Ovation acoustics, are they still going?

steer · October 2021

I have played 2 Ovations.

1 was an expensive model, with a fairly shallow body. Sounded and played brilliantly. Also sound really good plugged in.

The other was a cheaper one, with a very deep body and it was probably the worst sounding guitar I have heard in my life, plus the shape was all wrong and it was unfortable to play.

EricTheWeary · October 2021

Mellish said:

Never saw him with a Martin, thanks for that. I met him, boy it was many years ago. No different to just a normal guy if I'm honest - very approachable and a chatterbox

Cool. One of those programmes that was just on because there was one TV in the house and, TOTP apart, my parents decided what was on. I think that’s why I liked children’s TV in some ways, suddenly I was in charge.

But, yes, he seemed like a nice chap on TV.

Mellish · October 2021

EricTheWeary said:

Mellish said:

Never saw him with a Martin, thanks for that. I met him, boy it was many years ago. No different to just a normal guy if I'm honest - very approachable and a chatterbox

Cool. One of those programmes that was just on because there was one TV in the house and, TOTP apart, my parents decided what was on. I think that’s why I liked children’s TV in some ways, suddenly I was in charge.
But, yes, he seemed like a nice chap on TV.

Yes mate, what you saw on TV, that was exactly how he was - a thoroughly nice, gentle man who wouldn't hurt a fly. I came away feeling fortunate to have met him

ICBM · October 2021

Mellish said:

Never saw him with a Martin, thanks for that. I met him, boy it was many years ago. No different to just a normal guy if I'm honest - very approachable and a chatterbox

I only vaguely remember him from TV in the 1970s when I was quite young - oddly (given that I wasn't really interested in guitars then) I've always mentally pictured him with a Martin dreadnought, but for some reason a fancy one with the vertical C.F. Martin logo - a D-41 or D-45 - I just had a look for some pics and I was very mistaken, it was a D-18.

Sorry, thread hijack

.

Mellish · October 2021

ICBM said:

Mellish said:

Never saw him with a Martin, thanks for that. I met him, boy it was many years ago. No different to just a normal guy if I'm honest - very approachable and a chatterbox

I only vaguely remember him from TV in the 1970s when I was quite young - oddly (given that I wasn't really interested in guitars then) I've always mentally pictured him with a Martin dreadnought, but for some reason a fancy one with the vertical C.F. Martin logo - a D-41 or D-45 - I just had a look for some pics and I was very mistaken, it was a D-18.

Sorry, thread hijack .

He may well have had high end Martin's. I wouldn't want to bet against it. I met him in the 70s when he was riding high with his TV show. At the risk of repeating myself, just a loveable, ordinary guy who celeb status never changed

Mellish · October 2021

Sorry for for the double, experiencing mobile problems

EricTheWeary · October 2021

ICBM said:

Mellish said:

Never saw him with a Martin, thanks for that. I met him, boy it was many years ago. No different to just a normal guy if I'm honest - very approachable and a chatterbox

I only vaguely remember him from TV in the 1970s when I was quite young - oddly (given that I wasn't really interested in guitars then) I've always mentally pictured him with a Martin dreadnought, but for some reason a fancy one with the vertical C.F. Martin logo - a D-41 or D-45 - I just had a look for some pics and I was very mistaken, it was a D-18.

Sorry, thread hijack .

Yeh, but what make was the rocking chair and was it made from tonewood?

Mellish · October 2021

I never asked about the rocking chair. When you meet someone like that, you're at a disadvantage in thar they talk and you listen. Sorry OP, didn't mean to hijack

normula1 · October 2021

I've a deep bodied non-electro Balladeer bought used in late 80s and I've yet to find an acoustic that I'd replace it with. Plays like an electric, sounds great too. The only pain is the shape and size of the headstock makes using a headstock tuner a touch awkward. A strap prevents any issues with slippage

roberty · October 2021

ICBM said:

Fun trivia fact - Charles Kaman, who founded the company, made the money which allowed him to go into guitar manufacture by making composite helicopter rotor blades (made from a very similar material to the guitars) which were supplied in huge numbers to the US military during the Vietnam war... somewhat ironic given that many of the guitarists would have been committed opponents of the war.

