Ovation- I'm not dead yet

merlin6666

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I think that DW is still privately owned but GEWA does much of their distribution and they collaborate.

I guess that DW decided to stick with drums and get out of guitars. Their contribution to Ovation was that they tried to keep them alive for a few years, and they promoted guitar lines that had exotic wood veneers from their wood stash. I didn't care for that at all.
 

cupric

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I always hear the Melissa Etheridge sound.
I tried to like them. A New England made guitar. But,alas....no.
 
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Sal

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I tried to like them. A New England made guitar. But,alas....no.
I think every guitar maker has made some boner design decisions but for me Ovation's Adamas headstock is the worst. It's just odd.

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merlin6666

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I don't think I've seen one before, wow! What is that supposed to be? A random design? A Japanese fan? A bird looking at me? A goiter?

walrus
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It is very obviously a classic acanthus leaf carving.

The Adamas was priced to compete with Martin D45 but in the 70s and 80s out sold the D45 by a wide margin, at the same price!

 

Brad Little

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Had one in the '70s, "true" classical, 12 fret neck, wide fingerboard, pickup. Served me well for some outdoor gigs that needed amping. Might actually pick up another like it if the price was right.
 

lungimsam

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Here is an Ovation-fest. Too bad it's not the live track though, so we cannot hear what they actually sounded like. Wonder if they were on the studio recording

 

HeyMikey

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Not sure why I didn’t see this before. The person I bought my GSR F30ce from earlier this year is a luthier at Ovation in New Hartford. He said there were about a half dozen of them building the high end Adamas line and doing some custom work. Hopefully they can continue to do so.
 

merlin6666

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Not sure why I didn’t see this before. The person I bought my GSR F30ce from earlier this year is a luthier at Ovation in New Hartford. He said there were about a half dozen of them building the high end Adamas line and doing some custom work. Hopefully they can continue to do so.
Thanks for the update. It looks like US Ovation is now a true boutique brand.
 

Rambozo96

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Their electric guitars are phenomenal with some forward thinking. Their acoustics just ain’t got me. Had a 97’ 1717 Legend that was nicely spec’d out with a high grade solid Sitka spruce top but alas my early 70’s all laminated Yamaha FG-150 beat it tonally by at least a country mile. But they earn merit from me for being the step in the right direction for amplifying an acoustic guitar and trying to make it still sound like an acoustic guitar because what options were available in the late 60’s and early 70’s for amplifying an acoustic? A few soundhole pickups from Dearmond and a few Japanese companies that while great for delta blues doesn’t replicate the tone of an acoustic well at all. Only company that attempted this venture was Baldwin with the Prismatone which a few early Ovation guitars were equipped with.
 
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