Ovation Magnum 3

This is Zanna from Italy. Magnum III is made in Usa, round 1978 in Connecticut by Kaman. Charcoal Grey. Very long scale but comfortable: 3-piece mahogany neck with graphite strip, ebony fingerboard, dot inlays. Neck is thick and slim: little width at nut, and much wider at bottom. Bolt-on. I think Magnum is the longest bass i ever played. Most of the chord sets, can't fit in because little too short. You must ask for some long enough to fit a sting-thru Jazz Bass.I use DR Mascus Miller.
Body is one-piece light Honduras mahogany, awesome.
Passive electronics. Neck pickup is a huge sidewinder-tipe chrome pickup. Unique with a trim pot for each pole (as upright bass pickup) is a 4 coil humbucker. The bridge one works as split-coil humbucker, u-shaped poles. Very Dub the first, surprisely Jazzy at bridge position. Gibson style controls 2 vol, 2 tone, switch (badly located, if you play with pick!). Bending and similar are not allowed. If you push the strings far from the pole the sound disappears. In gives me no worries but bass-heroes are now advised.
Schaller machines 2+2, very '80. Giant bridge in alluminium, bolted thru the body, as a Warwick. I bought it for 500 EUR from a private seller without original hardshell case. That bass had need a massive set-up because the previous owner never played it. What a shame!
Differences between his brother Magnum I are few: shape restyled III is a sort of oblong an pointed Precision, mono out only, no bridge stop, no alluminum mask for pickups.

A weird instrument, less than the I for shape but more playable and stage-oriented. I think is defenitively the best between I, II, III, IV: more essential and real.
I play it with a pick, crossed pickup with my punk rock band. Magnum III is my favourite at all, it maked me put my Rick 4003 in the case. Output good and clear, great silent electronics. Played with an old Laney (el-34 tubes)pushes the limit. With opened tones it could sound as an active one of these times... Variety in sound if you need it. Can't consider why these models never had success over Gibson basses for building and sound. Unplugged it has a dark sound way is built but a pretty full in all frequencies when plugged in the amp. Sustain ever rich and fat. I guess it could be awesome for Reggae.
Forget about slap, this is a rock bass.
A vintage sound that was looking at the future... Bill Kaman was a unfortunate genius, I really think.

With adjusted pickups too, the neck pickup ever rules. The bridge one is overall a sustainer as EB-3 configuraion.
Beautiful satin finish makes the neck ever quick.
Action sweet but worth of a good liuther. I don't know how were released 30 years ago!

A tank. Graphite-carbon strip seems to works well (I hope), just beacuse it is a massive bass with a very thin neck if compared to weight and construction. It gives sensation of safety.
I must admit: too heavy.

I think Ovation made a great electric instrument guided by good ideas, daring much. Ovation Guitars and basses with solid bodies are beautiful loosers, product by someone who ever been a step behind the market. Overall this bass is tough, good in electronics and made with quality features. Magnum isn't flawless but is a good choice if you want to afford something inusual: a quality instrument.

The features this bass have been well documented else where on this page. The Magnum III's are different from the others in a few respects---the double is a double cutaway, unlike the Magnum I/II, and has no stereo capability. It also does not have a mute switch on the bridge. It is also passive.

You can see a picture of mine here: http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y149/jameysburning/bcaf_3.jpg

I'll award a 10 because it looks so freaking cool.

Sounds great. The pickup isn't as loud as the size of it would make you think, which isn't a bad thing at all. Played with fingers through a tube amp, it pushes out LOTS of low end. Not "sub lows" that you might find on an active five string, but real, useful low end. Played with both pick ups on, it has a growly sound to it. The bridge pickup by itself isn't bad, but I rarely use it.
Bass has a very "lively" sound as well. Not loads of high end, but enough. I prefer to use Nickel Rotosounds on this bass. I've enjoyed using GHS Bass Boomers on other Js I've owned, but because this bass has kind of a scooped sound, it helps to get a more 'middy' sounding string.
I use it with a Traynor YBA-3 through an old Peavey 2x15 cab. Sometimes I'll add a Marshall JCM-900 and a 4x12 to add a different dimension to the sound, but I'll be replacing that soon with an Ampeg B-25. Have a few effects (Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, Boss FZ-2, Zvex Machine, Boss ODB-3, Memory Man), all of which works with the bass. I usually play with the amps a little overdriven. The pedals are just there to make the amp respond a little differently, or allow for different eq options.
I think this bass's sound can fit into practically any genre of music that requires an electric bass. But if you're into coffee table looking basses that look like Jabba the Hutt with active electronics, maybe you should look elsewhere.

The action's fine, but I don't like the pickup height right now---too much bridge, not enough neck. This shouldn't be much of a factor, as a) its an old bass b) I don't care much about factory setups anyways. Anyways, no obvious construction flaws are present on my bass.

