Ovation 1867 Legend

No need to list all the parts, but mine is a 1994-95 model, with the OP24 pre-amp, and gold Schaller tuners. Woods, inlays, super-shallow bowl, everything else is the same. Well, there's no tuner in the OP24 pre-amp. Black, of course.

It was used, in good shape, on special at GC, and it was black, so I had to have it; had to buy a case for it, but I got the case for around $69, instead of the $110 - 120 they were going to charge me.

You either love Ovations or you hate them; there's no middle ground. I love them.

I mainly play solid-body electrics, and I'm a big Robert Fripp fan (but I'm not a member of the League of Crafty Guitarists), so the Legend was an easy choice for me. I run the Legend into a Boss GT-3, and I can shape the sound any way I want. Otherwise, I run the Legend into a JC-90, so I can add just a little reverb & chorus.

Unplugged, the shallow-bowled guitars don't have the same sound as a big-bodied acoustic, period. If you're using lighter-gauge strings, you lose a little volume there, too. Still, you either wanted an Ovation, or you should have gotten something else. For me it's at least a solid 9.

I bought it used, so I can't say how it was when it was new. For a ten-year-old guitar, it was in fine shape; the electronics worked, the tuners worked smoothly, there were no gaps under the bridge or a round the neck joint (sure warning signs) and nothing rattled inside. Can't see the maple top under the black finish.

I cleaned it up, took out the shims under the bridge, tweaked the neck just a bit, and put on a lighter set of strings. That's all it needed.

Here's where I have to step up. People love to hate on Ovation guitars, and sometimes you do get a really bad guitar. It happens with other guitars, too, just check out some of the reviews. I've had Ovation guitars since the mid-70's, and I've only had a hard time with the cheap ones, like the Celebrity guitars. I never bothered with the Applause guitars.

You need to adjust them every so often, and keep a humidifier in the case during hot, dry times. (Like in winter, when you turn the heat up, and the air dries out.) Letting the guitar dry out is a good way to have the top and bowl start to seperate. Letting the guitar get soaked is another.

This particular Legend was right around ten years old when I bought it, and there's nothing wrong with it. I bought another used Ovation around the same time, another 94-95 model, and it was perfect, I mean perfect, as if no one had ever played it. Ten years, ya hear me?

I've been playing since before Ovations were made; most of my gear is electric. I knew what I wanted, and I happened to find it. If it were stolne or lost, I'd have to look for another; Ovation changed the specs on all their guitars recently, and they don't make the 1867 model anymore.

I love the neck and the shallow body. I hate that Ovation stopped making them.

I've played lots of other acoustic or A/E guitars; I chose the Legend for a specific sound and feel. It's not for everyone.

My 1867 Legend was manufactured in 2001 in New Hartford, Connecticut and is a cutaway style, super shallow body depth, about 4 1/8". It has a very even grained gloss finished solid Sitka Spruce top fully bound with a pinless Ebony string-through bridge attached without bolts and a bound Ebony 20-fret fingerboard with MOP position markers. The gold enclosed tuners are Ovation branded high-quality third party machines. The neck is flat finished five-piece Mahogany/Maple which joins the body at the 14th fret. The nut and compensated saddle are Tusq. The scale length is 25 1/4". It came with an Ovation Samsonite hard shell case and OP-24+ active preamp (Vol, Bass, Mid, Treb, Preshape, Mid-Shift, EQ Bypass, Low batt indicator) which includes a chromatic tuner and externally accessed battery port. As finishing touches, the classic Ovation oak leaf sound hole rosette is inlaid on the top and the faceplate is glossy Jet Black with a Gold Foil Ovation logo.

Acoustically it has clear sustained tone and ample projection for satisfying practice but it is not good campfire instrument. It is definitely designed for stage amplification. The Ebony appointments do seem to provide a crisp attack and this guitar has very definitive note articulation whether finger or flat picked. When I plug it into my Crate CA125D it surpasses all the competition for clean, quiet, pure acoustic guitar tone. My friends who play Martins with Fishman pickups marvel at the Legend's sound and I always get compliments on it from audience members.

