Composite guitars vs. Ovation guitars

[PorkPieGuy]

I know that there's been a lot of controversy on the boards recently, and I'm not wanting to add to it. I'm not trying to be a troll here or anything like that. I do have a question and I'm curious about everyone's opinion.

First of all, this is not a discussion as to which on is better; however, I'm curious to see what you guys think about this:

Ok, back in the 1970's and 1980's, Ovation guitars seemed to be everywhere! Alot of folks seemed to play them back then. They seemed to be extremely popular. However, people's opinions of them now seem to be very mixed (at best). From what I read on the boards here, people don't seem to be very fond of Ovation guitars (but I know some of you still love them and play them).

Next, we have a wave of these composite guitars coming out. We are seeing more and more of them in the public eye. They are growing in popularity due to their low maintenance and sound quality (and any other advantage you can think of).

Here's my question: Do you think 20 years from now that folks will see composite guitars in the same light that a lot of people view Ovations now?

What are your thoughts?

[Eracer]

Good question. I think that there will always be two main camps. One that values guitars more as art objects, the other that rates for value.

When Ovations first appeared, they seemed to satisfy certain needs of both camps. The "Guitar as Art" contingent appreciated the technological innovation the Ovations expressed, while the "Value" contingent found good-sounding (and very playable) guitars that cost much less than the custom shop guitars of the day.

Composite guitars fill the same psychological needs. The new technology is art in and of itself. The guitars are quite beautiful, in a bauhaus sort of way. They sound good and play well (or so I've heard). And compared to some of the high-end luthier shop guitars, they represent a tremendous value.

I believe that innovation always excites people. But craftsmanship endures. And as we become more and more integrated into the technocracy that we are becoming, the craftsmanship that luthiers display - especially considering the ever more rare woods they use - will continue to excite us far beyond the next great innovative construction method.

[edensharvest]

I think that's a pretty fair assessment. Where the Ovation craze differs from the Composite craze is in the price. The thing that I will always love about Ovations (barring Fender killing the whole line completely) is that for an amatuer musician, church player, or part-time gigging musician, there is no value anywhere like a good US-made Ovation. They play beautifully, have incredible electronics, and have a great durability on the road. If you're looking for an excellent stage guitar around that 1k mark, there are few better choices.

The difference with the composites is obviously that the price difference is significant, to as much as double an upper-end Ovation. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder...personally I love the Ovation/Adamas look of many of their guitars, and absolutely HATE most Gibson acoustics...each to his own.

Everything goes in stages, and we are definitely in the greatest age IMO for appreciation of hand-made exotic wood guitars. Where that will go as natural resources become harder to procure is anyone's guess.

[Matt McGriff]

I love Ovation/Adamas guitars as well, but there is a definite differentiation between them and composite guitars, especially CA. The CA guitars are completely impervious to any surrounding environmental factors such as heat, cold, humidity, and moisture (rain). The Ovation guitars of course still have wood everywhere except the bowl. So the CA guitars completely revolutionize the guitar as an instrument (tool) to make music.

[timbeam]

For me the reason I played a Ovation throughout the late 80's and early 90's (a Custom Balladeer, the Custom Legend I own now I actually inherited) was that they were the first acoustic that still sounded like an acoustic plugged in and so it worked well in a band situation. They were one of the first companies that really embraced the acoustic/electric market. Electronics for acoustic guitars have come along quite a bit in the past 20 years. In the early 80's I had a Gibson J-55 that I tried using with an "in the sound hole" pickup and it didn't sound like an acoustic, it sounded more like a hollowbody electric.

Of course, to your point, Ovations were considered very cool at the time, much like the CA's are today. I must admit, I have a buddy who still plays an Ovation and I'm always asking him when he's going to get a Taylor.

I think the wooden guitar will always continue to dominate for the simple fact that most guitarist have a tendency to be very traditional people. Heck, how many other electronic devices still use tubes these days?

