# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Four, Five and Eight-String Electrics >  Ovation MM68AX

## Ed Goist

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._  :Confused:

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Verne Andru

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## Eddie Sheehy

The back-plate has three "legs" that are used as vises by the center screw.  When you loosen the screw rotate the plate and push it to the side to slide a leg out and then slide it to the opposite sides of the the other two legs and free them.   Accessing the battery is an even bigger pain...

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## michaelpthompson

> Accessing the battery is an even bigger pain...


Not if your hand is small enough to fit completely into the hole.  :Grin:

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## Tim2723

There may be four legs on the hatch.  It's a tight fit and total PITA.

I was so afraid that you'd say just what you have.  None of those shortcomings are true of the US made MM-68.  Even for the set up out of the factory. The real MM-68 comes with no less than six inspectors signing off on it and it's ready to play out of the box (the only mandolin I know of that can boast that).  Even that case is not an MM-68 case.  It obviously isn't just an MM-68 made overseas, it's a different instrument.

I guess you're right that it would be OK for a little less, but I was really hoping you'd completely contradict Ted's appraisal of it.  Thanks for the generous, open-minded review.  I'm sure you'll get a lot of use out of it, and congrats on getting a good deal.

Do me a favor and shine a light inside once you get the hatch off.  See if there's a hex nut showing through the heel inside the body.  That's the sign of a truss rod instead of a graphite neck.

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## Ed Goist

Thanks for the posts here, as well as for all the private messages and e-mails. They were very helpful in my quest to remove the hatch and change the battery! Mission accomplished (after almost 30 minutes)!

The hatch and battery compartment for the Ovation mandolins is officially the *WORST...DESIGN...EVER...*!

Well new battery is in now, and I'm on my way to rehearsal with the Ovation (and my ever trusty, go-to, Eastwood Warren Ellis GDAE tenor guitar).

Tim, there is definitely a truss rod. Here are the pics of the inside you requested...

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## Tim2723

That's very disappointing.  They've had ample opportunity to change that design and more than enough customer feedback to justify it.  The only real complaint I've ever had about the instruments.

OK, so the AX is not simply the MM-68 made overseas.  Well, that question is answered at least.

Thanks in turn to you, ED, for taking the time to post the review and pics.  Your putting a few questions to rest.

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## Tim2723

A couple of more questions when you have a moment Ed, if you don't mind.

Are the tuner buttons glued on or are there the little screws on each?

Looking at the resin of the body in good light, is it dead black or a very dark brown color? (And yes people, it's a very advanced resin material, not cheap plastic!)

Are the epaulets mounted in relief to the soundboard surface (sticking up about 1/32") or are they inlaid flush to the soundboard?

Is the Ovation logo inlaid brass?

Thanks!  :Grin: 

Oh, and you'd asked me earlier about mando-quintad bracing.  You're now looking at it.  :Wink:   No way to describe it except that it's a modified guitar bracing.

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## Ed Goist

> Are the tuner buttons glued on or are there the little screws on each?


The tuner buttons are screwed on. Also, the buttons themselves are beautiful. They have a "cloud-like" figure in them. Actually, every element of the headstock of this mandolin is quite impressive and attractive IMO.




> Looking at the resin of the body in good light, is it dead black or a very dark brown color? (And yes people, it's a very advanced resin material, not cheap plastic!)


Dead black. No doubt (we are having a super-bright sunny day today, and I took the Ovation out to the backyard to check).





> Are the epaulets mounted in relief to the soundboard surface (sticking up about 1/32") or are they inlaid flush to the soundboard?


Perfectly flush to the soundboard.




> Is the Ovation logo inlaid brass?


Yes...and it's done beautifully.

Oh, and Tim, you were right about how these stay in tune. I was banging on it pretty hard during a couple of songs last night and when I took it out of the case this morning it was perfectly in tune.

