Ovation 1112-1

This guitar was made during the 70s, what specific year I don't know. I've never actually counted the frets but see other reviews. Two piece, solid spruce top as evidenced by the line down the center and -a tip, you can tell the top is solid when you look at the cross section around the edges of the sound hole; if its painted over it's probably laminated, if it's bare and you can see the grain it's solid, which makes for better vibrations and resonance. No controls straight acoustic. 5 piece neck. I'm assuming the light colored parts are maple and the dark "skunk stripe" composed of 3 pieces is mahogany. Natural finish, stainless hardware, ebony fretboard, diamond abalone inlays, abalone rosette inlays, deep bowl, no cutaway. Bought used so I'll waive the rating since I didn't see it when it was new.

I play a lot of bluesy and chicken-picken-style material when I play acoustic and the action and sound of this guitar lend themselves well to this. Ovations -the deep bowls anyway- have a sound that's different than standard wood acoustics. I feel like it has a lot of middle and higher overlapping harmonics. The sound is crisp and tight and not boomy like a normal acoustic. Very loud with good projection. Another reviewer said it can fill a room and that's right on. Responds well to different picking styles: it's loud when you're aggressive, quiet when you pick lightly, thick and rich when you use the rounded edge of the pick, and very beautiful and full when finger picked. Aggressive finger picking sounds kind of country and bluegrass. It's just different. It's like trying to choose an amp with EL34s or 6L6s; neither is better than the other, they're just different. Rated 9 because it lacks a certain something all-wood acoustics have but then again it has things all-wood acoustics don't have. It maybe an aquired taste for some.

Can't comment on the set up from the factory, but when I bought it, it was fantastic. The action was perfect. I can make full bends with light strings similar to my electric bends. I had a love-hate relationship with acoustics until I played this. My electric style carries over to this very well. The only flaws are my own: several dings in the clear coat and a nice long crack in the coat from me dropping it once -from being stupid, but that's another story- but it hasn't effected the sound quality. The top has several very shallow waves around the bridge. I don't know if this is typical for ovations to do this, but I've played others that don't have any waves and I can't tell the sound difference if any. The overall finish has aged very well to a kind of gold, neck and body.

I bought this guitar in 1995 for about $400 bucks and it's paid for itself probably about 10 times over in acoustic gigs. Never had any problems. It looks and plays exactly the same now as it did 10 years ago. And on another note, I bought it from Crossroads Music in Auburn, AL, where it had been brought up from Florida after surviving a hurricane in the late 80s or early 90s. The original ovation case was completely destroyed -I saw it and it looked bad! That maybe where the waves in the top came from but again, no problems other than cosmetic. I wouldn't use any other acoustic. Totally solid and dependable. Don't read the same things into Celebrity and Applause which are also owned by ovation. I've read many bad review about various issues with those. The bottom line is, the real deal is apparently the way to go.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing 20+ years. I own Marshall and Fender amps; Gibson, Peavey, Fender, and Yamaha guitars. If it were lost or stolen I'd get another one, I'm a loyal Ovation customer for life! I like other acoustics, but there will always be an Ovation at my house. Overall an excellent instrument with it's own unique sound which includes classic tones underneath. I have compared it to other things and what sold me above everything else was the action and ease of playing after having played a horrible acoustic for a few years. I thought all acoustics were brutal until this. I really like the sound of Gibson Hummingbirds and Ovation is no Hummingbird. And the Hummingbird is no Ovation. I repeat, they're just different. I've got a 70s Legend on the way now too with a factory pickup and electronics that I can't wait to get my hands on. That's how much I like these things. Highly recommended.

1. i believe its a 1978 or bit later ovation made in usa it has 20 frets. its a complete acoustic the neck is mahogony with a large rounded back, its got a transparet top, i have the origional case.

i based my whole life on the guitar, do the sound to me was comforting with a distinctly large soung that left you woundrous about the large round back. it has the most warm sound ive heard in a guitar, it jives well with vocals, has veary little high side on noise, i loved the guitar, i still love it. i play it every day and take it to school and every one looks at it like its a God of its own. its been beaten at the beach droped on stage,smoked about a pac or two of cigarrets and is still in my usage.

action is great, real smooth on the frets, but it takes time to break in your fingers, but a great action, ive had the gutar for 17 years, handed doun by my mom and it has never had the intenation rod fixed, never been to the shop once. the guitar has an aged crack slightly noticeable visibly, but not tone quality. the finish isnt the greatest, its had a long life, but its finall in the need for more care stages

this guitar could go to hell and back, its hardware is HARD. its finish is strong but still could be the only thing i would fix, but whats a guitar without its charachter. id depend on this gutar in live gigs twice a week, and ive droped it so hard i chipped off the nobby right hand side of the tip, but still didnt hurt any sound. this has been my one guitar my whole life with no problems.

never got it repared, never needed to its a rock solid guitar!

been playing guitar about 4 years hard and 3 years learning. i just bought a 35 year old alarez, and fell in love, but i still love my ovation. all i have to say this gutar saves my life from bordation and hurt. it sounds great in the studio, ive recorded 2 cd's with it. its my long lost love.

Made in 1976. Bought it from music teacher in 1979 because I wanted to "lurn get-tar" and this one looked similar to Jim Croce's. Acoustic only. Deep bowl. Silver tunings machine that always kept in tune unless I knocked them.

That "Ovation sound". Like a guitar sound that roamed around inside for too long. I didn't buy it for the sound.

The action has always felt great on this. However over the years the neck shifted left and the Tech couldn't adjust it out so I sold it cheap. Frets were starting to wear visibly but that's after 15 years.

I've dropped it, knocked it over many times, slip out of my lap, even killed a cockroach with this guitar. That back will take just about anything. However I've dinged the spruce top good too, nothing too deep but it's visible. Tough as nails. Kids got sand into it, Cokes and drinks spilled on it. I clean it up and kept going.

Never dealt with them.

Good practice guitar with good action, almost indestructible, with an OK sound. I later got an Elite. I take better care of it but I know roughly what it can take.