Ovation 2771 LX

2771LX

OVATION STANDARD BALLADEER CONTOUR Model 2771LX

A Review by Boson.

RRP $999 (About 680 Euros)

Made in USA.

OK so GMC is largely geared towards electric guitar, but every guitarist needs an acoustic in their collection! Here is a review of mine.

Specifications.

Type: 6-String Acoustic/Electric
Body Type: Deep Contour
Top: A Grade Solid Sitka Spruce
Bracing: Scalloped LX
Scale Length: 25 1/4
Fretboard: Bound Rosewood
Pre amp:Op-Pro
Bridge: Rosewood
Rosette: Hand Inlaid
Pickup: Original Patented Pickups
Nutwidth: 1 11/16"
Machines: Chrome

Overview.

The first thing you will notice about this guitar are its stunning looks! Mine was made in 2008 and is in Cherry Cherry Burst finish and it is a real looker, a lovely deep colour and high gloss polish. The white binding around the body, rosewood fretboard, chrome tuners and gloss black headstock offset this perfectly.
Taking it out of the case you then notice the black Lyrachord Body. Not exactly pretty but Ovation claim that it reflects top vibrations better than traditional materials. Not sure that I notice this but it is strong and helps keep the weight down. Older bowlback guitars were often uncomfortable to play both standing and sitting due to their shape. The new contour shape helps with this tremendously and I dont find the shape much of a problem, it sits nicely on your lap without sliding too much.

Mine came with an excellent and sturdy Ovation hard case which is very well made and keeps the guitar nice and safe.

The neck is perfectly true but can be adjusted via the inbuilt truss rod. Adjustment is with an allen key via the soundhole. The neck is thinner than a more traditional guitar and is nicely shaped making for good playability. Not quite like a strat neck like some reviewers claim but still very nice.

The tuners are stamped with the ovation logo and are of good quality. So far they have been really good. One of the pluses of this guitar is that it does not appear to go out of tune. I have had the guitar almost a year and I have never known a guitar keep its tuning so well. If you do need to check the tuning or if you want to retune to a different tuning then it is very easy using the onboard tuner which is part of the OP-Pro pre amp unit. To operate the tuner siply press one button pluck a string and a bright led shows the note being played. The display is bright enough to use in any lighting conditions.

The OP-Pro pre amp unit is very simple to operate having the usual gain control and 3 Band EQ system. I find this a little crude but it does give the player some control over their sound when plugged in. There is a bypass if you don't wish to use the EQ. The output from the OP-pro provides a good signal which can be sent to an amp or directly to the PA.

Battery life appears good, after a year of use I have only had to change the pp9 battery once.

Sound.

Acoustically the guitar sounds very good. It may not have the warm bass and sparkling trebble of a high end Taylor or Martin but it still produces a very even and listenable sound, with pleanty of volume.

For me though the guitar comes alive when plugged in. Of course it has that distinctice Ovation sound and I accept that not everyone will like it. However add a little reverb and the guitar sound really begins to shine and sparkle. It has a sound all of its own, obviously not the same as a miced up acoustic but a very enjoyable and useful tone nonetheless. Very versatile adapting easily to strumming and fingerpicking styles of playing. I also find it a good guitar for acoustic blues.

Set up, fit and finish.

The fit and finish of the guitar are perfect and I cannot find fault. Everything appears to be made of quality materials and components.

I did find the action a little higher than I prefer but this was very easily remedied. Simly slacken the strings and remove one or two of the plastic shims that sit under the bridge. My guitar now has a very low action for an acoustic without any buzzing.