Paupers and Princes

firstbassman · Post by **firstbassman** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:29 am

Oh, yeah, it is a great shape and a great looking guitar type.
Can anyone picture BB without Lucille?
The pic does look cool Jerry.

Well, OK, I get it. If a major criteria is distinctive meaning unique, then ok, 335 does not make the first cut.
I would understood that.

But why then does the Strat make the top of the list?
As we have discussed here many times, no guitar shape has been copied more often.

lars · Post by **lars** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:43 am

lyle_from_minneapolis · Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:58 am

Isn't that why it WOULD make the top of the list? It's the icon.

Wait, maybe you meant "why then DOESN'T the Strat..."

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:29 am

Yeah, I'm a bit confused, too...it made the list because it was the first, radical for its day and still attractive today.

Lars--although the Firebirds were and remain quite radical, they are not really iconic--just different.

The Warholian splendoriferous quadraphonic spectacle above doesn't sway my opinion, but it does emphasize how innately disproportionate these guitars are. But, man, I love (was it Jeff's?) Fenderbird.

I remember that while the Beach Boys were the height of cool with their Oly White Fender trio, the Four Seasons played burst F-Birds. I remember thinking at age 15, how klutzy! Those guys oughta get some style! (LOL) F-Birds just were not very hip back in the day...

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:14 pm

Can't agree more about the comments on all the guitars...

One guitar I've always had a fondness for, although I've never seen one in person is the Ovation Breadwinner! Ever since seeing Keith Partridge (ok David Cassidy) play one on the partidge family as a kid.

They probably play terrible and sound yucky, but a white breadwinner looks kinda cool to me.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:04 pm

John, a white Breadwinner would look like a rubber glove for a giant frog...

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:22 pm

John:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ovation-Breadwinner-solid-body-guitar-vintage-pre-1980_W0QQitemZ320080781019QQihZ011QQcategoryZ119094QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem, White Breadwinner

Ok, I give up - I can't get rid of the wide url showing....

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:57 pm

That's it!

Well... I wanna get it, but I have more rickenbacker guitar stuff coming up in the budget!

I do wonder what they play and sound like though. If the neck feels like a typical Ovation...yuck!

Usually I hate Ovations... for skinny people they may be fine, but for a person of "stature" such as myself, (ok, with a big belly, ok big) they are a nightmare. That round back... UGHHH!

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:59 pm

And you are right Paul! It does look like a giant rubber frog glove! But it is kinda groovy!

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:01 pm

John, i'm skinny and I still find them terribly awkward!

johnashfield · Post by **johnashfield** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:03 pm

Ha! So it isn't just me!

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:15 pm

Me too - I played a roomies acoustic Ovation years ago (when I was slim!

) and I found it awkward and uncomfortable too. I always wondered how the plastic/wood interface would hold up over the years also.

jimk · Post by **jimk** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:28 pm

I've been told that the chief advantage of Ovation guitars is that they bounce good.

JimK

sharkboy · Post by **sharkboy** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:40 pm

Don't you also think they would go really well with GWARs attire? If you go away from thinking of them as frog gloves, you can then think of them as nerf battle axes or something.

stubby · Post by **stubby** » Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:14 pm

I have an Ovation acoustic shallow back, a staple that I've played for about 15 years, and I really like the neck. Then again, I'm very small and the neck suits me great. It's black and looks a lot like the one Paul Simon has played for some time. My problem with this guitar is how the sound has deteriorated over the years. It never sounded great acoustically. But when I plugged it in, at one time, it was magical. Not the same experience over the last 5 years or so. It seems the electronics have failed me in some way lately. What could be wrong?