Ovation 1651 Legend

This guitar is a great looking acoustic. The top has a nutmeg finish. I purchased this guitar at the end of 1979 as a present to myself after leaving the service. I wanted a great guitar that looks fantastic, is easy to play and sounds great. I am now realizing that this guitar is hard to find. I don't remember how much I paid but it was around 500.00 I guess. I just recently thought about giving this guitar to my son so I went out to see how much it is worth. After reading about the sacristy of the model I may hang on to it and will it to him. He will get a brand new Ovation. I originally bought it because of an accident 30 years ago that ripped some tendons in my hand and it was the easiest guitar to play and sound great. I always thought that the stereo feature is cool. I have been playing guitar since 1970. This guitar has allowed me to continue playing even after my surgeon told me I probably would not ever play again.

It sounds great. That???s one of the reasons I bought it. I have played it in concerts and at church. I periodically sit down with the amp and some headphones to listen to the stereo. It still astounds me that every other string is picked up in its own channel. I have only played it in stereo at a concert once.

As stated above, I bought this guitar because it was the easiest to play with a bummed up hand. It still looks great even after 30 years. I keep it in the case when not being played and keep venturing people away from it. I am big enough to put the fear of God in those that want to pick it up. My son is the only other person that has played this guitar. I am still struggling as to giving him the guitar or getting him a new one of his own.

Everything about this guitar has held up to abuse. I did put a slight lacquer check in the top (my fault) that can barely be seen. I am the only one that notices it. It seems to stay in tune forever. I string it periodically and change the battery in it whenever I restring.

Never needed it.

I have been playing for almost 40 years. Holy carp, I feel old. I have a few guitars and a couple of amps. I have always owned high-end electric guitars except for "The Paul" also from the 70's. "The Paul is a great workhorse for playing bars. This Ovation is the only acoustic I own. I believe that if this guitar were stolen, I would have to hunt someone down for as long as it takes and pray for restraint when I find them. I don't have much else to say that isn't in the above statements about why I have this guitar. I am still struggling with giving it to my 26 year-old son and getting a new one for me or vice a versa. My wife thinks that I should keep it and will it to him. Either way my son is going to get a guitar for Christmas.

This is a beautiful and collectible acoustic guitar. The AAA solid spruce laminated top has an unbelievable nutmeg colored finish that can take a beating although I treat my guitar with great care. I mentioned that this guitar is collectible. If you are able to find one of these I found mine at a music store that was going out of business and was clearing its inventory. Not knowing anything about the value of the guitar, I got a little turned off by the used label on it, but at 600.00 I wasn't going to complain. According to Ovation, the reissue was truly a limited edition guitar as only a few were made. Being made in the United States, most of the guitars were shipped to the Asian markets (further adding to their collectibility. The electronics are pretty simple and straightforward. I had to replace the nine volt preamp battery with little or no problem after I loosened the strings and gave the screw on the side of the bowl a quarter turn. The neck is a beautiful ebony. Having played a number of other guitar brands, sometimes I get the feeling that I am about to play the string off of the neck, but this is something that I have gotten accustomed to. The weight of the guitar is another mild issue as compared to other acoustics I have played it seems heavy. Once again this is not a real negative for me.

The guitar feels and plays very well. It has a brighter sound than my Breedlove Atlas AD20/SR, PLUS. I don't know what I can attribute to this except that the Ovation's bowl is deeper and of course of an synthetic material. Perhaps because of the typical design of the Ovation's bowl, it is a loud, concert quality guitar.

The action was perfect off of the sales floor. The guitar was "reconditioned" by Ovation luthiers but I could see no evidence of repair. One tuning peg is a little loose, but doesn't detract from the performance.

Almost immediately after purchasing this guitar, I bought another fine guitar, the Breedlove Atlas AD20/SR, PLUS. I did this because I wanted to keep my Ovation at home to maintain its pristine condition. While I am sure the guitar could take a beating, I don't want to chance any damage. My off-site workhorse then has become my Breedlove which I love for its own qualities.

