Why I HATED Every Ovation Guitar… Until This One

1968 Ovation Deluxe Balladeer

Interesting Headstock Design...

Fiberglass Back Bowl

Bright and Loud Guitar
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VIDEO TIMELINE:

- Why I HATED Ovation Guitars @ 0:40
- Ovation’s signature “Bowl Back” Impression @ 2:40
- My First Impressions of this 1968 Ovation @ 3:45
- Tuners First Impression @ 4:25
- Neck Profile First Impression @ 5:25
- TONE TEST REVIEW @ 6:00
- TONE Analysis/First Impression @ 8:10
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**LINK OF GUITARS I'VE REVIEWED SO FAR:

--------------------------------- THE REVIEW --------------------------------
Model:
- Ovation Deluxe (Deluce?) Balladeer

Average Price
- $550 (used)

Year:
- 1968 (52 years old)

Country of Origin:
- Made in USA

Tone Rating:
- 8/10

Guitar Build Quality:
- 8/10

Pros:
- High quality neck build.. especially the wood
- Bright and loud guitar tone despite unusual body material
- Very high quality tuners.. same level as 80's Gibson LP Custom tuners

Cons:
- Ovation headstock design.... not my style at all....
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*Strings on MY Electric Guitars:

*Strings on MY Acoustic Guitars:

*My Main Recording Gear:

INSTAGRAM:
- @ everysingleguitars

#OvationBalladeer #VintageOvation #60sGuitar #OvationBalladeerDeluxe #OvationBowl #OvationGuitars #Ovationacousticguitar #VintageAcousticGuitar #Ovationguitar #BalladeerDeluxe #OvationBalladeerReview

[everysingleguitars]

VIDEO TIMELINE:
- Why I HATED Ovation Guitars @ 0:40
- Ovation’s signature “Bowl Back” Impression @ 2:40
- My First Impressions of this 1968 Ovation @ 3:45
- Tuners First Impression @ 4:25
- Neck Profile First Impression @ 5:25
- TONE TEST REVIEW @ 6:00
- TONE Analysis/First Impression @ 8:10

[marieschwartz]

The Kaman Corporation, an aerospace company had lots of scientists, engineers, and technicians, plus the owner was a guitar enthusiast. So they decided to engineer the most efficient guitar shape (for getting the most sound back out of the sound hole), and sell it under a subsidiary named Ovation Guitars. They claim to have found out that a semi parabolic back (shaped like an amphitheater) is the most efficient shape, and produced a sound that was full and rich from top to bottom of the scale. But it’s very difficult to get wood to take a rounded guitar back shape, so they began testing other materials for the back and eventually invented a material they called Lyrachord, still used for Ovation Guitar backs to this day. I personally like the Ovation headstock, and because it is different it makes Ovations very recognizable. I have owned one Martin, one Taylor, and also a Breedlove, but I have come to the conclusion that I prefer my acoustics to be Ovations, and my electrics to be Fenders. They just feel right for me.

[Ausf.D.A.K.]

The headstock design is actually superior to most acoustic guitars who create a sharp angle at the nut and therefore more friction and tuning instability.

[lesa]

Wow, back in the 70's this was the pro's guitar! Glen Campbell, Peter White, Jim Croce, to name a few..

[allofmybirds]

Can't say I agree with you on the headstock, definitely one of the most innovative and unique headstocks out there, unfair to compare it with Gibson or Fender headstocks IMHO. As for the bowl design they can tend to slide a bit depending on how you play. Definitely not a design flaw, I would hold on to that guitar because of how sought-after they are these days regardless whether or not you play it lol, keeper!

[charliecap]

i have to tell you there are thousands of guitar collectors that would buy this guitar from you in a minute .i have one of the first 33 made of ovations cutaway its second to none keep your guitar its a collectors item charlie cap

[duke]

Very interesting review. For me Ovation USA is one of best sounding acoustics. Just see who played Ovation through the years. It is legendary guitar. Playability is fantastic, you can play it as acoustic and electric style as well ! I do not share your opinion about Headstock as I find it attractive....for some girls you would be attractive and handsome, but there are others that will consider you not quite nice or even worse. That's why it is always tricky to comment aesthetics of musical instrument 😁. Personal taste should be respected. Thanks for nice tone presentation, that was done very good. Keep playing and...stay safe. Best regards 👏

[happybeans]

this is one of the most wanted ovation models they made! It is very high quality! the sustain and projection on these is amazing. if you want to sale it let me know! Beautiful piece of history in your hands. im jealous.

[Ramos]

You got me as you said David Gilmour ist your Guitar Hero ;)
Nice review ! I own an Ovation by myself and i like it very much somehow. Greetings from Germany !

