What do they sound like? Ive been thinking about getting one to mess around with as a good backup maybe. Are they good for slap and funky styles?
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OVation magnum
- Thread starter Stinkoman20xx
- Start date
im not entirely sure abuot what youre talking about here..but i have seen "magnum" basses which are musicman and precision bass copies..this what ya talking about
IMO, the Ovation Magnum isn't the right bass for slap or funk. I had one for a while. It's got a big, bassy sound, mostly thanks to that big pickup right by the end of the fretboard. I had it strung with flatwounds. It's a fun bass to play, but not a slapper.Thedeadking said:
Dave Siff said:
I second what Dave has to say.
I used to own an Ovation Magnum back in the late 70s.(Check my profile)
This bass has a very deep tone similar to a Gibson EB-O, but the sound was much cleaner than the Gibson. It also had a pickup near the bridge than had U shaped pole pieces to sense string vibrations longer, or so they used to say in their ads back then. The bridge pup was extremely clean sounding, and had a piano-like tone to it.
Overall, it was a very nice sounding bass, but I'd say it was better suited to finger-style than slap.
My bass' serial number was 00488, so if anyone comes across this instrument, she used to be my girl.
Mike
I still have an Ovation Magnum III. the one w/ the 3 band Slider-based Eq. Bass weighs a ton. The bass sounds like a mix of a gibson EBO and 70 P bass more or less. Bassy, boomy, w/ some clarity. The bass has alot of cool features for its time, like carbon fiber reinforced neck, and those neat U-shaped pickup poles and that adjustable front pickup. Great for filling up the bottom end of a rock-n-roll band But a slapping machine -not really.
i read somewhere just before that the neck pup is a 4coil 
...personally i think it looks cool..i like the look of the ovation acoustic basses as well
...personally i think it looks cool..i like the look of the ovation acoustic basses as wellI currently own one, had it since the early 80's and love it! It has a sound not unlike an early J Bass. Absolutely built like a tank! They are getting pretty rare, though. You might check Ebay...every now and agin one pops up....
I caught a bass player using one last Friday night in a band in Hong Kong. It didn't sound bad at all. I was expecting it to sound muffled. I hadn't seen one since the 70's.
I bought #00500 a few years ago off ebay, came with manuals and everything, mint for about $500. I think its an astonishing aggresive bass. I guess you could say its heavy, but not compared to my Alembic or my 69 Les Paul Bass. Mine is a II I think, active with the 3 tone sliders.
Built like a tank, and yes, slapping is easy on it, if you care for that sort of thing. I like it with a pick. Nasty.
DS
Built like a tank, and yes, slapping is easy on it, if you care for that sort of thing. I like it with a pick. Nasty.
DS
correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't there another version of this bass, with a more unique body design, and some rails going from neck to bridge that you could use as a thumbrest? And did'nt Ross Valory of Journey play one?
ahh, I just checked another site and found that the earlier ovations, 1 and 2, had a different body shape...this one we are looking at is a ovation magnum 3 or 4..wierd, because the earlier versions had the rails, and looked actually more modern!
And let's not forget the built in mute lever. 
There was a lever just in front of the bridge that, when engaged raised four mute posts that touched the strings to try to give the sound an upright-like quick decay. It did sound pretty good, but whenever I used it, it raised the intonation about a quarter tone, so I just didn't use it that much.
Another good idea that went nowhere.
Mike
There was a lever just in front of the bridge that, when engaged raised four mute posts that touched the strings to try to give the sound an upright-like quick decay. It did sound pretty good, but whenever I used it, it raised the intonation about a quarter tone, so I just didn't use it that much.
Another good idea that went nowhere.
Mike
I hear the Magnum makes a pretty good reggae/dub bass. I know ex-PIL side man Jah Wobble uses one. I wouldn't make it my primary axe but I think it'd be good fun as a backup.
r
r
mgod said:
You know, I used mine a lot in the 80's then I made the mistake of loaning it to a "friend"...he up and moves away to Paris and I never see it again...Bummer! A couple of years ago what do you think turns up on Ebay? You got it! There she was! I immediately bought it ($450.00) and it's been with me since. From time to time I get out my Rickenbacker, Jazz, Daions and the Ovation. It's amazing that the Magnum can keep up with the best of 'em.....Personally, I think Ovation screwed up when they discontinued them in the early 80's....they don't build 'em like that anymore!
Anyone know where to find parts for one? I have the 3 band eq one, and it took a bad hit before i owned it. The pick guard and the circuit board cracked off where the 1/4" jack is. I was able to McGuyver the board and make it function for awhile but now, until I can restore it, I leave it alone. (Play my T40 or Stingray instead)
I would love to get this old beast back up and working. I have a laser etching guy who can reproduce the guard but the circuit board is beyond me,
I would love to get this old beast back up and working. I have a laser etching guy who can reproduce the guard but the circuit board is beyond me,
