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Ovation - True American-made Value!

Apr 13, 2002 Write an essay on this topic.

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The Bottom Line Look for the "Made in USA" sticker on any Ovation you buy; Celebrity and Applause instruments are good value, but you'll lust for the "real thing" - trust me...I know.

Ovation has been in the business of making fine musical instruments for well over thirty years now, and it isn't just round-back acoustics they've done themselves proud with; the Ovation logo has also been seen on f-hole jazz acoustic/electrics (the 'Thunderbolt' series), solid-body electrics (Breadwinner, Deacon, Viper, Preacher, UK2, etc), mandolins, even amplifiers and electronic guitar tuners. All are fine examples of their particular music-gear genre.

I've been collecting, buying, selling and playing Ovations on two continents (USA & Australia) for over 25 years now and currently own five examples: a Custom Legend deepbowl acoustic/electric, and two Vipers, one Preacher and a Breadwinner in solid-bodies.

I've played Ovations everywhere from on stage, to pub gigs and drunken brawls (mind you, THEY were drunk, not me), driven with them across countries and taken them with me internationally and between continents. I've carted them about in climates as diverse as Weiser, Idaho in the dead of winter to a monsoonal summer on the Queensland coast in tropical Australia; I've never been let down by an Ovation.

Each of the solid body models (only made from the early 70s to the mid 80s) has a sound all its own. The Vipers are fitted with hot, single coil pickups and consequently produce a bright sound. The Breadwinner and Preacher both sport Ovation's own humbuckers and are a much more bluesy axe to play.

While it is true that the roundbacks have their own, special quirks (like sliding off your lap, having a unique "Ovation" sound, etc), I don't know of a single make of guitar that doesn't have its own oddities, so what's the big deal?

No other American-made guitar offers so much quality for such a small investment and make no mistake, they ARE an investment; I have yet to lose money on any Ovation I've bought and later traded (although, I really do wish I had them all back again...sigh).

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