Finally, here is a demo video I just recorded of the MM68AX. Please forgive the sound quality during the "clean amplified" demonstration. I am using the internal mic in my Dell webcam to record this and I couldn't for the life of me get it to record the clean channel without over-modulating. It seems to record the overdrive channels no problem, but it doesn't like the clean channel (no matter how low I set the mic volume or the amp volume). Also, please forgive some of the sloppy playing. Let's blame the combination of me spending 90+% of my time on tenor guitar and the high action at the nut on this mandolin.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'll probably be getting that set-up sooner rather than later. The poor nut action makes it really difficult to play in the first two frets, but the more I play this, the more I like it, and it does sound great amplified (both clean and over-driven).

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## Ed Goist

I talked with my tech yesterday about the set-up. He's recommending replacing the Tusq nut with a handcut, vintage bone nut, saying it would bring out the sound (especially the acoustic sound) immensely.

However, I know that many electric players favor Tusq nuts claiming they enhance open string sustain. 

Since I'll be playing this plugged-in 90% of the time, I'm wondering which way I should go on the nut.

Thoughts? Has anyone upgraded the nut on their ovation to bone? Results?

Thanks.

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## Tim2723

My approach to it, and only my personal opinion, is that other than adjusting the action to suit your taste I wouldn't change the nut.  Though the instrument makes an acoustic sound and a number of players will perform with it unplugged from time to time, the Ovation is first and foremost an electric instrument. The engineers at Kaman could have used anything they wanted for the nut, yet they settled on Tusq.  Everything about the mandolin's design and construction is there to develop that specific amplified tone.  If its acoustic sound is pleasant to you that's a nice plus, but the plugged in sound is the purpose for the instrument to exist.

Oh, and thanks so much for answering the other questions and for the video!

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## Ed Goist

> I talked with my tech yesterday about the set-up. He's recommending replacing the Tusq nut with a handcut, vintage bone nut, saying it would bring out the sound (especially the acoustic sound) immensely.
> ...snip...


Well, the more I play the Ovation through an amp, the more I like it's electric voice. The amplified sound on this A/E is better than anything I have heard equipped with after-market electronics. Ovation certainly gets the amplification part right!

I also really like the look of the instrument.

On the other hand, I can't stand the playability, especially when compared to my acoustic mandolins. I guess it turns out that I can't live with the poor action after all, and I just don't want to live with those tiny frets. 

So, I've decided to have the full-range of work done on the Ovation...
Radius to be enhanced to 10", complete refret with 80X40 wire, bone nut, and full set-up.

My hope is that I'll end up with a super-easy playing mandolin with the great Ovation electronics and looks. 

We'll see. I'll report back when the work is complete.

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## Tom Wright

Ed, I recommend starting slower. The largest effect will be felt by getting the nut and action height right. Save the fret job for a while; there is no advantage to doing it now, ditto radius change. Radius and frets at the same time does make sense, but I will bet that the string height at nut and bridge is the main culprit so start with that. Maybe even just get the nut slots lower and don't ask for a bone nut, will save you lots of time waiting for it to be done. Get a new nut if you alter the fingerboard in the future.

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## Ed Goist

Hi Tom; interestingly what you outline above is exactly what I was originally going to do, but as soon as my tech (a good guy whom I trust) saw the nut he cringed (very poor cut, fit and slotting). He strongly suggested a new nut, and since the nut was coming off (and since I hate small frets), I asked about the refretting. 

Then I asked about doing all this in two trips, and it turned out there was a decent economy (of both time and especially money) to do everything at once. However, (and unfortunately) you're also right about the long down time for the full single job - I'm looking at ~4 weeks.

Fortunately I'm now primarily a tenor guitar player, and I'll still have my acoustic mandolins.

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## delsbrother

I'm guessing right about now that used MM68 is starting to look real good.  :Whistling:

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## Tom Wright

I admired Ovation when it was the first dedicated acoustic-electric guitar, and for their efforts at employing carbon-fiber composite materials. More recently, I looked to see if they offered a 10-string mandolin, since I wanted guitar-ish tone.

A shame that the AX is so rough. Best luck with it

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## Ed Goist

> I'm guessing right about now that used MM68 is starting to look real good.


