Ovation Instruments was founded in New Hartford, Connecticut in 1965-1966 by American aeronautical engineer, Kaman Helicopters founder, and hobby guitarist Charles Kaman. Kaman gathered a small team of team of aerospace engineers, technicians and luthiers who utilized their aerospace backgrounds and unconventional materials to design and engineer an improved, acoustic guitar model.

 

The first-ever Ovation Guitars’ Adamas model was introduced in 1966 and featured a parabolic-shaped bowl made of a patented composite material (Lyrachord) which made the guitar more durable, reduced feedback and allowed greater amplification. In addition, the Adamas featured a thin, lightweight neck made of layers of mahogany and maple reinforced by a steel rod in an aluminum channel that was similar to the neck of an electric guitar. Ovation Guitars later added onboard electronics to their instruments which allowed guitarists to move about the stage rather than stay in front of a microphone. This innovation resulted in Ovation’s "acoustic/electric" hybrid guitars which quickly garnered favor with such world-renowned artists as Glen Campbell, Melissa Etheridge, Jimmy Page, John Lennon, Kevin Cronin, Alex Lifeson, Paul McCartney, Nikki Sixx, Bob Marley, Richie Sambora, Neil Diamond, Bob Seger, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Lukather, James Hetfield, Shania Twain, Paul Simon, Freddie Mercury, Rick Springfield, Kaki King, Boz Scaggs and Van Morrison among others.

 

From 1966 to 2007 Ovation Guitars, was a brand of KMCMusicorp which was a subsidiary of Kaman Aircraft. In 2008, KMCMusicorp (and along with it Ovation Guitars) was sold to the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In June, 2014, Fender Musical Instruments, Corp. announced it was closing the iconic Ovation Guitars factory where the brand’s high-end instruments had been hand-made for nearly half a century. The closing resulted in 46 employees – including a number of highly skilled artisans and luthiers who had been with Ovation for decades – to lose their jobs. Production of the iconic American guitar brand ceased in the United States; however Fender continued to produce Ovation products in China, South Korea and Indonesia.

 

In December of 2014, Oxnard, California-based Drum Workshop, Inc. acquired Ovation Guitars from Fender/KMC along with several other American musical instrument brands including: Gretsch Drums, Latin Percussion (LP), TOCA Percussion, KAT electronic drums and Gibraltar Hardware from Fender. The family-owned instrument developer and manufacturing company proceeded to work to reopen the historic Ovation Guitars factory and in the process, brought back key luthiers and employees who shared more than 200 combined years of experience in hand-crafting Ovation instruments. The factory, which had been home to Ovation Guitars for nearly half a century, officially resumed production in October, 2015. With the reopening of its USA factory, Ovation plans a rollout of new guitar models that will retain many of the brand’s classic features including the brand’s distinctive parabolic shape, Sitka spruce soundboards, and innovative onboard electronics. The new models will also feature exotic wood and mother of pearl inlays, as well as Ovation’s emblematic inlaid wood epaulets and multiple sound holes. In 2016, Ovation Guitars will proudly celebrate its 50th Anniversary of great American guitar craftsmanship in the same building it has called home since its inception. A limited run of 250 black Custom Elite guitars featuring gold leaf epaulets and gold leaf purfling will be produced in the New Hartford factory to commemorate the company’s half century mark.

 

ABOUT DRUM WORKSHOP INC.

Founded in 1972, Drum Workshop, Inc. is a family-owned and operated musical instrument company best known for designing and manufacturing award-winning drums, pedals, hardware and accessories under the DW and PDP banner. In 2014, the company expanded to include other iconic American instrument brands such as Gretsch Drums®, Latin Percussion®, Toca Percussion®, KAT® Technologies, Gibraltar® hardware and Ovation® guitars. DW’s wide range of products is endorsed by many of the world’s top artists including: Neil Peart, Charlie Watts, Phil Collins, Sheila E., Melissa Etheridge, Mick Fleetwood, Don Henley and Dave Grohl among others. Drum Workshop, Inc. is headquartered in Oxnard, California. For more information visit www.dwdrums.com