Now when I play the Ovation, it does make me very reminiscent...

[Dwight Schrute]

I've been told by all of my friends that I'm a purist. I'm 25, but I've never been one to use gadgets for these things. I love modern equipment, but at the heart of it all, I like to do things the way we've been doing it.

I'm sure Ovations and CA's sound fantastic, but as for me, I just prefer a nice spruce top and solid wood sided guitar.

[lalowdwn1]

Originally Posted by Eracer

Good question. I think that there will always be two main camps. One that values guitars more as art objects, the other that rates for value.

When Ovations first appeared, they seemed to satisfy certain needs of both camps. The "Guitar as Art" contingent appreciated the technological innovation the Ovations expressed, while the "Value" contingent found good-sounding (and very playable) guitars that cost much less than the custom shop guitars of the day.

Composite guitars fill the same psychological needs. The new technology is art in and of itself. The guitars are quite beautiful, in a bauhaus sort of way. They sound good and play well (or so I've heard). And compared to some of the high-end luthier shop guitars, they represent a tremendous value.

I believe that innovation always excites people. But craftsmanship endures. And as we become more and more integrated into the technocracy that we are becoming, the craftsmanship that luthiers display - especially considering the ever more rare woods they use - will continue to excite us far beyond the next great innovative construction method.

Wow - my hat's off to this excellent analysis!

[banpreso]

i think CA and Rainsongs are doing great because they are great products. they've got excellent playability, durability, and they sound great! (and i've got a piky ear) i'd gladly buy a CA or Rainsong if i'm in the market.

i think ovations are less popular now simply because there are better products. if durability is the goal, the CA an Rainsong guitars excel in that like nothing else. for sound, there are lots of good (or better) sounding options in the ovation's budget, and for playability, there are once again, very good options in that category. i don't think we are seeing less ovations now days simply because they are "old" per say, not "in" anymore, but simply because there are better products out, which is something i'm very glad and excited about.

it's hard to say what's gonna happen 20 years from now. maybe everyone would just be playing gutiar heros insted

[Stuart]

The thought that keeps occuring to me is that on this and on many other acoustic guitar forums, there are a ton of threads about . . .
- cracked guitars
- bridges lifting
- heat and humidity issues
- truss rod adjustents
- neck resets
- fretboard replaining
- can I leave my guitar in the trunk of my car?
- How can I take my guitar on an airplane safely?
- My dog knocked over my guitar and put a huge ding on it.
- Scarcity of traditional guitar woods

With composite guitars, almost all of these issues simply melt away. Plus, they sound pretty good and they look cool. Sounds like the wave of the future, especially when the prices start to come down.

[SongwriterFan]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Sounds like the wave of the future, especially when the prices start to come down.

Or when the price of wood skyrockets.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by lalowdwn1

Wow - my hat's off to this excellent analysis!

I appreciate the compliment.

[leeasam]

As a person who owned a couple of ovations in the 70s it started by my mom buying me a nylon string one in like 70. Then around 77 I got a legend steel string. both were deep bowl straight acoustics. No elect. They had very good tone but into the 80s I would swing into a music store and play a good quality wooden one and loved the tone. One day(late 90s) I played a Taylor and was like WOW!! I like that , then a few years later actually broke down and bought one.

I have since owned many taylors and my last one was my favorite. an 05 814CE. I thought I would be buried with that!! Well I head a CA dread on you tube and just could not believe the tone I was hearing. I had to check one out in person. I tried a few out and fell for the GX Perfomer. I went home contemplated what to do and put my 814CE up on the forum here and it sold in 3 days. Then calledthe store up and told them to hold the GX and I would be down the next weekend to get it.

What I like about the CA is two things. No baby sitting. ALLWAYS sounds great( if not the strings are shot ) but the MOST important thing that sold me was the tone. Deep rich- clear - balanced. Not as bright as the Taylor more martin-esque. Playabiltiy was great and not one dead or stunted note even up the fret board like most wood guitars. Great sustain.