Still happy with my decision to go with the new MM68AX. I'm confident the flaws are all non-structural, and fixable by a good tech. Also, the price I got, combined with the estimate for the playability overhaul will still put me under my budget for an A/E.

If I end-up with an instrument that has both the Ovation A/E electrified tone, and the exceptional playability that comes with a 10" radius, large frets, and a good set-up, I will be one happy camper! If not, well...Live and learn.

I guess now I'm _"in for a dime, in for a dollar"_.  :Smile:

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## delsbrother

> Also, the price I got, combined with the estimate for the playability overhaul will still put me under my budget for an A/E.


Well, in your OP, you said your budget was under $800. There's a US made MM68 in the classifieds for _under_ $600 _shipped_. I think you're already in the "live and learn" stage.  :Chicken:

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## Tim2723

I'm surprised that the US MM-68 is going for such a low price.  A couple of years ago that would have been reasonable for a '95, but I really expected some price gouging when the news came out about the AX.

I for one am very grateful to Ed for going through all this. He is, to the best on my knowledge, the first to give us an in-depth review of the instrument.  Kind of the guinea pig for the AX on the Cafe.

Since I know that radius and fret size are entirely personal choices, those issues don't influence my opinion of the instrument as delivered; that's just the Ovation design envelope.  I'm a bit disappointed about the nut and action.  Those items are more indicative of the Applause and Celebrity models that don't get the thorough set up and intense inspection of the US made MM-68.  I expected there to be some corners cut to lower the price to that degree, and I assumed those corners would be in inspection and QC.  

From all that Ed has said so far, it sounds to me like the new AX is more of an upgraded Celebrity than it is a re-sourced 68, which is to say, it sounds like there's a fourth mandolin in the Ovation family.

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## Ed Goist

_"Visions of a 10" radius and large frets danced in my head"_  :Smile:

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## rico mando

I bought an ovation mandolin once. just to have as a beach or party beater . the only thing I liked about it was the no hassle return policy at the store I brought it right  back to . it played all right i just did not like the acoustic tone of it .

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## Tim2723

They're not for everyone, that much is certain.  Glad you had an open mind to try it though.  A number of folks I know have bought them for acoustic use (often because of their near indestructibility) but have been disappointed.  The Ovation sound comes from being plugged in.  Any acoustic appeal is just gravy.

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## Jacob

+1

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## Tim2723

It's like those large-body, archtop Jazz guitars with magnetic pickups.  Do they make a sound when you strum them unplugged?  Sure.  Can you play them acoustically?  Of course.  But that's not the point of the instrument.  Ovation mandolins are like that.

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## rico mando

> They're not for everyone, that much is certain.  Glad you had an open mind to try it though.  A number of folks I know have bought them for acoustic use (often because of their near indestructibility) but have been disappointed.  The Ovation sound comes from being plugged in.  Any acoustic appeal is just gravy.


I have to agree with your assessment . I all ready had good performing instruments so I bought it as a tough beater . the action and neck was decent and has a great plugged in sound . I tried a cheap epiphone also  but could not stand it either . so I have no beater mandolins .

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## Tim2723

Finding any 'beater' that sounds as good as your favorite performance instrument is a tough nut to crack.  Beaters, almost by definition, are going to be less quality.

I use the Ovation unpugged when practicing, and the sound is fine for that, but for my uses a beater is an acoustic instrument and I want a good acoustic sound even from a beater.  Ovations don't do that for me either.  They have to be plugged in to work and so they make lousy beaters.

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## michaelpthompson

I've played my MCS148 in sessions and it holds its own pretty well. Certainly not as loud as my A-style but it can do some decent background accompaniment, which is what I do anyway.

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Ed Goist

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## Ed Goist

> _"Visions of a 10" radius and large frets danced in my head"_


I just spent a couple hours playing the Ovation (mostly acoustically) after getting it back from Guitar Slinger Music in Girard, Ohio. Thanks to Varg & Katie at Guitar Slinger for the great mod done to this instrument! (NFI) This mandolin now has exceptional playability!

