Ovation 1999 Collector's Edition

1999 collectors edition made in the USA. 24 frets and has rare exotic wood for top. Deep red in colour with waterfall effect and is a solid piece of wood. The finish is very high gloss and hard,it has no pick gaurd but does not get scratched at all.It has an Ovation optima preamp and pickup system and is the best electric accoustic pickup I have ever heard.The preamp has 4 band eq with notch filter that works. It has a built in tuner that works like a dream. This is a big plus on a guitar. The preamp has 90 db signal to noise ratio which make it ideal for studio recording work. Body is carbon fibre in round back Ovation style mid dept bowl.The neck is a dream,hand rubbed perfectly shaped,5 piece laminated for stenght and stability. Finger board is ebony and it has ivory edging. The tunners are gold schaller and work perfectly.Bone nut and bridge pieces are used. It comes standard with ovation case which is beutifully made and holds the guitar perfectly.

The sound is awesome,and different to your normal accoustic.Perfectly balanced through out the harmonic range from high to low. Amazing sustain and zinging sound that can't be matched by normal guitars.I use the guitar into a Laney ea 120 amp. The pickup sound is not natural accoustic but more electric accoustic sounding. If you want a guitar that produces as close to natural as possible this is not the sound you are looking for, but if you want an electric accoustic sound this is the best. The natural sound can be mic'ed up if need be. Only negative comment is that the naural sound is not as big as a jumbo or dreadnought but it is not really designed for that.

Action was well setup from factory. You have the option of removing shims under the bridge if you like lower action. Neck adjustment can also be made to specific preference. My only negative comments are in the finish of the guitar. Where the neck joins the body of the guitar there are gaps around the suraces,the sound holes have epaulets made from pieces of exotic woods and the edges have curled slighty.The front strap button is in the most strange place and causes the guitar to slide away at an angle which makes playing while standing difficult. I relocated the button and the problem was quickly solved. I am suprised Ovation have not repositioned it by now. However this is a well made guitar and these are very minor problems which don't worry me much. The playability of the guitar is so easy and good that these things become minor when the guitar has to deliver for you.

This guitar has and will withstand live playing and hardware is very solid. The carbon fibre back and sides gives the guitar wonderfull protection from marks and scratches because it is such a tought surface. The guitar is a work horse and should last for years.I can depend on it. It is prone to breaking strings if played hard. Strap buttons front and back. Back one not part of input jack which is nice.

Never had to use them.

I have been playing for 20 years plus. Have many other guitars. I would cry if it were stolen and I would replace it with another Ovation. I love the feel it ,solid smooth neck, the sound...people sit up when the first notes are played. Only thing that I still have to get used to is the round back. It tends to slide off you.

As soon as I played this sucker in the store I knew I had to have it!!! Made in USA the craftsmanship is wonderful. The top is Red Waterfall Bubinga. I think it's from Africa. The built in tuner is a dream come true. The neck is smooth and fast, just right for playing acoustic Rock and Roll!!!!Comes with the usual Ovation hard shell case... Good thing!!!!

I think it's the Bubinga top that gives it an awsome sound.. This thing is a tone beast!!!! I can play anything on here from James Taylor to The Alarm, without missing a beat!!! Sounds unreal, very quiet. I leave this volume all the way up all the time. I play it through a Trace Elliot TA100CR and the thing dosn''t even hiss!!!!
I also play a 1990 Collectors Edition, and it has some hiss so I know it's not the monitor

The finish is unmatched!!! Came set up so close to perfect right out of the box, it isn't even funny!!!! I had one concern so I took it to
an authorized Ovation Serviceman... Come to find out it was my cheap CAPO.. but the repairman told me,, The bodies are put together, and finished before they are glued to the neck. so the neck is glued on top of the pain and varnish... Sound kinda shabby to me but I haven't had any problems yet... We shall See!!!

I have been playing every weekend for about a year and ahalf nbow, with NO problems what so ever...Thanks Ovation

I have had a few questions, and tried to get ahold of Kaman through their website... I tell ya Who ever runs their website needs a guitar stuck in his/her ass!!!!! It's the pits!!!!! No one returns calls or e-mails!!

I have been playing about 23 years and have had alot of stuff...I would die if something happened to this...They are getting kind of hard to find!!!!

Made in the USA in 1999, this guitar is a real beauty: The solid top is made of "Red Waterfall Bubinga", a rare hardwood from West Africa.
It has 15 soundholes like the Adamas series used to have. The body is a mid-depth bowl with cutaway. The fingerboard offers 24 frets and is made of deluxe grade ebony with no inlays or dots on it. There are small dots on the top side of the fingerboard, though.
The neck is made of 5 parts, mainly mahagony with two builtin maple stripes.
The headstock is finished with another piece of "Red Waterfall Bubinga", the mechanics are 24K gold and fit into the headstock such that all strings are kept in a straight line over the whole length. For this, the guitar keeps tuning very well.
The pickup is an Optima CP-100 preamp with 4-band-equalizer and integrated chromatic tuner with LED's. There are two plugs in the bowl, a standard gutar cable plug an an XLR plug. The latter can be used with phantom power, so one doesn't need a battery to be in place.
The "1999 Collector's Edition" comes with a deluxe case.

I play mostly fingerstyle and in addition some flatpicking. The sound is very clear and full and really beautiful. It's a perfect solo instrument for fingerstyle players. Even in the 12th fret and beyond the sound of full chords and chords with open strings is totally clean. There is no vibration within the chord you occasionally hear on other guitars, due to slight detune.

The guitar is perfectly set up at the factory, the action was good for me, not too low. The playability is fantastic. All parts are cleanly fixed and adjusted and the finish is excellent, too.

I always use to take much care of instruments, so the "1999 Collector's Edition" will last for a very long time ;-) Seriously, it is a solid instrument, al parts are of right dimension, of best quality and are accurate installed.
There is no pickguard, thus you should either play accurate with the pick or you may think about a transparent pickguard to be installed. I prefer accurate playing to avoid touching the top with nails or picks. For fingerstyle purists, this shouldn't be a big issue.
Remember, it's a collectors edition, thus beeing beautiful is an advantage, but I will take enough care and polish fluid for the top to keep it in it's beauty.

I play for 23 years now and have been playing several 6 string acoustic guitars (classical and steel string) and a 12 string Ibanez in the late 70's. If I hade to decide it again, I would certainly buy the same guitar, assumed I had the money (which I don't have anymore ;-) It was the first new guitar I bought after 15 years.
Concerning me: I almost always fall in love with a beautiful instrument (I play others as well), so it was imperative that I felt in love with this guitar. In addition the sound and the playability are perfect - I can't imagine a better guitar for me.