Ovation 6778 Elite Standard LX

05 model bought new.multi hole new england burst. OP pro eq. low gloss on the neck, rosewood board. the onboard tuner isnt the best. It will say your tuned but you know its not when you play. you have to recheck a time or two or use a tuner for accuracy.

Its an Ovation so its sounds awsome of coarse. fits many styles of music perfectly

high action. took out the shims under the saddle and much better. would like a little lower but will be fine. It plays great. the neck is very straight.
the neck has some gloss on it and started to wear after a few years and the neck became very sticky and slow. 600 grit sand paper took care of that and now its f-ing awsome.

solid guitar for sure.

good

I only play Ovations.I own five USA models. I gig for a living and you cant find a better stage guitar for the road.

Owned my 2007 LX Standard Elite since September 2007 - bought it new via Ebay; the Seller did set up the guitar before shipping (a little high than what I am used to, but the intonation was perfect), but after letting it acclimate for two weeks I took it to my local luthier & had the action lowered & re-intonated. This is my first Ovation (after 20+ years of coveting my friends' Legends, Balladeers, DiMeola models etc.) and I'm hooked! Fit and finish are perfect (mine has the natural finish top), but I would have liked a little more mother-of-pearl on the top. On board tuner & 3-band EQ & pre-amp sound amazing & true no matter what amp I'm plugged into. The tuners are classy - the have a little image of the guitar milled into them. This guitar gets lots of compliments - the inlays are beautiful & flawless.

Sounds like an Ovation - no mistaking their guitars when you hear them, and I expect it to only get better as the solid Spruce top & finish age over the years. Mid-bowl depth is perfect, and the satin finish (as opposed to glossy) does not slow down lead playing at all. The guitar fits well when playing seated, but tends to "roll" bottom-up when using a strap. WARNING: you cannot have a BIG BELLY if you want to own any Ovation, unless you get the shallow bowl - that's just the way it is!

Don't know what the factory set-up was like as the Seller set it up before shipping. The guitar arrived without a scratch. All my other guitars (except for my 1997 Les Paul Classic) have pickguards; this doesn't so I've put a couple of dingers on it. I do think Ovation could have dressed-up the bridge a bit, or used Ebony instead of Rosewood.

One of my friend's has a 25-year old Legend, and he has had trouble with the top bowing up at the bridge; other than his I've never seen any real old Ovations (late 60s-early 70s), but my Standard Elite LX comes with a very well scalloped braced top, so time will tell - check back in 30 years!

Got a great price because the Seller is one of the largest Ovation dealers in the U.S. List price was $1649, they were asking $1149 plus shipping, made an offer which they countered at $939 plus $39 shipping, custom hardshell case included - Guitar Center wouldn't come close, and they wanted an extra $100 for a Natural Finish top (most popular, they said). I love this guitar - it feels, plays & sounds like the gem that it is. With Ovation, you can see, feel & hear every penny's worth.

My 6778 features the New England Burst finish - dazzling, and always a joy to pull out of the case. The guitar comes with a hardcase, and the recent price drop made the decision to purchase a snap. I bought the Elite to use as a road guitar, preferring NOT to travel with my Guild F45ce, or Taylor 814ce. Surprisingly, since buying the Ovation, the Guild and Taylor have stayed in their cases. Such is fun I've been having with the Ovation.

The specs are:
6-String Acoustic/Electric
Body Type: Mid-Depth Bowl
Top: A Grade Solid Sitka Spruce
Bracing: Scalloped LX
Scale Length: 25 1/4"
Fretboard: Bound Rosewood
Fret Inlay: Dots and Diamonds
Bridge: Rosewood
Rosette: Inlaid Epaulets
Pickup: Original Patended Pickups
Nutwidth: 1 11/16"
Machines: Chrome

My style is mixed strum and finger-pick. This instrument perfectly matches my style. The mid-depth body (bowl) provides tons of low-end - more than I'd anticipated, while providing plenty of high-end to balance the sound. The sound is good enough to mic WITHOUT using the onboard electronics - but you'd be crazy to do that, as the Op Pro preamp is the best onboard electronics package I've ever seen or owned.

