Thoughts on Ovation 12-strings?

[AuntieDiluvian]

Well, I went ahead and got the Elite 12. The price was right and I got it as a package deal with a Taylor 814ce from a good local shop. It plays well and sounds good enough with new strings. I also had found a really nice Taylor 752, but just couldn't justify the price point. So, here are the two new instruments:

[ohiopicker]

Congrats!!!

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by AuntieDiluvian

Well, I went ahead and got the Elite 12. The price was right and I got it as a package deal with a Taylor 814ce from a good local shop. It plays well and sounds good enough with new strings. I also had found a really nice Taylor 752, but just couldn't justify the price point. So, here are the two new instruments:

Mighty Fine! Enjoy Both!

[AuntieDiluvian]

Follow-up - I took the Elite 12 out to a full production rehearsal last night, and it worked quite nicely. It holds tune well and plays well enough (considering the baseball bat neck). I think I'm going to have to build some strength for extended use of the 12, though - I really wasn't quite ready for just how much more pressure you must apply vs. a regular 6.

Now, although piezos have a bad reputation, I honestly like what I can get from the Ovation electronics in a performance setting. While it may not be the perfect sound for a guitar purist, it works very nicely in an ensemble setting - it cuts through without walking all over everyone else. This 12 is no exception...though the battery predictably gave out halfway through the rehearsal.

All in all, I think it's going to be a keeper, though I may decide to add an all-wood 12 at some point for solo performances.

[MrErikJ]

I had an Elite 2778x for several years as well as a vintage Balladeer from the late 70s. They were lovely guitars and the late 70s model was fantastic sounding. The only issues were minor cracking in the vintage model (wood shift but the bowl does not...) and the electronics, despite completely different preamp systems, sounded mostly the same.

I prefer the Elite style but, without sounding snobby, I prefer the vintage models with a different bracing pattern to the modern models, which have x-bracing. The old ones were really something.

I would love to still own one but I don't prefer the nut width and midrangey tone of the more modern Elite, so I sold it. I would love to see them reintroduce their Folklore models or non-cutaway Elites.

[LemonCats]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

Make sure it doesn’t have “the crack”

W..Whats the crack????
(im new to ovations)

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by LemonCats

W..Whats the crack????
(im new to ovations)

Back in the day Ovations were marketed as being less susceptible to environmental changes than other guitars which made them the most popular stage and studio guitars for the 70s and 80s. But this statement was also over interpreted by many players and as a result a disproportionate number of Ovations were abused and neglected, and as a result sometimes the thin high quality tops dried out and cracked. Just like any other guitar that is not humidified properly. As Ovation became less popular in the 90s and people learned to take better care of them there are very few with cracked tops from the later production years.

[Oldguy64]

Originally Posted by LemonCats

W..Whats the crack????

(im new to ovations)

The old Ovation guitars with wood tops...a lot of them have a crack on the bass side below the bridge.
The back doesn’t move, the top expands and contracts.
If you don’t pay attention to it, or treat like it’s indestructible, it is very likely to crack.

[AuntieDiluvian]

Originally Posted by MrErikJ

I had an Elite 2778x for several years as well as a vintage Balladeer from the late 70s. They were lovely guitars and the late 70s model was fantastic sounding. The only issues were minor cracking in the vintage model (wood shift but the bowl does not...) and the electronics, despite completely different preamp systems, sounded mostly the same.

I prefer the Elite style but, without sounding snobby, I prefer the vintage models with a different bracing pattern to the modern models, which have x-bracing. The old ones were really something.

I would love to still own one but I don't prefer the nut width and midrangey tone of the more modern Elite, so I sold it. I would love to see them reintroduce their Folklore models or non-cutaway Elites.

Yes, I also have one of the older Elites (I bought it new in '87, IIRC), and it is (was?) a very nice instrument; super-shallow, OP-24 preamp. Unfortunately, it developed a crack down the center of the top from the bridge to the binding. Local luthier has it right now, and we'll see if he is able to resurrect it. I really, really like that guitar....but it may be beyond repair.

[JohnW63]

A humidity caused crack is not that hard to repair. If it's an Elite model, the cover on the back is removed and the crack is right below it. If it's one with the standard round sound hole, it's fixed like any other guitar. some carefull clamping to get it flush on the top, with some glue and a few cletes.