Ovation 1111

Late 70's balladeer. US made, spruce solid top with the fiberglass "bowl" back. No electronics. Solid bridge without pins.

Came with the ovation hard case. Paid ~ $225 used from a third party.

I am going to rate this a 7 since it is a plain, but solid acoustic guitar.

Action is decent, considering the cost point. Sure a Martin or a Taylor is better, but look at how much more it costs.

The sound is typical of Ovations. Good, warm and soft. Not a lot of high overtones. Still makes a good axe. For the price, it is almost impossible to beat. Decent strumming, fair in the leads. A great beginner guitar. Versatile and robust.

Not sure how it came from the factory, but I have owned this axe for almost 20 years, and it has never needed attention beyond periodic re-stringing. Strings seem to go flat pretty quick, and since I am lazy, I don't change them often enough...

While I do not gig, this is a rock. I take it to the beach, camping, even to pool parties, and it has never let me down. The finish still looks great even when beaten, kicked, and dropped.

It is a rock. While others have had good experiences with Kaman, I have never had reason to call them.

I have been playing for 25 years. THis was my first acoustic. Currently own a Charvel electric, a variety of amps, a cheap classical, and an Alvarez Yairi 12 string.

When I watch TV, this is the axe I pick up to noodle with.

IF it got stolen, well, that might prompt me to buy a nice taylor (eyeing a 814 or a 914)

Not much to love or hate. IT just is, and hasn't been replaced in nearly 2 decades. That speaks volumes.

I bought this guitar new about 20 years ago.It's a no frills acoustic with no electronics,no pickguard,it didn't even come with a case.All that said, I can't find anything bad to say about this guitar,Ilove it.

This guitar has that great old Ovation sound.I've tried lots of strings but I personally think the Ellixor strings made by Gore sound much better on Ovations than anything else.I only wish this guitar came with a pickup,but I knew this before I bought it.Besides,it would have cost more than the whopping $150.00 I paid for it new.

This is the best playing acoustic guitar I've ever tried,everyone that has played it agree's.It has the fastest playing neck,real thin,real smoothe.It plays like a Gibson electric.I think the neck is graphite and the fretboard is ebony.I love playing lead on this guitar.This guitar was white when I bought it but time has turned it almost yellow ,still a nice looking guitar.

As I said ,this guitar is 20 years old and it's never been in a case,never been to the shop,and I play it everyday.You can't get any more durable or reliable than that.

Never needed to call them.Bottom line !

Ive been playing for 25 years and been in numerous bands.If this guitar were lost or stolen I would search long and hard for another one.I've tried a lot of newer Ovation models ,but they just don't play the same as my old friend.

I bought a 78 Balladeer new in San Diego. Still have it. Deep bowl. Two piece neck. No electriconics. Standard Sitka Spruce top. Thin neck.

Use it to play American and Irish Folk. I can't imagine using anything else. I'm running a Markley pick-up in the sound hole. Running that through a Peavy head and SP-5's. Great sound.

Action is great through about the seventh fret. It starts getting a little higher above that. The intonation isn't exact, but it's darn close. The neck is thin and narrow. For an acoustic, this is a fast guitar.

For 23 years, this guitar and I have traveled around the world and played everywhere in every kind of climate. It has never let me down. It's been handled by those gorillas in the baggage handling commercials. Rode on the back of a motorcycle across the country. This is one tough guitar.

Kaman is very good. I've had questions about other guitars over the years. The have always found the answer for me.

Been playing since 1968. Started out on a Harmony electric. Bought the Balladeer and never looked back. Since then I picked up two more and I'm looking for a third now. If my Balladeer was stolen, I'd go buy another that day to replace it. I fell in love with the sound. All the other acoustics that fall along the lines of the traditional dreadnaught design all sound about the same with minor differences. The Ovations are absolutely unique. All the sound is all there all the time.

1978 model,purchased jr. year in high school.At first had that ovation acoustic sound, 22 years later its like a fine wine.The top has darkened considerably,leaving this guitar with a robust sound.

no dislikes,installed a fishman matrix p.u.for plugging in........

excellent,great guitar for any venue.....

like a anvil............

N/A.......very well made guitar..in for the long haul......

25 YEARS,3 BANDS,now just local gigs. If your lucky enough to find one that hasnt been abused,you have found a great guitar.....MINE TO ME IS PRICELESS.......!!!!!!!!