Ovation has been in a sales slump, I'm told. And this has caused them to move manufacturing offshore just like every other industry you can think of. What this means is that you're looking at the last of the 'American-assembled' ovations, and they've dropped the price way down to move them out. Case in point: My instrument lists in the $1700+ range, but was selling for around $1100, or $1200. Following the price drop, I bought mine from a small local dealer for $749.00

Hard to imagine how you can go wrong at this price. That said, I've learned that Ovations are not every player's cup of tea. Traditionalists and Acoustisnobs have always trashed Ovation, forgetting that some very fine artists have championed Ovations and Adamas (and still do). They record well, are rugged, and in some cases (such as my LX) are very, very light weight. If you're expecting a Goodall or McPherson, you're barking up the wrong (lyracord)tree. Ed Gerhard will never be caught playing an Ovation. Good for Ed. For my style of music, this is as close to an ideal axe as I can imagine for anywhere NEAR the price.

Generally, fit and finish are very good. A couple of minor gripes. The bottom-side edges of the frets need to be dressed. Running my hand up and down the neck, I can feel the telltale abrasiveness that says the ends of the frets are sticking out just a tad. Likewise, the intonation, while reasonably good, isn't 100%. Some neck adjustment, and possibly a compensating saddle are indicated. That's why it pays to know a good luthier. So, I'll spend $150 or so to iron out these little issues.

Cosmetically, the instrument is flawless, and very, very eye-catching on a lit stage.

Ovations are known for being 'bulletproof', due to the lyracord body. Many years ago I owned a Balladeer, which stood up to all kinds of abuse. I expect this one to do the same, despite the lighter construction methods. There's info online that explains in great detail how Ovation achieved the same ruggedness while shedding weight off the guitar. I expect no issues on this topic

No comment, as I've had no reason to contact them, thus far.

I've been performing since the mid '60's, and have owned more guitars than I care to remember. I own a variety of instruments at present, including the Guild and Taylor, a Gretsch Country Gentleman, a Fender Strat Standard, a Washburn HB-30 (ES-335 clone), and a Yamaha silent guitar. This instrument, plugged into my 100 Watt Fishman Loudbox is as nice an amplified acoustic as I've ever heard or played. Just can't get enough of the sound!

Elite Standard, made in the US in 2004. New Lyrachord GS (what some may call plastic) body, typical Ovation, in its mid-depth bowl execution (i.e. not too thin & not too deep...). Cutaway for easy access to upper frets. The top is made of Grade A spruce (scalloped bracing) with inlaid epaulets (unlike previous Ovation models, where the epaulets sat somehow "on top" of the table. The quality of the epaulets is very high, they look great, thanks to the amazing precision of the work and the wood selection. Mine is of a beautiful New England burst finish (i.e. brownish to orange sunburst). Looks outstanding. Only Gibson comes close on this sort of finish (e.g. the Martin sunburst - OK only on very few models...- looks pretty clumsy.
Five pieces laminated neck with a very smooth satin finish. Looks & feels great. Rosewood fingerboard with a thin white binding.
Tuners (whatever they are, they're branded as Ovation) do a very good job.
OP-Pro preamp, pretty straightforward and well placed in terms of visibility & easy to reach (volume, 3 band Eq. that can be by-passed & extremely convenient in-built tuner, what more would you need?).
Overall, this guitar looks stunning and even on close inspection, you would have a hard time finding anything dodgy.
Finally, the guitar comes in a very sturdy Ovation hard case.

OK, it's an Ovation and therefore, it sounds like an Ovation... In other words, it will never have the warmth and depth of tones that I can get from my Martin D-35 or the gentleness of my Gibson J-45. On the other hand, it offers its own type of sound, pretty well balanced, if anything slightly on the bright side. The sound is very precise (i.e. not muddy) and some may even call it "clinical", which I personally do not mind. Again, to be expected from an Ovation. When plugged in my small Ashdown radiator amp., it actually sounds lovely and very rich. However, you need to be very careful with the Eq. settings as they're pretty sensitive and you need to somehow control a tendency to produce too much of a harsh sound... but again, the Eq. allows you to control that very effectively. Add a touch of reverb and you probably get one of the best electro-acoustic sound available on the market.

Set-up was perfect. Low action, which makes it very easy to play. Finish is immaculate (probably a lot of laser hi-tech tools in the factory...).
Only thing which has to do with the shape of the guitar, when you sit, it has a tendency to tilt/slide on your laps (i.e. given the round shape of the bowl).

