Ovation CS247 Celebrity Deluxe

The finish is gloss top, satin neck back. The finish is impeccable! The body style is ovation round-bowl, mid-depth. The bridge style is a string-through-bridge, or pinless bridge (ovation style). Tuners look like planet waves, but I can't remember the brand. They rule though. Neck style isn't fat, but isn't thin. Frets are standard (not jumbo, not low). Neck is maple, rosewood fretboard, top is quilted maple two-piece. It came with hardshell case. I think it was made in 2001, forgot where. I think it's 21 fret, solid quilt maple top. It has 3 band EQ, mid shift button, preshape button, eq on/off button, and a volume slider. It's a 6-sensor piezo system. Electronics are active.

It's awesome for my music style (worship music). I don't normally amp it: I run it on the sound board through a direct box. It's not noisy either unless you turn up both mixer and guitar way too loud. It has a great rich sound with EQ and preshape disabled, just a tad bright. With preshape it sounds a tad scooped but it sounds good both ways. It has a decent variety of sound, and responds to moving the picking hand towards and away from the neck. Very little about this guitar I don't like.

It was set up very well at the factory. The action was awesome. There's no pickup adjusting that I am aware of. There's no bookmatching, but the wood is stunningly beautiful. There were no flaws. This guitar RULES in terms of looks: nothing looks better that I have found. Not a flaw!

This guitar is very sturdy, and I would expect it to be awesome live and on the road. The hardware still is strong, and I expect it to last a long time. The finish is SO beautiful, and has lasted! Just run some polish on it and it looks better than new. The strap buttons are solid for non-locking type (but I want to swap 'em with schallers). I have depended on this guitar many times and it has never let me down. I would never go on a gig without a backup. I only play acoustic when I'm leading the singing so....

I've never needed Ovation's customer support.

I've been playing since highschool. I own an Ibanez electric RX240, an ESP EC-100QM, a 1972 fender twin reverb, and a Boss ME-50. (http://www.puresimplicity.net/~twinreverb). I had no problems buying this guitar from a friend. If it was stolen or lost, it would be very hard to find another CS-247 with this exact color and wood, but I would surely try. However, if not, I would still want to buy Ovation again. I love its looks and its beauty. Nothing about it I hate, but the only temperamental thing it has is a habit of eating your 9v battery should you not shut the volume off. I had played other acoustics in stores, but I never really copmared it to others. I wish it had strap locks, that's about it.

Features: as noted by previous reviewers. Mine was bought used from a good music shop for $300. Store gave me a generic hard case, I replaced it with a lightweight genuine Ovation airline case.
I'm putting down "no opinion" for this one b/c it's really not fair to rate Ovation on second-hand resale.

I got this one because I wanted to sound like Dave Matthews. OK, I knew all along it was impossible, but I had started doing guitar leads in my world-music bands and I thought a thin-body Ovation with cutaway would work better. The shop had it set up to perfection when I got it, there is no buzz/distortion/whatever. I've been using it through a little Mackie 12-channel mixer into a small PA. What I love most about the Ovation sound is that it's very even, you get the same dry tone all the way up the neck on every string. BTW, I agree with the first reviewer--use D'Addario strings!

Again, bought second-hand, can't rate the factory. Then again, unless you're buying from a luthier, doesn't every factory guitar need some in-store set-up? Previous owner must have taken good care; mine is the black finish with brown inlay around the multiple near-the-neck soundholes, and I think the appearance is so smashing that I'm strongly tempted to get an Applause mandolin in the same colors.

The other thing I love about an Ovation is that it's a machine. It's a matter of taste, and I certainly appreciate why many guitarists want an all-wood model for the sound. But I play a dozen different wind and string and percussion instruments in a typical performance, and I don't want to fool around with too much tuning or re-stringing. Ovation stays in tune forever, they're hard to break, and I feel good using it without a backup.

Never had to deal with the company directly.

Been serious about guitar for 25 years, and played other strings for 36 years. My previous guitar was a standard Ovation electric-acoustic, my otner guitar now is a Brownsville New York Mini :-) which goes well with my Ashbory bass and my matching mandolin-mandocello-mandobass from Phil Clark of Rocky Mountain Enterprises. Those are just the plucked strings, I've owned and played a museum's worth of different instruments. If I lost this one, I'd want another just like it, unless I decided to try to pare down in which case I'd get a Washburn Rover and have an underbridge piezo pickup installed. I knew what I was getting because I'd fooled around with plenty of other guitars over the years, and I don't think it lacks anything or that I'd change anything.

