(Bloomfield, Connecticut) - When the Ovation guitar was introduced in 1966, recording studios occupied entire buildings. Now in 2008, an entire recording studio is built into an Ovation guitar.

The new Ovation iDea is the first and only guitar of its kind, featuring a built-in MP3 recorder/player. The digital recorder is part of the on-board Ovation preamp. The patented technology makes possible a list of features never before available on any guitar - acoustic or electric.

Songwriters have always desired a simple and convenient way to record song ideas, hooks, melodies and lyrics. With the iDea, players who write on guitar will have an instantly accessible high-quality digital recorder with them wherever they go. The simple and direct recording control makes it easy to record entire songs or fragments, even vocals and commentary.

The iDea can record from the guitar alone, simultaneously from the guitar and built-in microphone, and from an auxiliary input. Any audio signal fed into the auxiliary input is converted to an MP3 file and stored in the iDea memory.

The iDea is also a learning tool, with audio lessons pre-installed in the memory. Additional lessons from iDea educational partner, WorkshopLive.com, will be available via download.

Guitarists who enjoy jamming will find a tireless band mate in the iDea. Several "Jam Tracks" are pre-installed in the instrument, and others are available online.

Downloading files from a computer or the Internet is easy via USB. Files in the iDea can be moved, renamed, deleted and rearranged right on the computer desktop. Mixes from recording software, rhythm tracks, even songs the player wants to learn can be downloaded and played either through the guitar output or headphones.