here's my Ovation , played totally acoustically , recorded with a little zoom 
 
 

 
 
Kenny
 

kennywtelejazz
here's my Ovation , played totally acoustically , recorded with a little zoom 
 
 

 
 
Kenny
 

Some very tasteful playing Kenny, as always. 
 
I've never played one, nor intended to buy one - admitting I could have afforded to. But it's always sad to see brands vanish like that.
 
The only steel string guitars I remember half-fondly were a little Norman (Canadian brand if I'm not mistaken) I owned for a while and a Takamine. Nothing to write home about, though the Norman was, for my taste, one of the easiest acoustics I've had the opportunity to play.
 
Incidentally, now that I have my little tube amp and my precious SG, besides possibly a cab w/ a 12", a budget electric-acoustic is next on my list. Fender and Ibanez are the two brands which had affordable guitars which I would be curious to try.
 
If I could, I'd get a nylon/classical first, but a regular acoustic is more of a priority.

My brother gave me a nice washburn Acoustic/Electric. The overall sound is thin and while I was living in Canada, I searched for a really nice acoustic to record with.  I tried all the high end stuff like Martins and Taylors etc .. but was unimpressed with most of them. I finally started looking at the lower end stuff made in Canada and fell in love the Norman. What a great guitar at a great price and a great sound. The washburn is great for composition, but the Norman is for recording.

Owned a couple, only used guitar I've ever lost money on!
IMHO, POS.
Some guys love 'em though.
Course some play a strat on purpose.
Just sayin'...
 
T

I had one in the 80's.  Did not like the dry, harsh Canadian winters and the top cracked, really badly.  I used a humidifier in the case, probably not as diligent as I should have been.
 
Still sad to see them go under.
 
My Martin did not mind Canadian winters, but really loves Florida winters.
 
Awesome guitar playing Kenny

My reading of the article referenced by the OP is not that Ovation has stopped manufacturing guitars, just that they will no longer pay US residents to do the work. As such this is just another in the long list of factories that have gone to China. The reason given for the move is that demand is down, but apparently the choice of which factory to close in order to accommodate the decreased demand was based on the usual considerations. By now we have become so used to having instruments made in foreign factories, that the cachet of a made-in-America-by-American-craftsmen = quality, is no longer worth the cost of actually paying American craftsmen. Anyone want to guess if CF Martin or Gibson is going to be the next to go?
 
Incidentally the demand for guitars in the US is apparently on a downward trend. I suspect that this is because the guitar is no longer considered an essential accessory for the adolescent American male. The DJ may be replacing the troubadour as the musical hero of the young.

 
Things that are not instantly gratifying and able to be "mastered" in a week or two are generally on the way out.  
 
 

slartabartfast Anyone want to guess if CF Martin or Gibson is going to be the next to go?

 
Ovation is part of Fender which is in turn controlled by outside investors and has substantial debt obligations to meet.
 
Martin is, and always has been, family owned and makes a much loved traditional product. Companies such as this (Ric too) can happily continue as long as they can make a decent profit. Outside investors are interested not in selling nice stuff to people and making a decent profit, but in MAXIMIZING their $$$$, which is a totally different thing. But Ric don't even go out of their way to meet existing demand. Martin has had foreign lines at various times, but know that a lot of their appeal is tradition and it plays a big role in their marketing.
 
Most people know about Gibson and Henry J, which already makes Epi versions overseas and can use "US Made" to help differentiate various product lines. 
 
I doubt either of them will move everything anytime soon.
 

 
Incidentally the demand for guitars in the US is apparently on a downward trend. I suspect that this is because the guitar is no longer considered an essential accessory for the adolescent American male. The DJ may be replacing the troubadour as the musical hero of the young.

It comes and goes - you had the acoustic folk craze in the 60's hurting electric sales, and then the Beatles/Stones/Clapton/Hendrix/etc. came along and things changed. In the 80's, the synth pop MTV thing happened and everyone wanted to bop behind a keyboard with funny haircuts and clothes. Then hair metal made the electric desirable again and "Unplugged" almost instantly made the acoustic popular again. The nice thing about guitar is that it has proven quite adaptable to a variety of ever changing genres.

It just takes another Jimi Hendrix, Beatles, or Clapton to come along and it will swing again in favor of the guitar. The Beatles were passed up by all of the big producers in their day, being told that guitar playing boy bands were on the way out.

It would also help greatly for the economy to turn around. I would imagine that amp manufacturers are in the same boat, no one has any expendable cash. I wish I did, the used market looks incredible right now.

Enjoyed listening to your playing Kenny......I also listened to about 10 of your songs on Soundclick.......Bravo!!