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Applause AE128 Super-Shallow Bowl Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar

OP4B electronics. Spruce top.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
           9 out of 10
Features:
           7 out of 10
Quality:
           9 out of 10
Value:
           9 out of 10
I Want It:
           9 out of 10
Sound:
           9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
           9 out of 10
Support:
           8 out of 10
 
 

"it's all good.."

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          9 out of 10
Quality:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          7 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          5 out of 10
User: a customer from hotmail.com
Submitted: 3/15/2006
Style of Music: rock, country, blues
Musical Experience: hobbyist
Location: ca

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
as listed in the specs. Came with a allen wrench for the truss rod. For $200 delivered, I'm not expecting too many freebies.

Quality:
Made in china...but no problems. Better QC than a Korean guitar I just got for a similar price. No finish flaws or anything else. Comes with a tag/checklist the QC inspector signs...maybe that makes a difference.

Value:
Well - there is a lot of chinese made stuff out there in this price category. And when you consider the 'bowl' is made of some sort of plastic... Having said that, I think given the level of quality, it's a good value. I wouldn't call it a steal, as I've seen no-name similar guitars for 25% less.

Desirability:
Im glad I bought it, it's a good quality guitar - nothing super special though. I wanted an acoutstic - elec for the collection...

Sound:
Sounds great and projects well. Although I bought it to play through an amp, it's plenty loud unplugged. Cam with good quality strings. Action was perfect for me - low, no fret buzz. For action, you can adjust bridge height with shims if desired, or of course adjust the truss rod.

Ease of Use:
out of the box, this was the most playable guitar I've bought. I would say the frets are 'medium' size. the neck has a basic finish, which makes it very easy to slide your hand on - no sticky laquer. came with a very brief manual describing adjutment methods.

Support:
applause doesn't have much of a web site, just a 2 page pdf which is out of date on the Kaman web site - which in today's age I'd say is pretty lame. haven't had a need to contact them though.

Overall:
for an inexpensive acoustic electric, I think it's a great product. Good sound, great playability.

25 of 25 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"Nice Little Starter/2nd Guitar!"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
Features:
          7 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          9 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          9 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from sbcglobal.net
Submitted: 4/14/2008
Style of Music: Blues/Rock
Musical Experience: Hobbyist
Location: Torrington, Ct.

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
The guitar comes with a truss rod wrench, and that's it.

Quality:
My guitar was made in Indonesia. The finish is very nice, no nicks or scratches. It does appear to be thick on the top, and is very shiney. The neck is a satin finish as said earlier. Frets are "medium", and are nicely done. The tuners are Ovation, and seem to be an imitation of Gotohs. They work quite well and I haven't had any problems with staying in tune. The electronics work well, and are very basic - bass,midrange, and treble, along with a volume knob. There's a "low battery" indicator LED. The battery compartment is also on the top, and allows very easy battery changes. (I haven't had the guitar long enough to have any indication of what the battery usage will be.)

Value:
I'd say the price is right on this guitar, if not a "bargain"! I've had numerous "name brand" guitars in the past, and I was surprised and happy to find that the quality of this guitar was top notch. I'd say the only real "compromises" I could find were the two-piece top and the rather thick finish on the top. (I don't really know how this affects the tone yet.)

Desirability:
This is the perfect guitar for my present usage. I plan on getting a solid-body later this year, but the neck and setup is great for me to re-build my finger strength and practice without setting up the amp. (I frequently practice scales while watching TV!)

Sound:
Due to the "shallow" bowl on this guitar, it tends to sound more "trebly" than many acoustic-electrics. When plugged into an amp, you can make it sound like a solid-body if you want!(Having had previous experience with Ovation guitars, I expected this type of sound.) I'm using mine with a Hughes + Kettner Edition Blue 15DFX, which gives me a huge range of tones from a very clean to a really raunchy overdrive.

Ease of Use:
The neck is very similar to a solid body guitar. It's nicely finished with a satin - type finish, so your thumb moves very easily. Mine was set up with a low - to medium string height out of the box, with a set of acceptable medium-gauge strings. Intonation was okay, with no string "buzz". I bought this guitar to re-learn how to play - I played for 12-15 years when I was younger, including 4 years as a pro, then stopped completely. I recently decided to "get back into it" and teach myself some acoustic blues. This guitar does well for playing slide the way it's presently set! The pickup can give you a deeper sound, or a steely "Elmore James" tone when running through an amp. It's a very comfortable guitar to play when using a strap. That's one of the advantages of Applause/Ovation guitars with the rounded back.

