Ovation 1777 Legend

2000(?) era Ovation, Cadillac green sunburst finish, 25.4" scale, 20 fret neck C shape neck, mid depth cutaway, OP-X preamp with active electronics, solid spruce top, chrome Schaller tuners, Ovation molded case. Very pretty cosmetically and functional controls. Newer models have onboard tuners, while older Legends occasionally had gold hardware.

Since 1985, I have owned and played gigs with several Ovations, including Balladeers, Custom Balladeers, Legends, Anniversary models, etc. All Ovations sound similar when unplugged due to the Lyrachord body. For many applications, this is a plus. No unwanted resonance, they record great with mimimal clashing overtones. Very directional sounding guitars- you don't hear it while playing as well as those sitting across from you. The pickups work fine and these guitars are great for players who really want to hear precisely what they are playing. This is one reason Al DiMeola has recorded and toured with one for 30 years. They don't have the woody resonance and sheen of a nice all wood instrument like a Martin, Taylor, Gibson or Guild. Ovations tend to sound good but unexceptional, generally. I've likened them over the years to a Swiss Army knife- they work well on a variety of styles. No real crashy highs or boomy bass- they are well balanced.

My guitar was purchased off eBay and arrived with all three shims in place. I took off two and the action was almost too easy. With Dr. Duck's light gauge bronze and one shim back under the saddle, they sound and feel great. I love the rounded shape of the neck- I had all but swore off the typical Ovation "V" neck shape when I saw this model at the Arlington guitar show. It felt great as does this one. The workmanship is fine and my only lament is the pick mark wear on the top just ahead of the bridge. I suppose I could buff that out with some work.

Ovations are quite durable and dependable. I look forward to gigging with this instrument. They have had lots of input from pros over the years and really understand what a Gigmeister needs.

John Budney has always been helpful to me. All the Ovation folks, including Dave Bergstrom years ago, can provide how as well as why they do things. In 1984, Dave told me they moved the volume knobs off the front side of the body to the top side so a player could access the controls faster during a show. Even thought I've bought my Ovations used, they treat me like a warranty customer.

I've played guitar for 40 years and played electric until 1976.I've owned and played so much stuff it's ridiculous. Other gear now include the Line 6 Variax, a MIM Jazz Bass and a Dekley D-10 pedal steel. I love the neck and it sounds great when recorded with a nice condenser mic in a studio setting.If it were lost or stolen, I would probably get a Gibson with a shorter scale for hand comfort.

Well,this is a Ovation Legend 1777-4 built in 1998,I think.
20 frets,bound ebony fingerboard,solid Sitka spruce top,laminate neck (mahogany/maple/mahogany/maple/mahogany,piezo(obvioulsy!),and preamp OPX;it's a cutaway Ovation so I don't know how to define it,the response is more like a traditional dreadnought,the bridge is made of walnut,the tuners are simple but effective chrome Schallers,the finish is natural gloss for the top (I think it's a one piece,I see no joint...) and oiled for the neck.Original case included as well as the owner's manual.The only thing I really lack is the built in chromatic tuner of the last production,elsewhere everything is OK.

Well,I'm a electricv guitarist and this is my first acoustic guitar.I play classic rock ballads like Stairway to heaven,Babe I'm gonna leave you,don't cry,knocking on heaven's door,'39,love of my life...it works well!
Nice deep sound unplugged,more than a traditional acoustic,good response especially around the 5th and 7th fret,it's a little bit weaker in the higher octave,very good.
Plugged it's better,sound very 3 dimensional,that preamp maybe it's old but it still works very well;I didn't discover all its capacities but I think it's fine.
Only thing I dislike:unplugged I think it has less volume than a traditional Jumbo or Dreadnought

As I received the guitar it was much better than many acoustics but the auciton was still too high.The strings were also dead(I purchased it used).From the handbook I understood that there were 3 shims under the saddle so when I changed the strings I unmounted the saddle (easy!) and took awawy one of the shim,so now they are 2.After I cleaned the fingerboard and put a set of Elixir custom light (0.12-0.52).With this gauge the auction is almost perfect for the lower strings while I feel the three upper strings should be more low.I don't trust however to take away another shim:the auction of the E and A is very very thight and I'm afraid the strings will buzz,therefore a little visit by the luthier to shape the other saddle would be a good idea.However the guitar now is very confortable and allows to play quite fast.
The piezo works perfectly,the quality of the finish is very,very high and the guitar dosn't have flaws also if it was used for 5 years.

This is an Ovation,one of sturdiest guitars ever made.This particular guitar played a lot around as far as I understood but it's still almost new.Everything is perfect but the case,which has big bubbles (forgotten in a car in a sunny summer day?) and wear.Really,the guitar if it's not bad treated will survive everything,so gigging without backout shouldn't be a problem.Just check the electronics before.

