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OVATION GUITARSThe development of the Ovation guitar was the brainchild of the rotary blade aircraft and aerospace designer Charles Kaman. As an amateur guitarist, he began investigating which modern synthetic materials could be used in guitar construction. In 1964 he instructed a team of engineers at Kaman Aircraft to see what new designs could be achieved. The first prototypes using synthetics proved disappointing when constructing guitars in the traditional manner with flat backs and bent sides. Understanding the inherent strengths of the parabolic arch in physics, the Kaman designers began experimenting with this shape while working with composite materials. By utilizing a bowl shaped back for the sound-box of the instrument but retaining the traditional flat top of Sitka spruce for the soundboard, they hit upon a combination that produced an instrument that was louder, lighter in weight and stronger than traditional wood guitars. Their increased volume, tonal quality and the fact that they were less prone to feedback when amplified made them popular among performing musicians. The incredible strength of these guitars, due to the materials and construction techniques, predestined them to become the instrument of choice for a hard-touring musician. Gone were the days when a guitar would be unpacked only to find a cracked back or neck due to the trials of travel. In 1968 the round backed Ovation Balladeer gained national attention when the American pop star Glen Campbell performed with one each week on his televised music variety show on CBS. The list of artists who perform on Ovation guitars is extensive and has spanned across multiple genres for the last fifty years.

OVATION INSTRUMENTS, NEW HARTFORD, 1975

AN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC 12-STRING GUITAR, PACEMAKER, 1615-4

Details

OVATION INSTRUMENTS, NEW HARTFORD, 1975
AN ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC 12-STRING GUITAR, PACEMAKER, 1615-4
Labeled Ovation MODEL NO. 1615-4 MANUFACTURED IN NEW HARTFORD, CONN. U.S.A and Ovation / 061224, inlaid logo Ovation at the headstock, with original hardshell case bearing a label inscribed OVATION 12 STRING 1615-4 '75 #061224 and SERIAL NO. DG 1095; accompanied by the original owner’s manual and a facsimile copy of a commercial invoice from Ovation Instruments Inc. to Pink Floyd, dated 9th September 1976
Body length 21 ¼ in. (51.4 cm.)

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Lot Essay

This guitar was one of a group of Ovation acoustics purchased from Ovation Instruments, Inc., New Hartford, Connecticut in September 1976 prior to Pink Floyd’s upcoming tour in support of their 1977 album Animals. David Gilmour kept this particular Ovation for home use.

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