OVATION GUITARS

The Ovation Guitar Company, a holding of Kaman Music Corporation, is a guitar manufacturing company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA. Ovation primarily manufactures acoustic guitars.
Ovation guitars are differentiated by their composite synthetic bowl, rather than the traditional wooden back and sides of the modern acoustic guitar as produced by luthiers starting in the late 18th century. Ovation has also produced solid body electric guitars. A lower-priced version of the bowl-back Ovation design, known as the Applause Guitar, has also been produced.
Developed starting in 1966 and introduced as the 'Balladeer' in February, 1967, Ovation has sought to bring modern materials and construction techniques to guitar building.
In 1972, Ovation introduced one of the first production solidbody electric guitars with active electronics, the Breadwinner (the 1963 Burns TR2 had active circuitry, but did not receive widespread attention or sales). The odd but ergonomic shape of this guitar and its deluxe model, the Deacon along with the FET preamplifier made this a popular studio guitar with numerous artists including Steve Marriott of the Small Faces. The model failed to gain widespread popularity, however, and production of the Breadwinner/Deacon line ceased in 1980. Ovation made several other solid body models up until the mid 80s. Many of these guitars have become collector's items since only a few thousand were made of each model. Guitars such as the UK II which featured stereo output and custom made pickups that featured 10,000 winds each and coil tap switches that would instantly change the humbucker into a single coil pickup. The Ovation Ultra GP, their take on a Gibson Les Paul (and actually priced higher than the Gibson) was produced in an edition 250 units before discontinued. Other Ovation innovations include composite tops and multiple offset sound holes on guitar tops, pioneered in the Adamas model in 1977.
Ovations reached the height of their popularity in the 1980's, where they were more often than not seen during live performances by touring artists if acoustic guitars were being played. Their low feedback and ability to cut through other band instruments made them ideal for playing alongside electric guitars and drums.
Since the 1980's they have remained popular with studio musicians, but are less frequently seen on stage.


Ovation CC44 Review:

Features : 7 I got the black finish on this guitar. It's very black, with the only visible wood being the epaulets around the sound hole and the veneer on the fretboard. The neck seems to be some kind of plastic and of course the mid-depth bowl is plastic (I think it's fiberglass, actually) So the immediate impression, with its 'made in China' sticker, is TOY!, but it is actually a well made guitar. The guitar is very light, very comfortable to hold and play, either standing or sitting. It has individual piezo pickups for each string, and the electronics have a built in tuner, which is wonderful.
Sound : 7 I had originally purchased an Epiphone EJ-200 electrified, but it gave me a neck ache trying to play it standing. If I gave the Epiphone an 8 for acoustic quality I'd give the Ovation a 5. It's OK, but nobody would call it rich and warm. Where I think the Ovation shines is in a mix, like church, with a few other instruments and people singing. The Ovation is so good at picking up the dynamics of the guitar that the acoustic feel really comes through in a mix. Those same dynamics can sound too bright when played solo, but it really isn't too bright, it just picks up things that other acoustic-electrics (like the EJ-200) don't. So I wouldn't buy this guitar unless you're intending to play plugged in - you could do much better acoustically for the money.
Action, Fit, & Finish : 8 The guitar was set up well right out of the box. It does have a truss rod (that's not too easy to get to) but the factory bow was right on. The action must be adjusted by adding/removing shims under the bridge. I find the action about right, and I'm used to an electric. According to the built-in tuner (and my ear) the intonation at the 12th fret is very good. There is an access panel in the back of the guitar, and this had broken loose, but I'm sure UPS is to blame for that. I just glued it back on instead of waiting another 2 weeks for a replacement.
Reliability/Durability : 7 I think this guitar will stand up to the road. The things that make it look/feel cheap, all the plastic, mean this thing is not fragile, and it's more comfortable than a traditional acoustic to hold and play. There is no pick guard, so if you're a hard strumming fool you might scratch up the top.
Overall Rating : 7 I own several relatively cheap Stratocaster style electrics and a few cheap dreadnoughts. I can't compare this to a Taylor or something like that, but as a workhorse guitar to add acoustic feel to a band, this is a good axe.

Ovation VXT Review:

Features : 9 Ovation VXT is a Hybrid Electric/Acoustic Guitar. 6-string hybrid guitar Solid spruce top One-piece chambered Honduras mahogany body One-piece Honduras Mahogany neck 1-11/16" nut width Rosewood fingerboard Pearl dot fingerboard inlays 25-1/2" scale length Fishman Power Bridge Chrome Ovation tuners Seymour Duncan '59 humbuckers Ovation VIP (Virtual Image Processing) preamp Output blend knob Volume, tone controls Separate acoustic and electric output (Stereo - Requires Y-Cable included).
I gave the VXT a 9 because it would have been nice to include a switch in addition to the blender dial to move between Electric and Acoustic. For fast switch rolling the dial to full acoustic takes more time then required. However, no other Hybrid has a Blender Dial! One Last thing that should have been included is an automatic shut-off
Sound : 8 I am not a professional and do not have "Perfect Pitch". I further beleive that the sound from guitars is very personal. I own 30 guitars (I know it is an addiction)and chose which to play based on my mood. That said, I was very impressed with the diversity of sounds that can be achieved from the VXT. If you are a Puress and looking for the classic Gibson Hummbucker or True Acoustic sounds; do not buy a Hybrid (VXT or otherwise). Get 2 guitars and change them out between songs. However, if you like to Jam and enjoy the practicality of carrying one guitar, this does a great job and gets close to "Acoustic". The Stereo capabilities are fantastic: I run the acoustic Piezo into an Acoustic Amp and the Hums into a Marshall. That is the best way to achieve the desired sounds from the Hybrid - Ovation does that right. This is a very versatile instrument and sounds great! I give the Electric Humbucker sound a 9 and the Acoustic sound a 8 .
Action, Fit, & Finish : 9 Beautiful finish! I got the Black finish from GC and it was set-up nicely. I have been playing it a few weeks now and have not needed to change anything. Note: I tend to not tweak the guitar set-up much and play whatever I pick-up as given to me. Unless it is really bad, I do not complain. There were no noticable flaws.
Reliability/Durability : No Opinion So far so good.... But have not used it enough to render an opinion.
Overall Rating : 8 I have been playing on and off for 15 years (consistently for the last 4 years). I am in a garage band that plays out once in a while. I consider myself to be advance intermediate. I researched the heck out of hybrids before deciding on Ovation. Since it was a smokin' deal at $800, I figured it was worth it. Had it been $1,500 as advertised, probably would have stuck with the 2 Guitar Electric/Acoustic option. Love the sound and it is fast becoming my main Guitar. As stated I own 30 of them (Fender Strat/Tele, Gibson LP, Gretch, etc..). Recommendation: If you really want the Acoustic sound: Better then most Hybrids because of the Stereo capabilities. But maybe you need to just stick to using an Acoustic. Electric: Sounds great the Humbukers will not disapoint. Hybrid: Very practical and easy to use;