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Old 04-20-2019, 07:49 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Default OpPro Studio Preamp/OCP1 Pickup, Shure SM81 Comparison, Ovation Elite Plus Contour

Hi Folks,

Adding to my series of onboard guitar pickup/preamp system to Shure SM81 comparisons is this Ovation ExoticWoods Elite Plus Deep Contour Acoustic-Electric guitar with onboard Op Pro Studio Preamp and OCP1 UST Pickup. Both the Ovation preamp/pickup system and the Ovation as recorded with the Shure SM81 mic were made simultaneously Direct-To-Computer, with FLAT EQ, NO EFFECTS. The Ovation is factory setup almost electric-guitar-like with light-gauge strings and played with a Guitar Moose .65mm Classic Flatpick. The song is my vocal accompaniment backing for Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" played in standard tuning. Again, please excuse any slightly misfretted notes as I have carpal tunnel in both hands, especially my fretting hand. I think I'll do one more guitar onboard system and Shure SM81 Mic comparison and then I'll combine all my comparisons in one posting so you folks can leap-frog from one to another for more timely comparisons. Thanks For Listening And Your Comments Are Welcome!




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Last edited by SpruceTop; 04-20-2019 at 08:04 PM.
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  #2  
Old 04-21-2019, 05:47 AM
varmonter varmonter is offline
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Well one can hear why mics are the preferred
form of capturing the true sound of an acoustic.
The pickup to my ear had all the usual quack of a piezo.
Ive always liked the sound of ovations plugged in.
One of the better performing guitars out there. This one is no
exception. But you cant get away from that piezo .
Thanks for posting.

Last edited by varmonter; 04-21-2019 at 05:56 AM.
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  #3  
Old 04-21-2019, 06:38 AM
Monsum Monsum is offline
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Thanks for doing these comparisons.
I listened to UST pickup recordings on your Soundcloud channel and they all sound almost identical.
None of them is something I'd like to have in my guitars in 2019, the only hope for them is to be processed through Aura or Tonedexter technology IMO. Maybe some can still sound decent with heavy EQ.
They show their worst when strummed what your sound clips demonstrate.

Last edited by Monsum; 04-21-2019 at 06:48 AM.
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Old 04-21-2019, 07:08 AM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsum View Post
Thanks for doing these comparisons.
I listened to UST pickup recordings on your Soundcloud channel and they all sound almost identical.
None of them is something I'd like to have in my guitars in 2019, the only hope for them is to be processed through Aura or Tonedexter technology IMO. Maybe some can still sound decent with heavy EQ.
They show their worst when strummed what your sound clips demonstrate.
Thanks! Let me add that all the systems I've posted, so far, even with all EQ Flat and No Effects sound much better when played through a loudspeaker, and all sound better with added EQ, and Effects if preferred. My favorites at this time for clarity, fullness, and ease of usage, i,e., plug-and-play, are the Taylor ES2 and Ovation Op Pro Studio/OCP1 systems. IMHO, as posted, differences between the different systems are audible, but yes they can be subtle differences but some have noticeably more Bass response, while others have a clearer Mid-range, and others more Treble response. Some like the Taylor and Ovation systems are well-balanced and their tonal characteristics can be easily enhanced with their onboard Tone controls. I'll have to make and post more recordings with some Tone control added for all the systems.
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom
RainSong BI-DR1000N2
Emerald X20
Yamaha FGX5
Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2

Last edited by SpruceTop; 04-21-2019 at 07:16 AM.
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  #5  
Old 04-21-2019, 08:23 AM
Monsum Monsum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpruceTop View Post
Thanks! Let me add that all the systems I've posted, so far, even with all EQ Flat and No Effects sound much better when played through a loudspeaker, and all sound better with added EQ, and Effects if preferred. My favorites at this time for clarity, fullness, and ease of usage, i,e., plug-and-play, are the Taylor ES2 and Ovation Op Pro Studio/OCP1 systems. IMHO, as posted, differences between the different systems are audible, but yes they can be subtle differences but some have noticeably more Bass response, while others have a clearer Mid-range, and others more Treble response. Some like the Taylor and Ovation systems are well-balanced and their tonal characteristics can be easily enhanced with their onboard Tone controls. I'll have to make and post more recordings with some Tone control added for all the systems.
I think the ES2 stands out in your comparison. Personally I also don't mind the Baggs Element which with EQ sounds alright. I'm only so critical about USTs because I got spoiled with all the other more sophisticated systems.
I noticed that some pickups are easier to dial out by e.g. removing harsh mids but others can be tweaked and tweaked and only get from bad to worse.

By the way what's your opinion on the Baggs Lyric?
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Old 04-21-2019, 09:46 AM
jjbigfly jjbigfly is online now
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The playing is fine.....
The Shure seems to mellow out the mids nicely, but I believe the OP system could sound the same with a bit of adjustment. Personally, I think the OP sounds better for this song....
Thanks for the post.
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Old 04-21-2019, 09:46 AM
Sonics Sonics is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsum View Post
Thanks for doing these comparisons.