I play professionally in a variety of styles (fingerpick, country/bluegrass, jazz/blues) alternating between periods of rhythm accompaniment and lead guitar improvisation. The Legend plays cleanly and comfortably without hand fatigue. The factory action worked well for me, high enough for clean slide technique and low enough for comfort, but could probably be lower without fret buzz. I string mine with light gauge phosphor/bronze and get a sweet bright sound on stage or unplugged. The only annoyance I found was a buzz at certain frequencies caused by loose wires inside the body. I had to completely remove the strings and secure the wiring myself to correct this. Also, after four years the top is slightly bellied behind the bridge but there are no cracks or warps and the grain is quite beautifully broken in.

This Legend is well built and I use it on stage with complete confidence and no backup instrument. The strap buttons are secure with large diameters that make strap-locks uneccesary. The neck is completely stable and arrow straight. The gloss finish does not mark easily from normal picking and there is no pick guard; none seems neccesary. The hardware has gotten a bit tarnished in four years but still works flawlessly. The finish is perfectly intact; no checking or marks at all.

I haven't had any reason to contact Ovation for warranty service. I do my own repairs and setups and I have only needed to secure the loose wiring on this guitar. I have left the factory setup as is for four years.

I have played for 38 years and my only gear is my stage setup: this Legend and my Crate CA125D amp. If I had to replace this guitar I would definitely buy another American made Ovation shallow body. I have owned Martins and Taylors. Martins sound the best acoustically the Ovation plays more easily which is a real concern for long gigs and fifty year old fingers. This Legend is as solid and beautiful as a Taylor but has more balanced tonal response and plays easier. I do wish the electonics were located farther left on the upper bout. They are just far enough to the right to be awkward for viewing the tuner lights which are located in the lower right corner of the preamp.

It is a 2000 USA model, just bought (new) from the nice chaps at Holiday Music in London. (And I think it had been hanging on the wall since 2000!)
AA Sitka top, cherry/cherry-burst finish. All features as per Ovation website.
It has all the bells and whistles I want. Others may want a bit of abalone - I don't!

Brilliant - there isn't a better description! This is my 3rd Ovation, all USA models, and it's worth every penny of the inflated UK prices we have to pay! It even sounded fine with the cruddy old strings.
I put it straight to PA via a Pod XT Live - clean settings with a spot of chorus if required.

No problems with either looks or playability. Because I tune down a step, you can get the odd buzz if you're not careful. I just need to be a better player!
But that cherryburst finish is really quite special...

This is a quality instrument and it makes me feel good to play it, like all USA guitars I own. (Others are PRS and Fender) I can't see why it would let me down and I don't expect it will.

No need so far.

I'm reviewing an American made, solid spruce top 1867 Legend by Ovation. Mine came in black. The fingerboard and bridge are both made of ebony (nice). Has an almost V shaped 5 piece neck. It has great electronics (w/ 3 band eq and built in tuner) that run on a 9V battery. Piezo pickup under the saddle. Came with a hardshell case.

The sound of this guitar is phenomenal. And I don't just mean the plugged in sound. When I recorded my album, the engineer mic'ed the soundhole and the fingerboard, while taking a direct line out, and was planning on mixing it to taste. The piezo was barely used in the mix.. the engineer thought the acoustic sounds were that good. Yeah, it doesn't sound like a Martin D45 or anything, but it does have a unique, chunky acoustic sound.

GREAT action, solid finish, the fit is a little difficult to get used to as it constantly slides off the knee when played without a strap.

