Ovation CC44

As a mid priced guitar, you get a pretty decent freature set. Electronics, decent machine heads and generally you get THAT look that is so distinctive. (Some love some hate)

This is difficult to rate in once category as plugged in I was quite happy with the sound and used it for gigs on many occasions. However, on a purely acoustic level, this guitar sounded at best OK when indoors. It's like taking a stereo and backing all the EQ settings to zero. You can still hear all the sounds, but it's hollow or empty somehow.

The neck itself is great for playing acoustic lead. Fast action and for acoustic, it's the closest to electric neck I've seen. This closeness of the strings can make some fingerpicking styles etc more difficult.

If I left a battery in this guitar it would drain, regardless of if it was plugged in or not. Other guitars I have do not do this.

I never had to call support.

I've been playing 25 years. With this guitar, I think you get pretty much what you pay for. Sub $1000 guitars have to give up qualtiy to get that price point. With Ovation if find the guitar to be decently suited as a value gig guitar, yet I'd never play it around a campfire or outdoors as it has no ability to project. The round back guitars in general are a bad idea if you plan to sit and play.

Ovation is the worst ever campfire guitar because of the low volume and the fact it will roll off your lap.

It's a decent gig guitar though because it has some flash to it, and the electronics make it sound better than it really is.

I got the black finish on this guitar. It's very black, with the only visible wood being the epaulets around the sound hole and the veneer on the fretboard. The neck seems to be some kind of plastic and of course the mid-depth bowl is plastic (I think it's fiberglass, actually) So the immediate impression, with its 'made in China' sticker, is TOY!, but it is actually a well made guitar. The guitar is very light, very comfortable to hold and play, either standing or sitting. It has individual piezo pickups for each string, and the electronics have a built in tuner, which is wonderful.

I had originally purchased an Epiphone EJ-200 electrified, but it gave me a neck ache trying to play it standing. If I gave the Epiphone an 8 for acoustic quality I'd give the Ovation a 5. It's OK, but nobody would call it rich and warm. Where I think the Ovation shines is in a mix, like church, with a few other instruments and people singing. The Ovation is so good at picking up the dynamics of the guitar that the acoustic feel really comes through in a mix. Those same dynamics can sound too bright when played solo, but it really isn't too bright, it just picks up things that other acoustic-electrics (like the EJ-200) don't. So I wouldn't buy this guitar unless you're intending to play plugged in - you could do much better acoustically for the money.

The guitar was set up well right out of the box. It does have a truss rod (that's not too easy to get to) but the factory bow was right on. The action must be adjusted by adding/removing shims under the bridge. I find the action about right, and I'm used to an electric. According to the built-in tuner (and my ear) the intonation at the 12th fret is very good. There is an access panel in the back of the guitar, and this had broken loose, but I'm sure UPS is to blame for that. I just glued it back on instead of waiting another 2 weeks for a replacement.

I think this guitar will stand up to the road. The things that make it look/feel cheap, all the plastic, mean this thing is not fragile, and it's more comfortable than a traditional acoustic to hold and play. There is no pick guard, so if you're a hard strumming fool you might scratch up the top.

I haven't dealt with Ovation. The warranty? You think I'll be able to find that card if something breaks?

I own several relatively cheap Stratocaster style electrics and a few cheap dreadnoughts. I can't compare this to a Taylor or something like that, but as a workhorse guitar to add acoustic feel to a band, this is a good axe.