The Return of Ovation Guitars 2018 - Ovation Line Review & Overview 

Bought my son an Ovation when he graduated high school. God he could play that guitar... Rest in Peace son...

I bought my first guitar in the mid 80's...a brand new Ovation. Over the years I've played a lot of different guitars...but my favorite has always been Ovation. I still own 3 of them.

Thank you. I have a pretty black medium size Ovation. I was a about to sell it, but after this review, I remembered why I bought it and changed my mind.

I would never get rid of my 2 Ovations. Folklore and Legend. Both deep bowls and made in the 70's. Big deep sound and plays like a dream!

Dude, one of your best demos ever. You are an excellent player. And not bad tone at all.

Just happy Fender didn't manage to kill the brand.

I bought my Ovation Collectors series in 1993 with a solid spruce top. I have not found a better guitar for my hand. The hard shell case it came with has helped keep my guitar pristine over the past 27yrs. I tune this guitar and really never have to adjust it. I will never get rid of this guitar. By the way, love that little fingerstyle tune. Awesome demo!

Good to hear Ovation is back! I have a 6 string and a 12 string Ovation and love them both. Easy to play and great sound. Great video, keep us posted on whats going on!!

Love Ovation Guitars. Inspired by one of my Guitar hero’s. The Late Glen Campbell.

Thank you buddy. You are great and can really show off a guitar. I bought an Ovation for my son in 2018 when he graduated from Midland Lee. He LOVES it.

I bought an Ovation Balladeer 1861 yesterday mostly inspired by your demos. Despite having very little stock at my local GC due to the pandemic I was inspired to pick it up and try it, it was the best set up guitar I have ever played, even surpassing my Fender Telecaster. Amazing considering that it was a 25 year old guitar that looked just as good or better than some of the newer stock. I was also surprised that the electronics worked so well, I didn't expect it. Thank you for your demos as I owe Alamo Music Center a huge debt of gratitude.

I love all my Ovations, only acoustics I own/play for over 30 years now. Just added a new Celebrity Elite Pro in Tiger-eye finish CE44P. Whether for friends at home or on stage the sound is incredible. I highly recommend them.

I have been playing my Ovation Anniversary for 40 years and it still looks great, sounds great and plays great. And I can say the same for my mod. # 1763 Ovation classical (purchased in 1987 new) and my Ovation UKII solid body (purchased in 1986 used). All of them are American made. I would love to have an Ovation 12 string but it would have to be a 1970's model. I admit though that if I could find an old Guild F-512 12 string in good shape, I would gladly buy it. Just so you know, I have played guitar for over 50 years and have had the opportunity to play many different brands of guitar and my favorite for playing on stage and recording is Ovation Guitars.

I had a Model 1867 Black Legend = Phenomenal Sounding Guitar. Neck plays like an electric. Super fast, smooth and great feel = easy to play. Chris you do an Awesome job. Always very Professional & Informative. Enjoy your videos brother.

If you are really all about the sound as so many profess to be then you cannot ignore the fact that the Ovation is the best sound end of story. I Had one in the 80's I bought new and an Elite Adamas I paid a great deal of money for both of which my son has now, and neither are cracked or even a concern. Both are in fact still fine guitars being played actively. I have a newere Maple top made in China Celebrity Plus Elite and it is actually as impressive as any 5000 dollar guitar I have found available and for me money isn't the object at all. In fact I bought one of the most expensive Ovations offered right now and truly it compares to the others I've owned in anyway shape or form. Overal the first one was the deep bowl. Bad feed back probs and the shallow I got after was no problem there at all. The one I have now is solid top maple and a mid depth bowl or at least that is how it was sold to me. I've been very impressed with these guitars but the best thing about them is that they are built very well, hold up over time and are not as affected by weather or temp. and change of strings is a cinch! Even today they are absolutely fantastic guitars just read the owner reviews.

Love your reviews. I watch them all.

I am so glad they’re bringing this guitar back I own one they’re really great to play and I sound grade over and out and play just as good as any electric guitar ever thought about playing thumbs up I hope they sell a bunch of them have a great day

I HAVE THAT ONE FOR CHRISTMAS!!I LOVE THE SOUND!!GREAT GUITARS!!!!

