Ovation 1778TX Elite T Series Mid-Depth Bowl Acoustic-Electric Guitar

No longer available at zZounds
This Ovation acoustic-electric is a truly distinctive guitar, with a multi-soundhole design on the bass side of the body to enhance your lows and midrange.

What's special about this item?

Feature: What it does:
Multi-soundhole bass side Better projection with bass tones
Scalloped X bracing Top vibrates freely; remains stable
OP-Pro preamp Full, rich tone with 3-band EQ and built-in tuner
Solid spruce top Punchy, articulate and warm sound

You'll be sure to stand out in the crowd with the Ovation 1778TX Elite T Series Mid-Depth Bowl acoustic-electric guitar. This AA-spruce-topped beauty features a rounded Lyrachord back and sides that'll rest comfortably against your body, and a bright-sounding maple neck with a smooth rosewood fingerboard harnesses a tight action for your fingers to enjoy. A clear and articulate Ovation OCP-1K pickup captures your performance and pumps it through a pristine-sounding OP Pro preamp that features three-band EQ control and an onboard chromatic tuner. And of course, there's that eye-catching multi-soundhole design on the bass side of the body. Why settle for an ordinary acoustic-electric when

Atypical Look, Great Sound

Don't be surprised if this guitar gets you a lot of double takes. It features a somewhat atypical look with its signature bass-side multi-sound-oles and rounded Lyrachord back and sides -- but that's what makes the 1778TX sound so good! The AA spruce top is a resilient wood and adds a nice dose of crispness and attack to your sound. With this mid-depth Ovation, your tone will have plenty of sustain and well-balanced resonance whether plugged in or not.

Maple Neck and Rosewood Fingerboard

Your fingers will enjoy taking advantage of this guitar's bright-sounding maple neck. Maple tends to yield a pleasant rounded brightness that responds well to your style the more aggressively you play. A smooth rosewood fingerboard harnesses a tight action that makes read more playing chords and licks an absolute pleasure. Effortless playability is the name of the game with the Ovation 1778TX.

OP Pro Preamp

Capturing every tonal aspect of your performance is this acoustic-electric's Ovation OCP-1K pickup. Because this axe doesn't employ a standard soundhole underneath the strings, it can be easier to keep feedback at bay when you decide to plug into an amp or PA system. The OP-Pro preamp provides three-band EQ control as well as an onboard chromatic tuner, so you can dial in your sound and keep your tuning in check.

Features:

- Mid-depth bowl acoustic-electric guitar
- AA solid spruce top
- Comfortable rounded Lyrachord back and sides
- Bright sounding maple neck
- Scale length of 25.25"
- Smooth rosewood fingerboard with black stain
- Rosewood bridge with black stain
- Scalloped X bracing
- Multi-soundhole design on the bass side
- Clear and articulate Ovation OCP-1K pickup
- OP-Pro preamp with three band EQ control
- Onboard chromatic tuner
- Black Ovation tuners
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Specifications
- Body Type: Mid-Depth Bowl
- Top: AA Solid Spruce
- Bracing: Scalloped X
- Scale Length: 25 1/4"
- Fretboard: Rosewood w/Black Stain
- Fret Inlay: None
- Bridge: Rosewood w/Black Stain
- Rosette: Multi-Sound-hole Bass Side
- Pickup: Ovation OCP-1K
- Nutwidth: 1 11/16"
- Machines: Black Ovation
- Optional Case: 8158-0

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 877-KAMANMUSIC

Ovation 1778TX Elite T Series Acoustic

Designed as an alternative to the traditional Ovation Elite series, the Ovation 1778TX Elite T cutaway acoustic electric guitar is lightweight, resilient, and offers maximum performance potential and unique styling.

The scalloped X bracing and AA grade solid spruce top on the 1778TX lends tremendous power to the soundboard, and the rock maple neck profile has been slimmed down to give it a look and feel more appealing to electric players.

Shedding the classic multi-piece hardwood epaulet sound hold decorations, the 1778TX incorporates a simpler, untrimmed, 11-hole pattern that enhances the low and mid range punch. Other noteworthy features include Ovation's signature multi-sound-holes (bass side only), rosewood fretboard with black stain bridge and the OP Pro preamp.

Plus, an extremely light, yet incredibly durable, textured enamel finish is wrapped around the entire back and top to put the finishing touch on this amazing guitar.

The onboard Ovation OCP-1K pickup delivers exceptional balance note-to-note, and classic Ovation tone for a beautiful plugged-in sound, and the OP-Pro preamp system was designed to work specifically with the OCP-1K pickup. This offers you a range of features that will enhance your performance in any venue.

