Ovation 1778T Elite T Series

US, 2003. Pewter Finish, rest of details have been covered.

Bright, loud, wonderful. Have had it a few months, and mostly play it unplugged. When I experimented with it plugged, I experienced the same problem that another poster here mentioned--it goes from off to too loud. And like that poster also mentioned, we're talking about playing at home, where this can be a slight problem--but not really a problem for gigging. Regarding the plugged sound, remember that I haven't used it this way much, so at this point, I'm not happy. Again, I'm sure it's ME that's the problem and not the ax, but I lose that acoustic sound when it's amplified. I have a lot more experimenting to do in this area, but even so, I think that down the road, I'm going to investigate the merits of swapping its pickup with a top-level Fisher or Braggs. Just having too much fun with it playing UNPLUGGED to worry about this now.

I fell in love with this one at first sight--both the sight AND sound of it. The styling catches EVERYONE's attention, combined with that finish (pewter in my case). Big plus to the finish is that it always looks clean; no fingerprint marks or smudges like on conventional "polished" tops. Ever! Also, tuners are black coated, so again, no smudge marks. Neck is wonderfully narrow, perfect for my hands and taste. Very electric like. Great, great action. I know this sounds crazy, but you actually feel that the folks at big-company Ovation put great care into its construction. Bringing me to my favorite part--that "U.S.A." and serial number stamped into the head.

Hey, with a two-piece rock-solid neck and the finish previously described, this category deserves an 11 rating.

I haven't had any experience with them, but I heard they aren't that great. I also seem to remember that their web site doesn't even have a "Contact us" link! I just don't know.

Been playing 35 years. Own another Ovation, Ibanez, BC Rich (all acoustic/acoustic electrics), a Fender Tele, Fender Strat.

greate features

it really sounds like a dream,,,I have just pligged in a few times and I really love it

I thing fisnish is pretty good, seems like,, I just have had it for 1 month, and I haven't had complain about it

I can't say anything now,, one month is a short time

they are greate people,,, kaman is a serious co.

I have played it for a month,, it's my only guitar I have for now,, I used to have a celebrity,, but it really is uncomparable,,, 2 different things,, usa mades muche better i love everything of this guitar, specially the sound ,, very rich.. and strong..I have comparead sounds with a regular elite or special elite, and I definelety had to sell my elite special,, it souds 60% much better.. I would not change even for a legend or any other,, even adamas

I just got a 2002 1778T Elite Special. Its a Ovation USA and it sounds great. Everyone else already went through the details of the guitar, so i won't rehash it again. The one thing I noticed was that the B-String tuner is real loose, but that may just be on my guitar. I haven't messed around too much with the electronics, since I play it primarily unplugged, but the few times I have gone electric, the volume control is hard to make small adjustments. If you have it on low, its basically playing acoustic, and then all of it sudden it jumps up to real loud. I guess this really isn't an issue if you're in a house or something, but I live in an apartment and I can't go too loud. The new module is really easy to change too. Apparently, the old Ovations, if the battery ran out, it was a huge pain to change, but the new madule, you push one button, and the whole thing pops out. It might take about 2 minutes.

I've played a few other Ovations, mostly the cheaper ones, and this one blows them out of the water. All you have to do is strum it once and you can here how rich the tone is. Even when I play up on the higher frets, the notes still ring very clearly. I can't decide if the guitar has a bright or mellow sound yet, since it really changes depending on which room I am playing in or if I'm inside or outside. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the temperature control in my house varies a lot, and all guitars sound different when they are cold or warm. I haven't really had any complaints with the strings buzzing or anything unless I'm trying to be a jackass and strumming way too hard. I usually play the acoustic rock from all sorts of styles, and they all sound good on this guitar. I didn't give this guitar a 10, since I heard some martins that sounded a lot better than this one, but after a certain quality sound is all about personal preference in my opinion.

With the factory setup the action on this guitar is already one of the best I have ever played on. Of course, this is because I was coming from this crappy Washburn that I have had for like 5 years and it felt like the strings were about an inch and a half off the fretboard. (It really helped me build up some sweet and permanent callouses and finger strength though. My hands make me look like I'm a leper). Anyways, the Ovation although it has low action, it doesnt really buzz at all. That's pretty money if you ask me. The quality of the guitar seems to be pretty good. I've accidentally banged it a couple times, and it hasn't dented or scratched or anything. The finish is definitely weird, but its a cool weird. I have the all black one, and it looks like an a$$kicker. The fretboard is all black (no fret markings) and the body is all black. I definitely don't think it looks that gothic like the other review said, since it is still rounded but it definitely looks cooler than the regular ovations with those wooden leaves around the holes. The textured finish hasn't bothered me that much. The one thing I noticed with this ovation as opposed to the other I've played is that there is a rougher area on the bootom of the body, where it rests on your thigh, so it doesn't slip. I'm not sure if all the newer ovations have this, but the ones that I've played are older, and did not have this rough spot, so it was always slipping off my leg. you really needed a strap to play the older ones.

I haven't performed with this or anything, but I don't see why you couldn't if you wanted to. The finish seems pretty strong, and people definitely do notice your guitar, since it looks so unique. I will assume that the strap buttons are pretty strong, since the strap I have on it now used to be on a les paul that I have and that thing always fell off of that guitar, but it hasn't fallen off of this guitar yet.

No experience with customer support

I've been playing on and off for about 10 years. I have a Fender Strat (its a crappy foreign one, that I picked up off some guy for 75 bucks, but I can take it around and not really care about it. that and its a cool blue color, and I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff), a gibson les paul (which is fantastic, but it's really freakin heavy), that awful washburn from before, and then this Ovation. Since I got this guitar, I haven't touched the others. I would definitely get this guitar again if someone jacked it. Best Feature is it is as easy to play as an electric, and still sounds as great as an acoustic.