As this was a "used" guitar and the store I bought it from is going out of business, I'm on my own with repairs. I must say that the folks at Ovation were great in answering my questions and if I ever did need to have any work done on the guitar, I would send it back to them for their expert repair.

If you can find one of these rare guitars...BUY IT!

This is a Ovation Legend LTD 1651 bought for $600 in 1983.
It has a beautiful nutmeg finish and is a gorgeous guitar aesthetically.
The first review by Ronny Stauffer is very thorough and I won't repeat all the info.

Specs can be found at the ovationguitars.com site under:
DISCONTINUED ITEMS: Legend Ltd.
Model 1651

Body Type: Deep Bowl
Top: Sitka Spruce AAA
Bracing: Ovation A
Scale Length: 25 1/4"
Fretboard: Ebony, Ivory Binding
Fret Inlay: 15 Pearl
Bridge: Walnut
Rosette:
Pickup: Piezoelectric
Nutwidth: 1 11/16"
Machines: 24k Gold Plated
Case: hardcase

This guitar has a full-bodied sound, with beautiful tone quality. I have had many people pick it up and they have all been incredibly impressed by it's sound. If you play acoustic music it is so adaptable to soft/loud it's fantastic. I would not trade or sell it for any other guitar. I have played/owned it since it's original purchase in 1983. It is a guitar that should be loved and taken care of. Though it can handle rough treatment it if far too beautiful to trash. Mine is in mint condition. Anything from Etheridge, Jethro Tull to Staind (which is awesome on this beauty)you name it, it will sound great on this acoustic.

My guitar had no blemishes or issues when I bought it. It still doesn't have any.
I'd have to be really, really picky, impossible to please and downright ornery to find flaw with this Legend LTD. I'm generally none of those things and I truly, truly love my guitar.

I'm not sure that I would be an authority on durability of this guitar. As I stated before I took the very best of care of it. Didn't leave it laying about or use it as a coffee table or the like. It has been extremely reliable and durable but I have taken better care of it than most of the musicians I know would ever have. So of course I have had no problems.
I agree that it is a collector's guitar. It would be a shame to trash it.

I have never had the need to use customer support in all the years I've owned it.
However, recently I tried to find out it's worth to insure it. It is nearly impossible to find it adequately listed anywhere for it's true value at this time. No one seems to get rid of them (which I thoroughly understand). I tried to obtain info from Ovation and they responded quickly but not too helpful other than to refer me to their discontinued model spec page. I already know that stuff.
I wanted to know how many were produced and many other things but didn't get very far on answers. There is a gap in info on the Legend LTD 1651 models on their timeline also.

As far as repair, etc. I have no idea. They seem friendly.

I've been playing a long time, I have picked up many other folks guitars and I have always been more impressed with mine, many times so have they. I have never wanted any other guitar and I have access to a number of them.

If it was stolen or lost, I would most definitely cry. I would cry loudly and a lot. I don't think I could replace it easily, nor find a used one of the same model in the same condition. I love the sound and appearence of this guitar.

In my search for info on the web I found that Ovation reissued the 1651 in a very limited (like 100) production in 2005 for the twenty-fifth anniversary of John Lennon's death.
It was shipped to Japan if I have the facts straight, I don't know if any remained here. It was listed as the John Lennon Legend Limited Reissue 1651-7. You can see it at
But you won't find it listed at the Ovation site at all (which I thought was really weird given John's status as a musician and the fact that there are photos of him playing an Ovation just like mine in existence).
This and other Ovations can hopefully be viewed at:
http://www.ovationgallery.com/page6string.htm
I imagine John appreciated the sound and beauty of this particular model.

Good luck in finding one of these. They seem to be very scarce.
I've been told it is valuable by some and others say no more than what I originally spent on it. Means nothing to me, won't sell it. I suspect it's hard enough to come by this original model that it does have a good value. If I lost my 1651 and had a lot of money I would purchase this guitar again (if I could ever find one to buy) in a heartbeat. I imagine most anyone that owned and played one probably would. I have no idea if the reissue makes the original any more valuable or cherishable.

Wish I had more info to pass along but this is a great guitar.

