Ovation Celebrity CC01

I have a new model (2001/2002) which I got in April 2002. Its the standard CC01 Version, no extras, just a nice Ovation (but without pickup, I use a soundhole mounted device from time to time, which I got extra).

I play Country and contemporary Christian music, and for this style the CC01 is pretty much OK. The bass got be better, but that's all.

Everything was fine and solid, no misalignments or loose pegs. Good quality!

My CC01 joined me on Boyscout camps, weekly worship services, and some trips (even on a motorbike), and it still looks new.

I had a 1 year warranty on the first guitar I bought in September 2001. Christmas 2001, I realized a small crack in the head. I send her in March 2001 and had a brand new CC01 in April. No questions, no explanation, no costs (not even shipping): great service.

I play guitars for 20 years (incl. Ibanez Ragtime, classical Western, etc.) The only thing I miss now is the integrated pickup, but otherwise I like this little thing.

Not sure of when it was made, but I bought it in June of 2001. 20 frets, no electronics. V shaped neck that is really easy to play. It came with gig bag from the store I bought it from and they threw in a year warranty.

I like the sound of it for many songs that I play. Sounds great with America, but when trying to play Eric Clapton, it sorta falls short.

This was set up great when I got it. Other players agreed and said the same basic things about it.

So far, this seems very reliable. My loving sister was nice enough to drop it on the driveway, and only a small scratch came on the back of the head.

I like the guitar for what it is. Surely it doesn't play like a $3000 Gibson, but it is a great guitar for the price.

I got mine in 1992, it was NOS so I don't know how old exactly. I think it was made in Korea. Here's the specs: Spruce top with gloss finish, nato neck with a hard V, 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard w/ diamond fret markers, rosewood strings-thru bridge, plastic saddle and nut, ping tuners, lyracord back, piezo pickup with volume and tone controls. Came with a decent case.

It sounds OK strummed, OK fingerpicked. It's pretty good for playing single lines. It could use a little more volume and some more bass. It has a pretty midrangy sound that is unique for an acoustic guitar. It sounds great when you use it to play slide. That's where it's timbre is truly exploited. It has dobro like qualities, without the volume of course. I don't know why so many people are ripping on the sound. Mine sounds fine, not quite like and acoustic but unique. I guess it may depend on the year. From what I understand, some celebrities have solid tops while others have laminate. Mine sounds better today than in 1992. It's has usable tone, pretty good tone with new strings. Plugged it sounds like crap. If you don't roll the tone down, it sounds too tinny and harsh. I leave the tone between zero and three most of the time.

I like the action. I am big fan of V necks, and to find one on an acoustic guitar is rare. The neck is very playable. Single note runs are pretty easy on this guitar. The string spacing is more like an electric, so it is easy to go from and electric to this guitar. I didn't notice too many flaws. I replaced the cheap plastic saddle with a compensated bone saddle, and it helped out with the intonation. It's not the most ergonomic guitar. It sits on your lap a little funny, and sits against your body in a funny angle with a strap. My friend's brother called this guitar the watermelon, because it kept on flipping up while you were playing it as if you were holding half a watermelon.

This is where this guitar shines. I have brought this guitar with me and logged over 20,000 miles with this guitar. It has survived the cold of Chicago, the humidity of Virginia, the dryness of Colorado, the rain of Seattle and all points in between to still be a very playable guitar. You couldn't really tell the wear on the guitar. This is what I feel that this guitar is made for. The lyracord is made of the same stuff they use to make the fins of learjets. It's tough and light. For those who feel there is no value in an Ovation tell me if your guitar can do the following and still be a playable guitar in decent condition:
Survive 2 drops on the sidewalk.
Travel in the back of a truck from Michigan to Ohio in the pouring rain on bumpy country roads (in the case).
Sit in the trunk of a car overnight in hot and cold.
Be loaded by airport baggage personnel dozens of times
Take a knock on the back from a fallen screwdriver.

The only knock on it's durability is with the tuners. They seem to be slipping lately.

Never had to deal with them

It sounds OK. It plays good. It is the Timex of guitars. I would take it anywhere and have taken it everywhere (gigs, camping, slumming, jamming,college parties,etc..). I think that is guitar could outlast the roaches in the event of a nuclear war. For these reasons I give it a high rating. It has served me well, and for that reason, it has sentimental value to me. You need to play a guitar to get attached to one. You don't get attached to something that sits in the case and never leaves the house. You want something you can have be a part of your memories, and this guitar has.