Same features as the last review, except this guitar is in the black finish. This guitar is by far the best Ovation I have ever heard, except for some of the top of the line stuff. I love the finish, though at times I think it is somewhat "gothic", being all black. But I will think of it as being classy instead of gothic. The features on this Ovation are superb; ebony wood, AA top, OP30 preamp w/ tuner. Great stuff

Best sounding Ovation I have played for under $2000. The preamp is very nice. Sounds great

The finish is perfect. The rough finish makes this easier to achieve. This is a nicely built guitar. Strap buttons are huge and solid

This guitar has an industrial finish on it. Would probably survive a nuclear blast. Very solid

Kaman is a great company

Guitar was made in 2002, in the US. It is a single cutaway with a medium depth "Lyrachord" bowl, solid spruce top, multi-soundholes with no epaulets (holes only on the upper area), and an ebony bridge with graphite intonated saddle. Entire body is sprayed with a very cool textured finish. It is similar to the finish traditionally found on the back of Ovations, but seems a bit rougher to me, in fact it reminds me of "non-skid" coatings you might find on metal steps. Comes in either black or pewter grey, I have the grey model. The finish keeps it from trying to slide off your leg when sitting, but it can be a little rough on the inside of your elbow.

Neck is maple, with graphite nut, ebony fretboard and large frets. Standard Ovation headstock, front is painted black, with a silver "Ovation" logo. Back of the neck is natural with a very smooth satin finish. Neck feels somewhat thinner than my Celebrity's. Came with D'Addario EXP coated strings.

Has the new OP-30 preamp with built-in chromatic tuner, 3 band EQ, mid shift and scoop functions. The tuner automatically turns off after a minute or so, which is good for battery life, but I have found it to be not quite long enough for me to get tuned up; I have to hit the button one more time. Output jack is located on the end of the guitar below the strap button, not on the back like other Ovations (nice improvement).

Sealed tuners and strap buttons are black, and the strap buttons look like they might take straplocks (they have a small groove around the inside), though I didn't get any mating strap ends with it.

I play rock and blues, and what might be called "country rock" (Eagles, Poco, Marshall Tucker, Jimmy Buffett). So far this guitar sounds great acoustically for all of this. Very nice, full sound great sustain. It rivals my Martin Dreadnaught, if a little brighter. I have plugged it in only for a few minutes, and it has the great Ovation sound, but somewhat fuller than my Celebrity. I bought this guitar for several reasons, but the sound is what really made me fall in love. Even some other customers in the store commented when I was playing it that it sounded really good, and I am not all that great a player!

The action and playability was another major reason I bought this particular guitar. Usually, I can only find something very close, and then have to do a little work once I get it home to get the setup just right. This guitar was set up perfectly already. Nut and bridge heights are nice and low, but not so much as to get buzzing strings with a spirited strum, and the neck is arrow straight. It feels like playing an electric. The thinner neck and large frets make it a very fast playing guitar.

The fit and finish are excellent. The only flaw I can find is that the textured finish inside the soundholes is a bit rough, but it is probably just the nature of the finish. Of course the textured finish may hide some flaws in the wood that may only appear after a time, so I'll see how it holds up. I also think you will either love the finish or hate it, it is pretty different. Most people who have seen it do like it, but a couple of my friends say it reminds them of some Navy issue machinery. I think it has a very high-tech, rugged look. It's cool.

It seems to be very well made and solid. I have only had it a week, so I don't really know how durable it is, but I am very gentle with my guitars, so I think it will last me a good long time. If I played live, I would definitely take this guitar, it just feels like it can take some unintentional abuse, and the thick finish will be hard to hurt, I think. It definitely doesn't show fingerprints or smudges, so you don't have to polish it! It seems more rugged than my other Ovation, which has held up nicely for a couple years, even with me dragging it around to play at friend's houses. Still, I am avoiding the perfect score, because of a lack of data.

I have used the warranty before on a different Ovation guitar, which had developed a bump in the neck. They replaced the guitar with a brand new one within a couple weeks, (once the local store got off their butt and sent it in). On the other hand, the company does not respond to emails very well, and their web site is very out of date, and has almost no customer help information (care and adjustment, online manuals, forums, etc.) The only information on this guitar they have on their web site is in the press release announcing it.

I have been playing for a few years, and own 10 guitars, both electric and acoustic. This is definitely going to be the one I pick up to play for a while, since it is new, but I think it will end up being one of my favorite as time goes on. It just has so much going for it. I played several other guitars the day I bought it, including a $1500 Adamas Carbon top, and other Elites. This guitar had them all beat in sound, playability and looks. It feels so good to play, because of the neck and action, and it sounds so nice I want to play it just to hear it sing.

The new electronics are very nice, I love the built-in tuner. The whole preamp is modular, and uplugs from the side of the guitar, so if it ever breaks, replacement should be easy. The salesman said he had heard that Ovation plans to make upgrade modules with effects, etc, that will just swap in, but the company has no mention of this on their crappy website, so it is only rumor.

Like I said, I really like the unique look and finish, but I know it won't please everyone. I would not recommend buying one of these online or mail order unless you get a look at one in person first. At least buy from someplace that has a "no-questions" return policy.

Pricewise, it is what I consider upper-midrange, and it seems to have the quality I expect for that kind of money. It is definitely a player's guitar and not a showpiece.

If it were stolen, I would find the person and tie them up with the strings wrapped around their privates. If it burned up in a fire, though, I would try to find another quickly!