This machine enables fascists

icu81b4 · October 2021

So what have I learnt,

1. Yes they are still going.
2. Made from the same material as helicopter blades
3. Some people really like them.
4. Some people really dislike them.
(some of these are the same people)
5. Everyone agrees they are rubbish if you like to sit down.
6. Ovation owners make rubbish husbands
7. Val Doonican was a very nice man.
8. Val Doonican was a very nice man and a chatterbox.
9. I’m not going to buy one.

Thanks everyone

proggy · October 2021

I don't like Ovations or Val Doonican. They both sound shit.

boogieman · October 2021

icu81b4 said:

So what have I learnt,

1. Yes they are still going.
2. Made from the same material as helicopter blades
3. Some people really like them.
4. Some people really dislike them.
(some of these are the same people)
5. Everyone agrees they are rubbish if you like to sit down.
6. Ovation owners make rubbish husbands
7. Val Doonican was a very nice man.
8. Val Doonican was a very nice man and a chatterbox.
9. I’m not going to buy one.

Thanks everyone

Not necessarily: Robert Fripp used Ovations for years and is still happily married to Toyah.

A friend had one of the top end models and it had a lovely neck on it, V shape and really comfortable. One of the nicest necks I’ve ever played. Pity the rest of it was so awful, I hated the tone of the thing.

maltingsaudio · October 2021

To sum up Ovation= Sherbet Dabs loved them when younger now grown out of

EricTheWeary · October 2021

I like a bit of Joan Armorplating and she is the person I think of in connection with Ovation. I guess it would have been the best way to get something that sounded like an acoustic on a big stage in those days and then became part of the sound of those recordings so she still brings them out. So, I think there is an argument that they are their own thing and maybe needs to be thought of in that way.
Her 12 string here sounds like a bag of nails by itself but works well in the band mix and instantly evokes the 1970s...

Mellish · October 2021

I've never played an Ovation; in fact, I don't think I've ever seen one in a guitar store. Apparently, those wings on the headstock are easily broken. And I imagine going to one from, say, a Martin, Taylor,Gibson etc wouldn't be straightforward because of the back contour

goldtop · October 2021

I always associate Ovation with that quacky piezo sound. I suppose there wasn't much to overcome that back in the '80s when they were huge. They do play nicely for an electric player too lazy to develop a good acoustic technique (meaning me, casting no aspersions!)

Tangent: always thought it cool that the posh stuff was called 'Ovation' whereas the cheaper stuff was branded 'Applause'.

BillDL · October 2021

ICBM said:

Fun trivia fact - Charles Kaman, who founded the company, made the money which allowed him to go into guitar manufacture by making composite helicopter rotor blades (made from a very similar material to the guitars) which were supplied in huge numbers to the US military during the Vietnam war... somewhat ironic given that many of the guitarists would have been committed opponents of the war.

I also seem to recall that Kaman incorporated a "T" section of aluminium along the length of the neck to aid stability. He was very innovative, as were Ovation guitars at the time. When you look now at cars marketed as "crossovers" between a hatchback and an SUV, that's how I believe Kaman was thinking at the time. I am sure that his headstock shape was the inspiration for Roger Giffin and Paul Reed Smith after you chop off the "mushroom" at the tip. It wasn't tapered enough to provide straight string pull over the nut, but it was veering towards that. I actually like that mushroom cap on the headstock, especially on the Breadwinner and Viper electrics. As well as aesthetically pleasing to me, it helps to protect those end machine heads.

Ovations are "crossovers" between electric and acoustic. The sound is exemplified by the playing of Marcel Dadi. It was as though it was just on the edge of breakup through the front-loader washing machine sized amps behind them. Very "piezo" sounding, as is Jean-Félix Lalanne's nylon string.

I used to own an early 80s Ovation Legend. It had a great sound for cutting through in rock ballad type songs where the guitar just needed to sound somewhat acoustic, but it never sounded truly acoustic. It had a very "electric" feel, and I have no doubt that is what made them so popular.

impmann · October 2021

Fun fact: Wildwood by Paul Weller. The acoustic guitar for the lead and rhythm parts... an Ovation.

Sounded pretty good to me.

guitarjack66 · October 2021

Is it somewhat ironic that Ovation guitars were harder to play standing?

slacker · October 2021

I inherited an Ovation Custom Balladeer in 87. If it didn't have a lot of sentimental value I would have traded it.

