kaman Music Corp (Ovations parent company) who, as AK47 has correctly pointed out, hasn't brought a lot of new ideas to the market for a decade or two now.

[s_boy]

owned and abused a custom legend (cutaway) for years in church. i loved it. best strapped-on stage guitar i've ever owned. tobacco sunburst, 5A spruce top, gorgeous fret inlays.

 

it did not qualify as an acoustic or an electric... it really was/is in a class of it's own. or thats how i preferred to look at it... looking back.

 

bay far the long 5 piece laminate (hand rubbed) neck was it's best quality... the shallow body kept the picking area in a good comfortable spot... feedback friendly.

[bertbassplayer]

A guitarist friend of mine in high school used to play a ovation celeb. It sounded okay plugged in, and one upside is it could be beat to hell and back and still play. Unfortunately it didn't quite sound that great unplugged... but hey it was cheap.

 

I don't think Kaman is in any rush to have Ovation start developing more traditional acoustics, after all they own Takamine as well (and in the past has owned a couple of other brands of more traditional acoustics and closed them down).

[Kap'n]

Originally posted by bertbassplayer I don't think Kaman is in any rush to have Ovation start developing more traditional acoustics, after all they own Takamine as well

 

Yep. They're got their niches covered, in the mid/low end. Taks for the traditionalists, Ovation for the modernists.

 

I'd be willing to bet their electronics look schematically very similar....

[Etienne Rambert]

I like Ovations. I own an Ovation Elite from 1988.

 

But I've got to admit, Ovation has missed out on the future. At one time, Ovation was cutting edge technology. They didn't keep innovating. They should have been in the forefront of digital guitars, MIDI guitars, modeling guitars. Yet the company kept doing the same thing, over & over. Other guitar companies like Godin, Variax & even Gibson have passed them by.

 

That's my 2 cents worth.

[hasbeen]

Originally posted by Kap'n Yep. They're got their niches covered, in the mid/low end. Taks for the traditionalists, Ovation for the modernists. I'd be willing to bet their electronics look schematically very similar....

 

Tak and Ovation electronics don't share any designs.....just and fyi.

[visgro]

When practicing/playing at home, I reach for my Martin D-1 or Gibson Songwriter...but when a gig comes my way the first guitar I reach for is my Ovation Balladeer.

 

Plugged in it sounds and plays great...I can abuse it and not worry about it. Very durable...wouldn't want to be sweating/spilling beer all over my Gibson.

 

I A/B'ed the Gibson with the Ovation thru a Yamaha 1000 watt PA and it was close...but the Ovation did sound slightly better plugged in.

 

The Ovation really shines for a guitar to play out with. But unplugged, it is the last guitar I reach for.

[Michael Martin]

I test-drove several 12-strings a few years ago, and one of the sweetest to play was the Melissa Etheridge Ovation (or Adamas or whatever it is). But I did not like how it slid away from me, playing it seated.

 

But sometimes slide-ability is a good thing. I will once again sing the praises of the shallow plastic-back guitar as a travel guitar--I have very little room for a guitar in the minivan when we make our cross-country trips, what with the three women in my life, so I bought a little Applause (similar scale/length to a Baby Taylor) for just that purpose. I can slide it anywhere among the luggage, and not worry about what happens to it as I would something made of all wood.

 

Its sound is crappy compared with my dreads (to be expected), but way way superior to a Martin Backpacker.

 

I'm thinking that for this and other reasons, Ovations will be around a long time. Kind of a niche-instrument.

[Kap'n]

Originally posted by hasbeen Tak and Ovation electronics don't share any designs.....just and fyi.

 

Thanks, I didn't know that. I just figured, since they both made their name in electrified instruments, and aren't as well as regarded for their purely acoustic offerings, that there was some common thread.

 

Suffield, huh.... I'm a little further South.