Ovation Celebrity Elite Plus CE44P-FKOA Mid-Depth Acoustic-Electric Guitar - Natural Koa Reviews

Everything was perfect with this guitar. The tone, the action, the size and weight, and the looks. I've played for over 50 years and I own 20 other instruments. This will be my favorite with only one exception. My parents bought me my first electric guitar in 1972, it was used but in perfect condition, a 1962 sunburst Strat. Something tells me that one is still my favorite.

This guitar is a must have for any serious guitar player and collector! Looks beautiful and plays beautifully as well! Was pleasantly surprised that when I received the Koa model it has gold tuners which makes it even more beautiful! Highly recommended!

Just an amazing guitar. Beautiful sound and the aesthetics are in a class all by itself. I can't put this guitar down.

I mean out of the box in tune. With all the jostling riding across the country I was surprised it was in tune. I originally bought another guitar by mistake but Carlos Ortiz did a great job at straightening out the mess and getting me the correct guitar. The Koa top is stunning and the sound is perfect for my apartment. I am very pleased with the price and service. The guitar arrived exactly on time and was very well packed. Excellent!

This is my 2nd Ovation and It's money well spent. Sweetwater did a phenomenal job setting up my new guitar and I couldn't be more pleased. I also just purchased a Reverend Charger electric guitar "today" from Sweetwater and can't wait to receive it! They inspect everything thoroughly so you can feel confident when receiving your instrument, etc…Great Job!! I'll be purchasing a high end Amp after paying off my guitar, so keep up the great service!

I bought this for my then 15-y.o. son during the Thanksgiving Black Friday sale, as a way of getting him started with the guitar. I had owned a spruce-top ovation 12-string Adamas many years ago (stolen by an ex-wife) when I lived in Hawaii that had an absolutely beautiful tonality and balance, and have had great respect for the brand ever since.

This guitar plays beautifully! The action is low and consisent across the entire range, and has the feel of an elctric guitar. Perfect for the beginning guitarist.

In fact, I love the sound, playability and beauty of this guitar so much that I'm thinking about buying one for myself.

Got mine yesterday, right on time. My first reaction after unboxing this beauty was to gasp at the beautiful wood grain. Koa is my favorite wood for guitars, due to its beauty and tonal qualities. The box was very warm, so I had to let koa cool off before really playing her. After a little minor tuning she was ready to rip. She sounds AMAZING, raw without any amplification. Through all of my amps, she sings beautifully. I tried a Fender GTX40, LT25, Carvin SX300, Roland Micro Cube, Spark amp, and a Boss ME-80. All sounded studio-worthy in clarity, tone, and response. The guitar is a pleasure to play. It truly feels as close to playing an electric as I could imagine. The high frets are completely accessible without buzz. As always, Sweetwater did a perfect job with the setup. This guitar was well-worth the wait for shipping.And Bob Mondock was his consistently awesome self in making sure this guitar was set up as desired. Bob always goes above and beyond!

Received my guitar 2 days ago. I love it so far! Beautiful guitar and sounds excellent. Played very nice right out of the box and was shipped tuned andmpolished. Thanks Sweetwater!. I will definitely be doing business with you again. FYI... The bag of candy is a nice touch

This is the most beautiful guitar I have ever owned! Sounds great, a middle bright sounding tone.
It came ready to play, even close to being in tune, right out of the box!
Bonus is the on-board tuner, and pre-amp on board for amp connection. Great, I'd buy it again.

I have been playing rhythym guitar for over 55 years and lead for 20 something years.Have had well over 30 guitars in that time period,including various styles of electrics,acoustic-electrics and guitars with no preamp.I have had guitars made from different tone woods etc. This Ovation Celebrity Elite Plus with the Koa top is as good as it gets,and sounds fantastic,whether played "un-amped" or through my Fishman loud box amp.Sweetwater did a great job setting it up and it came in via Fed-X in impeccable shape.Sweetwater.com made it and a separate TKL bag( made to fit a mid-deprh bowl), very affordable through their interest free credit card for 2 years,with inexpensive monthly payments through Synchrony bank.I could not be happier with the product,as well as Sweetwaters excellent follow-up and customer service.I will be buying from them again.I am a working musician and previously bought from their major competitors,but will stick with Sweetwater for my future needs.