I don't think the guitar is under warranty,however it doesn't seem to have any problem.Foreveryday maintenace the owner's manual is very useful and gives all the informations you need like adjusting the action and how to use the amplifier.If you lose it,you can download it from their site,and that's VERY good.Also,other useful informations are provided there.

I started to play when I was 11,nbut only electrics.I needed an acoustic guitar that let me play as fast as with an electric and to ply solos as well.Actually I'm comoposing on it and I'm satisfied,if stolen or loss I'd like to take the 12 strings versions or the custom legend,but at that price I'll also consider another 1777,basically they're the same instrument.
I compare this guitar with a Takamine ltd 2002,a Avalon silver series and a Furch.I thing this guitar was more sturdy because of the fibracall body,you don't mind spoiling the brazilian rosewood sides and the back!Also,the shape is more confortable than a normal guitar,and the neck,besides the V shape thatI don't like too much,is much better.The sound is particular,different by any other guitar,you like it or not,it's easy.The only thing I really l,ost was the chrmoatic built in tuner,I think it's very useful especially if you want ot experiment open tunings like I'm gonna do.The overall rate is very high,I give 9

Legend 1777. Made in USA, 2000. Piezo pickup. Natural finish. Mid-depth bowl back. 5 piece neck. Gold Hardware. Preamp with chromatic Tuner.

I am into many musical & guitar styles. Influences are Doc Watson, Chet Atkins, Phil Keaggy, David Grisman, Tony Rice, Jimi Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Jim Hall, and even Yanni. : - ) I'm currently playing in the Praise & Worship band at my Church. We play contemporary Christian as well as a few traditional hymns. I plug into a Fender Acoustasonic Amp. It has a great balanced sound acoustically as well as amplified.<br><br>Unamplified it has full sound. I love the deep bass and well balanced mid and highs. It has incredible projection and you can hear each note. The highs are not as bright as my Tacoma DM 18. I like to play soft to medium picking. When you play loud - as in a jam session with hard strumming players the sound quality goes down and I think the sound is more unnatural. I really don't like to play loud - unplugged, but had this happen the other day at a friends house.<br><br>Amplified I think you can get about any sound you want with the onboard pre-amp.

Great set up from the factory. Nice woodworking. Beautiful top and neck. Nice inlays on fretboard and rosette.

Built like a tank! Great for live playing. Great hardware, I have installed Schaller Straplocks. <br><br>Finish is nice and seems very durable. One problem is a week after I got it it developed to cracks in the finish about an 1 and 1/2 inches long on each side of the bridge. These are only in the finish -not in the actual wood and don't affect playing or sound, and right now are not really noticeable. I think this happened from too much humidity. I used a guitar humidifier and probably over did it. If you use a humidifier with any instrument, be sure to use a hygrometer to monitor the humidity level inside your case. I have looked into this and found several different sources saying that 45% - 50% is optimal with 30% being to low and 70% too high.<br><br>I do depend on this guitar and play without a back-up just make sure to have extra 9 volt batteries in your case. I go through 1-2 a month. I'll give it a (7) because of cracks in finish otherwise a (10)

No dealing with Ovation yet. I may lok into getting cracks in finish repaired. I do know that the warranty states that customer pays for shipping to and from, which is probaby standard but still not good/or right in my opinion.

I've been playing 23 years. Currently have a Fender California Tele with Lace Transensor in the neck position and Bill Lawrence (Not Lawrence) Tele in Bridge position. Play through a Crate VC3112, all tube amp. I love the full sound with a great low end and great action. It takes time to get used to playing sitting down because of round back - still slips a bit now and then. Very comfortable playing standing up. I have compared this to many other guitars. I think each guitar is unique to itself because of each piece of wood being at least slightly different. I like this better than all but one Martin guitar I have played. (a 1960's model with great action). I own a Tacoma DM-18 and like this guitar better, except for maybe Bluegrass Flat-picking type music if you want a bright high end. Better than Gibson, Guild, Washburn, Fender, Dean, Takamine guitars I've played. I have played a few Taylors, Larrivee and Everett guitars that are comparable or maybe better depending on style of music. This is a great all-around guitar that is as good as many costing much, much more! From what I've seen on e-bay these are not holding their value very well, same for Tacoma's. If you played one of these and like it, go ahead and buy it. I don't think I would buy any guitar at market value without holding it in my hands and playing it.

Made in the U.S.A., five piece neck, gold hardware, transparent orange sparkle finish, 3 band eq, built in tuner, AA spruce top, with hard shell case. If it had abalone trim and orange sparkle on the head stock I would give it a 10.

t sounds like an ovation. My wife has a 1987 collectors series ovation and I can make this thing sound exactly the same way as her's. I can get more variation of tones with this than the 1987 by using the pre-shape or mid shift functions. I do not like the sound of ovations unplugged, but plugged in I think they sound very nice.

