Guitars are of basically three types; the classical, the steel-string acoustic or electric, and the Hawaiian guitar. It is the second most popular musical instrument, followed by the piano.
Having that said, from a good sounding system to well-designed tone, volume, balance, both Ovation, and Taylor Guitars’ companies are of exceptional qualities.
Key Takeaways
- Ovation guitars feature unique rounded composite backs, while Taylor guitars have traditional wooden construction.
- Taylor guitars produce a brighter, more balanced sound, while Ovation guitars produce a more mid-range focused sound.
- Ovation guitars are known for their durability and resistance to humidity changes, whereas Taylor guitars require more careful handling and maintenance.
Ovation Guitar vs Taylor
Ovation Guitar was founded in the 1960s and is known for its unique, roundback design that provides excellent sound projection and eliminates feedback. Taylor was founded in the 1970s and is known for its high-quality acoustic guitars that are made with traditional materials such as solid wood.
Ovation Guitars is one of the leading spring instruments manufacturers across the world. It was founded by Charles Kaman in 1995 and the headquarters was situated in Connecticut.
And now, since the year 2015, it has been a subsidiary of Drum Workshop. The company was known for offering the first-ever choice of rendering acoustic/electric guitars.
Meanwhile, Taylor is a US-based guitar manufacturing company. It was founded by two avid guitarists; Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug in 1974.
Taylor guitars are combined with modern, innovative manufacturing techniques. In terms of sound as well as playability, Taylor acoustic guitars are one of the best available on the market.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Ovation Guitar | Taylor |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Ovation Guitar is a musical instrument company that manufactures steel-string instruments for guitar. | Taylor Guitar is an American-based company that manufactures acoustic and electric guitars. |
| Launched | A guitarist from New Hartford- Charles Kaman, Connecticut founded Ovation guitar in 1965. | Taylor Guitar was inaugurated by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug in 1974 in California, United States. |
| Type of Industry | Ovation Guitar is a subsidiary company that is originally owned by Drum Workshop. | Taylor Guitar is a privately owned company. |
| Categories | Ovation Guitar sell or manufacture their products in 7 classifications under the names Adamas & Ovations | Taylor Guitar manufacturer mainly 2 featured guitars under the name Taylor. |
| Services | Ovation produces 6-12 strings Acoustic guitar, classic, basses, Mandolins, Ukuleles, and old electric string guitars. | Taylor guitar sells Acoustic or classic and electric guitars for the people. |
What is Ovation Guitar?
Ovation Guitar, an antique and vaunt sting instrumental manufacturing company around the world.
The company is well-recognized for its guitar manufacturing, especially both the six and twelve-string versions of steel-string acoustic and nylon-string guitars.
Charles Kaman was given the eponym for developing the first-ever prototype of the Ovation guitars in 1995.
He was an aeronautical engineer as well as an ardent guitarist, who later contributed his entire life to Ovation Guitars.
Subsequently, from1996 to 2007, it operated as a subsidiary of Kaman Aircraft under the brand of KMCMusicorp.
However, in 2008, the Ovation Guitar Headquarters in Connecticut was shut down, leaving only overseas production.
Eventually, in 2015, it became a subsidiary of Drum Workshop.
Starting from six, twelve-strings, to double-neck, D-scale, Lefty, Bass, Speciality, and other guitar-related accessories, Ovation Guitars is still one of a kind.
Moreover, they are highly appreciated for their unique designs of acoustic-electric guitars.
The company has also manufactured acoustic bass guitars, ukuleles, and mandolins besides guitars.
Speaking of its model, Ovation Guitars has a built-in pickup system, alongside the molded body with wood/ glass fiber top, plus, they use Lyrachord material to cover the back of the guitar.
Moreover, Ovation guitars have slim and fast necks for a comfortable pastime.
What is Taylor?
Taylor is a well-known guitar manufacturing company in America. Moreover, Taylor acoustic guitars are one of the largest and leading manufacturers in the US.
Taylor Guitars was founded in 1974 by two guitar lovers; Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.
With a passion for guitars, Bon Taylor, Kurt Listug, and Steve Schemmer bought American Dream, which was later established as Westland Music Company.
Subsequently, it was renamed Taylor, to sound like its American origin. However, it was both Taylor and Listug that made up what Taylor Guitars is now.
As a result, Listug began to manage the partnership’s business operations, while Taylor added design and production skills to the mix.
The company, Taylor Guitars has more than seven hundred employees, ultimately, becoming a fully-employed owned company in 2021.
Taylor Guitar primarily features two guitars under the name Taylor, one is acoustic guitars while the other is semi-hollow electric guitars. Taylor guitars are known for their vibrant, articulate, and crisp sound.
They use computer mills, lasers and other high-tech tools, and proprietary manufacturing machinery.
In addition to them, Taylor Guitars use superior tonewoods, followed by different styles, comfortable necks, expression system pickup, and sustainable materials.
In a nutshell, Taylor Guitars is still people’s choice, because of its signature sounds.
Main Differences Between Ovation Guitar and Taylor
- Guitar steel string instruments for various types of guitar are largely manufactured by Ovation Guitar. Whereas, Taylor guitar is mainly known as a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars.
- Ovation guitar was launched in 1965, meanwhile, taylor guitar was founded in 1974
- Ovation guitars sell 8 types of guitars such as 6-strings, 12-strings, Double neck, D-scale, lefty, bass, and specialty guitars- ukulele, acoustic, and old-fashioned electric guitars. On the other hand, Taylor guitar is popularly known for manufacturing acoustic & electric model guitars.
- Ovation guitar is a subsidiary company, but Taylor guitar is a private limited company.
- Ovation guitars mostly feature plastic, wood, nylon strings, and picks for eclectic amplification that comes in both 6 and 12-string guitars options. Taylor guitars are made up of soft top wood, a Sitka spruce, quality grain, and plastic.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=mL4DPRBnfPYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=ovation+guitar&ots=XO0vtfIv4C&sig=npRrk_U2eFqlVBvzf2P5ryu6-g8
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XRsxDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA4&dq=taylor+guitar&ots=wdj6X2SCZL&sig=r6eAfNjHD0jh5L2-TzFTRD38p90
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
This is an informative article but unfortunately, the end of the article is outdated. Ovation Guitar is no more a subsidiary of Drum Workshop.
I definitely learned a lot from this article. The table comparing Ovation Guitar and Taylor is helpful to understand the main differences of each company.
Great article! It is very informative and gives a clear overview of the main aspects of both Ovation Guitar and Taylor. The historical information gives some context to their success.
There are quite a few differences between Ovation Guitar and Taylor, but I am a little disappointed by the lack of information about the Hawaiian guitar in the comparison.
I found this article to be quite amusing, considering it is mostly praising two brands rather than just giving us valuable information.
The history of both companies is interesting, but what about the future of these manufacturers with the trend towards electric guitars?