# Plastic body guitar?



## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

I was at Steve's DDO this week and saw an acoustic that had a body in what seems like plastic (it may have been fiberglass, but don't look like carbon fiber) with a wood top. 

Anyone knows what those are? 

I am thinking it may not be a bad idea for the kids...


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## R.S.Fraser Sr. (Aug 15, 2009)

was the back rounded, like a bowl?


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

R.S.Fraser Sr. said:


> was the back rounded, like a bowl?


Yes, it was rounded. 
I tought it was because of it being molded in a single piece or does it give something special tone wise?


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## R.S.Fraser Sr. (Aug 15, 2009)

Ovation, likely,
Ovation Guitars


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

R.S.Fraser Sr. said:


> Ovation, likely,


I think you're right. 

I didn't pay much attention to it at first when I saw that it seemed like plastic, and just went my way. (I was shopping strings, not axe. Lol) 

Are they any good?

Edit: Google tells me it's made in the same material as helicopter blades, and it resonates better than traditional body. 

Anyone have experience with these?


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

Jamdog said:


> I think you're right.
> 
> I didn't pay much attention to it at first when I saw that it seemed like plastic, and just went my way. (I was shopping strings, not axe. Lol)
> 
> ...


They are much quieter than standard acoustics and most certainly don't resonate better than a traditional body (at least in my experience). Some say the tone is very well balanced where as others would say flat or lifeless because there is no "body" to the sound. I probably fall into the latter category. Never played a true Ovation guitar though, just the entry-level "Applause" series. Maybe the upper-level guitars are better.

One thing is for certain. I found them uncomfortable to play due to the round back. You also can't put them down flat which can be annoying when doing repairs/modifications or even just changing strings.


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## Acousticado (Jul 28, 2016)

If it was an Ovation, the bowl material is known as Lyrachord.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

The ovations are beautiful guitars. I have an Elite T model in flat black. Its a great guitar, beautiful sound. But sounds 20 times better on an amp and john pearse strings. If you like small necks it is almost an electric shredder neck compared to something like my taylor. LOL (1-11/16)


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

Does the Lyrachord body makes for less maintenance guitars?


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## Acousticado (Jul 28, 2016)

Jamdog said:


> Does the Lyrachord body makes for less maintenance guitars?


To my knowledge not based at all on personal experience, as the back and sides of Ovations are Lyrachord, the tops are solid spruce, so it seems to me that there should still be potential maintenance considerations similar to an all wood guitar. Having said this, again to my knowledge, the Adamas line of Ovation guitars have Lyrachord back and sides, but the top is a unique sandwich of wood and carbon fibre (I could be corrected on this). I believe that this form of top makes the Adamas line more like a carbon fibre guitar in terms of less maintenance due to less/no effect by humidity.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

There is a very wide range of guitars wearing the Ovation badge, and the brand has also licensed or built the lesser models of Celebrity and Applause guitars. Many repairs to these designs are extremely difficult and very different from the same repair on wood guitars, neck resets, top cracks, even the installation or reinstallation of strap buttons. The better (ie, more expensive) models are very well made and not prone to defects but the lesser models are unreliable. I've seen the woodwork on the underside of the tops range from finely sanded to roughly splintered, and a top that was next to impossible to refit to the body after wood shrinkage and crack repairs. Fitting a backing block for the strap button to the inside curvature was very tricky too.

Frankly, I've never cared for the general Ovation acoustic tone, and the plugged in tone is way overrated, especially by modern standards. However, I've heard a couple of the nylon string models that were pretty sweet, and there's a bass that sounded nice as well. A friend has a very early steel string that seemed to be the peak of the possible tone as I never heard the company improve on it.

Just my opinions, of course.

Ovation Guitar Company - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I've never been impressed by the acoustic sound of an Ovation, although the plugged in sound was OK, by early 80s standards. 

And you have the added bonus of 'really uncomfortable to play' and 'can't set it down flat or lean it on anything'. I never thought about the 'hard to repair' angle Moon mentioned. Basically not a winner in my world.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If a company wishes to produce instruments in large quantity, one of the trickiest parts is sourcing a consistent-enough supply of wood that the 10,000th instrument produced is of the same quality as the 1st. Wood, being a natural product is prone to variation. If you're paying top dollar for a guitar, the builder can be picky about wood. If the price is meant to be competitive, they need to be able to secure large quantities of comparable properties. Ovation solved that dilemma by simply skipping the wood for the sides and back, needing only wood for tops and necks.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Some of the tops on the Ovation Adamas line are carbon fiber.

I have a Ovation Baladeer bought new in 1974. Well actually I traded the store owner an amp and a shotgun for it. It is still in great shape with great action. I don't play it anymore though because of the narrow string spacing at the nut and because my Martin guitars sound so much better. Ovations generally record well. They made a lot of cheap lines offshore though but if you can find a good used New Hartford built Baladeer it will be a good buy for a professional quality instrument because they did not hold their value. You get used to the round back but I now notice it hard to hang onto because I always play a standard dread for the last 20 years.


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

Fwiw, the kids teacher commented on the polymer bodied guitars this weekend, stating the rounded body would have been perfect for them and their smaller size. 

When I almost snatched one (I think it was an ovation copy, the name was different but looked just like it) on kijiji, it sold before. 

Now it's a bit late as we have an all wood dreadnought but still good to know.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I have an ovation elite t model and it is a wonderful guitar. Mid size plastic bowl. Sounds better than most guitars in the same price range but doesn't hold a candle to my Taylor. Neck like an electric guitar with very small nut size.


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