A unique aspect of guitars is that manufacturers are always innovating and making a great-sounding instrument sound and play even better. I remember when the first Ovation guitars appeared in 1966: they were met with a lot of skepticism. Unlike past guitars, only the face of the guitar was made of wood. The sides and back were an unusual semi-parabolic-shaped solid piece of composite material. However, when they started popping up on stage in the hands of artists like John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola who made these instruments sound incredible, people gave Ovations a second look. Turns out, the optimized shape and the composite material Lyrachord combined to produce excellent resonance and sustain. As a result, the guitars soon became very popular.
When I bought my Sierra acoustic-electric, it came with an excellent built-in tuner. It was even more convenient than I would have imagined to have the tuner on hand at all times instead of having to rummage through my gear to find one when I needed it.
So, recently I was wondering what other innovative features might be bundled into guitars that make playing more fun and convenient. Here’s what I found: The Ovation iDea.
The Ovation iDea is the first acoustic-electric guitar to come with its own built-in mp3 recorder. It’s designed to give you the ability to record ideas you have the moment you think of them and then preserve them on your computer. This guitar has a bridge pickup and a built-in microphone, so you can record guitar and vocals at the same time, as well as just speaking your ideas into the mic so you can refer to them later. You can store as much as 100 minutes of material. There have been many times I’ve wished I had a recorder handy when inspiration strikes, so I love this feature.
Other features include on-board jam tracks, the ability to change the playback tempo without changing pitch (another favorite of mine) and even pre-loaded audio guitar lessons. The pre-amp/recorder pops out of the instrument, so it can be used anywhere.
If you already have a beloved Ovation that has an OP-series pre-amp you can replace it with the OPI-1 IDea Retrofit pre-amp, which can be purchased separately.
Prices for the guitar range from $579 – $649, and the Retrofit pre-amp goes for $299.
[photo: Kyknord]
I recently wrote a post listing the 
Buying a guitar can be a harrowing experience. You’ve saved up the money and now you’ve got one shot at getting an instrument with which you’ll be happy. When you’re trying out a guitar and you’ve decided that you like the overall sound quality, tone and feel of the instrument, here are five essential points to check to make sure you’re buying a well-built guitar: