deefstes wrote:
Ray wrote:Maybe you should ask why there are some pretty interesting endorsers for their guitars. Kaki King is one. I went and looked at the site and listed there is Al di Meola as well.
I'm going to risk being crucified; I'm sure there are good musos out there who really do prefer the Ovation sound but the vast majority of endorsers do so for the sexy looks of the guitar. So 90% of players choose Ovation for its fasion item value and 10% choose it for its tone.
I find the endoresment game a bit dodgy. I have seen lots of 'endorsements' where, yes, the artist does own such a guitar but it doesn't seem to be their main axe or even get onto the stage most nights.
So mieliehobo, if you want to buy an Ovation, don't let any of us stop you. Just make sure you buy it for the right reasons. Do you want an Ovation because it looks funky and you will stand out because you have a guitar that looks so different from that of all the other guys you know? Or do you want an Ovation because you really do prefer that unique sound over that of the dreadnoughts?
There's another difficulty, not just with Ovation I should add, that you go out and buy the guitar thinking that [some player you like] plays that brand and so they must be cool, you'll sound like them etc etc. Their guitars they play are probably custom shop models, nothing like what's coming off the production line.
Not always, but it can be the case, especially with brands that have a wide range of prices. Brands that stick to the high end are a safer bet in this regard.
I am loathe to say that Ovations just plain sound bad. These things are always at least partly subjective. Certainly in the 70s there was a distinct Ovation sound emerging and some players seemed to like it or found a good fit between that sound and their style. Listen to Joan Armatrading records from that period for a good dose of that sound. Of course, she made those records with the top line Ovations of the day, and at a time when they weren't going down market price-wise.