Do not know the year, bought it used in '92. Does not state country of origin; I am guessing Korea. Laminated Top. Not sure of the neck wood (has a cherry finnish), has a plastic bowl for a back. Pretty shure the bridge is made of plastic. Cheap looking tuners; but they work. Came with a naugahyde gig bag. The head stock says "Celebrity" not "Ovation". I guess they are modest when it comes to taking credit for such a fine instrument.

The ultimate guitar to play Kumbaya on. Almost sounds as good as rubberbands on a shoebox.

Action was a little high when I got it. I removed the saddle to make an adjustment and found a plastic shim under the saddle. I threw it out and the action was fine. Neck is actually pretty comfortable close to an electric and plays well.

This guitar will stand up to anything. The finnish could withstand Flamenco style "dancing" never mind playing. The strap buttons are securily bolted into the Fiberglass body. I could depend on this guitar as a flotation device or as a weapon. I would not even use this as a backup guitar. Would not even try to smash this guitar on stage; my guess is, it would not break and I would look like a dick.

Would not bother. After hearing the sound, you will need emotional support as opposed to customer support.

Ive been playing for ten years. I have a Martin HD28, ES335 and a Baby Taylor. If it were lost or stolen, I would not admit to being the owner (fearing that it may be recovered). To be fair, I learned to play on this guitar. Has value since I can leave it in a car trunk, on my porch or anywhere and not worry about it. Plays easy and stays in tune (that says a lot for a $50.00 used guitar). Please, do not pay more than $80.00 for this, even Carlo Robelli makes better guitars.

Celebrity laminated spruce top with a simple pre-amp for electronics. Guitar is ther mid sized bowl and was built in early 90's and has the cutaway body. Tuners say "Ping" but I always thought they made golf clubs.

Hands down one of the most awful sounding $300 guitars in the world. No bass to speak of and it absolutely cannot serve any style music I will be playing. The only purpose the guitar serves is that a beginner can have a cool looking guitar because they have not developed an ear yet. That was my exact situation 10 years ago. Plugged in it does mildly better because you have the power to adjust bass, treble and most importantly: VOLUME!

The neck and action is excellent. Most ovations I have played are extremely playable. Notice I didn't say bearable. The playability is another reason why this is a good beginners guitar. I never had a problem with the finish and the plastic round back makes it easy for a beginner to see what he/she is trying to play.

To be fair, this guitars body has to be the most durable on earth. I have seen this guitar bounce like a basketball! However, the tuners lifespans are are not much longer than 2 years. Imagine playing a guitar that has awful sound and then add the fact that it will not stay in tune!

I sent this guitar for repairs soon after I purchased it Because I nooticed a manufacturing defect. It still has not been sent back! The guitar shop I was dealing with had to give me another Celebrity off the rack because it had already been 2 months. I was a beginner at that time stoked about playing and two months with no guitar was like an eternity.

I would rate this guitar a 2 because it did allow me to learn on its electric guitar like neck. I shold have brought someone who knew something about acoutic guitar sound with me when I decided to by a guitar. I was sold on the cool looks so no other guitar had a chance it the price range. If it were stolen after the first year I would have jumped for joy. This guitar was recently retired to that great guitar junkyard in the sky. I am currently playing 2 Alvarez Yairi acoustic guitars: the Dy-62 and the Dy-85A. They are wooden!!!!!

My Ovation is a 1988 model that was made in Korea. It's got 20 frets with a solid spruce top. It's got no electronics, it was made before electronics became pretty much standard in Ovations. Because of this, I've come to the conclusion it was better made than the newer Ovations. It's got a Cadillac greenburst finish with the standard Ovation rosette. Thru-Bridge stringing. Mine came with an SKB hardshell case It's an absolutely gorgeous guitar.

I play a lot of country, contemporary Christian, rock, blues, bluegrass. It's been a great guitar for all of these. It's got a good low end with a great mid and an awesome treble to it. It's got a really good blend when playing chords. An awesome rhythm guitar. It does lack a little on the single note picking end, but only in flatpicking. It shines in fingerpicking. Projects very well so is great for mic'ing.

I got this guitar second hand so I can't say how it was coming out of the factory, but when I got it, the action was perfect (for me anyway). Since I've gotten it I haven't had to change a thing about the action, it's a good mid ground, no fret buzz whatsoever. The guitar as far as action and finish had no flaws when I got it. I've put a couple dings and scratches in the top, but that's from me being a little careless. This has become my secondary acoustic to my Takamine, but it's still a wonderful guitar.

I've had this guitar for a year, so it's really hard for me to rate it's durability. But from what I've read about other newer Ovations after the first year, this guitar is coming along outstandingly. The sound is actually getting better as it gets older, which as I understand is an oddity in Ovation guitars. It sounds at least 50% better now than the day I got it.

