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Ovation USA

Everything from Glen Campbell's history with Ovation, other guitar talk, and guitar picks!
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jay
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by jay »

MIke,
There are a lot more numerical colors in the Ovation scheme...but you get the idea.
-4 was the first.
Which is odd, huh?


Mike Joyce
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by Mike Joyce »

Thanks jay,
that makes perfect sense. Mine is a natural finish.


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jay
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by jay »

Wood Color ... As a rule of thumb...

1 Sunburst
2 Red
3 Green
4 Natural
5 Black
6 White
7 Nutmeg or Brown
8 Blue


Mike Joyce
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by Mike Joyce »

Well said jay,
I think if Ovation are to relaunch they must must offer something new to get tongues wagging otherwise it will be business as usual (Or not,as the case may be) . You hit the nail on the hear as regards sponsorship. people are very much influenced by their musical heroes. Obviously Glen is a great example. If they get good TV coverage as well ,the sky's the limit. Here's hoping.
jay have you been buying any new guitars recently. As you know I bought the celebrity recently which I use at the clubs, but I play my GC 6 string a lot at home. BTW,Do you know what the 4 relates to on the 1127-4 model number ?
Thanks,
Mike


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jay
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by jay »

Mike,
Even Charlie admitted that Glen gave Ovation the boost they needed to get a foot in the door. But, sadly, there is a lot of water underneath that bridge and, imo, it will always reflect on how popular Glen was and how he shaped Ovation in the direction they needed to go to become successful. Had he never played Jerrys Baldwin on TV, I doubt Ovation would have put the fuel to the fire to develop their own piezo pickup...which of course is what set Ovation apart from all the other acoustics back then...Plug In!

It will be interesting to see how DW markets Ovation. Fender allowed Ovation to die a death of 1000 cuts...and interest in the brand went down the tubes. DW is going to have to get artists to get Ovations out in front of crowds for them to become popular again...

The second problem is ... cost.
The sweet spot in the guitar business is the 400/800 range. That will not buy you an American made guitar, regardless of who buys it.
And
Who is going to sell these guitars? Fender influenced Guitar Center?

When Ovation was hugely popular in the 70s/80s...you could walk into any music store and play one of 6-8 different OVATIONS...not celebrity's.
You have to have them sitting next to the Taylors and Martins to appreciate the quality of the acoustic response.

It is going to be a tall order and fun to watch from the sidelines. I, for one, am surprised that a drum company would give it a run. It is a tough market and Ovation would have to play catch up.

I think that the roundback has limitations, in terms of acoustic resposne and, again, imo, Ovation hit it out of the park in the 60's and didnt really improve on that. Plugged in...they are going to have to come up with a different pickup/pre amp...as there are better designs out there today to capture the acoustic sound, than the piezo setup Ovation was known for. but the biggest hurdle...get the guitars out in front of crowds and have them in music stores to compare them to the martins and taylors. Otherwise, where is the interest going to come from....?


Mike Joyce
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by Mike Joyce »

That is fantastic news. You feel that Ovation is just so much a part of Glen's and America's history. Like Ford, and Coca Cola etc.
I assume the contract will have strings attached. LOL


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admin
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Re: Ovation USA

Post by admin »

Yes!
DW (Drum Works) has stated that it signed a new contract for the old factory and intends to start building Ovations again. Lots of speculation as to what might be new (or old)...and they have lined up some artists to support their adventure. So, for now, it looks very promising.


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Dee
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Ovation USA

Post by Dee »

Hi, All,
Is it true that Ovation is re-opening its plant (or perhaps a new one) in the US? Does anyone have the scoop on this news?
If true, will the same management team and craftsmen be returning? Can we expect the same production quality?
Thanks,
Dee


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