Ovation Celebrity Series Guitars w iDea ™ | Big Boys Toys

If you have a guitar playing “Big Boy” to shop for this Christmas, here is a pretty neat idea put together by Ovation. Ovation has been producing guitars in America since 1966. They have been played on stage by Cat Stevens, John Lennon, Jimmy Page, Shania Twain, Ray Davies, Richard Daniel Roman, Jim Croce, Maury Muehleisen, Joan Armatrading, and Glen Campbell, to name just a few. What has differentiated Ovation from many other guitar makers is their early use of composite synthetics for the ‘bowl’ instead of the more traditional maple or rosewood sides and backs. It makes for a very durable and consistant instrument.

The good news is even with this long lineage they are very reasonably priced especially if you are transitioning from a beginning dreadnought to one with maybe a bit richer tone and some additional features. The top is spruce and will give the rich tone of it with or without the amp on. Though on a review I read it seems to lose a bit of its low end without the amp. Never the less, the rater rated it very high.

This will I think excel in studio work as the preamp and iDea ™ mp3 system give this some capabilities you do not find anywhere else at the moment. Even the most critical performer would instantly recognize the studio applications and versatility this integration allows. It’s product description highlights “Integrated into the onboard Ovation preamp, the device provides a fast and easy way to record musical phrases, vocals, and commentary-even entire songs-using your guitar. Ovation's classic Mid-Depth composite body delivers balanced acoustic tone and is comfortable to hold and play. Wave Port soundholes set the iDea apart from Ovation's other soundhole designs, (I think it really looks cool) and the "i" inlay at the 12th fret adds a distinctive touch to the rosewood fretboard.”

 Here is the really good part …”The iDea ships with pre-installed audio lessons and jam tracks, and you can download others from the web using the iDea's USB port. Record, playback, create, and learn with this groundbreaking guitar!” The design is distinctive to say the least and I am fond of the platinum top (Hint Hint Dan!).

Guitars, like most lifelong hobbies, have quality levels that are worth more to you as you progress to proficiency and then on to creativity. The range of the prices in guitars is wider than most instruments and for many the difference in tone and feel are not immediately discernable. It is when you practice and practice then go and listen to a pro in a club play the same thing you have been working on, that you start to hear the difference. It is often the experience that leads to the desire to upgrade. I guess what I’m getting to here is this seems to be an intermediate guitar at a very good price.

This is a much more expensive guitar but compare the difference in sound quality. The question you then ask yourself is what is the improvement worth? If it's your business it may be worth more than if it's your hobby.