Support:
Haven't needed any.

Overall:
This guitar will last me a long time in its present role of practice/jamming acoustic. This is a good acoustic for people who are used to playing electric guitar, as the neck is very similar is an electric. That is one of the reasons I bought it, having played Ovations in the past and liking them. If it was ever stolen, I'd probably buy another one. I'd like to get the action lowered a little, but if I continue to play around with slide, it's at a nice height where it is now!

6 of 6 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"Simple and Amazing!!!"

Overall:
          8 out of 10
Features:
          6 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from yahoo.com
Submitted: 6/20/2007
Style of Music: Sof Rock and Rock type stuff
Musical Experience: Active Gigging Musician
Location: New Jersey

 

 
Feature:
This guitar did not come with any accessories. The only thing i would like to have on this guitar is an on-board tuner. But it is a $200 guitar so i got my moneys worth and more!

Quality:
For $200 this guitar is made perfect! I wonder why this product is more expensive. Well made, the plastic back is sturdy, and the tuner heads are very precise!

Value:
YES

Desirability:
it is a very pretty guitar (i have the ruby red)! The pictures do absolutely no justice...If you really want to see it in person before buying it, go to a music store who has this guitar and check it out!

Sound:
it sounds great! The high ends sound amazing on this $200 beauty. The two problems with this guitar is that it has slight buzzing on the G string if you play really really hard (don't play really really hard) and the other thing is it sounds slightly better when it is plugged in then when it is unplugged.

Ease of Use:
The controls are very simple...it has only a 3 band equalizer so it is easy!

Support:
Have not needed it!

Overall:
A++

13 of 13 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"Electric guitar guys/gals looking to plays some acoustic Buy this guitar! Acoustic guitar guys looking to plug in Buy this guit"

Overall:
          9 out of 10
I Want It:
          10 out of 10
Sound:
          9 out of 10
User: a customer from aol.com
Submitted: 1/2/2006
Style of Music: Metal, Classical, Rock
Musical Experience: Hobbyist
Location: Punta Gorda, Fl, US

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Like a case. Live on Florida coast, have to leave quickly sometimes.

Quality:
No blems, product is way better looking in person than on the site. Very happy, beautiful guitar. I love these guy's guitars.

Value:
Yes.

Desirability:
It's a piece of art. Great color, sounds like it looks....sweet.

Sound:
The sound was better than expected acoustic, exactly what I was looking for, couldn't beat the price with a stick! Still on an amp hunt.

Support:
Didn't need any support whole order went perfect.

Overall:
Ehhh. It's a keeper. Would probably do a higher end Ovation in the future.

5 of 5 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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"Good value for an acoustic-electric."

Overall:
          8 out of 10
Features:
          7 out of 10
Quality:
          8 out of 10
Value:
          8 out of 10
I Want It:
          7 out of 10
Sound:
          8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
          8 out of 10
Submitted: 11/17/2009

 

 
Feature:
As with most reviews here, my guitar came with just an allen key for adjusting the truss rod. A built-in tuner would have been nice (the stratacoustic had one) - but I really don't mind. Overall, it seems like a sturdy guitar - but I won't be thrashing it on the ground any time soon. Mine came with D'Addario strings, and they sound tasty.

Quality:
Unless the electronics randomly stop working (I'm looking at you, Squier), I would have no problem taking this out and about. Then again, it IS my first Ovation.

Value:
I might have picked this over the stratacoustic (*glare*) if I had seen it then. I payed the same amount for both.

Desirability:
People might be put off by the plastic/composite body - but I'm fine with it. I happen to have a thing for black guitars too - so this fits right with my color scheme.

Sound:
Sounds much better than the Fender/Squier stratacoustic I previously owned. Haven't plugged it in yet, but I'm optimistic. I jokingly called the stratacoustic a "guitarkelele," because when unplugged, it almost sounded like a steel string ukelele. The ovation has a louder and richer sound when unplugged. I'm pleased that I can play with a pick - or pluck the strings - and hear myself well.

