Ovation Magnum

[FlatEric]

Hi.

Keep popping back to see what you guys are up to - thought you may
be interested in this old fella!











More pics and lots of detail here:

http://flatericbassandguitar.blogspot.com/2011/10/ovation-magnum-bass.html

Any questions about the Magnum, happy to answer.

Off to see Peter Cook, playing live in London on the 22nd.
Will have a chance to have another chat to him - will let you know what the gig was like.


Cheers.

[Highlander]

Nice...

I vaguely remember Ross Valory playing one (possibly a Mag II?) when I saw him with Journey at the Hammy O' in the 80's (support was kinda nice too as it was Pat Travers with his best known lineup - Aldridge/Cowling/Thrall)

[Pilgrim]

I think those are in a serious competition for the coolest looking basses in the universe!

[clankenstein]

i saw jah wobble playing one of those,he gets a massive sound from it too.

[gearHed289]

Nice...

I vaguely remember Ross Valory playing one (possibly a Mag II?) when I saw him with Journey at the Hammy O' in the 80's (support was kinda nice too as it was Pat Travers with his best known lineup - Aldridge/Cowling/Thrall)

Pat Travers Band - Killer!

I remember Valory playing one of those too. Really cool bass!

[PhilT]

I love the look of those.

[Pilgrim]

I love the look of those.

Me, too.  However, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't love the weight.  They have the reputation of being boat anchors.

[uwe]

I have one, the active Magnum II version, it's not that heavy at all. Not T-40, Victory or early Ibanez Musician heaviness.  I always think of it as the bass the Gibson RD Artist could have been had it been maho.

There was a period when it was quite a popular bass, Roger Glover played it in Rainbow's Difficult to Cure era and the ELO bass player had one too.

[Highlander]

... Roger Glover played it in Rainbow's Difficult to Cure era ...

Saw that tour and honestly can't remember what he played... (white P vaguely rings a bell...?)

Pat Travers Band - Killer!

Not 'alf...!


Too far away for a decent shot - Hammy O' gig as a headliner about six months or so later...

[godofthunder]

OMG I can't believe you guys are drooling over these! They tanked when they came out, sat on the shelf for years. Sure a few pros have been seen with them (most likely freebies from Ovation) Overly complicated and that silly metal coral around the pickups is useless. The Spud, ugly then ugly now. Just try and hand something like that to a guitar player. Rant over, all imho of course.  I do like the cherry finish , see there I said something nice about it.

[patman]

had forgotten about the metal corral around the pickups...that made it absolutely impossible to slap on this bass.

[uwe]

They are ugly in a cool way, ok? And have a shape, if you want to call it that, all of their own. Nothing complicated about the active version, unlike regular knobs those equalizer faders actually have writing on them telling you what they do.

[Nocturnal]

I remember seeing a British band named Magnum back around 81-82. The bass player used a Magnum bass. I'm sure he had an internal dialogue about "I'm in Magnum, the bass is a Magnum. This must be fate! That was the only one I ever saw in the flesh until I met Chromium. I thought his was cool, but then again I didn't play it for more than 15 minutes. I fall into the "ugly but cool look" side on this one.

[FlatEric]

OMG I can't believe you guys are drooling over these! They tanked when they came out, sat on the shelf for years. Sure a few pros have been seen with them (most likely freebies from Ovation) Overly complicated and that silly metal coral around the pickups is useless. The Spud, ugly then ugly now. Just try and hand something like that to a guitar player. Rant over, all imho of course.  I do like the cherry finish , see there I said something nice about it.

Hey Scott, you tell it like it is mate - don't hold back!

Over here we call it a "Marmite thing!" you either love or hate something.
It's a good job we are all different, if not. . . . . .  we'd all be playing Leo's 1950's Precision.

If you read the stuff I put on the blog, I said that I liked the big pick-up surround, as I play
fingerstyle and it allows me to rest my thumb anywhere from the bridge to the neck.
This is something I can't do with my other Magnum.

Perhaps this one is more pleasing to your eye??





No, you can't really play slap on it but I guess it's horses for courses.

Your horses are more like this one!



I know you like this one!

Cheers. 

[uwe]

In that case the metal corral was a good thing! It never bothers a pick player like me.