I have had this guitar for a year now and still nothing to worry about. The materials used and the nature of the construction suggests that this is one of the sturdiest guitar you can get.

Never had to deal with the company.

Playing mostly folk/rock from the 60's/70's. (Stones, Grateful Dead, Neil Young, Dylan, etc.). This guitar being actually quite an all-rounder suits this stuff pretty well, both for strumming and fingerpicking. I also own a Martin D-35, a Santa Cruz 00 (see review here) and a Gibson J-45, which all offer a warmer (and more 3D) sound than the Ovation, but none of which has as much flexibility. Ultimately, the Ovation comes with its own sound and the added benefit of sounding great when plugged in. Also, it is probably the easiest to play from this lot... So definitely it deserves its spot amongst all these (more expensive) guitars. And again, it looks gorgeous... Lastly, I also own a small Brook Bovey, which is a cute little travel guitar (also reviewed in HC), and an electric Gibson Les Paul (Gary Moore)but that's something different...

2004 Standard Elite LX (6778LX) cutaway acoustic-electric. The A grade gloss finished spruce top differs from the up-model Elite LX's AA top only in esthetic appearance, which is probably hard to discern. The five piece laminated neck is solid as a rock, and has the satin finish, unlike most gloss necks, but which I find very playable. A light coat of Butcher's wax gives it a super-silky feel. Rosewood fingerboard and inlaid epaulets round out the major features. The built in tuner works well and is a nice convenience.

Typical Ovation sound, sweet and balanced. Compared to my 1983 1117 Legend, it's less boomy at the bottom end, probably because it's a mid-depth bowl rather than deep bowl. Intonation is execellent, and the tone is nice all the way up the neck. The only time I played it amplified was in the store when I bought it, and it was just superb, plugged straight into the amp. I'm going to have to get a small practice amp!

I like low action, and this Ovation was perfectly set-up right off the rack! I couldn't believe it, because the Taylors, even the high end models, all felt like cheap imports in comparison. I put on a set of x-lights (10-47), and lowered the action at the saddle a hair to 4/64" at the high E and 5/64" at the low E, and there isn't a buzz to be heard. The neck relief is just right. I play fingerstyle, and this LX is by far the best playing guitar, from the first fret to the 12th, I've ever played. No exaggeration. The inlaid epaulets are done really well. The finish on the top is excellent.

It appears to built really well, and and has that "well put together" feel when you play it. I expect that it will hold up well over the years, like my Legend, living up to Ovation's reputation for durability. Straplok buttons are a plus for you folks who perform or like to play standing up.

I've had occasion to speak to Ovation's customer support reps only twice, but they've not disappointed. Always responsive, knowledgeable, friendly, and able to help out.

For prospective buyers, it's an easy decision for Ovation fans, but it deserves a close look for everyone. It compares very favorably in terms of tone and playablility to Taylor and Martin, and the Lyrachord bowl is a definite plus if durablility is a consideration. When price is factored in, it's clear that the LX series is a tremendous value.

I am just following up on the review I made on this guitar a month ago. This guitar rocks unplugged and especially plugged. It is a superb guitar. Try one out and be impressed by what Ovation had to offer in their new guitars.

Fantasic guitar!

Made in 2004, the LX series marks a new beginning for the Ovation guitar company. This guitar is an elite multi-soundhole model with the new inlayed (instead of onlayed) epaulets which are superb. The top is awesome solid spruce, finished in a spectacular burst. The electronics are the OP-Pro which make this guitar sound incredible pluggeg in. The neck is outstanding.

The LX sound as good or better UNPLUGGED than a Taylor 3XX or a low end Martin, or any other $1k or so guitar. The improvements are incredible. If you have oerlooked Ovation in the past, look again. The LX are a new breed. Incredible tone.

Awesome fit and finish, as to be expected from a USA Ovation

This thing would survive a nuclear blast. Hell its half plastic! Very durable.

Ovation is great

I own a Martin CEO4, a Yairi DY84K, a Martin LXM, and a Washburn WD44S, all nice guitars. I gig with the Ovation. It rocks and has a SWEET neck on it. Don't take my word for it, go play an LX guitar! You won't regret it!