Ovation Custom Legend C2079 AX Deep Contour Acoustic-Electric Guitar Black

Comments about Ovation Custom Legend C2079 AX Deep Contour Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

I have been blessed to own and play many acoustic guitars. Being a studio musician as well as an active performance guitarist has meant that I am mandated to wear several different hats in terms of what I play. This guitar has suprised me in ways I never thought possible. It has become my main acoustic guitar when playing live because of it's electronic features (onboard tuner, pickup system). It has also presented itself as a very viable option when recording. I can mic the guitar like any other acoustic and run a direct line-in from the guitar itself. The guitar does not over-power my vocals when recording with one mic...leaving me very pleased with the results. I was cautious with an Ovation because of its non-traditional materials. I can honestly tell you not to worry; and that my other guitars are now jealous.

Comments about Ovation Custom Legend C2079 AX Deep Contour Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

I was a little apprehensive about buying an acoustic guitar online and having it shipped to me. I'd have preferred to buy locally, where I could try it out and take it home with me. Unfortunately, none of my local dealers had one in stock. They could order one for me, but then again, I could order one for myself and get a much better price.

Even with the guitar in stock and a better price, I almost didn't buy from Musician's Friend. There was no mention in their listing whether the guitar came with a case, even though it sells for more than a grand and the Ovation website says they ship it with one. I sent a request for additional information, and the person who responded to the request told me it didn't appear that it did, but I could call him if I wanted him to check on it. Really?!!? Fortunately, the person who answered my follow-up question was a little more customer service oriented and made the effort to find out that the guitar does indeed come with a case. HINT: If the guitar comes with a case, say so in the description.

Knowing that it came with a case made me a little less nervous about ordering it, so I placed the order around 9:30 on a Friday night. I was really surprised to find it waiting at my post office by 10:00 the following Monday. It arrived in perfect condition, putting my fears to rest once and for all. The pictures on the websites didn't do justice to the Cherry Cherryburst finish, which is a translucent stain that lets the wood grain show through. Everything about the fit and finish of this guitar suggests a much more expensive guitar, from the tuners to the binding on the body to the bound ebony fretboard and bridge to the abalone inlays. It may have been made in Korea, but the workmanship is second to none.

It was set up and ready to play straight out of the case. It was tuned down a half-step, and after letting it warm up to room temperature, I tuned it to pitch using the built in chromatic tuner. It tuned quickly and easily and stayed in tune while I tried it out. The unamplified sound was full and projected nicely, reminiscent of a deep bodied Ovation I had back in the '70s. I have a super-shallow bodied Ovation that sounds great amplified but leaves a little to be desired when played without an amplifier, so I wasn't sure how the new deep contour body would deliver. Let me just say that this Custom Legend C2079AX can hold its own with the big-bodied jumbo guitars playing unamplified, and it fits on my lap without digging into my ribs or slipping off when I'm sitting down.

Where it really shines, though, is plugged in. The Op-Pro Studio with XLR preamp includes both a standard 1/4" jack for using a regular guitar cable and an XLR jack for plugging directly into high end acoustic amps, PA systems, and mixing boards. When plugged in with an XLR cable, it supplies phantom power to the preamp which should conserve battery power, but since it doesn't come with an XLR cable, I haven't seen how this works. Like almost all Ovations, there are three slider controls for adjusting the Low, Mid, and High EQ range up or down, with a Gain knob for adjusting the overall output. The Op-Pro adds an "Expressor" slider which acts as a compressor in conjunction with the Drive knob setting to blend in harmonic content with the piezo signal for an even broader range of tones. I've experimented with those a little, and I'm sure I'll want to use them someday when I know how to adjust them to get the just right sound, but for now, I've got the expressor set midway with the drive turned all the way down. For my style of playing—mostly folk fingerpicking and blues—I want the nuances to come through, and this combination works well through my Kustom acoustic guitar amplifier to deliver clean, pure guitar sound.

I'd have spent a lot more money to get an Ovation made in America or a high end all-wood guitar (like Martin, Gibson, Taylor, Guild), but I don't think I could be any happier than I am with my Custom Legend C2079AX. In fact, if I held out for one of the others, I wouldn't have one yet because I'd still be saving up to buy it. This is a great guitar, and a great guitar you can make music with will get you further than any high end guitar hanging on a dealer's wall because you can't afford it. Get the Ovation; play it; and when you sell your next record, then decide whether you really need something better. My guess is the Ovation will be around for a while.

Did I mention it comes with a case?

Comments about Ovation Custom Legend C2079 AX Deep Contour Acoustic-Electric Guitar:

The quality of the sound is excellent through my PA system. I am an average guitar player, my main instrument is bass guitar. I have a few problems with making quality sounds out of the Ovation, as I play bar chords on the upper part of the neck, but that could be caused with the fact that I am not an accomplished guitar player. The tuner is fantastic to have on the guitar, otherwise, I would use an external tuner. It also has some capability of controlling the lows, mids, and highs on the guitar itself.
I just recently purchased a "used" C2079 from Musician's Friends. I was amazed that the guitar appeared to be in perfect condition with no scratches, etc, although I believe that they said there was a little something on it. The guitar sounds amazing through my PA system, although it can feed back if not careful. The guitar has an excellent tuner on the top of the body of the guitar and it is very easy to use. I would recommend this guitar if you are interested in Ovations for what I thought was a good price on the guitar. I originally was going to buy a new Ovation from Musician's Friend, but it was on back order and would not come in until March, so I took the chance and bought the one Ovation, same model that was used, and am glad I took the chance in buying it.
It is an absolute beautiful guitar. I bought the black colored Ovation, and the quality of the guitar I feel is excellent.