[stephenbeaver]

All my buddies bad mounth Ovation for the bowl. I came across one simaler to yours that I saw as a good deal to flip. I traded a MIM Strat for it. I though I would sell it and make some cash and buy a better Strat. I played it once and it became my favorite Accoustic, I love the neck and to me sounds better and plays easier than my Martin. I did get an American Strat, but i kept the Ovation, it is not for sale.

[philam]

I bought my Balladeer in 1980. My back is dull black, not shiny. About 1990 the face wood cracked and I babied this thing. A coworker had the same issue with the same age. A few years later the bridge lifted. I got it repaired and still play ti this day. When I play, it sounds ok but when other people play it, it sounds sweet. Turns out, it projects the sound out, not up so much.
Here in the Philippines, a local guitar maker makes a wood back guitar. They call it a turtle back guitar. Never played it.

[OUTDOORSWITHDOMINGO]

Thanks for the info Amigo ! I just found an ''Ovation - Celebrity CC24 Ruby red '' in the trash with a busted bridge & saw a fun project so I was able to glue the 2 pieces back with Titebond & after some love, She is back & I got an epic guitar, intonation was on, love the neck , mid size bowl, epic tuners .
For a lower Ovation model is still a solid guitar, looks like some one just reel the strings to death with , this Celebrity CC24 is a nice Laminate top with Fan bracing too maybe around the 1990s
I got a 9v battery & plug her in and the electronics work fine .
Def strong guitars should last for a while .

[Nonexistanthuman]

I love the head stock designs later on the applause line of ovation guitars copied the head stock and it's more simple and bulky.
The Adamas version are the fanciest one and they really are unique.
To me from applause to ovation than to adamas it looks like a digimon or pokemon style evolution.
I wasn't a fan of ovations headstock til I seen the others and it made sense to me why they left ovation always the same and in the middle of their line of guitars

[PabloRichardFernandez]

I have the exact model but a '96, which I've owned since '97. It still sounds beautiful, the action is low and fast, has zero fret buzz, and stays in tune better than the top-end Floyd on my Jackson. Best yet, it has never needed bridge or truss rod adjustments, which is insane, as it will be 30 years old soon. Considering I haven't always treated her as well as it deserves, she still performs like the day I brought her home, despite my occasional neglect.

[brianeastburn]

I also don't have a particular love of Ovation guitars, but the one magic thing about the Ovation is their proprietary electronic pickup system they devised in the 1960s when there were no other acoustics on the market with built in pickups under the saddle. That was a first by Ovation. Also, the bowl on the back is carbon fiber, and was completely engineered, as was the rest of the guitar's design. The guy who started Ovation was a man named Kamen who owned a helicopter manufacturing company, and he was not a musician, but had an abundance of equipment to make parts for helicopters, and a battery of engineers that developed products for the company. He approached several of his employees with a concept - build a guitar completely from scratch that has no conventional similarities to any other guitar that had ever been made, using completely new ideas and materials with none of the drawbacks or shortcomings of conventional acoustic guitars. That's how the Ovation guitar came to be produced, using a carbon fiber "bowl" back with no additional bracing or reinforcement to interfere with its acoustic properties, attached to a solid top with a unique bracing system. So, the Ovation is a completely engineered product built for mass production by a helicopter manufacturer.

[IgniteNWGA]

Interesting comment on the headstock. The headstock design is one of my favorite things about Ovation. To me the Fender Strat or Tele headstock design are the least attractive of any guitar.

[sami_am]

I have one and love the design/aesthetics and its sound. I. Once sat in a hall and we had a few moments of silence. I felt the vibration of the wind outside on it’s strings. They are unique, extremely high quality, beautiful sound and were used by many artists who loved it for everything
I have mentioned and more. In fact, it actually stands out and can be identified by it’s excellent tone etc. Kaman, it’s origanal designer, used space age material for it’s unique character re vibrations, etc. Deluce on the paperwork is an obvious misprint (autocorrect remains one of the most fallible inventions of the tech era, but one that most people -including myself - continue to use to their own annoyance….)

[vyger]

I bought one of these in 70's, and still have it today. Mine is an Acoustic/Electric model and unlike almost everything made today, it was made here right in the good ole' USA. I have to disagree about the Headstock as I think the headstock is one of the coolest designs out there, but that's just my opinion. The guitar plays as well today as it did when i bought it.

[judilynn]

I bought my Ovation/Applause guitar in 1979. It has very similar styling to this one but a different headstock. It has the bowl back but is the textured material like the other one he showed. The bowl back is made of fiberglass, by the way. The top is a starburst design. Really pretty. I have carried my guitar with me everywhere I have gone in my life. And still have it. I’m about to restring it. The rich loud tone is due to the bowl back design. This is the second guitar I ever owned in my life and it’s like my baby. I also have that same case.

[nachyomoney]

I got an old pinacle series from the late 80s/ early 90s that belonged to my dad. I don't play it much and it can sit in the case for months, but I pull it out and it's always in tune.