In the musical instrument industry, the name Ovation might as well be synonymous with “innovation.” For many years, these guys have been coming up with revolutionary technology time and time again. Rather than into detail, I’ll just refer you to this article I found about their history and move on with the new sauce they’ve been brewin’.
This futuristic space-age neo-interplanetary teleportation device is actually none of those things. It’s a guitar with a built-in recorder. Meant for the songwriter, it also includes an internal microphone for recording more than just sounds from the guitar (i.e., you can sing too). It has USB connectivity for easy transfer of mp3 files to and from the iDEA preamp. (pictured below)
The guitar itself features a mid-depth cutaway body with a spruce top, an eastern mahogany neck with a dark rosewood fingerboard and the Ovation iDea OPi-1 preamp. The preamp is available separately so check with your favorite dealer to find out if it will fit your current Ovation guitar.
October 6, 2008 at 7:40 pm
they come out november 1st. i’m gonna play one and then i’ll post a lil’ review here.
October 7, 2008 at 2:00 pm
That would be awesome. Thanks, Bryan!
November 12, 2008 at 12:10 am
The iDea pre-amp module will switch-out with the OP-Pro pre-amp that is in many of the newer model Ovations.
Many of the Ovation fanatics I know are planning on buying just the iDea pre-amp module and putting it in a more expensive model guitar.
(Also, some of us Old Folks can’t quite get into the appearance of this guitar)
The iDea pre-amp module will cost around $299, which is half the price of the whole guitar. The CC54i guitar is probably a great deal at $599… But I have three Ovation USA guitars that this pre-amp will fit into, so I may just get the module.
I am just waiting for a few more reviews from online friends, and other sources that are not trying to sell me one.
November 13, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Thanks for the info, Aurthur!