Product: Ovation 1737 Matrix
Price Paid: US $50.00 used
Submitted
05/19/2005
at
03:09pm
by
Pablo Loco
Features
:
8
Early (guessing late 70's) Ovation balladeer(round back)type w/Matrix on headstock of same style as current ovation guitars.Face of headstock looks like ebony & construction on this is amazing.20 frets on rosewood,laminated spruce top,walnut bridge,& feels like walnut neck as heavy as it is!~made in Conneticut,U.S.A. w/piezoelectric p-up & single volume knob.Sunburst finish still glossy & has 24 vertical cracks across the face/finish & sounds great.
Sound
:
10
I have yet to find an acoustic or an acoustic/electric with the amount of bright/crisp/yet full-bodied sound w/sustain that this one delivers.The tone is so crisp yet creamy hard to explain (almost violin angelic) & I have been playing for 20+yrs & play hard-rock,blues,metal,classic rock & 'dust in the wind' & 'landslide' have never sounded better than on this heavy-duty guit-box
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
I paid $50.00 from a friend as finish was already cracked completely across the face & @ the time had 16 craks(now has 24) across the face in vertical lines that almost gives it a wild scalloped look-but hasn't affected the tone(maybe improved it?)I bought this 11yrs ago & still my favorite acoustic (have 3 others)p-up also has never worked& I never bothered to put one in or see if easy fix as I got this as a cmping/beach/take-anywhere knockaround guitar-action great also
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I could see using this anywhere w/soundhole pickup & neck feels like my Gibson les paul studio(baseball-bat neck) very heavy(almost as heavy as les paul)but as solid as they come & you could take this anywhere & not worry about damage(especially since already cracked in 24 places!) Always stays in tune also.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
With a name like MATRIX just have to plug in & find Neo or Morpheus...
Overall Rating
:
9
After 20+yrs of playing I still find it hard to believe an old heavy beat-up pre-ovation balladeer-type guitar can sound this good--tone is unbeatable in my opinion & always looking,playing & checking 'high-end' acoustics & while they have better electronics these days,still no better tone that I've found.I would definitely try & find another if anything happened to this one.Surprising,as I was never fond of round-back guitars-slip while sitting & awkward(too thick)standing.
