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Topic: Ovation amplifiers |
Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Larry Dering
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 2:50 am |
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| Jack, very interesting information. I'm 70 and that's a 1st for me. I even owned a Glen Campbell model Ovation acoustic from an authorized dealer and he didn't have any Ovation amps or PA equipment. |
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Gabriel Edell
From:
Hamilton, Ontario
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 5:13 am Re: Ovation amplifiers
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| Jack Hanson wrote: |
If you're capable of building helicopters, guitar amps probably wouldn't be too big a stretch, I'd reckon. |
Or maybe it would be. Those amps appear to be way over-engineered. Built-in fuzz, reverb, tremolo, strobe tuners, some sort of removable circuit board deal. A bunch of different speaker cabinet options, none of which look familiar.
Any guitarist who was used to gigging with a Super Reverb would run screaming from one of those things. I'm guessing Ovation brought a some units to NAMM and didn't get any orders and that was the end of it.
_________________
GFI S-10 P U, Moyo Volume, Fender Steel King, Fender 5F4 Super-Amp |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 7:56 am
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| The replaceable cards were used in the military in those days. They probably just carried over what the had been doing. Also could be that the sound really wasn't there for a guitar amp anyway. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 9:30 am
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| There was a local music store in NJ when I was growing up that had two of the Ovation guitar amps. I thought these were the coolest things that I had ever seen -- they had lots of switches (including fuzz) and a plush covering and stood nearly as tall as I was. They had horns built into the cabs which just looked loud (a good thing in those days). I never heard one but, man, they just looked like rock and roll to me! |
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David Ball
From:
North Carolina High Country
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 10:35 am
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| Bill A. Moore wrote: |
| The replaceable cards were used in the military in those days. They probably just carried over what the had been doing. Also could be that the sound really wasn't there for a guitar amp anyway. |
The first mainframe computers I worked with were made up of literally hundreds of those "replaceable cards." They were easy to replace, alright, but figuring out which one needed to be replaced required a good oscilloscope, a book of prints, knowledge of how the thing was supposed to work and lots and lots of time....Remember the Quasar TV with the "works in a drawer?"
That was the way a lot of electronic stuff worked back then, and Kaman being in the business they were in probably did, as you suggest, think this was a natural way to go.
Dave |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 11:28 am
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| Thanks for the info, everyone. A friend has offered me an Ovation head and cab set free of charge that he says is in excellent cosmetic condition, and supposedly "works." He says it has a totally clean sound (he's a metalhead), and to him it sounds like crap -- which is likely a big reason Ovation amplifiers never really caught on. All I gotta do is drive the 200 miles to pick it up and it's mine; he just wants it out of his garage. It's one of those big Naugahyde-covered cabs with four speakers. Wondering if it's worth the cost of fuel and traversing a coupla mountain passes in winter for an amp I don't need and likely would never use. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 4:22 pm
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 11:41 pm
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| If it sounds half as good as it looks, you've got a winner! |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 23 Mar 2020 11:41 pm
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| Most likely gigs will be harder than usual to come by for awhile yet,and it'll perforce be a practice room amp.But it's got 'Nam-era cool factor all over.Think he might wait for better mountain weather? |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 24 Mar 2020 5:39 am
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| Marc Jenkins wrote: |
| If it sounds half as good as it looks, you've got a winner! |
I agree the amp looks very nice (at least in the photographs the owner has sent me), and it's most likely in 100% original condition. The jury is still out on how it sounds, however.
| Dave Hopping wrote: |
| Most likely gigs will be harder than usual to come by for awhile yet,and it'll perforce be a practice room amp.But it's got 'Nam-era cool factor all over.Think he might wait for better mountain weather? |
I'm retired and haven't worked a legitimate gig in years, but never say "never." It would only be a practice amp at best, and most likely only a curiosity. I agree about the "cool factor," which is the chief factor in my interest. My buddy is in no big rush to be relieved of it. Hopefully, by the time the plague blows over, mountain weather and road conditions won't be a factor. Ahh... springtime in the Rockies; I'm more than ready! |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 25 Mar 2020 7:16 am
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| One thing I noted in the catalog that you posted ... it says that this is actually a pre-amp. If you read further down, they show power amps built into the speaker cabinet. Either way, if you can get it, I would -- you may end up being surprised by a very cool and rare piece of gear. |
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Bill Sinclair
From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
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Posted 25 Mar 2020 8:37 am
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| Boo Bernstein wrote: |
| One thing I noted in the catalog that you posted ... it says that this is actually a pre-amp. If you read further down, they show power amps built into the speaker cabinet. Either way, if you can get it, I would -- you may end up being surprised by a very cool and rare piece of gear. |
Yes, and your friend appears to have the organ/bass preamp (Model K 6602)rather than the lead/rhythm (K 6001). Biggest difference seems to be a G note strobe tuner instead of an E and the 6602 has "Fuzz Shift"! |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 25 Mar 2020 10:25 am
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| Although I've yet to see the rig in person, I've been able to determine that what my friend has is the Model K-6002 Organ/Bass Preamp head and one of the Series "B" Enclosures, which includes the Model K-6100 Power Amp. I do indeed plan on retrieving it from his garage if and when this plague thing blows over. I'll report back with my impressions once it's in my possession, if anyone remains interested. |
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Boo Bernstein
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 25 Mar 2020 12:04 pm
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| Jack - I’m very envious ... it brings back those memories when every trip to the music store was magical. I’m looking forward to your report when this is all over. Stay safe! |
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Chris Boyd
From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
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Posted 26 Mar 2020 4:45 am
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Jack...Where are you in the San Luis Valley? I played in Alamosa and Creed back in the mid 70's,based out of Colorado Springs.(the band guys were from Alamosa and Monte Vista)..used to go to Valley View hot springs quite a bit and sleep in old miners cabins.Beautiful!