OK, everyone on here keeps saying "what could go wrong? It's made of plastic.." Well, I have news for you.
With humidity and temperature change, wood expands and contracts (just like the picnic table in your backyard). With any normal acoustic guitar, the woods on the top, back and sides kind of go through this change together, so there's a little more give to the process. Ovations (as we all know) have plastic backs/sides. So when the spruce top needs to go through these changes, the other parts of this guitar don't move with it. And guess what? The top buckles. I loved this guitar with all my heart, but when I took it to a luthier to ask why there were so many dips and curves in the top, he said it's the nature of the beast with Ovations. Great sounding, disposable guitars. I had to trade it before it lost all value.. now I play on an Alvarez.

If you have $1000 to buy a new one every three or four years, by all means, go for it. Otherwise, save up for a Martin or Larrivee.

The Legend is great for recording. Its sound can be sculpted and its feedback can be managed. The AA Sitka Spruce top is nice and the sound is plenty good unplugged as well. It'll never have the woody sound of my Martin, but day after day, it's the guitar I want to play.

If there are flaws I don't see them. It has the Ovation playability, easy, fun. It's a quality item and it feels and looks it. I wouldn't say the action is super low, but it plays exactly like you'd want it to.

I've played and own many guitars and I've been searching for the Holy Grail. It's odd to say that I've found it in Ovation. I used to be such a snob when I was younger about the whole wood/plastic thing. All of a sudden here I am, with a whole new look at things. I own 3 Ovations right now and I'm in hog heaven. Actally, the Celebrity 12 string won me over in a flash. Everything is easy in Ovation land, and what you give away in sound(which isn't much) you make up for in the kind of fun you wanted to have when you started playing in the first place. Maybe in a year I'll think something else, but right now I'm in the honeymoon period with Ovation and I couldn't be happier.

This is a single cutaway acoustic-electric with more features than my Swiss army knife: pre-amp, tuner, 3-band equalizer, notch filter (for cancelling feedback), mid-boost, volume, etc. More important (to me) are the physical characteristics that make this guitar a pleasure to play: a beautiful 5-piece neck with great action, and a light and compact super-shallow body.

As an acoustic, which is mostly how I use it, this guitar is very good but it definitely isn't in the same league as a full bodied Martin -- so I give it a 7 acoustically. This guitar is meant to be played plugged in, and after limited testing (through a little Fender 15R practice amp)it's at least a 9 through an amp. So over all its an 8 in my book.

Action is great and the fit and finish are excellent. But if you look hard you can find a few nits to pick: with the light at the right angle you can see the joint in the bookmatch, and the high E buzzes a bit at the nut when played loud.

Everything on the guitar seems pretty solid, but I've only had it a week so what can I say? That it's as good as new after 7 days?

No idea how good Ovation's customer support is. Hope I don't need to find out for a long time.

I've been playing guitar for 30+ years, from blues to Beatles. My other guitars are a Les Paul Custom and Martin D-28, and my Ovation is definitely in third place in the sound department. But in the practical and fun to play department, the Ovation is definitely my #1.

I bought this guitar on a recent trip to the Guitar Center to kill some time. (It's cheap entertainment if you can resist buying something.) But in the back of my mind I was also scouting out a practice guitar that could be out and ready to play at a moment's notice. I played a roomful of thin acoustic/electrics that seemed ideal ergonmically but their sound and feel put me off. But when I picked up the Ovation 1867, and I quickly fell in love and couldn't leave without it.

Overall, I give this baby a 10, because it sounds damn good and is a joy to play. What it gives up in sound to the D-28, it more than makes up in felixibility. If it got lost or stolen I'd get another.

My legend was made in 1999. It has a red fnish with gold tuners, and OP-24 plus electronics. (for more info go to www.ovationguitars.com)
I have a ovation hard case that goes with the guitar. The legend has everything you could want(features) in a performance acoustic.

