Ovation 1761 Standard Balladeer

Amazing action, keeps tune, active pick up, and great equlization
Has a green finish similar to many of the 1861 models you see today.
It was made in Hardford, CT, it has 20 frets, soild, soild guitar!

Martin and Taylor eat your heart out. Such a full sound, you can't come close, I guess it's becasue the guy who designed these guitars was an astronomical engineer. He used the best material that would resonate sound, and he shaped it in such a fasion that you can't beat the quality and projection. This guitar is a gift from God. One thing though, Martin and Taylor have a more bassy low end, but the 1761 sings like an angel.

Great action, I have had this guitar for almost 6 years and it's held up like a rock. The neck has a slight curve, but doesn't effect the lower action, it's not warped though, I bought it like that and it has never changed. Hardware super dependable, frets are still beatiful.

Check this out, I just when and played for 3 days at a youth retreat for a total of about 7 hours live altogether for about 250 people, and I didn't even bring an extra set of strings with me. It never has failed, and let me tell you I've been around the block a few times and nothing has ever come close to this 1761 model.

I've never had to, they product was too good.

You think I'm being bias, go play one, you'll be sold out too, but make sure it's the 1761 Balladeer Ovation, I've played other ovations and I really didn't like them. Happy Hunting!!

The main reason I bought this guitar because of the price and the electric acoustic freatures. This is the most powerful preamp I have ever heard so I have to keep the volume somewhat low but it sounds amazing. I even plugged it into my computer and it went through my computer speakers and sounded incredible. It's a cherry sunburst finish that looks incredible. The tuners are very solid and the neck just won't warp. It's really comfortable to play.

I can play any Dave Matthews song and I think that this is the second best guitar to do it on besides the Chet Atkins SST. I put a set of elixer strings on it and it sounds ridiculous. I played it through a crate amp with plenty of chorus and almost cried. Not much noise at all and the sound is extremely bright and clear. I like to play a lot of rhythm but even when I play lead it's really punchy and has some good sustain. Only thing I don't like is that mine doesn't really project extremely well unplugged but otherwise the unplugged sound is a little worse than the plugged sound, but that's not saying much because it's amazing plugged in.

Fit and finish were great, almost too great for the price i paid which was about 750 brand new. The guitar holds its tune well, and the red cherry burst finish is one of the best looking finishes I have ever seen. No flaws whatsoever on this guitar when I bought it even though it was the last one meaning floor model. The action is fast, perfect for song's like Warehouse, Stone, #41 and Stay

I'm gonna be playing this guitar for the rest of my life, I know it. I will always be partial to ovation because of this guitar. Finish seems to last, though I do polish it a lot. Strap buttons are real solid and the tuners seem to be solid and heavy duty. I would use this as my only guitar at a gig because its battery hasn't died after two years. Plus it's the only one that looks good enough for me to carry around.

I've been playing for about five years (mostly DMB) and love this guitar. I wish I could have played this compared to the Chet Atkins but am extemely happy with it. I would probably get it again, if I couldn't get the Gibson. I love the sound, the versatility and the looks. My favorite feature is the on board controls, I can't make it sound like whatever I want. I chose this one over an applause and even a low end Martin. Absolutely no comparison. High quality sound, that I know is gonna give me a lifetime's worth of guitar enjoyment

The USA made Standard Balladeer features a solid sitka spruce top, deep bowl lyrachord composite body, 20 frets, two piece mahogany neck, roseword fingerboard, and an OP-24Plus preamp. The OP-24Plus preamp allows you to boost the bass, mid, or treble. The mid-shift button lets you shift the mid band to either a 400Hz or 1kHz center frequency. And there is a pre-shape circuit that boosts the bass and treble and reduces the mids.
The two piece mahogany neck is set with the grain of the two pieces in opposite directions, making the neck naturally stable. The neck has a soft V shape and is very comfortable to play.
The height of the strings above the fingerboard was easily adjusted by removing 2 of 4 shims from under the saddle. The pinless bridge simplifies string changes.

Unplugged, the Standard Balladeer is loud and projects well. Plugged in, it has a rich, balanced sound. The OP-24Plus preamp allows a wide variety of tonal changes.

The action was a bit higher than I prefer, but was easily lowered by removing 2 of 4 shims from under the saddle. The finish is a beautiful cherry cherryburst with no flaws. The frets were hand finished. The neck is unfinished, and Ovation recommends using bowling alley wax once a month if you play every day. Overall, I think it is a beautiful instrument.

The guitar is solid, and looks like it will last a long time, although I do take pristine care of my guitars :)

I haven't had to deal with Ovation's customer support.

I have only recently started playing acoustic guitar (I have a Jackson Dinky XL electric that I've played for years). The guitar is visually and tonally beautiful. Unplugged, it is loud and balanced, with great projection. The only thing I didn't like was having to get used to playing with the roundback shape, both standing up and sitting down.