I love Ovation Guitars, I bought my first in 1988 when I was 12 years old. I cut lawns almost everyday around the neighborhood to save up and finally own one. I am very interested in checking out these new lines as they look and sound amazing, at least in your video. I really enjoyed your choice of chord progressions for the demo, especially the last set. The ending jam touched that emotional spot inside, the spot that when you hear a certain riff you zone out and are totally focused on the sound all the while an emotional storm is created inside and all you can think of is the moment, person or certain thing that happened in your life that you are reminded of by what you are hearing. this might sound very weird to some bet I am a music nerd, been a part of the industry as a fan, assistant engineer and session musician, I think sometimes it is those that view music as way to project a story or message, then the notes come together to take that message and turn it into this powerful emotion, it is otherworldly. maybe I am just a crazy middle aged guy that loves his family and loves music almost as much. thanks for reading my rant, take care.

Glenn Campbell turned me on to ovation.

I bought an elite shallow. I think this is the best sounding guitar that I have ever played. I Always grab this before anything other guitar I have.

Have 2 of the Melissa Etheridge signed Ovation Adamas guitars. 1 12 string and 1 6 string. Purchased them new years ago. They still sound and look great. Very reliable guitars.

great guitars Iv had my Balladeer standard for over 30yrs

In the early 70s someone temporarily swapped his deep bowl ovation Glen Campbell for my Yamaha classical. I was in a small traveling vocal band and found the ovation’s acoustic projection alone far superior to my miced classical for small outdoor venues. Beautiful guitar as well as great sounding. Recently I found an ‘85 model on eBay. Love it!

I played an Ovation in a guitar shop today. It was sensationally good. Really easy to play and with a beautiful sound.

I've been playing my Ovation Elite for 25 years and it still sounds great and still stays in tune. I've got 3 Martins, two 12-strings and one D-35 which are wonderful, but I use only my 6-string and 12-string Ovations, for every gig. No need for a guitar mic on stage. They are rugged and shallow-bodied, which are easy to stay on one's lap. I use Flap Tops strings which reduces finger noise. My other guitar player in the band uses one as well. They seem to be much improved now so I'm thinking about buying another one!

He really danced around the not made in the US anymore very smoothly..... wish we could keep and build quality stuff here. I'd like to support my own country at the same time I'm offended by car makers that build unreliable cars and wave the flag of patriotism for sales and rank WAY below in consumer reports against Japanese manufacturers. I care about the little guy in other countries but I'd like to prioritize and look out for my own family first, then help my neighbor. He played very nicely.

Nice demo. Sounds great!

Great review! I have been an Ovation fan since the 1st time I played one back in 1991 and my wife snagged me a [then] new 2005 CS-257 for Christmas (lucky me!). Though the initial finish of the frets were slightly sub-par, Guitar Center nevertheless paid to have it addressed by a local guitar genius and the result was out of this world. In fact, I have two friends who own USA model large-back versions and my Korean-made model blows theirs out of the water with reference to "full-scale" playability. Ovation's are more versatile than many realize: This thing is perfect with a GR-55 guitar synth and affixing a GK-3 pickup does take require too much effort or skill and the result is probably on par with any S/A (synth access) Godin ever put out: it plays nearly as well as its electric cousins and can transition from a beautiful acoustic sound all the way to full on metal with the touch of a foot switch. Similarly, by flicking the GK-3 switch to by-pass the Ovation's piezo pickup, I can play singing/screaming lead up and down the entire neck with little or no feedback...it's that good! Of note: I also have an Ovation Mandolin that looks exactly like the 6-string and it was perfect right outta' the box. No clue what the new ones are like, but I play the guitar on stage pretty-much weekly and never had any other issues (it's fourteen years old). Even though it is a Korean-made model, I love it more than any other guitar in my collection!

I've owned 3 of them and still own one . They are one of the best stage guitars . Good road guitar .

I bought an Ovation in 2004 and it served me well for a few good years...

I loved the explanation about the soundboard

Ovation has the best headstock in the business. I love it.

Absolutely love my elite with the quilted maple top. Have owned severat but this one is hands down the best.

Wonderfully informative video. Thanks for the update on Ovation today. I'm a little sad because you are playing one like model (mine was an Elite 1778 from 2008) I lost in shipment when I moved to the Philippines. I still love Ovation and maybe I'll gt another on. Thanks again.

Have both an Applause Elite and Celebrity Elite. Love both to death!

Super informative and capped off by some good playing. Great vid!

Helpful update on the Ovation. Sad that they're no longer in Connecticut. Always consider an Ovation when I am looking for another guitar most recently when I was looking for a cutaway nylon string guitar.