I play all kinds of music. From classic to Van Halen. I play my ovation thru a Crate Acoutic 125D amp. The legend had recording quality OP-24 elecronics-super quiet, but very sensitive. The guiar has a rich smooth tone unpluged, honeslty almost as good as the martins and taylors i have played. Plugged in the guitar had a very strong punch and presence because of the super shallow bowl. As far as plugged in the guitar sounds amazing(Ovation's motto is "Plug it in!" and there is a reason for it.) If your going to plug in Ovations are the best. Unpluged this ovation is about an 8-i'm sure the deep bowl ovations sound as good as anything unplugged.

I got this guitar used so i cant say how it was from the factory.
My legend has "taylor like" low and smooth action. She is as easy to play as my american standard strat. I love the string thru bridge.
The AA sprice top has bueatiful sound. The shiny black headstock with gold tuners and laminated gold badge-with the 5 piece wood neck looks sweet. The way the legend looks and feels sets it apart from the nice taylors, martins, and gibsons. If you want to get a normal guitar that looks this good you will have to spend over 2k.

Great smooth tuners, rock solid time tested neck, solid top, and composite bowl make this guitar the best gig guitar in the world.
I bring a set of extra strings to my gigs and i'm set.

The guy at guitar center told me that the amreican oations have been overlooked by my generation (i'm 22). I am the only person my age i know who has one. The ovaion has become the church or music teacher guitar to people my age. To sum it all up-if you want to plug in, get a good acoustic amp (crate,marshall,and trace eliot make the best), then check out an ovaion-they look better than anything out there-and the plugged in sound is awesome.

2003 1867 model. USA made. AA solid spruce top, shallow bowl, ebony fingerboard/bridge, black finish, 5 piece neck, black gloss peghead with gold Ovation logo. OP-40 electronics with tuner, gold hardware, hard case.

Sounds great unplugged and even better plugged in. The unplugged sound is full, clear and warm. Has nice overall projection as well. It sounds much better than the shallow bowl standard balladeer I've played in the past. The OP-40 electronics give you tons of control over your sound and a convenient tuner onboard!

Nice low and easy action from the factory. Plays like an electric guitar almost. The shallow bowl is very comfortable and easy to hold. I've had mid depth ovations in the past and I like the feel of the shallow bowl better. The black finish on mine was like a mirror and the ebony fretboard feels great. Construction was solid and seems very durable. The rosette design is inlaid in the soundboard versus the older plastic rosette glued on.

Ovations hold up forever and is very durable. This one is made in the USA of course.

Haven't dealt with them and hopefully won't have to.

I typically prefer all solid wood guitars and also own a Taylor. But this Legend sounds, feels and plays just wonderful! Not all ovations sound this great though. I cheaper models tend not to sound as good. Play a few models and see what you like.

This USA-made guitar has a solid spruce top, gold tuners, OP40 electronics, mahogany neck, red rubyburst finish, super-shallow roundback.

This guitar has a very sweet sound. This model has the round soundhole rather than the decorative soundholes found in some of the other models. I tried them, but found the sound unplugged to be really crappy, although they sound great plugged in. I can get just about any tone from this guitar when it is unplugged and it sounds even better plugged in.

Straight from the factory, this guitar is setup perfectly. No buzzes, rattles, etc. The finish is perfect and very durable. I was a little concerned about it having no pickguard, but that doesn't seem to be a problem. The finish on the neck is absolutely beautiful, both to look and touch. Some of the cheaper Ovations I tried had a "plastic-feeling" graphite neck which felt hollow and cheap. The tuners seem to work flawlessly and the guitar seems to stay in tune perfectly. Having the onboard tuner is a nice feature.

I think this guitar would survive anything short of a tornado. Everything seems to be solid and well made. Of course, it is made in the USA, what would you expect?