They are good a for loud stage full band type gigs and can sound ok for amplified stuff. The pickup sounds thin and needs a lot of eq. Playing sitting down is frustrating. I don't play mine at home.

I've used mine on and off and some applications are fine. However I've mainly played electric and this year I wanted to get more into acoustic and bought a Martin.

artiebear · November 2021

Right now on BBC4 is some bloke who didn't get the memo about them being crap. Obviously someone shite.

Mellish · November 2021

It was Paul Simon on BBC4. A concert in Central Park (I think) with Art Garfunkel. I enjoyed it

icu81b4 · November 2021

artiebear said:

Right now on BBC4 is some bloke who didn't get the memo about them being crap. Obviously someone shite.

It was me watching that gig that made me start this thread.

Flip · November 2021

I recall the early Ovations well primarily for a) a recurring problem of separation between body and soundboard and b) for their aggressive and very generous promotional gifts.

On a photography assignment visit to Martin in about 1973 I was told that Glen Campbell who was a prominent user of Ovations at the time, used his for the photographs and TV and concerts but Martins for recording.

Of course, they may have been biased but, certainly, at that time, Martin's boast was that anyone who played a Martin had paid for it.

icu81b4 · November 2021

Flip said:

I recall the early Ovations well primarily for a) a recurring problem of separation between body and soundboard and b) for their aggressive and very generous promotional gifts.

On a photography assignment visit to Martin in about 1973 I was told that Glen Campbell who was a prominent user of Ovations at the time, used his for the photographs and TV and concerts but Martins for recording.

Of course, they may have been biased but, certainly, at that time, Martin's boast was that anyone who played a Martin had paid for it.

So I guess that indicates that Glen Campbell (a very fine guitarist by the way) was being paid to promote Ovations.

I wonder if your statistic regarding Martin is still true today?

Roland · November 2021

There was a time in the late 70s when I wanted an Ovation. I saw one being played with a band in a bar in Oakland, in ‘78. It just seemed the ideal instrument for playing acoustic guitar rhythm in an electric band. Despite combing the local music shops I couldn’t find one for sale.

As other have said, it was about the only acoustic sounding guitar that you could play in a loud band. Its neck was narrow like an electric, making it easy to play both thumb-over chords and lead lines. Yes the piezo sound was thin, but how many acoustics were EQd that way to fit into a band mix?

pintspiller · November 2021

Can we talk about their solid-bodies now? The Breadwinner, etc.

artiebear · November 2021

I owned a few of the acoustic /electrics a few back in the day. Playing live was a nightmare with mics or pick ups like the Barcus Berry hot dot etc ( or just butcher a guitar with a magnetic pick up )

I got my first two when I was about to embark on my first proper support tour ( a couple of Custom Balladeers, one sunburst, one natural ). The main act was using them as well ( along with just about everybody else ) which meant that the sound engineers were on my side from the first soundcheck. I later had a Custom Legend ( very blingy ) and another guitar player I often toured with had a Glen Campbell ( the first model with a shallow bowl ). This was all from around 1978 to 1984. After that I got an Adamas ( very expensive at the time ), but by then I had also acquired a couple of Takemines, which while being the new kid on the block were head and shoulders above the Ovations in terms of live sound due to the better electronics ( EQ etc, Ovations were pretty much tone and volume at that time ).

I still have a respect and fondness for Ovations as they were the simplest way to get the job done as well as being very playable in terms of set up /neck profile etc. It should be remembered that acoustics with low profile necks etc were a way off in the 70's.

jaymenon · November 2021

I had an Ovation Elite - cost about £1200 in 1996.

- very beautiful to look at
- multiple sound holes, designed to avoid feedback (they didn’t work as intended).
- noticeably radiused finger board
- lovely neck, very nice to play
- plug-in and play on stage, and it sounded every bit as good as most other expensive electroacoustics with piezo pickups at the time (until the Fishman Aura came along I suppose)
- the convex back constantly fought with the convexity of my belly…
- the lower area of the bowl back where it rested on ones thigh was roughened to reduce the risk of slippage (that didn’t really work either)

Overall however it was a really good instrument. I swapped it for a Taylor T5 with it's own limitations (now that's gone too)

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Ovation acoustics, are they still going?

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