Ovation CE44-5 Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Black

Having not played guitar for almost ten years, this instrument has brought me nothing but smiles so far. While it is to eatly to tell how durable the ce44-5 is, just picking up this guitar exudes quality (regardless of chinese craftsmanship inconsistencies). It came tuned in D which was a nice touch as far as keping the strings and neck ready to tune up to standard or alternate tunings. D'addario light strings, relatively low action, and excellent sound projection are key points to this design... and, somehow, they managed to add enough texture to the composite back to keep it from sliding off your leg!I've been playing this thing to the point of sore fingers and still can't believe how well it sounds.I'm 6'1" and have fairly large hands. The mid-sized 10" radius fretboard is very nimble and stretching for odd progression is easier than larger necks. It's a 50/50 between chords and picking... and this guitar strikes a great balance.Plugged in is where this really shines. The built in tuner , gain, and EQ are of above average quality. I've recorded with ovations in the past and find their electric tone less overly bass resonant. They are easy to mix with and require less jive on the mixboard.The convenient size, excellent build quality, beautiful looks, and excellent sound make for a guitar than ANYONE would be proud to own and share with others.

I am impressed with this guitar. I have several Ovations in the higher end price bracket but this guitar was a surprise in the tone play ability fit and finish and intonation is perfect, it has the same feel as my $1500 ovation, The only change I made was to lower the action by removing two shims from the bridge which took all of ten minutes, this really made a huge difference in the play ability and feel. I received the guitar within a week of ordering it and although it doesn't come with a case it was packaged well and had no damage. A case can be bought for $150 or so. This would make a great beach guitar or beginners guitar as well I have been playing for over 40 years and enjoy playing this guitar a lot.

Purchased guitar, when I started to unpack it rattled around in the box. After unpacking a large chunk was taken out of the front of guitar. Not sure about quality of guitar but the seller left a lot to be desired.

I've been playing about 15 years, and have primarily used a Samick non-electric 6-string acoustic the whole time. It is a good guitar, but I've been considering an Ovation for a while, especially since I wanted my next guitar to be amplified. After getting this guitar, I wish I had done this years ago. The action is smooth and fast, and the sound when amplified is amazing. There are certainly more expensive and advanced Ovation models, but this one gets an A+ from me for build quality, weight, balance, sound, and playability. It would actually make a good first guitar for an older student who has the budget for it. Highly recommended.

Beautiful guitar and beautiful sound and tone! Great price

This Ovation is what I expected. It arrived in very good shape. I will only point out a couple of minor issues. The "wings are an overlay, not inlay and there were wood burrs on the cutouts like someone did not do a quick sanding to remove them. No problem, they will wear off soon. The strings are thicker than i like so I will be changing them, but I am not sure how that will affect tone. I arrived about 1 note out of tune on each string which means they tune and stretch before boxing which is fine if the guitar is not sitting for long, otherwise it could warp the neck so check that when you get out of box. Mine needed only a little set up and the tone is just as expected, clear, bright and full which is an Ovation standard. This is a good guitar as an upgrade for a beginner or if you are taking it on the road. The equalizer does enhance the electronic sound but I don't like the plug hole being on the lower back. It gets in the way when you are using with an amp. You may want to use an L-shapes cord end instead of straight.Overall, I recommend. If you can, try it in a store first. The price is about the same everywhere. I ordered mine from Amazon for convenience mostly.

This is a beautiful guitar! We bought it for our son for his graduation gift. He loves it. Plays great & sounds great too! Worth the money.

I had to add 4 shims to the bass side of the pickup, to eliminate a very noticeable fret buzz on the bass side, from the first to about the 5th fret. I am going to pull the strings off soon, and see if the neck is actually twisted. if so, that's not good. I may return if that's the case. I got the buzzing to stop, but the action on the bass side of the neck is now higher than I'd like it to be. If this issue wasn't occurring, I'd give it 5 stars. Love the feel, look, and sound.