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for 30+ years. I previously owned an Ovation Matrix (circa 1976) which was stolen several years ago. I tried other brands of acoustics (Takamine was close), but I just missed that Ovation sound. I have developed slight carpal tunnel syndrome which makes playing an acoustic with a full size neck almost impossible any more. The Ovation has the "electric" neck, and I can play this thing for hours with no pain or fatigue. If it is possible to "fall in love" with a guitar, I have done so with this one. You absolutely can't go wrong with an Ovation. If this guitar were stolen, I would definitely just go out and buy another one just like it. These folks that say they just have to have a Martin or a Taylor obviously have not played an Ovation. Frankly, I played a couple of Martins before I decided to go back to Ovation. I was NOT impressed. I think they're just stuck on a name. Maybe it is the plastic back that scares them off, but I think that once you have played and felt the neck, you can't argue that it is one helluva fine playing instrument. It's just like putting on an old shoe -- it just feels good.

1998 Made in USA. Super shallow body. OP-24Plus? acoustic/electric guitar preamp, volume, bass, mid, and treble controls. 20 frets. 5 piece laminated mahogany/maple neck, slight V shape. 25 1/4 inch scale. Ebony fretboard. Solid AA Sitka spruce top. Cherry/cherryburst finish. String through bridge. Schaller tuning machines. Nice fat frets. Fully bound body and neck. Ovation hardshell case.

This guitar suits my style quite well. I play blues mainly, but the tone produced by this guitar is versatile enough to play in any acoustic/electric setting. I use a Trace Elliot TA60CR amp that allows a wide variety of tones. The electronics are very quiet and deliver a rich, bright sound. I cannot think of any dislikes with it's limitations. It is after all an acoustic/electric.

The guitar was set up fine from the factory. The action is good and fairly low, but could be made better with some small adjustments. I don't want to fool with it because it is fine like it is for me. The finish is impeccable with excellent quality throughout the guitar. She is slick as a whistle!

This guitar will indeed withstand the rigors of hard playing. I bought it new and have played it long enough to show wear on the frets, and have had nary a problem. The finish looks like it did the day bought it. The strap buttons are solid as a rock. I bend strings hard, and have NEVER broken one. I use Dean Markley cryogenic 10 gauge electric guitar strings.

Never had to deal with them.

I have been playing for 30 years.I have owned many, many acoustic type guitars including a Guild, Martin Sigma, Fender, Yamaha, and a Gibson J-45 and the Ovation is superior to them all in playability and tone. My favorite feature is the laminated mahogany neck. It is super comfortable and stays straight and true. The guitar refuses to go out of tune. You betcha, I would buy another in a heartbeat if stolen. This is quite frankly the best acoustic style guitar I have ever had the pleasure of owning.

1992 USA Super shallow bowl with cutaway. 5 piece neck in mahogany and maple. Solid A grade spruce top. Old style OP 24 Pre-amp with volume & 3-band tone controls.Which incidently I prefer to the later type as fitted to my Legend 12-string ( 4-band with notch filter & EQ on/off).
I find there's too much variation possible with the later type. It's so easy to get a good sound with the simpler older type, although the notch filter is useful to cut out annoying feedback frequencies.I have lost a button from the 12-string pre-amp, whereas the button on the older types has little risk of falling.
Changing the battery with the older OP 24 is a pain, as you have to loosen or remove the strings, and put your hand through the soundhole to gain access. With the new type it's a doddle, although on my 12-String, the battery rattles audibly & I remove it to play acoustically.
Gold plated Schaller machineheads fitted- no complaints there.Finish is superb, with a lovely satin varnish for the neck and gloss elsewhere. Very tough & resistant & nice looking too.
Ebony fingerboard with MOP inlaid markers. Nice looking, but I find the markers a bit meaningless and think the 5th 7th & 12th frets could be made to stand out more clearly for easier reading.
Nice compensated bridge saddle,- which I notice Ovation are doing away with on recent models- with individual piezo pick-ups incorporated for each string. Shims underneath for height adjustment.
Allen type truss rod adjuster accessible via soundhole.
Walnut pinless bridge. The pick-up assembly is not always a tight fit and it's a good idea to fix a thin shim behind it to stop any forward inclination. The 2 pins on each end can sometimes be a bit loose, though that's easily fixed.
I'll give it a 9 because just the bridge assembly isn't perfect !

