Ovation Adamas SMT

Acoustically, this guitar is LOUD, with great balance between individual strings. The mid-size bowl is really comfortable yet big enough to make those bass notes jump out. I’m not kidding, you really feel those low notes.

It contains Ovation’s Optima preamp system, with both 1/4″ and XLR output. The preamp also has a chromatic tuner, which is great idea. Plugged in, the sound is unreal. Not traditional sounding (the middle strings don’t ‘mush’ together like on wood acoustics), again, just great balance. Even chord played on the lower strings sound like individual notes, not buzzy and indistinct. And for single notes, the neck is as easy as an electric’s. I generally process my acoustic sounds with compression & reverb, as well as with an Aphex Aual Exciter pedal, which adds even lower overtones to the lowest notes.