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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Acoustic → Attention Ovation Owners
I've been trying to find info on my Ovation and came across an Ovation Fan club. Tons of links,a forum and prices according to model and year manufactured. All in all an informative site that looks promising. Also I'm curious, how many Ovation players are there who frequent Chordie?
Hi. I'm an Ovation player albeit not that great! I have a Clebrity that I have had for around 20 years. Love this guitar and wouldn't part with it but have played a Larrivee recently and would really like one. Only other guitar that comes close is a Taylor.
Interested in the Ovation site you mention. Can you let me know the link please?
Thanks.
Whoops! MY bad. I forgot to add the link. Here you go Pashnit and anyone else: www.ovationfanclub.com My Ovation is a Standard Balladeer that I've had since 1987. It's about due for a new nut and some fretwork, but still plays and sounds sweet. Enjoy the site and welcome to Chordie
Nothing on there about the solid body basses. That's my Ovation - an Ovation Magnum 3 bass. Two tons of solid mahogany body and another 400 pounds of cast aluminum bridge. It sustains long enough to take a coffee break during a solo.
- Zurf
I play a Custom Balladeer , my favourite guitar.
My buddy, John Reno won a free "Applause" guitar.
It is a Chinese copy of an Ovation. He donated it to me for a "boat" guitar due to the laminate top and plastic body. It has a nice neck and holds a tune well. It's not very loud because of the plastic but it is a nice guitar.
Since the plastic body is round in back and I am round in front it doesn't fit me very well. If I can corrall it high with the strap I can get hold of it.
toots
I play one, another Celebrity. My buddy Justasinger54 over on the coast has a really early Balladeer, one of the first models with a pickup. His is sweet with a passive peizoelectric in the saddle and one tone knob just below the upper strap pin. Nearly indestructible and stable instruments no matter where they are built.
I'm with you Toots.... ya gotta have a strap to keep the darn things under control with that round back and no sharp corners to dig into anything! Seriously considering spraying the back and bottom with some of that clear gritty non-skid stuff like they use on stairs and docks, or maybe a big chunk of velcro to kinda stick it to your shirt.
Take Care;
Doug
I wonder if there'd be a way to glue one of those pads that they put on dashboards to keep your cell phone from sliding off on the back of the instrument (or the front of your shirt).
- Zurf
I didn't realize that Ovation even made a bass guitar, let alone a solid body. Maybe you could post some pics Zurf. I had a hard time getting used to the round back also, but through the use of a cheap lawn chair that put my hips lower than my knees and lots of beers ( to further relax the rest of my body) I've been able to overcome the sliding guitar syndrome common with Ovations(LOL) I've played some of the newer O's and am not impressed with the tone or the volume (unplugged) with the reconfigured sound holes. Basically there wasn't a problem and they should have left it alone. I don't know if it would be possible to cut another sound hole or port in the new ones or not. Glad to see there are other Ovation players on Chordie.
Mine's an'81 Balladeer model 1112. I bought it new from a store in Woostah, Mass (Worchestershire) in Feb '82. It was my first guitar and I still have it and still play it all the time. I had it refretted in the late 1990's. It has always been my number 1 (in fact, that's what I call it). It was built with a mahogany neck and an ebony fret board. The spruce top has aged to that nice Gretsch Orange color that I just love. Can't say enough good things about an old Ovation.
I didn't realize that Ovation even made a bass guitar, let alone a solid body. Maybe you could post some pics Zurf. I had a hard time getting used to the round back also, but through the use of a cheap lawn chair that put my hips lower than my knees and lots of beers ( to further relax the rest of my body) I've been able to overcome the sliding guitar syndrome common with Ovations(LOL) I've played some of the newer O's and am not impressed with the tone or the volume (unplugged) with the reconfigured sound holes. Basically there wasn't a problem and they should have left it alone. I don't know if it would be possible to cut another sound hole or port in the new ones or not. Glad to see there are other Ovation players on Chordie.
You've maybe never heard of them, but you've heard one. John Entwhistle played one. The bass solo in the studio version of Magic Bus was done on one.