I have played many of the new Ovations in the store even the LX and the deep contour bowl. Ya plugged in they may be OK but I NEED a guitar to sound great unplugged too. I can`t afford two different guitars. The ovations IMO just don`t cut it. dull thuddy stiff souless!!!! I even played an Adamas withthe carbon top and it could not hold a candle to my CA GX and was priced the same!!!

Future?? Well IMO CA guitars are not just a fad or going to be a fad. Wood is becoming more scarce and even those who love wood have been buying CAs for playing live or gatherings and such as they are DEAD RELIABLE and will play and sound great. I have seen my share of Ovations go bad and have neck issues and such. IMO there is NO comparison at least with a CA guitar and Ovation.

You see Ovations were and are WOOD guitars with a `glass composite bowl shaped back. The original reason was felt that it would project SOUND better than a squar backed shape but still have the wood sound board where most of the tone comes from anyway.
So IMO you really can`t compare the two. Ovations is just a variation of a WOOD guitar where the CA is not!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by PorkPieGuy

...Do you think 20 years from now that folks will see composite guitars in the same light that a lot of people view Ovations now?
...What are your thoughts?

Hi PPG...
Several thoughts on some things that have happened since Ovations sprang on the scene, including improved electronics for travelling guitars and the novelty of the Ovation wearing off, and they are not as good sounding acoustically to most player's ears as conventional instruments.

Composite guitars are not as popular today as the Ovations were in their day, and in fact they have to go a long way to even come close to being as popular as ovation was. Not being critical, just speaking the truth. Ovation's picture was splashed all over the place, and they paid endorsements so they had placements in movies, and in the hands of Glen Campbell and a couple other prominant (at the time) players. Every guitar and music store had them or wanted them and players everywhere talked about them. We were told they were better than our Martins and Gibsons, and they were promoted well.

Ovation sold copious amounts of guitars for a couple decades. They sold really well because we saw the pictures in Acoustic Guitar magazines, and on posters, and in movies, and on TV etc...and you could not mistake it when you saw it. And the Ovations come in many flavors; Cheaply built with precast aluminum fingerboards and all laminate construction...Mid-line construction with solid top and composite bowl (including Adamas), and high end (price wise) composite topped Adamas with composite bowl.

They were initially priced to be competitive, then they tried to push the Adamas alongside the D-28 and D-35 by producing the cheap line as starter instruments and raised the price on their regular line, and came out with the Adamas which appeared initially with wood and later in composite.

My daddy would say getting the first concert gig isn't hard, it's being asked back that counts. Most people who bought one, didn't buy two. There were just so many other viable options out there that sounded great. When the love affair died down, and we remembered our other guitars and pulled them out side-by-side, the wood ones held their own and re-won many hearts.

Not sure why Ovations lost such favor - perhaps because when serious guitarists are looking for serious instruments they go for more conventional instruments.

On the comfort level side of the equation, for those of us who are shaped down the front similar to the shape of the bowl of an Ovation, they tend to slide off our laps and be awkward and slippery to hold.

[SMan]

There are some here who love to regularly take shots at Ovations, but I ain't naming anyone in the interest of Forum Decorum!

[Doubleneck]

I like Ovation guitars, the high end ones sound pretty good and the playablity is extremely good. (my favorite the 87 Collectors) That said, CA to me is the logical extention of Ovation. In fact Ovation had a guitar called "Q" that got to the prototype stage that was mostly composite. They could never pull it off and get it to production. CA to me has brought that quest to market and made it work. Their product takes Ovation's technological quest and continues it. Their guitars I think have no innovative equal. I would agree with the post above they do not have the popularity that Ovation has enjoyed. Part is that they are far more innovative that Ovation and thus not main stream and fairly highend. As they fill out their guitar line I think they will continue to grow. They really do have a superior product and as the price of wood increases, they may be more of the future than you think. I just love em.