I recently picked-up a new Ovation MM68AX.
I was looking for a sub-$800 acoustic-electric 8-string mandolin that would be practical for a rough-house environment, and would sound good plugged-in in a mix with other electric instruments and drums.
After some research I decided that either the Ovation MCS148 or the new Ovation MM68AX would be my best choices, and last weekend I found a great deal on an MM68AX. She arrived yesterday.
Here are some initial impressions:
Appearance:
This is a very attractive instrument (pics below). There are a couple of rough finish spots on the side of the Ebony board, and maybe a few thick finish spots on the top around the soundholes, but all-in-all, its appearance is very good. Grade: B+
Playability:
Playability upon arrival was decent, but not noteworthy. Although there is a nice, noticeable radius on the fretboard, the fretwire is quite small. (Seeing that this a-e is clearly aimed at guitar players who want to throw some mandolin spice into their playing periodically, it seems odd that Ovation doesn't use larger, more guitar-like frets on these...Oh, well). The action was high for my tastes (about .09" under the G at the 12th fret). However, after watching the Ovation video on adjusting action, I was confident I could lower the action when I installed the new strings, and I did so with very minimal effort. Unfortunately, the action at the nut is also slightly higher than I like (though I will be able to live with this for now). On the plus side the neck is straight and true. Grade: B-
Tone:
I was surprised by how much I like the acoustic sound of this instrument. There's not much depth, but the tone is clearly defined and quite distinctive. I will certainly be taking this to a few acoustic jams to see how it fares.
Of course, plugged-in is where this instrument is designed to shine, and this one sure does. It has an excellent, distinctive, clearly-electric plugged-in voice. The pre-amp in this mandolin works great to drive a tube amp into that welcomed warm distortion.
Grade: B+
Overall:
All-in-all this instrument provides me with exactly what I was looking for, and will be a welcome addition to my jamming & playing out arsenal. To qualify my enthusiasm, however, I should point out that I got this instrument at a considerable discount off the current street price. I do not think I would recommend purchasing one of these for $800, considering the 148 is available for $500. In my estimation the street price on the MM68AX needs to be $700 or less to make it a good value.
Grade: B
Pros:....................................Cons:
Sounds great plugged-in!.........Small fretwire
Looks great!..........................Merely average factory set-up
Unique look and sound.............Difficult to access battery compartment *
Comes with an excellent case...Not a good value at street price
* - any tips on how I can get in the hatch? I can loosen/remove the screw but the cover will not come off.
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