You don't see a ton of them. Unless you are searching like crazy.

Does anyone own / play one, on a regular basis?

I owned a pear back acoustic for awhile and it had great tone and resonance. My problem was that the guitar didn’t fit my body well and for me was uncomfortable to play. I just didn’t seem to be able to find the sweet spot where it would rest.

I ended up trading it in as a downpayment on my first Martin.

In some respects I wish I still had it - nothing I’ve had since sounded quite like it.

Bendable, I'd echo nhtagmember's opinion. I've mentioned it in another thread. Though they did sound alright, and played action-wise good. I could just never find that sweet spot playing it in my lap without it sliding off my leg, and having to readjust. I preferred the woods because of the natural aging and tone changes as they do, especially over many years. The composite backs of the Ovations were never a plus for me.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I owned a pear back acoustic for awhile and it had great tone and resonance. My problem was that the guitar didn’t fit my body well and for me was uncomfortable to play. I just didn’t seem to be able to find the sweet spot where it would rest.

I ended up trading it in as a downpayment on my first Martin.

In some respects I wish I still had it - nothing I’ve had since sounded quite like it.

Any pic's? I just asked another member who sent me an email with a pic of his beautiful Martin and I asked if I could have his permission to post it. I love looking and discussing anything guitars. I'm still looking forward to your recent LP that you had ordered..

I had a thin celebrity a few years back. I sold it as I didn't care for the sound and the action never was very good. I spend time tweaking the neck trying to improve the action and ended up selling it to a coworker who loved it.

I still have the model below that called Applause. My friend who is an order of magnitude better than me has had a couple for decades. My daughter was cruising Guitar Center and I picked one up. It had a 300 dollar price tag on it. I don't remember these being this cheap. Played a little and put it back down. Price tag reflects being made in China I suspect so if you get one make sure its one of the better models. They were really popular in the 80's because with the bowl shape projecting sound, and they had a decent pickup too.

My first acoustic was a Ovation Celebrity. There wasn't anything special about it but the higher end models were a big improvement. They're great for an acoustic player who plays through an amp, that's where they really shine. I definitely don't see as many as I used to.

Al DiMeola still uses them I think.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I owned a pear back acoustic for awhile and it had great tone and resonance. My problem was that the guitar didn’t fit my body well and for me was uncomfortable to play. I just didn’t seem to be able to find the sweet spot where it would rest.

I was just going to say the same thing. The rounded back Ovations sound great but there is just no way to play them comfortably. They tip so the soundboard faces the ceiling and your fretting hand is never unstrained. It's the same for sitting it on your lap or standing with a strap.

They really do have a unique and great sound, but having heard all the stories of not comfortable to play, I never pursued one.

Here's a kinda poor snap of America's Gerry Beckley's Custom Ovation Legend 6 string that he played on tour in the 70's. A well built guitar. The one I played at Ed's Guitars in the 70's was a well built guitar but as mentioned above, the curvature of the composite back didn't work for me.




These folks are just some, Ovations were pretty popular especially for touring in the 70s and 80s.

Glenn Campbell was a big endorser of them.

Al Di Meola was an Ovation player.

Brian May…. Roy Orbison…. Larry Coryell…. Melissa Etheridge….. Mark Knopfler…. Preston Reed…. Neil Diamond… Shania Twain… Cat Stevens…. Eddie Van Halen…. Steve Lukather…. Steve Vai…. Kenny Rogers…. Chet Atkins…. John Mac Laughlin…. Alex Lifeson…. Paul Simon…. Shakira… both John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Roger Waters and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

Yngwie Malmsteen had a signature line with Ovation.

Tom Shultz of and the guys in B

I am still waiting for my LP to show up. Got a bit of good news is that I was told the wait time would be about 12 months but as of last Monday I was informed I might have it by the end if February. Not guaranteed but still something to look forward to.

I’d like to post photos of my guitars but don’t have a hosting service.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: nhtagmember,

R i g h t,
What's a Bieber ?

Will add Keith and Danny Partridge to the list


Geez !
Wiki has a huge list of musicians that liked them,

Who knew?

Probably an autocorrect.

As has been said, they can sound great, but they are not comfortable to play. Kind of a “love it or hate it” sort of guitar. Ovation fans are very defensive of those guitars, and people that don’t like ‘em can often be pretty merciless about it.