I believe this is a 1983 Nutmeg Legend (Acoustic). Made in USA. It was a gift from my Dad, and he bought it back in '83, so he doesn't remember.
It has the Polymer Bowl-Back for the really nice and resonating tone. WITHOUT THE CUTAWAY. That really does make a difference.
Very nice Electric tone, with the built in Preamp. This guitar has THE BEST BRIDGE EVER BUILT! No joke. I took it to a Guitar Tech, he was BLOWN AWAY that I had one. He was really, EXTREMELY impressed. It has an Ivory Bridge with Piezo "transducers" I believe. WOW. This bridge is the only good kind. It doesn't have those stupid little black things that you put the strings in and then put that into the little holes in the guitar. No no. MUCH better.
It has 2 output jacks, one "Mono" and one "Stereo". This is really nice, except that you can't use Stereo on a standard amp. On a house PA system though, you sure can. (Like, concerts etc...) Otherewise, you get feedback that will blow your ears out.
In order to use the Preamp though, you have to loosen the strings, and put a 9-volt battery inside the guitar, which is really annoying, but I guess that's the only way. Besides, it makes the Pickup work so... Live with it.
It has a little knob on the side, for "Treble and Bass", but I'm really not sure how to work it. But that's my fault, so it still get's the high rating.

I pretty much play gentle Acoustic stuff, (Think John Denver, Neil Diamond, James Taylor), and it fits the bill perfectly. Even if you wanted to play Heavy Metal with it, it would sound great.
The sound on this Guitar is unlike any other. I am so lucky to have this Guitar and not some piece of junk "Ibanez" or something like that. Ovation really does have a different, unique sound. VERY GOOD. Whenever anyone else plays my Guitar they go "OOOH, AAAH" "Wow, this sounds GREAT!". It has GREAT Low Bass, and great high tones.

Well, this is a little different. Ovation, (My Model at least)has some VERY NICE finish and detail. However, there are a few things that you look at and think "What? They got all the rest perfect... what happened here?". For example, on the Fretboard, there is a little excess sealant or something like that coming from around the Inlays. But you have to look closeley to see it. NICE ABALONE INLAYS! The Head has so much intricate detail and artwork...
With a really nice "Ovation" logo 24 KT Gold inlay.
The "Ring" or whatever you call it, around the soundhole,(this Guitar does not have a pickguard) has Abalone inlayed as well. LOOKS GREAT! Bookmatched face, looks great Sounds great! I got the Gold Hardware, so that looks cool too! So other than that one complaint, it's all good!

Hmm... Reliablity, absolutley. Durability? Well, I wouldn't do too much with it... I have bumped it a few times... It didn't do too well with the bumps. But that was on the soft wood, so maybe I should just be more careful. This is much more of the "collecter's" guitar, not what you would call a "Workhorse". It is pretty much used with the understanding that you take really extra-special care of it. The hardware is excellent, I will never have to reaplce anything on this Guitar.

I have no Idea how the Customer Support is, it's been in the Family for 20 years, and we'd never had to deal with them. I believe there is a lifetime warranty though.

I have been playing for about 1 year. Although, this Guitar has been in the same house with me for it's entirety. I really love it, and would pay thousands to get another. It's too bad though, if you want one, you'll have to find a used one. They don't make 'em anymore. #1, they do still make the "Legend" line, but the new ones, (1983 and newer) have the cutaway. (You DON'T want the cutaway!)
#2, The new ones aren't EVEN CLOSE to the old ones. The Luthiers working for Kaman/Ovation back then were THE BEST EVER. Also, they don't have the Ivory bridge or preamp.
Nowdays, if you want a good guitar, you've gotta get a second mortgage. Like I said, My dad bought this one 20 years ago, for $650. What a steal. All I can say is, find an old one, or If you are extremely fortunate to have on already, TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT!
I have friends who have "Ibanez", "Gibson", "Guild", "Martin",
"Taylor" and "Epiphone" Guitars, but when I pull mine out, it's almost like there's no point for them to keep playing. IT BLOWS THEM OUT OF THE WATER!!
If it was stolen or lost, I would just cry for a very long time, and maybe hopefully get over it, cause I can't replace it.