Sweet and Simple
Written: Feb 16 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: flat body, good sound, not too expensive
Cons: a little rough sounding sometimes
The Bottom Line: A good guitar for a good price, suitable for paid gigs and home recording.
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| sparke61's Full Review: Ovation Celebrity Deluxe Cs257-Ab |
I've been playing guitar for about sixteen years, not that I sound that great, and I've gone from playing a cheap beginner acoustic to now owning a Washburn and more recently an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe, with a lot of stops in between. Back when I played only for my own and my cats' enjoyment, a cheap old beginner guitar did me just fine. As I gained some experience and skill, I could tell I needed to buy a new guitar. I ended up with a very sweet Washburn acoustic that was perfect for sing-alongs and entertaining my friends. It sounded pretty good miked, too, but as many guitarists know, having to play with the guitar jammed up against a microphone is pretty limiting. I bought a Dean Markely pick-up for it, but the sound tended to be on the tinny side, and I knew that some of it was from my guitar. I'd had the action adjusted to be quite low while living on a boat, and had never gotten around to cranking it up again, so my strings rattled and the sound was a little too sharp. I decided to buy myself an acoustic/electric guitar.
I happen to really like Martins, but they are far too expensive for me. I played a Takamine that I really liked, but it, too, was a bit pricey. I was also becoming aware of another issue--after playing a two-hour set, my right shoulder would be very sore and very reluctant to bend because my arm had been cocked out at such a sharp angle (I have short arms, being 5'4") and this was taking away from my enjoyment of performing. Although I've never really been crazy about Ovations--something offended me about their flat, round-backed bodies, I knew that I'd have to give them a chance.
I hopped on down to the local music store, scared that I wouldn't find anything in my price range, as their prices tend to be a little steep, only to find that they had gotten some Ovation Celebrity Deluxe guitars at a close-out price and were selling them for $479 apiece. I'd been eyeing a nice blue guitar, but it was gone. My eyes were drawn to a purple Ovation, and I promptly tried it out.
My prejudices against Ovations quickly evaporated as we plugged in this guitar and I gave it a try. It had a wonderful sound plugged in, full and rich, with a decent-without-being-overpowering bass. Unplugged it sounded a little muffled despite the multiple sound-holes, but not as bad as other Ovations I'd played in the past. The action was higher than my Washburn's, but not too bad at all. I bought the guitar and took it home.
I use this guitar for performing plugged in pretty much exclusively, having retired the Washburn to song-writing and sing-along duty. The flatter body has made my shoulder much less cranky, and the rounded back makes it easier to tip the guitar out a little so I can see what I'm doing when I play lead. Yes, I have to cheat and watch. The neck is narrow enough for my short fingers to slide along easily, and I have a pretty easy time hitting all of my strings even on tough bar chords. I've been using this guitar for two years now and have had no trouble with it. I have to change the 9 volt battery next to the pre-amp every four months or so, but that's a small price to play for such a nice guitar.
I also use this guitar for home-recording with a 4 track mixer. It records with a pretty clear, strong sound, considering I'm using primitive equipment, and as long as the battery in the pre-amp is fresh, I have to use the "line" setting and not the "microphone" setting on my mixer because of the strong signal it sends.
The Ovation Deluxe has a pre-amp that gives me some freedom to adjust the sound of my guitar, but because I'd been playing mostly folk, I used one setting only as the others were a little too harsh and hard for the style of music. I did have the pleasure of hearing a friend of mine play some heavy blues with my guitar and I was quite impressed with the sound. I really feel that my guitar isn't as well-suited for folk as a full-bodied acoustic/electric, but I don't mind because I'm looking to branch out into something harder.
I would rate this guitar as excellent over-all for the price. It tunes well, holds its tuning, and has a nice full sound. I prefer the very present bass of a Martin, but I don't have $2000 to spend for the model I like. My Ovation has a nice balanced sound that suits me well. It's easy to play, not too hard on the hands, and the flat body is more of an advantage than not. The lovely purple color certainly doesn't hurt, either. If you are looking for a good, low-priced plugged-acoustic guitar, try a Celebrity Deluxe out.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sparke61
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Member: Sharon Parker
Location: Maine
Reviews written: 115
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Dispatcher who likes cats, computers, bikes, stereos, movies, books and wants to buy a house
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