I love Ovation guitars, always have! They're wonderful for fingerstyle playing. If I had the money, I'd have the Dark Matter and the Elite Plus in Dragon Wood in my hands right now.

Nice overview. I know what Ovation is aiming for, but I wish they wouldn’t leave acoustic folks behind...I want a deep contour, short scale, with 1 3/4 nut for fingerpicking. I love my shallow bowl Ovation, but those design tweaks would greatly enhance the notion of an Ovation replacing my regular acoustic for main performance guitar.

I took the leap of faith and bought a preowned 2011-ish AE128. Still trying to get a lock on the vintage date. The guitar is immaculate. The frets were never dressed and the deck simply hasn't got a scratch or pressure ding from the thumping style some guitarists have with their hands. The bowl doesn't show a single scratch or even wear from being played.The head stock label was removed, but there are no abrasions/scratches to indicate anyone ground it off. And it wasn't removed chemically to damage the stain finish or wood, that was checked with a magnifying glass when I got her home. If I could've inspected it with a microscope somehow, you know I would've done that, only out the effort to inspect anything that way. Perhaps that label came off with furniture polish or some type of fretboard conditioning oil ? As for worries about wood vs Lyrichord body expansion & contraction, that's really a non-issue for me, the guitar is stored & played in a controlled environment that really is more intended for a traditionally all wood acoustic, house is maintained at 73* F in humid FL, dark rooms to avoid UV damage from sunlight. The humidity is controlled as well, so any wood component isn't going to waterlog, yet not dry out from lack of complete moisture. I wouldn't play any guitar outdoors in direct sunlight either, I'm going to find a shaded pavilion or tree at a park and keep it cooler, relying on a breeze. if you're leaving the guitar in a hot car, I don't care whether it's all wood like a Taylor or whatever other brand, you are most likely getting worse body cooking issues than with the wood/Lyrichord The beauty of the ovation, I plug it into my Skull Candy Air Raid and have a mini amp that way. And the Skull Candy actually works better than it does with an electric guitar with the acoustic/electric Ovation plugged in. That set up was just a matter of getting the right adapters to reduce the standard instrument cord to the amplified blue tooth Air Raid's plug in receptacle. Sound review, the bowl shape is superior to traditional hard angles and that's why they can get away with the super shallow depth sounding exceptionally higher quality. I played an Epiphone at the Music Store SST Coupe, it was this model and it sounded amazing as well. www.epiphone.com/Products/Acoustics/Acoustic/Electric/SST-Coupe-Steel-String.aspx vimeo.com/8891557

Thank you for saying lyrachord and not fiberglass or plastic. I get so tired of hearing that, I love my Ovation Guitars.

Nancy Wilson of Heart.

I recently spoke to a Guitar Shop owner with 40 years experience, he use to sell Ovation Guitars But will not sell them because every guitar arrived with cracks , he sent them back and the new shipment was also defective. He won’t sell Taylor because they kept jacking up there prices so high they wouldn’t sell. Be careful. Yamaha And Takamine Are still the best over all , Keep the humidity in your room at 50 % humidity.

just bought a celebrity elite plus super shallow its on way now in mail cant wait lol its the blue quilted top so beautiful 😊

Have owned several Ovations… currently have an Elite TX longneck D-Scale that sounds and plays great! Played many a show with it! This guitar has a 28 1/3” scale, yet the maple neck NEVER needs adjustment. Have owned both, and the multi sound hole sounds better that the traditional single sound hole. If you play standing up, just move the strap button from the back of the Lyracord upper bout to the bottom of the heel… works perfectly, and takes only 5 minutes if you have an electric drill and a wood screw

I bought a used blue Ovation Applause AA-31 in 1987 for $50. It's held up fine and is good for taking on trips. Glen Campbell, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, and Doyle Doaks all liked their Ovations. I don't know if the top is solid or not, but it is pale blue and looks cool.

I have a1980 1611 Balladeer.... love it... especially with my trusty old chorus pedal... great sound no matter what

Love the demo but I can understand the struggle of the little neck having big hands, and that pick up is amazing

I own a 1985 12 string Legend and it sounds great. Still top is cracked, a common occurrence since wood and laricord expand/contract very differently. My jam buddy bought a 6 string Legend 5-6 yrs ago and it sounds dead unplugged, but awesome straight into my PA. That’s compared to my high end E2 Taylors. In my opinion only consider one if you’re going to play it mostly plugged in.

