Ovation Standard Elite; copyright © reserved 2011, Richard Lovison
My new guitar was screaming out to be photographed so I gave in and came up with this.
I owned an Ovation Balladeer since 1973 and I wanted to try a newer model of higher quality. On the Standard Elite, fretting seems far more comfortable and exact while the sound is more even across all the strings with a more defined bass compared to the older Balladeer. One drawback is that there is less projection in the Standard Elite though I do have the option of amplification since the saddle is also an electronic pickup. I’m assuming this has to do with the location, size and number of sound holes in the soundboard compared to the one large center hole in the Balladeer. It doesn’t matter as I prefer the overall sound of the Standard Elite.
Ovation Standard Elite 2; copyright © reserved 2011, Richard Lovison
This image had a Fractalius layer blended with the original for texture though my reflection in the soundboard is a bit more obscured.
I played drums when I was young, playing in my high school band, but when I married, apartment living put an end to that. I wanted to still play a musical instrument as I had a deep love for music and I thought an acoustic guitar would be a good choice though I remembered the difficulty I had trying to fret chords on my brother’s guitar. A friend recommended an Ovation due to their ease of playing. I believe they were the first to have a slightly curved fretboard that was narrower than most and this combination made it easier for me to form barre chords. I always loved the feel of the roundback against my chest and stomach.
The original Ovation was developed by Charlie Kaman, an aeronautical engineer and a true out of the box thinker.
