My Guitars

Lloyd Gregory and his guitars

My Ovation Scenario

At some point in time ( during the 70's , don't remember the year) I was teaching Guitar at a music school in Sausalito California called "Family Light Music School" ( Mike Bloomfield was teaching there also at the time and also Tony Rice [ Both well known guitarists] ).

Because I was also a martial arts instructor at the time , I taught my private students meditation along with guitar technique.

One day one of my private students came to me after going through some personal trauma and said that the meditation in the lessons saved his sanity while he went through his trials and tribulations. He then presented me with an old acoustic Ovation guitar with a crack down the center behind the sound hole. This guitar immediately became very special to me and I took it everywhere I went. It was the only guitar I played at home or in the hotels while on the road. I played my electric only on my gigs , my acoustic was my personal guitar.It traveled around the world with me and it still sits right next to my bed. I used to put all my stickers from the different places that I traveled on my case including a picture I found in New Zealand of the Master "Joe Pass".

When it came time to record my first project , because I played my Ovation all the time, in the studio as we [Felton Pilate and myself] worked on the making of the music I had my Ovation on all the time as I used it to create, dictate and arrange.

When it came time to record guitar tracks , it was like "You've been playing this guitar all day long ,why take it off and strap on the electric to lay the leads? Play the guitar that is the most comfortable for you and the one you sound better playing. Your more expressive on it." [Felton Speaking]

So when my first CD came out I was playing an Ovation acoustic miked. I realized then, that with a CD out and an electric band I needed an electric Ovation cause that's the sound I liked the Ovation sound .

Wanting a new guitar and getting one are two distinctly different things when playing music for a living and having a family.You can want all you want but rent, electricity,school clothes, and kids lunch money come before what you might want.

One day walking by a music store near my mom's house, I stop in to see what kind of guitar picks they have. While there I spot this beautiful natural finish Ovation Custom Legend. For three years I stopped by that store just to look at it. Just to see this beautiful guitar that was no where else but in this store, never saw one before, never seen one since.

Finally after trying to support my family with music money I ended up getting a job which almost cost me the ability to ever play again. My left wrist got injured but the doctor from occupational medicine having dabbled in music made sure I got to the best hand surgeon in the San Francisco Bay . Thanks to this fine surgeon I was able to play again . After my recuperation the company gave me a small settlement. The first thing on my agenda was to go buy an Ovation electric guitar. Knowing that at Guitar Center because of the size of the chain and their ability to buy in such large volume, I could get the best deal. I headed straight there to get my guitar. I went looking for a blond like the one in the music store I used to look at, cause the last time I went there it was gone. But the only Custom Legend they had was a wine colored one that had been trashed which they told me "Oh we can clean this up, shine it up, put new strings on it and tune it up and give you a great deal on it just sign here!"

I ran out of there straight to the little old music store, and lo and behold they had one which I gladly paid top dollar for.

Took it straight to my guitar tech and back to him every two weeks while he worked on straightening the neck because it had been hanging there so long the neck had twisted hmmm.... Contacting Ovation with the serial number of the guitar because supposedly according to the owner it was a new guitar hmmmm...., so why was the neck twisted. After communicating with the company we found out the age of the instrument , and lo and behold , it was the same guitar I had been looking at for 3 years. It was like the puppy in the window that when you walk by the pet shop it looks up at you and you know he wants to be yours and you fall in love with him right then and there and one day you walk in the store and take your puppy home.

Well now I have two Ovations and I've recorded two CDs with the acoustic and two CDs with the my Custom Legend [ you know the puppy in the window.] I think I first starting digging the sound of Ovation guitars listening to Al Di Meola for years.



		My Guitars My Ovation Scenario At some point in time ( during the 70's , don't remember the year) I was teaching Guitar at a music school in Sausalito California called "Family Light Music School" ( Mike Bloomfield was teaching there also at the time and also Tony Rice [ Both well known guitarists] ). Because I was also a martial arts instructor at the time , I taught my private students meditation along with guitar technique. One day one of my private students came to me after going through some personal trauma and said that the meditation in the lessons saved his sanity while he went through his trials and tribulations. He then presented me with an old acoustic Ovation guitar with a crack down the center behind the sound hole. This guitar immediately became very special to me and I took it everywhere I went. It was the only guitar I played at home or in the hotels while on the road. I played my electric only on my gigs , my acoustic was my personal guitar.It traveled around the world with me and it still sits right next to my bed. I used to put all my stickers from the different places that I traveled on my case including a picture I found in New Zealand of the Master "Joe Pass". When it came time to record my first project , because I played my Ovation all the time, in the studio as we [Felton Pilate and myself] worked on the making of the music I had my Ovation on all the time as I used it to create, dictate and arrange. When it came time to record guitar tracks , it was like "You've been playing this guitar all day long ,why take it off and strap on the electric to lay the leads? Play the guitar that is the most comfortable for you and the one you sound better playing. Your more expressive on it." [Felton Speaking] So when my first CD came out I was playing an Ovation acoustic miked. I realized then, that with a CD out and an electric band I needed an electric Ovation cause that's the sound I liked the Ovation sound . Wanting a new guitar and getting one are two distinctly different things when playing music for a living and having a family.You can want all you want but rent, electricity,school clothes, and kids lunch money come before what you might want. One day walking by a music store near my mom's house, I stop in to see what kind of guitar picks they have. While there I spot this beautiful natural finish Ovation Custom Legend. For three years I stopped by that store just to look at it. Just to see this beautiful guitar that was no where else but in this store, never saw one before, never seen one since. Finally after trying to support my family with music money I ended up getting a job which almost cost me the ability to ever play again. My left wrist got injured but the doctor from occupational medicine having dabbled in music made sure I got to the best hand surgeon in the San Francisco Bay . Thanks to this fine surgeon I was able to play again . After my recuperation the company gave me a small settlement. The first thing on my agenda was to go buy an Ovation electric guitar. Knowing that at Guitar Center because of the size of the chain and their ability to buy in such large volume, I could get the best deal. I headed straight there to get my guitar. I went looking for a blond like the one in the music store I used to look at, cause the last time I went there it was gone. But the only Custom Legend they had was a wine colored one that had been trashed which they told me "Oh we can clean this up, shine it up, put new strings on it and tune it up and give you a great deal on it just sign here!" I ran out of there straight to the little old music store, and lo and behold they had one which I gladly paid top dollar for. Took it straight to my guitar tech and back to him every two weeks while he worked on straightening the neck because it had been hanging there so long the neck had twisted hmmm.... Contacting Ovation with the serial number of the guitar because supposedly according to the owner it was a new guitar hmmmm...., so why was the neck twisted. After communicating with the company we found out the age of the instrument , and lo and behold , it was the same guitar I had been looking at for 3 years. It was like the puppy in the window that when you walk by the pet shop it looks up at you and you know he wants to be yours and you fall in love with him right then and there and one day you walk in the store and take your puppy home. Well now I have two Ovations and I've recorded two CDs with the acoustic and two CDs with the my Custom Legend [ you know the puppy in the window.] I think I first starting digging the sound of Ovation guitars listening to Al Di Meola for years.



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