_________________
https://www.reverbnation.com/bigredandtheresonators |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2020 6:24 am
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| Chris Boyd wrote: |
| Jack...Where are you in the San Luis Valley? |
I'm out in the potato patch between Mosca and Hooper, a few miles straight west of the National Park. Considering there's so few people in this massive valley, there is (or has been until just lately) a healthy arts scene. There are a handful of excellent small venues featuring live music in a concert setting year-round that attract touring national musicians as well as regional acts. There are outdoor festivals most every summer weekend, a good number of small clubs that regularly feature live music, and at least one world-class recording studio.
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ajm
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 26 Mar 2020 9:16 am
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| The Partridge Family may have used them, but other than that I got nuthin'. |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 26 Mar 2020 9:42 am
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| ajm wrote: |
| The Partridge Family may have used them... |
Small wonder then, that they never caught on with actual musicians. |
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Chris Boyd
From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 1 Jun 2020 7:09 am
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Update on the Ovation amp...
I finally freed up a little bench time and got to work on the old Ovation amp I ended up with. Here's a photo of an identical rig (not mine):
Here is a photo of my actual amp head, a K-6002:
Again, not my amp, but an identical speaker cabinet, showing the K-6100 power amp mounted on the back panel. (This cab has replacement speakers; mine has it's original two Ovation-labeled twin 15s):
The original 2-prong power cable on the power amp/speaker cab was old, frayed, cracked, and scary-looking, so I replaced it with a modern grounded setup. I hooked everything up, threw the switches, and was happy to discover that it works. At least to a certain extent. The pots are terribly scratchy, so my next step is to pull the preamp out of its cabinet and shoot the pots, jacks, and switches with Deoxit-5.
Will update again after I get a chance to run the thing through its paces. I have no expectations it'll replace my PV 400s for pedal steel, but I'm hoping it may be suitable for my brother and his fancy Yamaha keyboard.
By the way, ajm was correct. Ovation did indeed have an endorsement deal with the Partridge Family:
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 2 Jun 2020 9:00 am Bass amp
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I recall playing in a Battle of the Bands at a car show in San Diego in the late 60’s. The sponsor for the stage backline amps was Ovation. I remember playing bass thru an Ovation bass amp. It worked ok for our 2 songs.
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 2 Jun 2020 11:04 am
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well, its not attractive , but I'll bet it sounds bad.
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2020 6:37 am
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| Bob Carlucci wrote: |
| well, its not attractive , but I'll bet it sounds bad. |
Dang near blew my morning coffee out my nose! Reminds me of the opposition's football scouting report on me during high school: "Small, but slow." (I'm still slow, but the "small" went away decades ago.)
My preliminary report on the Ovation amp is that it's relatively uninspiring. Listed at 100-watts, it is loud. Lacks any distinctive character. Too sterile and clean for guitar. Sounds okay for simple bass, but not great. So-so-sounding keyboard amp. Lackluster for steel; borderline adequate for practice, but you wouldn't wanna gig with it. The "fuzz" sounds horrid; the spring reverb sounds good.
Hardwired power cables on both the head and the speaker cab just dangle without any provision to attach for transport. Poor design in that regard. There's no handle on the head, and the cabinet is heavy and cumbersome.
The good news is Ovation amps seem unlikely candidates to be cloned and reissued. Not a sleeper by any means. If I'm ever offered another for the same price (free), I'd likely pass. |
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Bill A. Moore
From:
Silver City, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 3 Jun 2020 7:37 am
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If the price is free, you could always pick it up and sell it!
A few years ago, a friend had a weird looking amp in the back of his truck, said he was taking it to the dump. I threw it in mine, and left it at a rehearsal space for a while. I never cared for it either, it was a 70's 'Rick TR50 with 4-10's. I put it on CL, and sold it to a guy for $125! |
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