OK kids, this is the granddaddy of 1111 Balladeers. Made and purchased in 1972, cost all of $199, which in today's guitar-dollars would be about $600, probably $750. Features: bigg-butt honking old-stule old-material Kaman aeroplane composite deep-dish bowl. Thin neck. Sunburst. It looks rediculous. I brought this monster to an adult guitar course (Harrison School of Music, Los Angeles) a few years ago and the other guys in the class laughed out loud! A horsey looking, thin-sounding relic from the early '70s.

It sounded like sh** when I bought it 27 years ago, but it took me a decade to figure it out. By 1985 or so, I realized it sounded terrible and played hard to play. Bright to the point of brash. Think and toneless. It sounds like it was made on a machine used to create aircraft parts.

Action etc. is, surprisingly, quite good. I recently brought it in for a set-up at a cool store (FretHouse, Covina CA) and the manager said it was fine, not to bother. That was 27 years after the factory set up, plus my own dithering with it. Of course, maybe the Frethouse guy didn;t want to touch it! It looks loud and ugly, like a wide-lapel plaid sports jacket from 1972.

27 years after the fact, this guitar is still in fine shape, save for several hairline cracks that occurred when I was a college student in frostbitten Western New York, dragging the instrument for three-mile midnight walks to and from beery jam sessions. the sub-zero cold, plus a cheap-ass $10 case, caused the cracks.

Who knows?

See above. This is a horse from my past. I currently own a Taylor 510, a Lone Star Strat and a '69 Telecaster Thinline Reissue. They are all fine guitars (the Lone Star is a little light on character, but plays well, very pro). However, I admit dropping $120 a few years ago for a practice guitar for my daughter: a nylone Kaman 3/4 roundback. Some people never learn.

This is a 20 fret 1983 deep bowl Ovation. The fret board is ebony, the top spruce the neck is mahogany ( two peices set in opposite directions ). The 1111 model is a pure acoustic with no electronics. The saddle is pinless and I thinks it's walnut.
The finish is so very beautiful. Its a sun-burst but not bright but more of a rust finish. The burst finish runs along the neck and also on the head. The finish is as rugged as it is beautiful. I give it an 8, it would have got a 9 if the guitar was a cut-away.

The tone is quite balanced. Before I got an ovation I did not understand what people mean by the "ovation sound".
This sound has "quality" , testafied to by players and listeners alike, however it is not the rich-woody you know. Don't get me wrong my guitar has TONE by it's the deep round back Ovation Tone - rich in its own way.
I play in church (strum) and my only which is that I could have the Ovation tone with the Jumbo volume. This is work for R&D.
I try my hand at finger picking and the transition from a classical wasn't hard. The strings, though closer spaced than the classical guitar, were resonable distant for clean picking.

I bought this from second hand from Elderly Instruments in Michigan over the internet - I live in the Caribbean. I , therefore, was unable to play it before I bought it. Elderly Instruments rated the guitar EC, that is excellent condition. However upon arrival the frets from the 9 to 20 had to be replaced and this had NOTHING to do with shipping.
The action itself was low, which is good but this meant there is a buzzing when I strum really hard but this is slight.
The finish was flawless to my mortal eyes. Its an ovation so the finish is beautiful. I still stare at it in its case before and after playing. The tone and finish is inspiring.
The tuning pegs are solid. I DO NOT GO OUT OF KEY, Ican strum to the cow build a home and this beauty stays in tune.
It gets a 7 because of the condition I got it , remember the fret replacement !!

I can leave this guitar with the young fellows at church secure that, unless the do a JIMI HENDRIX "thrash and burn", it will be OK. The top finish seems to be scratch proof there is no pick guard, the guitar is 16 years old and still the finish is unscratched.
This is an Ovation the fibreglass/plastic bowl and reinforced neck make it the best designed guitar for reliabilty and durability that I have come across.
Did I mention it does not go out of tune. It can last another 16 years the only thing that would need to be replaced is the saddle but thats expected.

Not applicable.

I have been playing for three years. I started on playing classical. Bought I cheap steel string and sold it. Then went "electric". Then bought the Ovation .
I wish it had a pick up. The Ovation is the best guitar I have ever played but I have never played a Martin or Taylor. They may sound better but are surely not as sturdy.