None of them is something I'd like to have in my guitars in 2019, the only hope for them is to be processed through Aura or Tonedexter technology IMO. Maybe some can still sound decent with heavy EQ.
They show their worst when strummed what your sound clips demonstrate.
Ovation had a reputation for innovation and was using mic modelling technology as far back as 2006 with their V.I.P (virtual image processing) preamp.



However they dropped that system and have released 'other' preamps (all interchangeable in seconds), with this one being the most 'advanced' and you can plug it into your computer.



IMO the Op Pro system produces some very good sounds. I leave the EQ flat and engage the mid cut feature which removes that narrow band of frequencies, where the 'clack' resides, boosts the bass, and gives clarity to the highs. I believe Al Di Meola and Melissa Etheridge were both consulted on the design of this preamp.
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  #8  
Old 04-21-2019, 01:20 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sonics View Post
Ovation had a reputation for innovation and was using mic modelling technology as far back as 2006 with their V.I.P (virtual image processing) preamp.



However they dropped that system and have released 'other' preamps (all interchangeable in seconds), with this one being the most 'advanced' and you can plug it into your computer.



IMO the Op Pro system produces some very good sounds. I leave the EQ flat and engage the mid cut feature which removes that narrow band of frequencies, where the 'clack' resides, boosts the bass, and gives clarity to the highs. I believe Al Di Meola and Melissa Etheridge were both consulted on the design of this preamp.
Yes! I had a 2008 Adamas 2080 NWT with the Onboard VIP 5 Preamp. The images in the preamp are actually Fishman Aura Images and all sounded very good when mated with the Adamas 2080 NWT.

I still have an iDea preamp that I bought when I had the Adamas 2080 NWT and it's also a drop-in for the Op Pro Studio should I want to noodle around with playing along and recording to onboard music tracks. A pretty cool iDea I'd say!
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Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom
RainSong BI-DR1000N2
Emerald X20
Yamaha FGX5
Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2

Last edited by SpruceTop; 04-21-2019 at 02:41 PM.
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  #9  
Old 04-21-2019, 02:38 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsum View Post
I think the ES2 stands out in your comparison. Personally I also don't mind the Baggs Element which with EQ sounds alright. I'm only so critical about USTs because I got spoiled with all the other more sophisticated systems.
I noticed that some pickups are easier to dial out by e.g. removing harsh mids but others can be tweaked and tweaked and only get from bad to worse.

By the way what's your opinion on the Baggs Lyric?
I've tried the Lyric in two different large guitars, a 2013 Taylor 528 First Edition and a 2013 Martin D-18, and had, at best, barely useable results, even when using the LR Baggs Venue DI with it. I installed the Lyric in the recommended location but never tried it elsewhere. I finally got rid of it but maybe if LR Baggs comes out with an "improved" version, I'll give the Lyric another whirl?
__________________
Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom
RainSong BI-DR1000N2
Emerald X20
Yamaha FGX5
Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2
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  #10  
Old 04-21-2019, 02:47 PM
Monsum Monsum is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpruceTop View Post
I've tried the Lyric in two different large guitars, a 2013 Taylor 528 First Edition and a 2013 Martin D-18, and had, at best, barely useable results, even when using the LR Baggs Venue DI with it. I installed the Lyric in the recommended location but never tried it elsewhere. I finally got rid of it but maybe if LR Baggs comes out with an "improved" version, I'll give the Lyric another whirl?
Thanks. I had the Lyric once installed in my D28 and it was good but not great. I expected something better from it but compared to other pickups I still think it's one of the best. I'm thinking if I had experimented a bit more with the placements I could've got even more natural outcomes.
Sorry for derailing your thread.
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  #11  
Old 04-21-2019, 02:55 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsum View Post
Thanks. I had the Lyric once installed in my D28 and it was good but not great. I expected something better from it but compared to other pickups I still think it's one of the best. I'm thinking if I had experimented a bit more with the placements I could've got even more natural outcomes.
Sorry for derailing your thread.
I found the Lyric induced ear fatigue in that I could tweak the Venue DI's EQ bands and get what I heard as sounding good but if I went away for 15 minutes or a day and played the system again, it didn't sound as good as before. This was frustrating and I really should have tried relocating the Lyric to try for better results.
__________________
Martin HD-28 Sunburst/Trance M-VT Phantom
Martin D-18/UltraTonic
Adamas I 2087GT-8
Ovation Custom Legend LX
Guild F-212XL STD
Huss & Dalton TD-R
Taylor 717e
Taylor 618e
Taylor 614ce
Larrivee D-50M/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Blue Grass Special/HiFi
Larrivee D-40R Sunburst
Larrivee C-03R TE/Trance M-VT Phantom
RainSong BI-DR1000N2
Emerald X20
Yamaha FGX5
Republic Duolian/Schatten NR-2
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