Ovation or Takamine

[TornadoShaunUK]

Another thread on semi/electro acoustic guitars. I was looking at Ovation guitars in town today and wandered if it would be worthwhile getting one of those rather than a Takamine? they are a little more expensive but I love the looks of them, anyone tell me if they are decent quality? I was thinking of an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe.. there is one on ebay...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-Ovation-Celebrity-Deluxe-Red_W0QQitemZ7348521437QQcategoryZ22966QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[TornadoShaunUK]

??

[strat2]

 

Originally posted by TornadoShaunUK Another thread on semi/electro acoustic guitars. I was looking at Ovation guitars in town today and wandered if it would be worthwhile getting one of those rather than a Takamine? they are a little more expensive but I love the looks of them, anyone tell me if they are decent quality? I was thinking of an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe.. there is one on ebay... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-Ovation-Celebrity-Deluxe-Red_W0QQitemZ7348521437QQcategoryZ22966QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

 

I've owned both,

The listing isn't comming up so I don't know how the price looks...

The Celebrity Deluxe is a great guitar plugged in and it looks great too.

My Takamine ef341scx played and sounded better, it's a fine guitar.It's a bit big for me though.

I've been putting down the roundback design of ovation for a long time till I picked another celeb 'standard' up recently , I found a new way to hold it and it fits like a glove, the sound is passable unplugged (quiet) and pretty good plugged in for the bucks.

 

Good luck, you might still need it set up by a pro to get the action perfect, as is with many guits.

 

-

-

[id-man]

Just remember with an Ovation (especially the shallow bowls) you'll never be able to jam with anybody else unless you're plugged in, or unless you can convince them to play very softly. And by yourself, you won't be able to sit around and sing with it either, unless you sing very softly or get a mic and just plug everything in (where Ovations really shine). Forget about campfires.

[TornadoShaunUK]

ok so basically with Ovation - good plugged but a bit quiet when used as a regfular old acoustic? I actually on using it for both, would it make a good replacement for the Fender 12 string I currently have? Also - any guitars that sound good both acoustically and plugged in that you can recommend? I like the idea of having an inbuilt tuner like the one present on the Ovation Celebrity but it's not an absolute must..

[darkest_fugue]

look around for a deep bowl non cutaway second hand ovation...i have an 81 custom legend thats as loud as anything unplugged...plus hardly anyone will gove ovations the time of day anymore so you could pick ne up dirt cheap..i feel my tak EN10c is a little more responsive and resonant though...both sound very good plugged in or not

[id-man]

 

Originally posted by TornadoShaunUK ok so basically with Ovation - good plugged but a bit quiet when used as a regular old acoustic?

Sure, mainly because they're small. To way oversimplify, bigger body = more volume. Like darkest_fugue says, the deeper bowls will be louder, but . . . depends on your expectations I guess.

 

 

would it make a good replacement for the Fender 12 string I currently have?

Hell no. Unless you mean will it be easier to fret and a lot easier to keep in tune and change strings on.

 

 

Also - any guitars that sound good both acoustically and plugged in that you can recommend?

Plenty. Almost anything BUT an Ovation. Actually I don't mean to knock Ovations, it's just not what they were primarily designed for. Look for reviews on all the dozens of 'acoustic' guitars talked about on this site and choose the one that seems like it'll best fit what you intend to do with it, then look for that model with a pickup system. BUT KEEP THIS IN MIND - every pickup system is going to react different depending on what you plug it into. Looking at the gear in your signature, I couldn't begin to make a guess at what might work plugged into those amps. Got a PA?

 

 

I like the idea of having an inbuilt tuner like the one present on the Ovation Celebrity but it's not an absolute must..

You can get a stick-on that'll work on anything;

http://dcmusicstore.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.118/it.A/id.117/.f

[GN-Nick]

Actually any Ovation deep bowl is at least as loud as an all wood counterpart.

[TornadoShaunUK]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-Ovation-Celebrity-Deluxe-Red_W0QQitemZ7350660429QQcategoryZ33037QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

 

this is the one I was thinking - shallow bowl though =/ anyone know if there are any sound samples of these guitars 'unplugged hanging around the net? I can't find any to test out in town...

[darkest_fugue]

the shallow bowls are not loud and can be thin sounding...having said that though if i saw a second hand black custom legend shallow bowl for sale id jump at it in an instant...the older ones especially...they sound beautiful plugged in very comfortable to play and to me they look just god damn amazing

[Etienne Rambert]

idman: "Just remember with an Ovation (especially the shallow bowls) you'll never be able to jam with anybody else unless you're plugged in, or unless you can convince them to play very softly."

----

 

That is simply not true. I've played live and jammed with my Elite many times with other players. That's a ridiculous assertion that an SSB Ovation player can never be able to jam with anybody unless they're plugged in or get other players to agree to play softer.

 

Given the choice, I'd rather have the Takamine than a Celebrity. I'd rather have an Ovation Elite LX than the Takamine.

[flemtone]

When my playing partner and I were out shopping, (she for a 12 and me for a 6), we both tried as many acoustics as we could, between NYC and here in NJ. We both went for the Takamine over the Ovation, for the resonance, the full sound, the onboard tuning/electronics and the price. Yes, they need to be set up correctly, as Taks have high frets and using a capo will definitely hit your tuning, but a pro setup will take care of that problem.

 

They're tough, road-worthy, and haven't let us down in over a hundred gigs and dozens of different venues.

 

Yes, we'd have both preferred Gretsch, Taylor or Martin, but we work for a living

 

Peace,

Tim from Jersey

[id-man]

 

Originally posted by marcellis idman: "Just remember with an Ovation (especially the shallow bowls) you'll never be able to jam with anybody else unless you're plugged in, or unless you can convince them to play very softly." That is simply not true. I've played live and jammed with my Elite many times with other players. That's a ridiculous assertion that an SSB Ovation player can never be able to jam with anybody unless they're plugged in or get other players to agree to play softer.

What was I thinking...let me rephrase - "Just remember that in a jam situation with anything but an $1100 Ovation Elite LX you may sometimes find it difficult to match the volume and projection of a larger bodied guitar unless you're plugged in, or unless you can convince them to play ever so slightly softer." Better?

 

Claiming absolutes is hard because there'll always be an exception bit I stand behind my assertion that - IN GENERAL - you sit down on a couch with a Celebrity next to a guy with virtually any solid wood guitar (especially a dreadnought) and he's going to drown you out. Plug both those guitars into a PA in a live situation and the results could often be reversed. Plus the Ovation stands a very good chance of playing easier and being more stable. Personally I'd recommend having both is you play live a lot. If most of your playing is for personal enjoyment unplugged, then go for the best acoustic tone. If you find an Ovation that does it for you then you're a lucky man.

[Terry Allan Hall]

In general, of the two options, I'd probably go w/ the Ovation.

 

In practicality, you should consider a Guild.

[Ovation01]

for most people who say Ovation are not loud our are junk its because they don't like the feel of it our have only tried one thats it, ive own 6 ovation and one Adamas 2 of the Ovation that ive have are not that great but for the rest loud unplugged tough guitar ive played many many guitars and love Ovation very mush and Takamine is there bether guitar yes but for the feel and plugged in had to find bether. Ive played Takamine that I would not pay nothing for them sound it like a can but played other that where amazing just like Ovation. Its a personal choise I guess but nothing wrong with Ovation. mid depth our deep countour are very loud super shalow i dont love.