Upgrade Ovation to Emerald X30 for Campfire Music?

[cavem]

Hi there,

I'm strongly considering upgrading my good old Ovation to an X30.
Why?
Because I really like the look of it. Maybe because I try to believe that carbon is the better material for my use case. And maybe because I could afford it and it feels good to have something new.

I'm far from being a professional. I play for myself at home (which would not really need an X30) and my second use case is: A few times a year I play at scout camps. Either alone or with other guitars. With an audience of 50 to 200 people. Full acoustic. No amplification.

So - to fulfil a dream - I was a little concerned whether the X30 could match the campfire presence of my Ovation. I had the Ovation precisely because it was loud enough and a bit more stable than a pure wood guitar.

Unfortunately I live in Germany and it doesn't seem to be easy to play an X30 here before I buy it.

So I try to get some help with the decision for the X30.
Which, to be honest, is quite expensive compared to my Ovation.

By the way, I also have a Nylon Yamaha and a Martin 000 for home use.

Has anyone with any experience compared an X30 and a standard Ovation Celebrety Elite? (non carbon). I also considered the X20, but after reading some reviews I fear it could simple be not loud enough for playing in the open field against 150 kids.

Thanks for your help
Uwe

[Earl49]

Uwe, I have not played an Ovation in a long time but they are a great durable camp guitar. Until recently, I owned an X30 (sold to a friend). It is a very bold, loud, and bassy guitar! It worked fine for me at loud bluegrass jams, surrounded by banjos and mandolins. Mine was nicknamed the "D28 killer" as no mere Martin could keep up. It will command attention at a campfire or in a group setting, for sure. Despite its rather large size, the ergonomic features make it feel more like a dreadnought, presuming that body size works for you. X30 will be decidedly louder than your 000.

As for price and aesthetics, you will be alive only for a short time and dead for eternity, so go for it! If you buy a stock model (not custom) Emerald is very good about returns within the specified 7-10 day period. You would be out only the return shipping, in the unlikely event that you did not like it.

[Aspiring]

I owned an older Ovation Elite for a long time that I bought in the 90s.

I have an x20 and an x30-12. The moulded bowl and Spruce top. It still was a pretty nice guitar when I sold it but the Emerald ergonomics and neck are way more to my liking. The Ovations mostly have a very narrow nut. The unplugged tone on the Emeralds is richer and with more overtones the Ovation is slightly brighter.

[Captain Jim]

I had an Ovation for 14 years - it traveled well and got played out a bunch. This was before I got on guitar forums... and learned about what I was missing. (Yes, that is a joke). I've had a bunch of guitars since that Ovation, but each of the 4 Emeralds I own has been a true delight. Better than the Ovation? Yeah, by a long stretch. Not only in tone, but also comfort: that Ovation wanted to "roll" off my lap all the time. I generally played out standing, but it still wanted to rock back and forth. The Emeralds are designed ergonomically to fit an actual human body - they feel like they are hugging you back AND they stay in place while you're playing.

My Ovation had a deep bowl, and my X7 and X20 are both louder unplugged than I remember the Ovation. I do not have an X30, but having played one, the tone it puts out is rich and deep - much more so than any Ovation I've played. It is a big guitar, but feels smaller than its size would have you believe because of all those comfortable curves and bevels.

Of course, asking in a forum where there are a lot of enthusiastic Emerald owners, the opinions expressed here may be biased. Good luck with the search and decision.

[tbeltrans]

The string spacing and fretboard will likely be wider on the Emerald. I seem to recall that Ovation steel string guitars had a narrower fretboard with closer string spacing.

Also, since a campfire is involved, chances are that the Ovation would burn better because it has a wood top.

Tony

[cavem]

Thank you so much for all your input and inspiration! It really helps me to find some confidence to "simply" spend the money. You're absolutely right: I should buy from stock. Building a custom version, just to learn, would be a bit too expensive for me. But on the other hand, especially the customisation is the super cool feature of the Emerald guitars! I had one in my online cart yesterday. I just wasn't brave enough to push the 3500 € button... It's still a pretty steep price for a campfire guitar! But maybe it'll be the best one ever
A friend of mine told me I'm crazy for bringing such a pricey thing to a camp with kids and "the elements"! I said it might be the exact environment it was meant for...

I'll never tell my wife though

I might just have to wait for a bargain, but I guess they are very seldom.

Thank you all so much for your input.
Uwe

[tbeltrans]

Originally Posted by cavem

Thank you so much for all your input and inspiration! It really helps me to find some confidence to "simply" spend the money. You're absolutely right: I should buy from stock. Building a custom version, just to learn, would be a bit too expensive for me. But on the other hand, especially the customisation is the super cool feature of the Emerald guitars! I had one in my online cart yesterday. I just wasn't brave enough to push the 3500 € button... It's still a pretty steep price for a campfire guitar! But maybe it'll be the best one ever
A friend of mine told me I'm crazy for bringing such a pricey thing to a camp with kids and "the elements"! I said it might be the exact environment it was meant for...

I'll never tell my wife though

I might just have to wait for a bargain, but I guess they are very seldom.

Thank you all so much for your input.
Uwe

Well, since Emerald already had one 25% off sale that many of us took advantage of for their 25 year anniversary, maybe they will do it again for their 50th.

Tony

[cavem]

Just found one used on ebay.
Bought it. Hope it was the best idea I ever had and not the worst.

But now I'm really looking forward to get it and hope it is well maintained.

Thanks for your support

Next time I will join when the 50% comes from Emerald!

Uwe