I've had no experience with the company since I bought it second hand. I'd imagine any warranty has gone out on it.

I've been playing almost two years now. Not long I know, but I'm getting there. Other equipment, I've got a 60's Japanese copy of the Rickenbacker 4003 bass (very sweet, fretless..very nice), a Jackson Performer Series 2 electric guitar, an Epiphone Les Paul 4 string bass, an early 60's japanese copy of the Fender Jaguar, a Takamine ESG-45SC, and a Samick ...plain dreadnaught acoustic (forgot the model number and it's not here currently...it's the next to lowest end guitar they have) ....My Ovation is a great guitar...of course my Takamine is my primary gigging guitar, but if I need the Ovation, it's there for me at all times. It's a wonderful guitar and I'm proud to pull it out and play it no matter how many dings I put it because I know it will sound good and I've gotten compliments from people who normally hate Ovations on how good this one sounds. It's a great axe.

Year 1999,Mahogany top

Gutar sounds like shit, Zero bass on low E string, I thought I had a dead string but it wasn't the case

Looks good, poor action ,hard to fret

I heard ovation tops crack alot

Playing 1 year, I play a Taylor 310 whick I love. I bought this Ovation cc-01 to take to work with me. I mailed it back for a full refund to musicians friend asap

I think this CC01 was made in 1997 or 1998. The previous owner had a piezo pickup installed,same type as the CC057,but without the preamp,so therefore there are no controls or battery. Just plug it in. It has the natural finish,looks good. Mahongany neck which is thin and fast with a slight V shape to it. Generic type tuners.

The acoustic sound quality is not impressive,but better than the old Epiphone I had before. Plugged in it sounds good...but again nothing to excite yourself about. The lack of an on-board preamp or at least volume control is annoying. I'm really a bassist that "toys" with guitars,so the tonal qualities aren't really THAT important to me. Ease of playing was a greater consideration. My kids are also using it to learn to play guitar...fits their hands very well!

Since I purchased it used,I can't comment on the factory set-up. The piezo pickup installation looks to have been done professionally. The action was set well for ease of playing ALL the way up the neck without excessive string/fret buzz. Again the main reason fro purchase was it's ease of playing for me and the kids!

Being used,the finish already had a couple of dings in it. After a few months of the kids practicing on it,I'd say the finish is holding up well! No problems structurally,or with the hardware. No signs of the imfamous Ovation finish cracks so far!

Haven't had any reason to contact them.

Since I play bass,I don't depend on this guitar for live performances. As an instrument to practice/toy with or for a student to learn on,I am pleased with it. Since the kids tend to "strum" harder than an experienced player would,I keep extra light strings on it. As compared to the Epiphone I had before(a model 150 I believe),this is much easier to play for those of us that are less talented!

This is the pure accoustic (no onboard pickups or EQ) version of the Celebrity line. Made in Korea, Spruce top, composite fiberglass bowl, mahogony neck (I think) and rosewood fingerboard. The finish is a nice, deep woodgrain similar to the vintage honeyburst on a Les Paul. It has the trademark "rosetta" design around the soundhole. Generic looking tuners, "thru-bridge" design. I had to buy the case on my own, which was necessary because this guitar will not fit into generec accoustic hardshell cases. Built in 1993/94. I was really annoyed that it didn't come with a hardcase.

Here's my biggest beef with this guitar. When I played it in the music store, it sounded much larger and brighter than other guitars in the same price range...particularly Yamahas, which sounded horrible. It was very bright and had a nice, full sound when playing chords. It had a sound that just jumped out at me and the price was right.
Now...four years later...it sounds like crap. A cheaper "traditionally" designed accoustic that my friend bought at around the same time sounds better than ever while my Ovation has been steadily sounding worse. I have kept it stored correctly, have not exposed it to abnormally high or low temp/humidity...I just don't get it. The guitar has aged about as gracefully as Zsa Zsa Gabor. Yuck! Perhaps it has something to do with the spruce top naturally changing shape while the fiberglass bowl stays completely ridgid. I don't know...it now has a very dull low-end and brittle high end with nothing in between. Full strumming still sounds okay, but single-note flatpicking and fingerpicking are out. A real let-down.

The action on this guitar was set up just fine. It has always played more like an electric than an accoustic with a nice, narrow neck. Very easy to play, especially for a person with small hands like myself. No complaints here. The finish has always looked nice and held up very well even though ovations do not come with pickguards. There were no flaws in the original finish and I do believe that the fiberglass composite bowl is actually bulletproof.