What a difference the new, bone nut; the enhanced radius (10"); the larger frets (80X40); and the great set-up make. Also, the action (1.5 mm at the 12th fret) and the intonation are now excellent, and the mandolin has nice, clean fretting all up and down the neck.

I am very satisfied.

Oh, Ovation, if you are lurking...This mandolin should come spec'ed like this!

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## keebler

> Oh, Ovation, if you are lurking...This mandolin should come spec'ed like this!


I agree, I picked up a 148 the other day and it looks like QC was checked by a blind 8 year old.

Yours looks very clean and nice  :Mandosmiley:  ... only slightly jealous

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Ed Goist

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## Ed Goist

Thanks Keebler.
It's very unfortunate that new instruments are sold this poorly set-up.
I feel very fortunate that I was able to find a very good deal on this one and then have it modded/set-up by my local tech.
Everything turned-out great, but that's a lot of hoops to jump through to get an instrument.
All that said, I am thrilled to have an a/e mandolin with the Ovation look and electronics and the great playability.

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## Ed Goist

Played the modded Ovation on several songs during my band's rehearsal last night.
I was cutting through the mix much more than I ever had before when playing mandolin. 
I'll need to continue to tweak the settings on the EQ to get the sound I want (maybe even from song to song), but this instrument makes a world of difference compared to trying to mic my acoustics when playing in a band setting.

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## keebler

> this instrument makes a world of difference compared to trying to mic my acoustics when playing in a band setting.


I wholeheartedly agree! That is specifically why I got mine..  to plug in easily without a remote EQ and a whole ton of electronics going everywhere on my acoustics.  If I want to mic the acoustics, so be it, but this mandolin is a great DI alternative.  I had been looking for pickups and tried many other 'electric' mandolins that I never seemed to like till I found this.

I'm also thinking that the EQ will need to be continually tweaked to suit each situation(to amp or DI to PA).  Unless of course you are running direct to your own amp and then just play from that or mic it to a PA.  I will def be tweaking it for songs that I'm playing less lead and more rhythm on.

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## Barry Wilson

I considered an ovation like yours ed but played a local guys and intonation was terrible on his and it scared me away... I had to send off the mandobird for warranty work and it got damaged in transit (they are replacing it with a new one)... so I ordered up a godin A8. 

the larger frets and such fixed your issues? that said it sure adds to the cost of the unit doesn't it?

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## Ed Goist

Hi Pipeous;
The intonation on mine was not great from the factory, but after Varg's set-up it is spot on.
The playability on my Ovation now is exceptional. The work done made a world of difference.
I got a great price on mine (floor model), so my purchase price + the mod still puts me under my budget for this mando. Quite happy.
That's awful about your Mandobird! Glad they are doing right by you. I hope you love the Godin!

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## Barry Wilson

it does look sweet. acoustically pretty good? amped ?

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## Ed Goist

It sounds great amped, but I expected that. The internal pick-up is active, and the pre-amp is quite strong, so I have to watch my volume, and the on-board EQ has so many settings that changing things on the fly can be challenging. However, this is frankly a nice problem to have, as I can now actually hear my mandolin in the mix (and I actually find my self worrying about being too loud!).

The surprise for me is how good it sounds acoustically. It has a sweet, balanced tone with average volume.

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## Ed Goist

I'm taking the Ovation to the Northern Ohio Mandolin Gathering tomorrow. Anyone in attendance will be welcome to play her.

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## delsbrother

> my purchase price + the mod still puts me under my budget for this mando.


Well, that's impressive. Did they replace the fingerboard entirely or do all the work to the exitsing? What was the final bill?

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## Ed Goist

> Well, that's impressive. Did they replace the fingerboard entirely or do all the work to the exitsing? What was the final bill?


The original fingerboard was a fairly high quality, thick Ebony board, so it did not need to be replaced. Varg pulled the old frets, enhanced the board radius, installed a new, bone nut, and installed and dressed larger frets. 

Mandolin purchase price: $500
Mod & set-up: $200
Total cost: $700

Like I said, I'm quite happy. I don't think I could get a new a/e mando of this quality (and with these specs) for $700.