OP-PRO

Designed in collaboration with Al DiMeola and Melissa Etheridge, the new OP-PRO combines state-of-the-art audio quality with guitarist-friendly features for a preamp that should please even the most discriminating player.

Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars. (19 ratings)
Submitted November 16, 2010 by a customer from cox.net

"What a great instrument!"

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
Everything I was looking in an upgrade I found in this instrument; I sold my GC057 (super shallow bowl) to get this and I think it was one of the best decisions I have made in the last few years; the rest of my bad decisions I blame on my ex-wife...ha..ha..but seriously, this is a win win for all the parties involved, this guitar is worth every penny and I would definitely replace it if it was lost or stolen, I would still like to try some of the made in Japan Yamahas, but they are too expensive, I would rather buy an American Gibson instead.

Sound
I've always been an Ovation fan but my finances have never allowed me to acquire a high end one, like an Adamas with a carbon top; so I always had the middle of the range units; my first guitar was a standard balladeer which I got after returning an Epiphone at the store; my original Ovation did not have a cutaway and it was not an electric but it was loud, full and very easy to play; I gave it to a friend in need and that guitar still sounds amazing, actually better than when it was new 20 years ago. This Elite TX sounds very much like the original but it has a cutaway and an excellent pre-amp with an integrated tuner, which is very accurate; also this model doesn't have the center hole which I thought would take away from the fullness of the sound, but I was wrong; this guitar is loud and clear. The Elite 1778TX came with Daddario EXP16 strings but I replaced them with a brand new set since the ones read more that came installed were rusted, mainly on the high side; there is no doubt in my mind that the guitar will sound better as time goes by, sitka spruce tends to age very well, and the scalloped bracing helps a lot with vibration on this kind of instrument; I took the back cover off (you have to do this to adjust the truss-rod when needed) just to inspect the interior of the sound chamber and I was impressed with the quality of the craftsmanship; there is no excess glue anywhere and the wiring for the jack and pre-amp is all neatly installed; I was surprised to see that the bridge is also secured to the top with two screws and nuts, besides being glued, adding to the strength of the bridge, I suspect this also helps with sustain; the strap locks are also installed this way, they're not going anywhere. I agree with the gentleman who wrote the previous review; the sound of this guitar is up there with the high end guitars. I am very satisfied with this instrument's sound; in this price range, I doubt that I could find a better guitar.

Features
The guitar came in a cardboard box imprinted with the company's logo; which in my mind it's always a sign of pride by the manufacturer; plain cardboard boxes just give me the feeling I'm getting something cheap which is not necessarily so; anyway, no fancy accessories, just the instruction manual, the warranty card, the truss-rod wrench and the guitar itself; I was pleased to see an attached inspection tag with the signature of the person who gave it the final go at the factory, again, a sign of quality in my eyes. As you can see from the picture, the neck has no markers on the front, only on the side of the board; the fret-board is made of rosewood and the bridge is made of walnut (as far as I know), both have been stained black, which I think looks awesome; the Ovation website states that the fret-board and bridge are ebony, but that is not accurate; I know what ebony looks and feels like and this is not ebony; but no big deal; the binding is also black as well as the nut,which appears to be made of plastic, same thing for the saddles. The top of the sound board is covered in some kind of enamel finish; it makes the guitar look out of the ordinary, but it is made of real sitka spruce; which you can verify by taking the back cover off; the neck is maple finished in satin and it is very smooth and thin, typical Ovation quality, fast and great looking, it is a pleasure to play; it really feels like the neck on my Jackson electric, very very nice; I think the neck is the best feature on this great guitar, at least it is what keeps me coming back to this brand. Changing the strings gave me the opportunity to lower the action, which on Ovation guitars is a piece of cake, just carefully (it is tight) lift the pickup out of its groove and take out one or two of the shims that are installed under it, put the pickup back in the groove and that is it; no trip to the guitar tech. The neck is completely flat, so there is no need to mess with the truss-rod; I only took one of the shims out and the action was lowered exactly to my taste, about 1/32 lower than factory setting; perfect; no buzzes or rattles; just beautiful, I do play a lot with the tips of my fingers and this is perfect for me. The combination of materials and the design of the neck and the bowl are outstanding; I can tell a lot of thought went into the design; and as I said before, the craftsmanship is excellent (made in Korea); I can only imagine what the USA made Ovations are like since this is really a great unit; I have to start saving for an Adamas!! Maybe one day when I grow up....

