Text: David Martín
The new generation of VXT guitars presents hybrid instruments specially designed for those looking for the sound of a quality conventional electric guitar, and for those who want realistic, clean and clear acoustic sounds. First-class materials and finishes from a brand that needs little introduction: OVATION.
A little history
This company was founded in 1966 by Charles Kaman, a powerful aeronautical engineer with a passion for the world of the guitar. In 1970 they launched their first electro-acoustic model: the Balladeer. At the time, the company expected it might fail. Today, hearing the word Ovation is practically like hearing the term "electro-acoustic."
For guitarists in the seventies, touring with acoustics generally became a problem. By placing a mic in front, the artist was left unable to move. By using a pickup (of that era), the sound was severely altered. In the late sixties, Ovation introduced a new guitar concept in the United States: the electro-acoustic. It added a bridge with a built-in innovation: a very special six-element pickup. The result was much more real (natural) and closer to the conventional sound.
Piezoelectric units
As you know, a transducer is a device that converts one form of energy into another; that is, any guitar pickup. In the case of electro-acoustics, we are talking about piezoelectric units with crystals (with special properties) that generate electricity when subjected to mechanical forces. Ovation developed the concept of installing six individual elements, one for each string. They are placed at the points where the strings cross the bridge saddle. Each of these six piezos picks up the vibration of its string. The individual pickups were in turn combined to achieve the acoustic result of the sum plus the nuances added by the soundboard.
Inside the instrument, the signal received by the piezos is amplified and sent to the guitar's output. The sound we get with this type of six-element piezoelectric pickup is completely different from what we will capture with conventional magnetic pickups. The latter respond only to the movement of the metal strings within their magnetic field. In short, the piezo sound is quite different, since its elements also respond to mechanical movement. The results are more natural, "acoustically" speaking.
This is part of the essence of the VXT, which we will get to know next.
Unboxing
I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of the VXT. I had previously worked with Ovation guitars, in their acoustic versions, so distinctive for their design, concept and materials, and also peculiar for the unique look of their backs, built with layers of carbon fiber combined with materials such as birch. This is the case with one of the company's most iconic models: the Ovation Adamas, born in 1975.
The VXT
When I took the guitar out of its gig bag (included in the price, by the way), I was somewhat surprised. A very thin body for a semi-hollow, but too thick to be a conventional solid body. I was also struck by the combination of the bridge piezos with its brand-new Seymour Duncan pickups. The look suggested the creamy bite of old-style humbuckers, as well as the purity of the individual pickup of its bridge piezoelectrics.
Continuing this visual inspection, I kept poking around at the instrument's "strange" features. Its back houses a 9V battery and has a small switch to go from mono to stereo.
A hard-rocking guitar or a clean, jazzy guitar?
That is what I was wondering. It seems to be both, but what's going on here? Well, it was time to plug in. Things were becoming clearer.
Built on all these solid pillars for a sturdy instrument, we find a hybrid between the electric and the electro-acoustic.
I had previously tried similar things (magnetic and piezoelectric pickups) from Peavey although, with all due respect, the comparison favors Ovation, it must be said.
With the intonation and tuning stability you would expect from a €1,995 Ovation guitar, that is, rock-solid, we get a significant variety of sounds. With the help of the potentiometers (three in total), which blend the signal levels of the different pickup sources (magnetic pickups and piezos), we can get:
1. The powerful, creamy, hard-rocking and thick sound of the Seymour Duncan '59s. As you can imagine, we have an appealing range depending on whether we select the bridge pickup or the neck pickup, from clear and bright to dark and deep.
2. Electro-acoustic sound. If we use the sounds picked up by the bridge piezos, the result is much more "natural," clean, "honest" and crystal clear. The midrange frequencies change completely. The result is totally different from that of the Seymours.
Blend sounds
We can blend (in mono or stereo) both pickup sources. For example: we are after the aggressive sound of PAF-style humbuckers, nicely distorted and hard-rocking. But now, thanks to the piezo, we want to give it a tighter touch of definition and enrich the mids. We raise the piezo signal levels and gradually blend them into the initial sound of the magnetic pickups. I suppose you can get a good idea of what I am trying to describe. You can listen to the mp3 demos at www.ispmusica.com to recognize the differences in sound I mention.
Conclusions
A good-quality instrument, no doubt about it. Well finished and carefully detailed. It is certainly peculiar because of its electronic complexity. This gives the guitar greater versatility compared to other instruments based exclusively on magnetic pickups. Personally, I think it is an instrument for "advanced" musicians. I don't think the VXT is pigeonholed into one style; on the contrary, it covers funk, blues, rock & roll and hard-rocking territory. If you know how to handle this wide variety of acoustic tools, you may find the instrument especially comfortable for getting around in any style. It covers "acoustic," semi-acoustic and electric humbucker settings. To each their own.
07/25/2007