- Zurf
You're right I have heard them. Ironically that particular Who album was my first album purchase. And here's a link to the Magnum bass www.ovationgallery.com/pagebassmagnum.htm
I also have an "Applause" Ovation copy. Had it since the late 70's. Can't find anything chinese on it. Says mgfd in Conn. I bought it new and it's been around the block with friends and kids. Still plays well. Not the loudest unit around but adequate for "messin" around. Used to keep it on our small sailboat at one time. I always liked the round body. seems to work well with my physique, or lack thereof.
Grumpy
This may be a silly question , but Do the ovation /Applause , seem to be more resistant to weather changes & the like?
I have a cheap fender lam, solid top that I got for 115. at a pawn shop. I take it when I know the guitar will have to be in my truck for a while ,, 1 hour at most. We got crazy heat down here , and I crack the windows , but well,,, thats why I got this cheapy.
Yesterday while we were at park riding bikes & my guitar in the truck, I thought why cant they make a guitar like the Fluke/ Flea ukulele,,, and then realized they do,,, its called a Ovation duh
sorry running on , too much coffee. Do you find they tougher ??
Steve
bsawyers - Take out the double pickup on the neck and replace it with a single coil (still a big soapbox), remove the equalizer and replace with four knobs like on a strat, and make the cast aluminum bridge burnished aluminum rather than black and you have my bass. Mine is a Magnum 3. The Magnum 4 have the additional wiring. The Magnum and Magnum 2 have very different body shapes and stereo pickups!
Heavy is an understatement. I wear a four inch wide padded leather strap on mine and it still cuts into my shoulder by the end of a set.
On mine, the Ovation neck pickup was missing and there are none available. Not even the Ovation techs could find any in "the magic box up in the loft". I had an honest-to-goodness guitar tech replace it with a Bartolini Music-Man dipole pickup. It sounds great, but unfortunately the collector value of the guitar is lost. It's just a work-horse instrument now.
- Zurf
applause are made by ovation, not copy as such but budget range. way better than many guitars for the price but you really can't compare them with a us-made solid-topped Ovation. and i cannot understand why people find they slide off the lap. this does not happen to me
Hi Steve J,
I think the Ovations are better suited for abuse. Most have some kind of laminate top except for the spendier solids, and the neck is reinforced with an aluminum channel stiffener that retains the truss rod assembly. The neck joints and other attachments are really well made and tough, but I understand that the adhesives used to assemble the instrument will not tolerate sub freezing environments (get brittle and fail).
Flester, you have earlier Ovations and it seems the older ones have a more agressive texture on the body than the newer ones especially on the undersides where it would rest on your leg. Could be just my imagination, but the newer ones seem a bit slippery. Still considering a grip spray coating, but getting by with a "safety strap" for the moment.
Take Care;
Doug
Thanks Doug,
I will keep on the lookout for a Applause for a beater. Never hurts to have 2 beaters , if the price is right ;-)
Steve
My first guitar was a Ovation way back in the 70"s ..Shoot the thing had a metal neck.. Like a freak I sold it after about 5 years. (developed a crack on face)
Back In 1991 i bought that years Anniversary Celeberty Model. Has Walnut face gold trim.
I love this thing...Play it all the time... I'll always have a Ovation sittin around.
Hey thank for the Ovation site info... I'll go take a look.
Ok.. My trip to the Ovation Fan Club Site WAS KILLER !!!!
I did join the place and did a search on My Guitar.
Crazy !!! I found out I have a Ovation Special Elite model #5868 born in 1991.
They listed the thing @ $1,675.00... Well I bought this thing off the shelf spankin new for under $1,500.00
Glad to see that I got didn't get soaked 19 years ago...
Bad to see how much a DIPSTICK I am and didn't know the thing was a Special Elite .
VERY GLAD.. that even though I play ths thing almost everyday...It still is in near perfect condition.
Again thanks very much for Ovation Site Info... think I'll go put a shine on my Baby. hehehehe.
I had a really nice ovation I bought about 1982,it was about $800.00 hard case and all. it was a great sounding guitar but I was always real uncomfortable with the big back bowl,so I sold it. at the time ovation was having a problem with exploding hard shell cases ( the material split and it looked like an explosion at the area),it was freaky when I came home one day to find it happended to mine. it did not hurt anything just looked funky. thought I would share that fact with you.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Acoustic → Attention Ovation Owners