This is the first guitar I've ever purchased on line. I was hesitant but I needn't have worried. The setup was excellent right out of the box. The sound is clear and full. Not "tinny" at all. The big selling point for me of course, was the spalted maple top and the fact that I could pick the grain pattern from Sweetwater's inventory. I get lots of compliments on it. I was torn between this one and the tiger eye. Who knows. Maybe I'll buy the tiger eye anyway! You will love this guitar.

Been considering this guitar for a number of years and kept putting it off, and considering other manufacturers. Then with Sweetwater's price reduction, zero interest promotion and reasonable shipping to Hawaii, I couldn't resist. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. The guitar is stunning in appearance and the quality of fit and finish is outstanding. Playability was great right out of the box and the guitar was packed safely for transport. The tonal quality is better than I expected and the sustain is incredible.
Sweetwater's 55-point quality control check was a factor in decision to purchase and it did provide added piece of mind fpr me with an online purchase of a guitar. Love this guitar and no regrets purchasing it.

I was looking for a guitar that could be used in a wide range of weather and temperatures to lead group singing with. This is a great choice! It's accurate throughout the fretboard, has a bright and loud tone that works nicely when unplugged with groups or plugged in.

Having bought my first Ovation in the early 80's I thought it was time for a new one. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. Sweetwater was fantastic shipping quickly and more than secure in their shipping and packing. The set up on it was very nice. The only thing I did was change to Elixir Poly Web Strings (sorry I didn't discover those years ago). I'm normally a Martin guy when it comes acoustics but when I want a different animal plugged in I adore this Ovation. I named her Vanessa Rose and she's found a home. Thanks Sweetwater!

This is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen and the sound produced is phenomenal. It truly is a joy to play and own. The buying experience I received from Brad Thomsen made the whole process easy and truely satisfying. The quality of both the product and customer service was the best I have ever experienced. I will shop nowhere else from this point on.

I could not be more please with this guitar and have had many admirers so I feel lucky to own it. A case was not available at the time of purchase but the folks at Sweetwater packaged it in ways that show long term experience. She arrived safe and was perfect right out of the boxes with extra bubble wrap. The set up was perhaps the best of any guitar I have ever purchased. Frets were perfect and so was the action. It is a joy to play this instrument. The tone is everything I thought it would be and more. Many of us hesitate to buy on line but the professionals at Sweetwater deserve your trust. I have the same guitar rep. as my nephew and I didn't even know he was a client of Sweetwater. How nice of them to keep us together with the same rep. I will definitely buy again knowing that if anything goes wrong these folks will make it right. All the same for the Marshall AS50D I just purchased. Followup has been excellent and they have quickly responded to my questions regarding the Marshall AS50D.

Thanks to Mike Godlove and the 55 point inspection team, this guitar arrived ready to play out of the box.
This is no ordinary budget guitar. Although the price is in the lower range and it is made out of country, it is nothing short of spectacular in terms of articulation, depth and just plain sparkle.
Each note unplugged rings loud and true; a little less than deep in the low end, but that is no surprise from a midbowl Ovation. Plugged in, it is readily apparent that the individual strings have their own piezo crystals, making note articulation phenomenal. For fun, I ran it with a slight boost and through a Carr Skylark and came across with a definite archtop vibe.
With a Fishman Acoustic amp, there is all of the tweaking necessary to make this a stand out in any room, but I think I like just playing it unplugged and alone, best.
My wife reminded me of dinner two hours after unboxing and starting to play this and I didn't show the least bit of fatigue from this slick and rapid play neck.
The finish is gorgeous, the frets are well dressed and all joints show no signs of glue or any of the other typical out of country manufacturing concerns. It is well made and a standout for the price. I have played many well over a thousand dollars that don't play this well.
Do switch out the strings for Martin Silk and Steel, you will not be disappointed.
That said, it is not for everybody, as no doubt, some will miss the deep bottom end or dry woodsy sound of a large soundhole.
Thanks Sweetwater for great service-you really delivered.