Wow...I always underestimated Ovation guitars, but they sound so much better than any Taylor I have heard played on this channel. I’m gonna have to seriously look into these more, and find one to play in person. Peace. 🐰💙🇺🇸🎸🎶🤝✌️

Love Ovations been playing Ovation for over 10 yrs just got Ovation celebrity standard and the Celebrity elite 44 rr mid love both Ruby red.

Sweet Playing my friend.

Kirk Hammett's KH-2 Skully was my eye candy when I was growing up. Still dont have it..... yet. It is something different to admire a guitar.

Glad to see these guitars making a comeback. I hope they do well. I still have an old Ovation, but the bridge is starting to lift up off the body. Took it to guitar tech and he had a fit and wouldn't work on it (probably couldn't). Anyway, I may be looking for a new one at some point.

Great explanation of the brand! I have/have had a bunch of guitars over the decades including a lot of hi-end stuff from Martin & Collings, but a few years back I grabbed a 1778T like this at a local pawnshop for $400 (USA version...no "X") and it's just sick how good it sounds and plays. Skinny-ish but chunky maple neck plays like an electric, and the tone is ridiculous. Lots of peeps sneer at the brand but the Collings are gone and the Ovation's still here. Good enough for Glen Campbell (highly regarded session musician before he went Rhinestone) is good enough for me.

Funny and sad at the same time for ME, a former OVATION LOVER! In the early seventies I bought my first Ovation (BEFORE they had electronics!) LOVED it, so in 1975 I bought 3 MORE (a 6-string GC Custom, a 12-string GC Custom, and the NYLON 1624 Country Artist). In 1980 I purchased a GORGEOUS Natural Custom Legend. I then had FIVE (5) Ovations that I loved... By 1984 I had FOUR (4) Ovations with SPLIT TOPS, in the SAME PLACE!!! (from the bridge to the bottom of the lower bout, STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE on 3, STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE, then turned right towards the treble side and lifted about 3 inches on the CUSTOM LEGEND!) The ONLY one that hasn't split is the NYLON one, which I still play TODAY. Sorry Ovation, ONE would be a "FREAK THING", TWO would be a "COINCIDENCE", but FOUR is way BEYOND acceptable... I had no choice but to take my business ELSEWHERE, and never looked back. Still love my NYLON, and on the 'bright side", believe it or not, the CUSTOM LEGEND with the "lifted top", STILL holds TUNE! LOLOLOLOL... GO FIGURE! ;)

best damn acoustic i ever played regret to this day after 20 years not buying it

I’ve always loved Ovation. Sad they seemed to lose their way under Fender. I am privileged to own a Glen Campbell signature 1976 & a Pacemaker 12 from 1977. Both still have flat tops too! Some boast for 40+ year old acoustics! 👍

Nice review.

Very nice tone!

Ho sempre avuto una Ovation nel mio set up la prima la comprai nel 1979, una corde in nylon stereo, da allora ne ho avute diverse, ora posseggo una custom elite C868 LX made in USA, costruita prima della morte di Charles Kaman e prima che il marchio fosse acquisito da Fender, è una super shallow, ma suona benissimo anche da spenta, ha un bracing quintad scalopped, ed ha il suono definito con una proiezione dinamica tipica delle Ovation, insomma le amo

thank you for your video.

Nice sound !!!!!

I cried at the end.

I own 3. All deep bowl. I sent a email to the head office in Connecticut last year. It got sent back. Sent 4 emails, no replies. I talked with local guitar stores including where I bought mine and no one has an answer. I would not use anything else. They are the perfect fit for me and the sound is incredible.

Really good reviewer

Thanks for an extremely informative video. Do you also compare depths elsewhere?

Sorry! I have been given a wonderful Ovation 12 string 1985 Collectors Edition. How do you change the battery in this guitar in the middle of a gig? You know when the battery dies cuz you're plugged in and playing a song for an audience? Took me an hour at home with flashlight and I never managed to get the box back onto the half-turn screw finally duct taping it near the access hole. Thank you!

I have that guitar also, it is 15 years old already; the playability and the wood is still superb but the downside is' the electronics weakened but again the playability of the guitar and by the guitar itself is still ultra superb!

I've had 2 Ovation 1862 Custom Balladeers. They have the shallow bowl and the first one I bought (mid 80s) had the round neck. It got stole and I replaced it (mid 90s) with the same model except the V neck. Loved them both. The first one sounded a little better but I like the V neck on the later one better. Still have it.