The action is great all the way down the neck on this guitar. I really like the orange sparkle. My wife thinks it's ugly. I bought this for the feel more than the sound. I like regular acoustics when I stand and play, because they feel to big and bulky. I bought this on Ebay from a non ovation dealer who said it was brand new and that he acquired it from another dealer through a trade. When I received this guitar I inspected it and saw what looked to be a crack in one of the 5 pieces of wood in the neck. I took a picture of it and sent it to the seller and to Ovation. The seller said he was not aware of it and ovation said it is not considered a flaw, blemish, or second to them. Ovation said it was a timber break. Stress caused the tree to fracture and then the tree grew back together. Ovation also told me they would cover the repair if this were to separate. I myself consider this a flaw and I would have been reluctant to buy this off a show room if I had seen this. I'm sure that's why I got this as cheap as I did. If not for this I would have given this a 9 or 10.

It appears to be well built, we have had the 1987 collectors series for 15 years with no problems, I expect this will do the same. One thing I don't like is that I put a brand new battery in this when I received it. A week later the battery was dead. The 1987 collectors series draws no current on the battery when not plugged in. This 1777 must draw some current on the battery when not plugged in or I had a bad battery? The battery on this has quick push outside access which is quite easy to remove, unlike the 1987 collectors series so I can easily remove the battery when not using it. However I'm giving this a 7 instead of an 8 in this catagory because of this.

I have no opinion here, but will I will say John Budney, Ovation Customer Service Manager, was pleasant and helpful when inquiring about the timber break.

This guitar plays, feels, sounds, and looks great. I expect to keep this guitar and the 1987 collectors series my lifetime. If it were stolen I would be upset and I would replace it with either an Elite or Legend series Ovation guitar.

Standard Legend Setup. 5-piece mahogany and maple neck with ebony fretboard. Select A grade Sitka spruce soundboards with lightweight 'A' bracing. Ovation pinless bridge. OP-X pickup under the bridge includes 4 band EQ, Gain, and Notch, battery indicator, EQ and notch defeat. Bridge height can be adjusted by removing shims. Twenty fret neck and cutaway body. Chrome hardware.
Acoustic guitars don't have much in the way of features. However the onboard pickup with pre-amp and adjustable bridge height in addition to everything normally found on an acoustic are one reason for the 10 rating.

I love finger picking and classic rock as well as most other styles (I just say no to rap). I play stuff like Zep "Baby I'm gonna leave you" and Floyd "Wish you were here" as well as "Puff the Magic Dragon" for my four year old, and "Country Roads" around the campfire.
This is a mid-depth model. The acoustic sound is great, but I've heard stronger which is the only reason for a nine vs. ten. However the acoustic sound is better than most acoustics I played prior to purchase, and I played a bunch.
The pre-amp is a dream and the EQ is very effective. I use this with a Peavy Transtube Bandit and the sound is incredible! I have an RP-7 and adding corus is the cat's meow. Unplugged the guitar sounds wonderful, plug it in, and the sound is fantastic!

I love the neck on this Guitar. I play an SG electric, and have smallish hands, so a wide fat acoustic neck is not my style. This neck plays more like an electric than most acoustics I tried.
This finish is outstanding. The fretwork on the neck is flawless. The bookmatching on the face is so good it's next to impossible to tell it's two pieces of wood with the naked eye.
The action is perfect from the factory, and the workmanship on the guitar is great. Hardware is solid (I think schaller tuners? made in Germany) but very smooth and tight. The guitar is made in the USA.

"Rock" is the proper word to describe the Durability. The backs of these have a half life of 1.2 million years, well maybe not, but they are very ruggid. The neck joint if flawless thick, and solid. The finish is supurb, and fingermarks/smudges wipe off with ease. The stap buttons are large, but if I were going to play with a strap alot I may want locking buttons.
I would gig without a backup no problem. I may want an extra mike in case the preamp went south, and an extra 9V as well. IMO there is no thougher acousitic on the market. I don't have to worry about scratching the back, or bumping the back or sides on stuff.

I did not look at the waranty length. I have not delt with customer support.

I play a Gibson SG, an RP-7 with a Peavey Transtube Bandit 112 amp. I love the acousitc sound (as well as electric) but wanted something I could plug in that kept the acoustic sound. This is it.
Before purchase I played many many models by Yahama, Guild, Martain, Gibson, Taylor, and others. About the only Guitar I really liked better was a Guild D5 (or something), but they wanted $2300 used. I also liked a Custom Legend because it was sooooo pretty, but for the price NOTHING came close to this guitar.
I got a hell of a price. It was a special purchase from Ovation, last years model and in the unpopular red satin. I would buy it again in a heartbeat especailly for what I paid.