Another beef with this guitar...the bridge, which is really just a piece of plastic glued down to the body of the guitar, is rattling like crazy. This is just a stupid little thing, but on top of the general lack of sound quality of this instrument, it has been very annoying. Outside of that, its seems like it won't come apart anytime soon.

Never dealt with them...the bridge started giving me problems long after the warranty expired.

I've been playing the guitar for almost eight years. My first accoustic was a crappy $150 Kay that I grew out of after learning my first three chords. I eventually bought a Fender Strat and spent several years playing that before I saved up enough money to buy this Ovation so that I would have an accoustic again. This was my main accoustic for about five years until I recently purchased a SWEET Taylor Grand Auditorium. Needless to say, I no longer even look at the Ovation. If it were stolen, I probably wouldn't notice.
In all fairness, this guitar was fine for about a year. After that I started to notice that the sound was deteriorating. It was still a fairly nice guitar until the bridge started rattling and I lost patience with it. I think I would certainly think twice before buying an Ovation that didn't have onboard pickups and EQ...this design just doesn't seem suited for pure accoustic sounds. I eventually bought a DeArmond "in the hole" pickup to use for home recording, but the sound never translated well.
This is a fair buy for the money, but it will not suit you if you have any serious desire to record at home or play live. After a few years, you'll be wishing you had another axe to play with. It is easy to play and has a great initial sound...I just found it ultimately unsatisfying.

Mid sixe bowl, simple bass, treble, volume, preamp. And its black....oooohhhhh.

It sounds like poop unpugged. It gets up to about an 8 when you first put on a new set of John Pierce strings, but that is only temporary. Plugged in is where you can justify spending more. If you use a good P.A. (not a guitar amp) it can sound pretty good. It dosn't sparkle at all, but if you like that it's OK. I don't, thats why I don't like this guitar a whole lot.

Bad, needs a setup really bad. Its hard to play bar chords for a whole song. The open chords are OK and fingerpicking is OK too as long as you stay lowere on the neck. The necks isn't very firm. It has a truss rod, but it still flexes a lot. High action makes me mad. This guitar isn't my favorite player either.

Man, except for breaking a string you would be fine. I think I might try going sledding in it sometime. The battery lasts a long time too.

It's a quick and modest fix if you don't have a stage guitar and you don't plan on buying anything really nice right away. If your looking at getting this as an upgrade, don't. And don't buy any ovation unless you buy it for the sole reason of plugging it in.

1997, maybe 98 20 frets acoustic only (not an elec/acous) Spruce top, natural/blonde Chrome tuners (brand unknown, look like Sperzel) case was not included
Picked this up at a local Guitar Center super sale after my old acoustic died.

Likes: Has a very nice rich low end and a bright high end. I play with a friend who plays a Takamine G series and it is a perfect compliment. Great for Counting Crows, Jars of Clay, etc. Can also change from a bright tone to a nice, thick, meaty sound i.e.-Creed. Fingerpicking is a breeze. Tonally, it is perfectly balanced.

The neck has a smaller radius than many others, comparable to a Les Paul. Great action up and down. I have a smaller hand than most people and can easily reach my hand all the way around (a problem I have with some other guitars). The back of the neck has a nice satiny finish so your hand can move around comfortably. The tuners are very smooth and responsive. Strings are very easily replaced.

This guitar seems very solid. The back is made of a compopsite plasic/fiberglass material and is very resistant to scratches, cracks, temperature changes, humidity, etc... Regarding live playing, I play this guitar live almost every night outside with a friend. Extremely reliable. The hardware is very smooth and does not seem like it will fail anytime soon. There is no pickguard, but the finish seems to be standing up very well. Currently, this is my only acoustic and I would use this at a gig without a backup so long as I had an extra couple of high "E" strings. The bridge looks like a weaker, lightweight wood that might break if not taken care of or warp over time. The strings are installed throught the exterior of the guitar via this bridge. It is very easy to replace the strings and I am not too worried about the bridge.

I have not had to deal with customer support as of this time. However, I have checked the Ovation web site, and support is handled very professionally.

I have been playing for approximately 4 years. I own a 1994 Epiphone LP-100, a Zoom 510 effects processor, a Korg GT-10 (?) tuner. If my Ovation were to be stolen or lost, I would most likely try to find another one like it. If that were not possible, I would try to get a Takamine G series. The Ovation has a composite back made of a plastic/fiberglass type composite and is molded in the sahpe of a bowl. This helps with the sound but also gives it a tendency to slide off your leg while playing. Not a big problem, just a little annoying. The lack of a pickguard is a little disconcerting, but the finish seems very strong and resistant to scratches or dings.