Year: not sure, probably last year.
Made: not sure. Ovation would know.
Frets: 21-23 (stylized termination)
Top: two-piece (spruce?)
Controls: volume, 3-band eq, pre-shape, and mid-shift.
Pickup: Thinline under-saddle piezo
Electronics: active, I think.
Woods: spruce top, rosewood fretboard, walnut bridge
Finish: quilted top (green)
Body: mid-depth rounded-back, cut-away
Bridge: newer acoustic style: through-string (but not through body)
Tuners: gold, standard Ovation
Neck: Seems to be thinline rosewood.
Scale: dreadnaught (i think)
Accessories: case

Style: it fits in my musical style very well. Using the recommended strings (D'Addario EXP16 light phorphor bronze acoustic), it plays very nice and has great acoustic tone when plugged in. I prefer the pre-shape off and EQ at middle settings, no mid-shift. Works great in rhythm, but you can also switch to lead acoustic duties, which it performs well. The neck is fast and action is awesome.
I use it with a Rogue amp, but have used it plugged directly into a soundboard. Sounded great on both.
It can be noisy if you don't understand amplification concepts (i.e. it has a preamp, so don't plug it into another preamp before going to an amp, etc). With volume at 25% and going to an amp with volumes and EQ all at 50%, it sounds awesome. Could pump a lot more volume out of it, but I'm playing it in an auditorium that seats 100.
The sound is rich and full, but the strings also give it a bright edge. Playing near bridge brightens tone, playing near fretboard mellows tone. Good tonal range.
The guitar can make come bright, clean leads on the high strings, and the low strings sound a little stringy but like they should up high. Intonation is great on this guitar from factory. Going for mellow low-string leads also sounds good, just don't slam the low E super-hard, as the action on this guitar is meant for rhythm and leads, not for heavy slamming rhythm.
I like everything about this guitar, since it's the best I've ever owned. I'd buy another Ovation without a second thought. Plays great, sounds great, looks great.

Action: perfect from factory (like I said just don't slam the low E like you're a teenager). Playing extreeme bar chords live isn't hard as other guitars (except maybe an electric guitar, obviously).
Pickups: internal, and adjusted very nicely. No complaints.
Bookmatched top? Worked fine to me. Routed bridge? Worked fine to me.
Flaws? Nope. It was used, and couldn't find any flaws. The previous owner never modified it, so it looks brand new. There are no pegs (strings are through-bridge), and the tuners look new. I can't find any flaws.

This guitar stands live playing and practicing almost 24/7 without a problem.
Hardware seems very sturdy, and I think it will last a long time.
Finish is excellent: no scratches found. I think it will last.
Strap buttons are perfect (it came with two).
I can depend on it: it has never let me down yet.
I would never go to any gig without a backup, but my backup would probably be another ovation, or my cheapo Fender DG7 (which is a good guitar, albeit without an internal pickup).

Searched the company's website for their string preference, and it was dead-on: the strings they recommend feel like the guitar was designed around them. I've never needed direct customer support yet.
Never needed a repair. I don't think there's a warranty, but Ovation says that they have a lifetime warranty. I wonder if it applies to used guitars.

Since age 15 I have been playing guitars: electric, acoustic, and electric bass. Also have been playing piano since age 10. I own an Ibanez electric (forgot model, but has bridge humbucker and two single pickups), and a Fender DG7, and an Oscar Schmidt classical guitar.
I can't think of anything I should've asked before buying, since I've used it live with my friend before.
If it were stolen or lost, I don't know if I could afford another Ovation, but I'd save up until I could. Ovation rules.
I love everything about it.
I only hate that the preamp can't really be turned off, but then again, I'm fine without that feature.
Compared to my Fender DG7, it's more comfortable than the Fender, it's got better sound and action, and built-in electronics. The Fender DG7 is best for "I'm going someplace where I don't want to take the Ovation for fear of it being stolen or broken", which is 1% of the time.
I wish I had that Earvana setup for my guitar, but I can get that later.
I primarily play Christian praise and worship, but there are many different styles I play.

I bought this used. I don't know what year it is , but it is Korean made.It has a super shallow body with OP 24+ electronics. Lyrachord body.

Unplugged,I do not like it. It seems to have a lot of buzz in it. When it is plugged in it is very loud, and does not sound too bad. It may just need setting up.

It was bought used, and I don't think it has ever been set up properly. The finish is gloss black and had one or two scratches in it. Smudge marks show easily on it. The fret board near the neck is coming unglued. It is hard to play, the strings tear up my fingers if I play for very long. Again, it may just be that it needs to be set up, maybe with a lighter set of strings.

It withstands hard playing. The hardware seems good. The finish smudges easily. I would not use it at a gig without a backup. I would not like to use any guitar at a gig without a backup.

I dealt with Ovation when trying to find out them make and year and they were helpful. They told me it was Korean made and the neck could not replaced if it was damaged.

I think a new Ovation, maybe a Legend or something would be better. I would not buy another like this because I have heard the electronics aren't covered by warranty.