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## CES

Ed,

Thanks for posting this review...very nicely done, man!  And congrats on your new ax...I've always been an Ovation fan, though I'll admit their recent move saddened me a bit.

Btw, I've been playing a lot of bass lately in an effort to fill out a youth band at church...pulled out the "pre-Bedell" Weber OM today for the first time in a while, and was shocked at how my perspective of it has changed...used to seem like a beast to play, but after bass, I had no issues with the stretch and cleanly fretting it...think I'll actually be raising the action a tad tomorrow (I lowered it when I first got it) and getting it back into my regular rotation...

Enjoy your AX!

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Ed Goist

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## delsbrother

> Enjoy your AX!


+1  :Wink:

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Ed Goist

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## Tim2723

Great job and congratulations. Ed!  Sorry to be late to the party, but life has been tough in NJ for a couple of weeks.

The mandolin looks fantastic and they did a beautiful job on the re-work.  I know the frets and radius are personal choices, but I'm still surprised that you were so unhappy with the set up out of the box.  I've come to expect much more from Ovation.  If it were some newbie complaining it wouldn't mean much, but you know your way around a mandolin with the best of us, so there must be some real corners being cut to get to the new price point.  Still, for $700 I think you did brilliantly!

How about another video comparing the before and after?

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## Ed Goist

Thanks much Tim.

I hope that you and yours were not too badly affected by Sandy.

The bad nut and nut-action on my Ovation might have just been a fluke and not characteristic of the new AX model in general. Who knows?  Ironically, the bad playability is probably the reason it sat on the showroom floor for as long as it did.

I can't say enough good things about Varg's re-work and set-up. This thing plays like butter now, and it sounds MUCH better and louder acoustically than it did before (?!). Could this be because of the new, bone nut?

I'll work on a new video and post it here soon.

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## Ed Goist

> ...snip...
> How about another video comparing the before and after?


Just recorded these with the webcam on my laptop. Straight acoustic.

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## Tim2723

Excellent!  Whatever you had done has resulted in the classic Ovation sound.  It's just as it should be.  Whatever was wrong before was certainly affecting things for the worse.  Indeed, the majority of those who write in to say they're disappointed with the Ovation end up with everything put to rights with a proper set up. Great job.

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## Chief

I had to revive this thread in that I just got an older US made Ovation from Ebay. It's a real red beauty, but I can't figure out where the battery is, or how to replace it. The owner's manual that came with it seems to be for guitar. It says "to push the exterior access door open and the battery will pop up". Well, there is no exterior access door. Just the round door. I had that off and couldn't see a battery, or a place that looked like it would hold a battery. Help!

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## Eddie Sheehy

Take off the back panel.  Shine a flashlight in.  You will either see a 9V battery or the connections for one towards your upper right as you look in....

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## Chief

Thanks for you reply Eddie. I took off the round door, and looked very carefully with a flashlight. I still couldn't see a battery, or anything that looked like a plug in place.There's the inside part of the preamp, but that seems very firmly in place.

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## Eddie Sheehy

The pre-amp is on the top-side.  The battery is more towards the inside of the bridge...  I'll try to take a pic...

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## Eddie Sheehy

There is an extra plastic screwhead on the back - that holds on the battery-holder - if you don't see anything inside the back where that screw is or you don't see a bunch of wires then I'd say the pickup has been removed.

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## Chief

Found it after much hooha. Possibly the worst designed instrument I've ever seen. My rather large hands don't fit inside this rather small opening. After reading this thread, I assumed it was the newer foreign made ones that had this problem, not the older US made ones. Wrong. It took me about 45 minutes to change the battery. Can't imagine doing it in a dark bar. This puppy is going back tomorrow. Luckily I had a tryout period. Buyer beware! No wonder they don't make these anymore.

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## Eddie Sheehy

Yes, that battery change-out is a miserable experience, but the battery last a long time and has an indicator light which can be checked in the pre-amp so you're not stuck trying to change it in a dark bar.  The MM68 is unbeatable as a plugged mandolin - zero feedback.

