Ovation Ultra 1512 (Made in Korea)

Made in Korea in the late 1980s, the Ovation Ultra 1512 was part of Ovation's effort to bring its distinctive acoustic-electric design to a lower price point than the USA-made instruments. Despite its Korean production, it retains the essential Ovation formula: a laminated spruce top with K-5 bracing, a deep composite bowl and Ovation's piezo-based electronics. The deep bowl gives the guitar considerably more acoustic volume than the shallow-body Ovation models, and this one sounds genuinely good both unplugged and amplified.

The neck is particularly appealing if you're coming from electric guitar. It is fast and relatively slim, with a feel much closer to an electric Gibson than to the chunky necks found on many traditional dreadnoughts. The 25.4" scale and 20-fret rosewood fingerboard make it very easy to play, and the deep bowl sits comfortably against the player despite its substantial acoustic depth.

The 1512 is an interesting model in the Ultra range. It was closely related to the 1517 Ultra Deluxe, but used a simpler V-series preamp without a separate tone control. The pickup is a piezo element under the bridge, feeding the onboard FET preamp, giving the guitar a characteristically direct and articulate amplified sound. Ovation's approach was quite different from putting a conventional magnetic pickup on an acoustic guitar: the piezo system responds directly to the vibration at the bridge, which helps retain the attack and clarity of the acoustic instrument when amplified.

This one is in very good condition, with some smaller nicks and one lacquer crack near the bridge. The crack is confined to the finish and does not extend into the wood. The guitar is otherwise fully original; the electrolytic capacitors and one potentiometer in the electronics have been replaced as a matter of maintenance. It is professionally set up and ready for the stage.

Specifications

• Model: Ovation Ultra 1512
• Era: Late 1980s
• Origin: Korea
• Top: Laminated spruce
• Bracing: K-5
• Body: Deep Bowl composite body
• Scale: 25.4"
• Frets: 20
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Pickup: Ovation piezo bridge pickup
• Electronics: V-series FET preamp
• Weight: 2.35 kg
• Condition: Very good, with some smaller nicks and one finish crack near the bridge
• Repairs: None
• Originality: Fully original apart from replacement electrolytic capacitors and one potentiometer in the electronics