I own two, one six and one twelve. They are favorites of mine.

what model is the guitar behind you on the right as I see it, on your left as you are standing? the "woodish" finish guitar.

I am a mainly heavy metal guitarist and singer in SE England, but have used acoustic passages in songs. I used to have a Celebrity Deluxe CS257 in blue, until some nameless piece of excrement stole it after breaking into my house last year (at least they left my Chrome Blue American Standard Strat and Les Paul Standard, my JCM800 amp and effects, as well as five Shure SM58 mikes). I am between bands at present, but wanted an acoustic for practice. I received on Monday a Celebrity Elite CC44-RR and am freshly blown away by the tone and volume of the acoustic performance. No discernible fret buzz anywhere up to the top fret, even though the action is nice and low, with amazing sustain. I have fairly small hands for a man, so the neck is not an issue for me. The only minus point for me was that the 9V battery for the preamp/tuner was flat when I received the guitar. Why didn't they pack it separately? I know from prior experience that it should last for ages.

Yamaha or Ovation for easy action? I just watched both videos and am trying to decide.

Hola!!! Interesante, "estaria bueno los subtitulos en español del video" . Muy buena calidad de sonido .. gracias

I used to have a Celebrity Deluxe and just bought one of the new ones for my son. I did a review too if you’re interested

Hello! Do you happen to know what the difference is between cc24 and cs24? If you do, which one would you say is better? Thanks a lot!

I am going to look at an Ovation CC24 -RR to buy for my first guitar. [at 60] What do I need to look out for when I demo it? Electronics ?? Action ??? Or just worry about the action, sound and feel?

I was given an ovation Applause AA21 Acoustic Guitar from a friend of mine and I am wondering if you could tell me a good way to put a pickup in it.

M y guitar is the same as the one on the right of the screen .how do i tell if its a copy,or a real ovation?

They're interesting guitars for sure

I am as experienced as anyone else here claims to be. If you don't want your Ovations give them to me. People are trapped by convention and tradition. In recent years the majority of Ovations found in stores are super shallow bodies and to compare them to anything else on the basis of their unplugged sound is unfair. Mid depth and deep contours sound great. The tone is uncolored and crystal clear. More sound projects forward to listeners because it's not being absorbed by your body. There's no question that playing an Ovation is a different playing experience than playing traditional guitars. But you may just be cheating yourself if you dismiss them without a fair evaluation and understanding of the design and technology employed.

hi 1 would you give us a nice tutorial about how tl lowering the action on this guitars and wich gauge strings fit best in them .. 1' tks 1

I had a Standard Balladeer serial # B 791 I heard then that the material called Lyrachord was tried By Kaamam Aerospace for helicopter rotors but found too resonant. George Kaaman was a guitar nut and so he thought hmmm!??

I saw one in a pawnshop for 150 but it needs some fixing. I wonder what type of glue is used to fasten the neck since I don’t think the wood glue would work on that helicopter blade material.

I still love ovation guitars!

Hello, my name is Nundo and I am from Venezuela, my question is what strings should I put on my celebrity so that it also sounds like all the ovation guitars that I hear in the videos? Thank you

Had an ovation 2000 aniversary celebrity edition but it started to curve really bad, took it to a guitar shop and the guy told me it would bee more expensive to fix than to just buy a new one, so I sold it for cheap, have regreted it ever since, lots of fun memories with it and I was just beautifull to watch.

Nice demo of the TX, sure would have been a help to hear the koa top, for example, too.

I want to one!

I love my Ovation Elite 5868 walnut the same one on the right side of the video.

My favourite guitars thanks to Kevin Cronin.

My friend Pamela Najior with the "Mighty Conks" had a Ovation giving to her by Bertie Higgins . She let me gam on it when I came to visit . It was a really a nice guitar .

The rounded back is the bane of my existence 😭

I tore my right rotator cuff. The wide body of my accustic hurts reaching over, around it. Looking for options. Researching thank you

At one point, wasn't Ovation AND Takemine part of Kaman Guitars out of Connecticut?

Is the top on the one you played just painted flat black? Would have been nice to see one of the others up close. Still informative. Thx

I have the same guitar he's demoing. They're very good. Probably the fastest neck I've ever played. Made in China, Korea, etc. - whatever. They're very good - except the tuners. Those absolutely suck. They stick. Maybe they'll settle in on mine over time. At any rate - the tuners can be changed. Other than that these things are marvelous for pretty much anything you want to play.

May I ask what song you play in this video? Thanks :)