I've had a few Ovations before: Applause, Celebrity, Thunderbolt & Elite, but I've never really been happy with them. The Thunderbolt was the best. The Elite was just too easy to play and the sound seemed to smothered as it fought to find it's way out of those holes. Too brittle & rounded. I tried 2 but they made me miserable.Boring !
The Legend is IT ! It has that elusive magic that's so hard to capture. It really sings and the sound just sparkles & flows out from the rossette. The music seems to make sense & it's really easy to knock out songs. I should have made the effort to get one of these a long time ago, but never found one second-hand until now.
It sounds great acoustically, but I also use it direct through some effects for recording. It also sounds fine through a Marshall JMP-1 on clean setting with Alesis Midiverb , Marshall Valvestate Power Amp & Hughes & Kettner speakers, which I normally use for electric. No feedback problems & a nice rich sound. I reckon you could get a good sound through just about anything on clean setting.
I use it for a sort of progressive rock/pop style, & I wouldn't consider using anything but Ovation, as anything else just doesn't have that sort of Mediaeval magical sound, which I believe is due to the rounded back.
I tried some Adamas models, and found them dead boring. Not much wood in them apart from the neck & bridge and it shows !
The Custom Legend would be the only thing I would consider changing it for and even then I'd have to be very convincecd that it was really better.

I bought this second hand, so I can't judge the original set-up. But it's 8 years old, and if no-one ever touched it then it's stayed perfect since then. The strings are reasonably low, but not too low as they were on the Elite.(I tried raising them but the sound suffered) I believe if you have to make a bit of effort to play it, then this shows in the sound.
Just the bit of play in the bridge assembly to complain about.
The strings tend to bite into the saddles after time, and just lightly sanding the fronts of the saddles(not the backs) removes any excess plastic which can inhibit the strings from vibrating 100% freely and also corrects the intonation. The white plastic saddle is in fact removable from the pick-up assembly and can be ordered from Ovation very cheaply, if yours is a bit worn.

This guitar is very solid & will last years. Just look at an old Ovation from the 70's or 80's for proof!
Strap buttons fine.
I always like to have some sort of back-up for a gig as you never know. Changing a string is easy, but if the pre-amp broke down, you've got problems. Pretty unlikely, but stll , I feel better.I'd probably use the electric instead anyway, so I wouldn't back it up with another acoustic.

I had a problem with my 12-string ( my own fault) and I needed a new pick-up assembly. Ovation USA were great & I dealt with them by E-Mail. The problem is that I live in France and I had to go through the distributors CAMAC. Remember that name ladies & gentlemen and I hope you'll never have the misfortune to deal with them. 3 weeks to send me the part.- the wrong one. then another few days for the right one. When I telphoned them I was treated like a bloody nuicance in an offhand & rude manner. Even their E-mail facility was out of order.
In my frustration, I E-Mailed Ovation UK who completely ignored my
requests - thanks guys ! - it was only thanks to the efforts of Andy Schlosser at Ovation USA who managed somehow to communicate successfully with CAMAC that I managed to get the part at all.
I give the customer support USA 10 points, and Customer support France -50 points.Customer support UK may not even exist as far as I can tell.

I've been playing for 30 years. I also own a couple of electrics & a Legend 12-String. Before I bought it, I wish I'd asked if it had a case, as I sold my Elite to be able to buy it along with it's case. I turned up at the shop with the money & was told there was no case ! Thanks a lot Music Market. This guitar probably cost less new than what I paid second-hand. With a case included! But as the dollar has gained in value,a new one is double that now! So although I think the price was high, it was still a saving on a new one and worth every penny,in any case - sorry did I say case, grumble, grumble.
If it was stolen or lost, I'd run around in eternal circles like a chicken with its head cut off screaming, until someone offered me another one to shut me up, or if not successful I'd somehow scrape enough money together to buy another one - with a case !