What is most impressive to me is the general knowledge of my sales person and his willingness to make everything I need to happen immediately sweet water has done a great job delivering the product

I got this guitar because they are famous for tuning stability and react minimally to climate changes. Since I do a lot of duo work and outdoor gigs it seemed the perfect choice. I also like the option of being able to raise or lower the action by adding or removing the inserts that are provided. EQ is simple and easy and the on-board tuner is terrific. My Sweetwater Sales Engineer Alan as always took first rate care of me. I love the way the notes "pop" when you play them. Lots of control just from your fingers. Visually, the KOA gets a lot of compliments from people at gigs asking if this is a $3000 guitar. Nope....just a great sounding guitar at a great value.

I needed an acoustic guitar because I wanted to play more solo gigs. This guitar is gorgeous! Lightweight, sounds fantastic and it came set up and ready to go. If I really had to find something to be critical about, I'd say that sometimes the tuner button can be finicky to turn on and off but that is me trying to find some fault in the guitar. I HIGHLY recommend!

Bought this guitar three weeks ago. She is everything and more I had hoped for. The Finish is outstanding. A beautiful guitar. Unplugged she resonates very well and sounds good. Plugged in it gets even better. I run through a 100 watt line 6 tube head with a marshall cabinet,. I have been able to dial in every sound I was looking for. The equalizer on the guitar is one of the better ones I have ever heard. I would highly recommend this model to anyone that is looking. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is due to the made-in-china stamp on the back of the head. I realize that is very trivial to a lot of people but typically I stick with American made instruments. 4.9 guitar to me

great guitar plays very easily , Did change strings to flat wound (o11)Like the feel . Every one so far commented on how pretty it looks

First off let me thank Ted and the rest of the guys at sweetwater this guitar is the most beautiful guitar that I ever owned it did need a set-up (I am very picky on how a guitar should play) once I completed the minor adjustments it played like a dream this guitar is built like a tank the fit and finish is perfect well I think I said enough now it's time to play it thanks again Ted and the rest of the guys at sweetwatet

This guitar is for local gigs so I don't have to take one of my more valuable guitars, like my Dove or D-40. This Celebrity is not cheap but it is inexpensive. It is beautiful and can be made to sound beautiful also.

The guitar came to my home quickly with no damage. The Sweetwater staff were helpful and genuine. I knew what I was getting and after I removed the strings and replaced them with my favorites.....light guage Martin Silk and Steel......it plays and sound even better.

I've had this beautiful Koa model for a few weeks now. It came quickly & in great shape (I ordered an Ovation case as well). The finish is flawless and stunning. The setup is easy to play and comfortable, no sharp frets. It has a nice bright sound, treble strings ring nicely. Compared to my Martin dreadnought it does not have as strong a bass response. Plugged in it sounds well balanced, the graphic EQ is helpful. Overall a nice sounding, looking guitar for the money. Fun to play.

I bought a pair of these (one Koa, one Padauk) for my 50th birthday, so my wife and I could start playing again, after many years away from guitar.

They're both very nice instruments for the price: good build quality, nice looks, very playable. I've been fortunate to have used some absolutely first class custom instruments in the past, so my criteria for excellence is set rather high. That's why I only ranked these 3.5 stars. It's not meant as an insult: they are somewhere between "Very Good" and "Great", and I have absolutely no regrets about getting them. You can certainly find better guitars, but the ones I know cost many times what these do.

This was my first purchase from Sweetwater, and it was as good an experience as you could hope for. The high quality images of the individual instruments made selection easy. Nick LaMendola, my "Sales Engineer", was very helpful. The instruments arrived promptly and in great condition.

It's almost a month since I got these and I'm happy to say that my wife and I play them every day.

The guitar was what I expected. I own thee other Ovations and this one did not dissapoint. Others may criticize the "plastic" back on Ovations but if the guitar is easy to play, is comfortable, and sounds good, what else is there? I didn't buy it as an investment, I bought it to play it. Very happy with the service I recieved and that fact that I could see photos of the exact guitar that would arrive at my doorstep. I was also very happy with the service from Johathan. This was my first purchase from Sweetwater and I was not used to such good service.