Neck is super strong---so much so that its hard to do neck bends with it. Finish seems strong enough as well. Got the bass with strap locks installed.
As long as this thing was strung properly and received the proper service when it needs it, I don't see much of a need for a backup. But you, know, Murphy's Law.

Have not bothered Ovation about the bass. There's also not much information available on this particular model, though there's plenty on the Magnum I and II models.

I've been playing bass for about 8 or 9 years. This is the only bass I currently own. I bought it without playing on Ebay, figuring if I didn't like it I could sell it off for what I got for it. It my mind, this is a GREAT deal. I would have easily paid up to about $1000 for this bass. One of the last great deals out there.

Body is solid mahogany with a natural finish, but it is more of an elongated version of the double cutaway. It is solid and kind of heavy, measuring longer than say a Fender. I love the way this thing looks! The neck is 2-piece Honduras mahogany with 3 carbon-graphite strips, it's very slim near the headstock and very easy to play. The Bridge pickup appears to be a single coil tucked right up against the massive bridge, the neck pickup is a humbucker placed right below the neck, it is huge. The pickups can be adjusted (using a screw driver type tool) beneath each string. Each pickup has its own volume and tone control and can be silenced or mixed by way of a three way switch.

This bass puts out a beautiful tone. When I mix the two pickups just right it's either a low growl or a crunchy bite. Put together they sound just great. The output can be a bit lower than I am accustomed to, but easily overcome with a decent amp.

One downfall is some strong contact with the frets and neck pickup if I'm playing hard. It stands out when I have the bridge pickup cranked and the tone way up. The frets are a dream and easy to work, and once again the neck is a joy to play.

I picked this up at a pawn shop for $75.00, at the time there was a crack in the neck, even then, it played well and held its own. I had the neck fixed professionally (it was done so well, you can't even tell it was damaged). This baby has been through the mill, but it still looks and sounds great.

This thing is about 26 years old, so the warranty is ancient history.

I play a G&L along with this, and while the G&L is more versatile and really puts out sound, I adore this bass. I wouldn't want it to be the only instrument in my line-up, but if it was it would do the job. If I lost it, I'd cry, then shop for another. They are getting hard to find so it would be a major loss. The thing I love best about this is the tone, unique, like the voice of a singer.

This is a fairly nice bass for the price. Although it has a few flaws
(don't we all), the good features outweigh the bad. Body is double-cutaway one-piece solid mahogany with a natural (non-lacquered) finish. Bolt-on neck is 2-piece Honduras mahogany with 3 carbon-graphite strips (for added reinforcement), slim-tappered like a Fender Jazz bass, and Schaller deluxe machine heads. 2 pickups: Bridge pickup is humbucking, metallic, and oblong-shaped (like a Fender Jazz bass) with non-adjustable "U"-shaped pole pieces - Neck pickup is humbucking assembly with separate magnets for each string that also have separate output trim controls (pots) for each string, adjustable with a small flat-head screwdriver. 4 controls: 2 Tone and 2 Volume. Bridge/Tailpiece is one massive piece with separate intonation adjustments for each string. Frets are "medium" size - not too thin and not too jumbo. Hard-shell case is built Very rugged and sturdy, almost like a flight case.

Both pickups provide excellent tonal quanities and qualities. The one flaw (minor to me, but major to players who "stretch"/"bend" their strings) is with the neck pickup - as long as the string is Exactly and Directly "over" the pole-piece, all is well with the world. But if you stretch/bend a string past the pole-piece, it DIES...NO sound at all !! So, fancy-schmancy players must use the bridge pickup for bends and stretches and leave the neck pickup for "non-circus" playing styles.

Action can be adjusted extremely low (strings almost kissing the frets) with no buzzing. The only other flaw is the unbalanced weight distribution of the neck and body - it is VERY unbalanced due to the heaviness of the neck. Played sitting down is not a problem, but when using a strap, playing becomes very uncomfortable - it feels like you have to hold the bass up (support it with your freting hand) while also trying to fret and play the thing. The neck has a horrible tendancy to aim for the floor. Otherwise, it plays very fast and clean-sounding.

Due to the solid mahogany and carbon-graphite composition, this is an extremely solid and durable instrument with very sturdy hardware and electronics - a good well-constructed bass for the road. It takes a pounding and keeps on sounding (sorry).

When I purchased this bass from a pawn shop, I had no idea Ovation made electric solid-body basses, so I wrote the company, asking for info. about it and within a couple of weeks they sent me xerox-copies of the Ovation Guitar Price List & Instrument Catalogue from January 1, 1983, containing all the info about the bass I could want.

Despite it's few flaws, I am very satisfied with this bass. It fits my needs and the type of music I perform/cover (Capt. Beefheart, BrownStar, Damaged Chandelier, Starlord Opera, etc.). I plan on buying one or two more (as backups) if I can find some in good condition.