Ease of Use:
Pulled it out of the box, tuned it, and started playing. Haven't messed around with the electronics yet, so I unfortunately don't have any useful information about that yet.

Support:
Just got it today, so no comment. As an aside, I understand there is practically no support for this product - but other users seem unperturbed, since there has been no need to contact support. I hope my experience is the same.

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"Get it before the Price goes Up Up uP Up!!!!"

Overall:
          10 out of 10
Features:
          2 out of 10
Quality:
          9 out of 10
Value:
          10 out of 10
I Want It:
          9 out of 10
Sound:
          10 out of 10
Support:
          10 out of 10
User: a customer from citlink.net
Submitted: 7/12/2005
Style of Music: ALL BUT COUNTRY & RAP
Musical Experience: 22 Years Guitarist yes active & Pro Recording Engineer, I take bands in to teach & Record there albums
Location: Golden Valley AZ 86413

 

 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
THIS IS THE ONLY THING IT DIDNT EVEN COME WITH AN EXTRA PACK OF STRINGS? WHICH EVERY GUITAR I HAVE EVER BOUGHT USUALY DOES? BUT IT DID COME WITH THE ALEN WRENCH FOR THE KNECK.

Quality:
GUITAR IS VERY WELL PUT TOGETHER,TUNING KEYS ARE TIGHT DOEASNT LOSE TUNING LIKE I SAID BEFORE. NO BLEMISHES IN THE ONE I BOUGHT{BLK}. FRET BOARD IS STRAIGHT AND THE STRING ACTION IS PERFECT LOW TO THE KNECK WITH NO BUZZING,BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON A GOOD PLAYER TO KEEP HIS OR HER GUITAR IN GREAT SHAPE.FOR ONE THING KEEP ACOUSTIC GUITARS IN A HARD SHELLED CASE TO PROTECT AGAINST THE WEATHER,AND AFTER EVERY USE OF PLAYING WIPE YOUR GUITAR DOWN WITH A SHAMY CLOTH AND I PREFER DUNLOP65 GUITAR POLISH CLEANERFOR THE BODY,PROVIDES A LONG LASTING GREAT SHINE.[NEVER USE A REGULAR TOWEL TO CLEAN WITH,IT SCRATCHES THE GLOSS,I HAVE 3 GUITARS AND ALL OF THEM STILL PLAY AND LOOK THE SAME AS WHEN I PURCHASED THEM 5 YEARS AGO AND 1 22 YEARS AGO.MECHANICAL PARTS ARE VERY STRONG AND ALL TIGHT.AND YES I WILL TAKE THIS GUITAR OUT ON THE ROAD NEXT ALBUM COMING OUT!GO TO www.davidsbaseballcards.com and listen to my music for a Demonstration of this and my other Guitars.

Value:
yes very much!

Desirability:
Great looks,cut away for easy reaching of the upper fretboard,the rounded backing for that not so bulky backing that makes it uncomfortable like other box Guitars. sits on your lap Beautifuly or stand up with the strap on? both ways are great.

Sound:
GREAT SOUND FOR THIS GUITAR,EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT A $1,000.00 GUITAR,ITS AWSOME FROM ON OR OFF THE AMP! NO FEED BACK WHAT SO EVER & I PLAY ON A FLEXTONE III XL COMBO AMP WITH POD XT BY LINE6 THAT POWERS TWO CRATE CABINETS AT FULL THROTTLE FOR MY BAND "STEEL ROCKER" AND ALSO THE KEYS ON THIS GUITAR HOLD THE TUNING GREAT,PLAYED 10 SONGS AND NEVER EVEN HAD TO FINE TUNE.

Support:
never had to call them yet,this product is well constucted,and im sure that it will not stay this price for ever it will go up since its made by Ovation. GET IT NOW While you can.

Overall:
It will last me forever i hope ? I take great care of my musical equipment as any musician should? If you dont than your not a true Player,and youll end up being a junk collector instead. but im always on the lookout for great buys and more musical equipment for my studio.AND THERES NOTHING I DONT LIKE ABOUT IT SO FAR

8 of 10 people (80%) found this review helpful. Did you?    
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