Who Likes Ovation or Rainsong Guitars?

Gostwriter · #1 04-29-2011, 08:09 PM

Do you own an Ovation or Rainsong? Do you find them suitable for all of your material or only for use for certain doings or styles only? Do you like them for the fact that they are more durable and less sensative to temperature changes etc or for the fact that they sound great?

Howard Cash · #2 04-29-2011, 08:22 PM

Well.... Let me say this.. im a sit down player and while
i think ovations have a nice sound.. i cant hang on
to the dang things! Slip slidin away! That little
"Rough Spot" they have doesnt help at all
other wise ok. Rain song? The one i tried was heavy
and the neck REAL Chunky for my taste. Sound....
Nah Nah.

kscobie8 · #3 04-29-2011, 08:25 PM

I like my Ovation a lot. I don't play it as much as I used to since it's a 12-string and it's not currently what I'm going for in my sound. But it's been a really good guitar and plays great.

Bel isi,
-kyle

Juan_Banjovy · #4 04-29-2011, 08:53 PM

My Rainsong works great for everything I play. Light fingerpicking or heavy strumming, I get plenty of volume with great clarity. I got it for the tone & playability but being weatherproof is nice too since I like to play on my back porch sometimes.

Gostwriter · #5 04-29-2011, 09:02 PM

do you find your rainsong sounds a bit like a steel body guitar?

Juan_Banjovy · #6 04-29-2011, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gostwriter

do you find your rainsong sounds a bit like a steel body guitar?

I haven't played a steel body guitar so I wouldn't know but it does have a slightly different sound than most 12's I've played. In a blindfold test I'd probably assume it was wood.

Doubleneck · #7 04-30-2011, 05:07 AM

Have Ovation guitars and have played many Rainsongs. I would go with a Rainsong, now I think they are the logical extention of where Ovation was going. They are extemely light compared to an Ovation, made very well and I think sound very nice.
Steve

00Buck · #8 04-30-2011, 05:54 AM

Ovations get trashed a lot. Unfairly in my view. I bought a couple of them when I got back into playing a couple of years ago. The first was an older Legend 1777. The second was a 2009 Legend 1777LX. The older Legend was a little slippery and heavy. The new one was light (result of a new bowl) and more heavily textured so it grips your lap quite well. Neither of them sounded anything like a steel body guitar.

I got rid of the old one about a year ago and the newer one last summer. It had nothing to do with the sound. It had more to do with bad shoulders. I like 1 ¾ necks & Ovation doesn’t. The body didn’t quite work for my shoulder either, rounded bowl notwithstanding.

Like everybody says you have to play to know. In my view, however, they were pretty decent guitars. Easy to play. Sound great plugged in. Sound as good as most moderately priced guitars acoustically. Perhaps because they’re so often trashed, you can find them at better discounts than you’ll find Martins & Taylors.

Bottom line: If you play plugged in a lot and if you can abide the guitar snobbery, they’re not bad.

PS. Be careful about the older ones if you look for something used. On mine the pickup was integrated with the saddle. (Not so with the newer one) Left it with a guitar shop for several months while they looked for a saddle. I called Ovation & they sent me a saddle for a newer model after waiting for a month. Maybe they’re available, but I couldn’t find one and neither, evidently, could Ovation.

ACRX · #9 04-30-2011, 06:07 AM

I currently have a Rainsong studio WS model (S-WS1000N2) as part of a road trip program. I really enjoy it. Sounds great acoustic and amplified.The textured finish seems very durable and the guitar is extremely lightweight. I have small hands but the N2 neck feels fine. I love the sound as well as the impervious nature of the materials. I think Rainsong has achieved the "best of both worlds" with these guitars and look forward to buying one.

hasbeen · #10 04-30-2011, 07:33 AM

I love Ovations. I have four Adamas I guitars:
* Deep bowl, cutaway,
* Deep, contour bowl cutaway
* Deep bowl, non-cutaway
* Deep bowl, cutaway 12 string

I'm afraid that many who don't like Ovations have only played shallow bowl, import models. ...IMHO.

mannixgb · #11 04-30-2011, 07:54 AM

My first self-chosen acoustic guitar was an ovation. But as I played and listened to guitar more, I increasingly did not like the sound of the Ovation at all.

I've since passed it on to my brother, but ovations arent for me.

As for rainsong, some of them I like, some of them I don't. I don't seem to like the sound of the big ones, but the smaller bodys I think can sound quite quite good.

I think the Blackbird Lucky 13 sounds exceptional though - thats a nice carbon fiber guitar.

Composite acoustic makes some small ones I like as well.

hasbeen · #12 04-30-2011, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mannixgb

My first self-chosen acoustic guitar was an ovation. But as I played and listened to guitar more, I increasingly did not like the sound of the Ovation at all.

I've since passed it on to my brother, but ovations arent for me.

As for rainsong, some of them I like, some of them I don't. I don't seem to like the sound of the big ones, but the smaller bodys I think can sound quite quite good.

I think the Blackbird Lucky 13 sounds exceptional though - thats a nice carbon fiber guitar.

Composite acoustic makes some small ones I like as well.

which Ovation did you have?

tbeltrans · #13 04-30-2011, 09:02 AM

I agree with those in this thread who said that the Rainsong would be their choice today. I don't own a Rainsong or an Ovation or Adamas today, but have owned a number of American Ovations in the past as well as an Adamas 12 string (an especially nice instrument, but I really never got into 12 string as I thought I would). I have never owned a Rainsong, but have played several. All were very nice instruments. All were very light weight, sounded good and were responsive and the workmanship impeccable. Making the choice you laid out, I would go with Rainsong, though neither is a "bad" choicee, just that Rainsong is (in my opinion) nicer all around.

Tony

Andromeda · #14 04-30-2011, 09:21 AM

I have never played a Rainsong but hope to some day.Their 6 & 12 string jumbos look very appealing to me.

I have owned many Ovation Guitars and for a large part of the 1980s and 1990s that was my favorite brand. The last I owned in 1995 was a 1980 custom legend which sounded great plugged in and unplugged.

I have a lot of admiration for Ovation!

harry_sc · #15 04-30-2011, 09:46 AM

I've had an Ovation since 1977. It was great for what I was doing back then - has the pickup in it and I was playing a lot of live (meaning loud) shows and it filled in decent. I played it through a Leslie 910 and miked that into the P.A. Plus it was pretty easy to play for a 12 string. Nothing very memorable about its tone, in my opinion, but good enough. More utilitarian than anything else. I do think the model I have (1615-4) had the most interesting headstock at that time. I keep it around for sentimental reasons. It's held up pretty good considering the abuse it's gone through - I'm sure an all-wood guitar wouldn't have fared as well.

Sorry, no input on the Rainsong, other than what I've heard of others playing them on recorded music. My favorite acoustic guitarist, Leo Kottke, used one some years ago in live shows and I think on at least on record, but has stopped as far as I know.