Ovation guitar, what your opinion

[danelectro]

I've wanted an acoustic with a cutaway that has an electric guitar fast feel for a long time. Ovation seems like the logical choice but I've heard and read alot of mixed reviews, mostly about the sound when unplugged. Anybody here using an Ovation.

[Pitviper]

I agree that when unplugged, they sound, well, thin. Though I think you should let your own ears decide, I would not plan on using one w/o a good amp. Through an amp, the real Ovations sound very nice. But they have a very odd feel because of the rounded back. Unless I am standing and using a good strap, I cannot play them. They tend to roll down and out, twisting through your hand and making frets point skyward. Personally I don't like them. Some people love them though. My best advice would be to try several both unplugged and through an amp and then compare the sound and feel to a Martin D-28 or another high quality all wood instrument. Then decide. Be aware that the nice sounding ovations will cost as much as that Martin.

Pitviper

[jcmark611]

My brother used to have an Ovation and I did not really care for it either. They sound pretty bad when they are unplugged and like the other poster said, a ***** to play sitting down. I have a Epiphone cutaway that sounds great and feels great to play I suggest looking into them. I paid 250 for the one I own so its also cheaper

[crowbarr]

i know a guy who has and he swears by it but like people above have said, it sounds kinda bad unplugged

have a look at ibanez electros, i got a 12 string electro and it sounds sweet

if you can find a tanglewood in the US have a serious look at them, ain't found 1 that sounds bad so far ...

[Harleyboy]

I like my Ovation. It's just handy & fun to play. I agree, you got to have a strap if your sitting, but I always use a strap anyway. Plugged in, it sounds great, unplugged it's alright.

I'm planning to get a new acoustic, maybe a Martin or a Gibson, but I'll keep the Ovation. It may not sound as good as an all wood guitar, but "handy & fun" make it O.K. by me.

[danelectro]

I already have a really nice Alvarez crafted in koa wood and a resonator style guitar so I'm really just looking for something that has a fast neck and action with an electric guitar feel. The Ovations seem right but really don't seem to get many positive reviews. The tinny sound I can deal with but the round back seems to be an even bigger complaint.

I think I'll check out the Wechter guitars. Its a double cut acoustic that joins the body at the 19th fret for an electric feel. The only complaint I could find about those is with the inexpensive ones having build issues.

[jamoholic]

Originally Posted by danelectro

I've wanted an acoustic with a cutaway that has an electric guitar fast feel for a long time. Ovation seems like the logical choice but I've heard and read alot of mixed reviews, mostly about the sound when unplugged. Anybody here using an Ovation.

I have an Ovation that was my first acoustic that I got in 1980. SInce then I've bought and played many many different acoustics. The pros are that it does have fast action and a thin neck, sounds great plugged in the right amp, looks cool and is comfortable to hold and play. The cons are really one, it is very thin and quiet when not played through an amp. If you are playing with a few other players with tradition acoustics you will find yourself getting lost in the mix. Great guitar for what it is.

[t_shirtsnjeans]

A few years ago I found a Celebrity Ovation acoustic with the crappy pickup in it. It was cheap. So I bought it to do a bunch of reworking on it. Funny thing is the neck was plastic, the fretboard was aluminum and the frets were sharp as razors when trying to slide. I did experiment with adding a thinline pickup, and when I pulled the single coil from my Strat I put the pup inside a (brain fart, can't think of the name of the pickup) wooden pickup that I ruined, and carved out part of the body, notched the soundhole so the pickup would be as close to the bridge as I could, and ran two 1/4" outs. When plugged in to both pickups and through stereo channels it sounded sooo cool! But I got rid of it due to the neck. I couldn't find anyone who could fix the frets.

[JimmyBlood]

I don't care for the sound or the curved back, but get whatever sounds or feels right to you.

J.

[slowpoke]

My cousin has an ovation that I've played a few times. I thought it played/sounded good. I have an opposite sort of reaction compared to some of the posts in this thread, I enjoyed playing it sitting w/o a strap much more than standing. I'd take a regular acoustic over it, but you're not asking for my preference. From the way you talk it sounds like you already know you want it and I think if you want it and you feel it's the right guitar for you then there should be nothing stopping you.