Ease of Use
Some people don't like thin necks, but I do, this is the easiest guitar there is to play, at least for me; it is very well made, no rough frets, the binding is perfect, the neck is natural maple and it's very smooth, and the sound is awesome, and the shape of the guitar's back is extremely comfortable; they have actually made it better; a thin strip of rougher material was left on the bottom so it doesn't slide from your lap when you play sitting down; these people have thought about every detail; the tuner is extremely easy to use but it has an auto shut off; so I had to turn it on a couple of times when I tuned it, but no problem. The pre-amp is actually better than what I had on my GC057; I believe this is when the magic happens if you play an Ovation, the plugged in sound is amazing, no noise, no feedback, it just sounds like it sounds unplugged but louder, plus it has a great EQ. Changing the battery is also very easy, there is a small button that you have to press and the whole pre-amp comes out, the battery compartment is in the back of the pre-amp, just be careful and don't pull too hard, the wire is kind of short.

Quality
I am sure it could be better but for the money I don't think I would be pleased with anything else; I was undecided as to what to get after I returned the Hohner mini jumbo, that was a disappointment; so I looked at Yamaha, Takamine, Ibanez, Epiphone and the more expensive brands such as Taylor and Martin; during all my research I found out that Kaman music does not only own Ovation but Takamine as well, and both companies make some of the most affordable high quality guitars in the world; anything made in China gives me the creeps, and if it is not made in the USA the next possible best option is Korea; where this 1778TX is made; I was not disappointed, plus I had two Ovations before this one and the quality has always been top notch; I don't think anything will brake with time, Ovation stays in tune for a long time, months at a time, the Lyrachord bowl is still made in the USA and they made it lighter by adding glass spheres to the composite material, it is a tough material, definitely stronger than wood, my original Ovation is still going strong after 20 years, it might need new frets, but it is still a great instrument, the tone is fantastic and nothing comes close to that neck, oh man, the neck...awesome.

Value
As I said, for the money this is one of the best deals on an acoustic/electric guitar. I looked hard and could not find anything else for less than 600 dollars that would compare to the quality of this guitar; every other high quality instrument worth spending my hard earned money for, is either more than one thousand dollars or is not made in the US; I really wish I could buy an American guitar but their prices are prohibitive; I did find some Martin guitars that are less than one thousand dollars but they are made with high pressure laminates, even the necks, so I would rather have a solid wood guitar (at least the top, the braces and the neck are all solid wood), the only thing I would be willing to buy besides this would be a Yamaha or a Takamine (Korean made), in my opinion is better to pay a little more and get something solid, but not pay so much that you have to sell your car to get it. I even found some luthiers that make incredible instruments, but who has 26k to spend on a guitar? Not me, I don't even have the 600 dollars this Ovation costs, if it wasn't for the 4 payment deal I would have to save for a year to buy a new guitar.

Manufacturer Support
The 10 is most definitely for Zzounds not the manufacturer, I sent an email to Ovation inquiring about the ebony statement on their website and I still haven't received an answer after 10 days (maybe calling them would be different, who knows); I still ordered the guitar not trusting their site, but Zzounds clearly states that the fretboard is rosewood with a black stain and not ebony as Ovation says; besides that, the guys at Zzounds offer the best customer service I have ever found; after I returned the Hohner I was willing to pay full price for this 1778TX and the case for it; but they gave me a killer discount on both items and the shipping was free and fast; I really didn't expect to pay less than what is quoted on the site but I did; to put the cherry on top, I got to pay for this axe in 4 equal payments with no interest and no tax (I live in California); so there you go, what an awesome deal!! I dare anyone to find a better price anywhere, as for the customer service, this company is simply the best, period.

The Wow Factor
I don't think this, or any other guitar for that matter, has any sex appeal, unless you're crazy or have some serious problems; but the looks of the natural color of the maple neck against the flat black of the body on this unit makes it very desirable; I really like the industrial look and the sterile neck, it is just a great looking guitar and very unique, in fact nothing else looks like an Ovation or sounds like it. Engineerically speaking, the design is awesome; think about it, there is nothing like it in the world; the merge of science and art in a rugged and cosmetically appealing instrument; this is a very cool axe, from the color to the design, to the sound, I am very well pleased. The only thing that comes close to an Ovation Adamas is perhaps a Rainsong, but they cost more than 2 grand; I know this is not an Adamas but it is still an Ovation, have you ever seen any Rainsongs for 600 bucks?

Musical Background:
hobbyist

Musical Style:
blues, flamenco, rock
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