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Ed Goist

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## Tim2723

Also, the instrument will play about four hours once the light comes on.  If you unplug during breaks it lasts longer.  You only need to fit three fingers in the hole to change the battery, but that design is the running joke of Ovation players everywhere.

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## Ed Goist

Use a good battery and unplug during breaks and you will get a lot of hours between battery changes.
I've found it to be a very reliable system - (_Much more so than my cables [couldn't resist this one Tim]_).  :Smile:

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## Fretbear

I have to say, these Ovation designs really make it clear where the majority of the sound in a stringed instrument is being produced from (i.e. the top) and why laminate wood back and sides (at least on guitars) can sound so good as well.
I am just finishing up a major overhaul of an Ovation guitar, and it sounds really good. I am in the market for a smaller sized guitar than my old dread, and the sound that this Ovation is delivering is much closer to what I am looking for than I ever would have imagined. I think it's the smaller profile of the top that I am hearing, as the back material doesn't seem to have a huge effect on the sound. 
Apparently (and almost unbelievably) the entire original "Manzanita" title cut by Tony Rice was recorded using an Ovation guitar. It does slip off my knee, but that is another issue.

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Ed Goist

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## Tim2723

I don't know if it's true, but I heard that the curve of the Ovation's back focuses the sound much as the curved mirror of a Newtonian telescope focuses light.  The back shoots the sound out of the hole.  And I too have been impressed by many laminate-back guitars over the years.  I've even met a few that sounded better than some very expensive solid-back instruments.  But that's just me.

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## michaelpthompson

One of Ed's main points was that the MM68AX is not really worth $800 when you can get the MCS148 for $500. Then I saw a real US made MM68 on eBay. He had a $750 "Buy It Now" when it was first listed, but now its auction price is up to $755. Wish I had some extra cash right now.

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Ed Goist

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## Chief

That's actually the one that I sent back. It's a beautiful instrument in mint condition. I just couldn't get over the battery change thing. It would be a steal for $755 if you didn't mind the hassle of changing the battery.

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## Tim2723

I look at the battery change issue the way I do adjusting a bridge or even changing strings:  It's a daunting, even off-putting task at first, but you get better at it with practice.  I can change a battery in a couple of minutes with no hassle at all today, but I struggled like everyone else the first couple of times.

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## mandroid

FWIW..  :Coffee: 

I got a Y'ha AG Stomp pedalboard, they use a TRS/Stereo cord as a Phantom 9v power conductor,
 and a dummy battery that shorts across the snap terminals.. so it can power the preamp..

Actual  wiring of the instrument circuitry needs to be sorted out..  as to whether it is compatible..

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## Eddie Sheehy

That MM68 on Ebay is over $900 with 2 days still to go...
I have to wonder if the MM68 is back in production - or at least as a custom mmodel - since it's listed on the Ovation Website - Retail is $2,169...

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## Tim2723

My understanding is that the MM-68 will continue to be made to special order, but it's not a production model anymore.

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## michaelpthompson

> That MM68 on Ebay is over $900 with 2 days still to go...


That one wound up going for $920. Not too bad. They seem often to run $1100-1200. This one included the OHS and a leather strap.

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## jefflester

I recently bought an MM68 (2000, American) off Ebay and it came shipped with battery and battery holder removed. Certainly wasn't very obvious how to install at. After reading this thread and and this one: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...vation+battery
I think I understand. I had one of the Applause models back about 18 years ago but never needed to change the battery.

So the slotted black button on the back (next to the back opening) goes into the metal part of the holder and twists, pulling the battery holder snug against the bowl with the foam.

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## mrmando

Anybody know when the MM68AX was introduced? 

I have here a blacktop Ovation tagged MM68 (no AX), but there's no serial number and the label says "Made in Korea." Warranty card is still in the case; it lists an effective date of 10/1/2010.

Do I have maybe a prototype MM68AX? 

Headstock logo looks like this, which is not what I'm used to seeing on the MM68:

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