Are ovation guitars good?

Question:I'm looking for a guitar, acoustic/electric, and I really like the look of these ovations. Are they a good guitar in the 200-300 dollar range?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I'm looking for a guitar, acoustic/electric, and I really like the look of these ovations. Are they a good guitar in the 200-300 dollar range?

Their top-of-the-line guitars have got a good reputation but I don't know about the very cheapest models they make - I've never played one of the cheapies - and those sell at the top of your price range -- $300 or more.

IMO, the better Ovations sound OK played acoustically (not plugged into an amp), but nowhere near as good as a good Martin, Gibson, Guild or Taylor acoustic. Their main strength is their ability to give a good acoustic tone when plugged into an amp. Personally, I'm not a fan of their looks -- but then I'm more of a traditional folkie with little or no need to plug in -- I prefer the more traditional look of a Martin, Guild, or Gibson. But YMMV.

You really need to go to a music store and try them out to make sure you like the sound and playability before you buy. I would never buy a guitar from a website, myself. While you're at the music store trying out Ovations, try a few other brands as well. You need to find a guitar whose sound you really love, since you're going to be hearing it a LOT over the next few years as you learn to play it!

yes

for the money id get an epiphone.

much better.

You should go to the guitar store and try to play as many guitars in your price range that you can find. Choose the one that sounds and feels the best. If you know someone who plays then see if you can get them to come along to help. You don't have to spend a lot of money but don't buy the cheapest thing that you can find just because of the price. (Your range of $200-300 sounds good) That is the best advice I could give.

Go online and find a bunch in your price range and write down or print out the make and model numbers. (The store prices will be higher usually) You can use the paper to take notes about what you played and whether you liked it or not.

Some sites are musiciansfriend.com and samash.com

The Ovation I had for 10 years was the nicest sounding guitar I ever owned when the strings were new but when the strings got old the low E sounded really flat, then the A went the same way then I went and bought new strings and problem solved. I got this Ovation for $100 at a pawnshop and the part that really pissed me off was that due to the fact it was one of those "turtle-back" guitars it kept sliding off my knee when I was playing seated. I have played and 40 years and own several different gutars and keyboards. I used my 1970 Univox in the video link posted below