Ok so here is a little bit of a mystery. Traded for this site unseen as a 79 1117 in good shape. I know - a pig in a poke but the “price" was worth the gamble. Here is the thing - there is a serial # that dates it to 1979 - but NO LABEL !! Closer inspection shows this is a fiberglass bowl (you can see the fiberglass cross hatching inside) That seems late for 79 - but again my knowledge is limited and almost exclusively the education I have gotten from the fine members of OFC. The neck looks like a 1117 - with its dot and diamond combo - but again I know very little - the headstock shows no script (for balladeer). It has a truss rod cover, silver tuning pegs, textured deep bowl. The top on this thing is actually in great condition, better than most of my collection in terms of flatness, cracking, dents. Not sure if there is any other way to Sherlock it. Please educate me on what this might be or if you think its a 1117… or if there is a definitive way to tell once the label is gone...
I got this just before my shiny bowl - but the shiny got here first soooo - I will be likely selling or trading it, my 68 Shiny bowl Balladeer is the only natural top I need…. at least that what my wife tells me...
Posted 2015-11-05 7:32 PM (#518238 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: August 2002 Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee
I dunno. Maybe it's an 1112. I'm not sure when they were making those ... or if they had ebony fretboards or rosewood. I know the 1117 had the ebony.
How does it sound?
Posted 2015-11-05 8:09 PM (#518241 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: February 2014 Posts: 706
Location: moline,illinois
Check out www.ovationtribute.com theres pics of a custom balladeer that looks just like yours,legends have bound fretboards and gold tuners,also check out the bracing,legends should be A braced balladeers should be X braced.
Posted 2015-11-05 9:00 PM (#518248 - in reply to #518241) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: December 2014 Posts: 1713
Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota
All 4 of my 1112's have no white binding on the necks, this looks like them. Chrome plated tuners and all!
The guys are right, (as usual ) the Legend has the white binding down the sides of the neck, and across the bottom of the fretboard following the shape of the sound hole. And the gold colored tuners.
I absolutely Love the sound of the Custom Balladeers, they are Incredible! Congratulations on another great catch!!!!
Posted 2015-11-05 9:19 PM (#518249 - in reply to #518233) Subject: RE: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: May 2015 Posts: 186
Location: Glendora, CA
Ok so definately ebony fret board, definately X bracing.
The custom balladeer does look like the same fretboard patterns, the headstock logo looks different but thats also an a/e model and mine is a acoustic only so that might account for the lack of black background to the gold logo?
Posted 2015-11-05 9:29 PM (#518251 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: May 2015 Posts: 186
Location: Glendora, CA
ahhh Nancy! great !! YES!! just looked at that model on OTribute and it does look identical!! So this is likely a 1112-4 ...
I LOVE finding out all this amazing information on model diffs.
The action is a little higher on this one than my others but all and all pretty amazing shape. Why oh why do I have to limit my collection... Seriously I gotta get my wife to start playing, get GAS herself (Nancy can I give her your number so you can talk some sense -HA!) then she can see first hand how each model has a different voice - even if they look almost the same !!
Posted 2015-11-06 11:19 AM (#518268 - in reply to #518261) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: April 2010 Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer
DanSavage - Also, the legends have brown bowls.
?? I dunno if all Legends were supposed to have brown bowls or not, but my 1617-4 Legend (circa mid-70s / single knob preamp / VT-11 bracing) has a black bowl. I've seen 'em with brown bowls too. Maybe mine's just an oddball (like me)?!
Posted 2015-11-06 2:31 PM (#518271 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: December 2008 Posts: 1453
Location: Texas
Now, hold on Watson, I'm not sure your conclusion that it's a 1979 Custom Balladeer is quite so elementary!
The guitar in those photos has a 5-piece neck with a truss-rod cover.
If it was a 1979 Custom Balladeer, I believe that it would have a 2-piece neck and a Kaman Bar, so it would not need a TRC unless it was added for cosmetic purposes. (The Kaman Bar is adjusted from inside the bowl.)
(My acoustic-only 1979 1112-4 definitely has a two-piece neck & Kaman Bar.)
Posted 2015-11-06 2:38 PM (#518272 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: December 2006 Posts: 6994
Location: Jet City
AD Custom Legends have black bowls. All black Legends I've had were black on the back. I also have a SSB Custom Legend natural (R869-4) with a black bowl.
I haven't owned a Balladeer aside from a shiny bowl, so can't say much about them.
Posted 2015-11-06 3:46 PM (#518275 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: May 2015 Posts: 186
Location: Glendora, CA
@standing - pretty confident that this is a 1112-4. Both these below links have TRC and 5 piece neck. Nancy also confirmed her 4 1112's look like mine...
Posted 2015-11-06 3:54 PM (#518276 - in reply to #518271) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: December 2014 Posts: 1713
Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota
standing - 2015-11-06 2:31 PM
Now, hold on Watson, I'm not sure your conclusion that it's a 1979 Custom Balladeer is quite so elementary!
The guitar in those photos has a 5-piece neck with a truss-rod cover.
If it was a 1979 Custom Balladeer, I believe that it would have a 2-piece neck and a Kaman Bar, so it would not need a TRC unless it was added for cosmetic purposes. (The Kaman Bar is adjusted from inside the bowl.)
(My acoustic-only 1979 1112-4 definitely has a two-piece neck & Kaman Bar.)
This is indeed a Mystery! Mine are all 1976-1977, and all have the 5 piece neck, and the TRC. But one thing they all have, is a Fantastic Sound!!!!
Posted 2015-11-06 4:59 PM (#518277 - in reply to #518271) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: April 2010 Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer
standing - Now, hold on Watson, I'm not sure your conclusion that it's a 1979 Custom Balladeer is quite so elementary!
Inspector Lestrade? ...just kidding!!!
I suspect this one was built at a time when Ovation was using foil labels, which we know are notorious for escaping their bonds and slipping quietly away.
Purely a guess though... I'm just a Baker Street Irregular-in-training.
Posted 2015-11-06 6:39 PM (#518285 - in reply to #518282) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: December 2014 Posts: 1713
Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota
standing - 2015-11-06 5:55 PM
It also could have been made earlier in 1979 than mine, perhaps before they switched to the 2-piece Kaman Bar neck for 1112's?
What's the serial number?
EXCELLENT Observation Holmes!!! They switched (from what I recall) in 1980, if yours was made in the latter half of the year, it could easily explain the major difference in the year/model in question!!!
(This is Fun!)
Posted 2015-11-06 9:27 PM (#518297 - in reply to #518268) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: June 2012 Posts: 2320
Location: Pueblo West, CO
SOBeach - 2015-11-06 9:19 AM
DanSavage - Also, the legends have brown bowls.
?? I dunno if all Legends were supposed to have brown bowls or not, but my 1617-4 Legend (circa mid-70s / single knob preamp / VT-11 bracing) has a black bowl. I've seen 'em with brown bowls too. Maybe mine's just an oddball (like me)?!
To quote Mr. Spock, 'Fascinating...'
My 1976 1619 CL had a brown bowl. I just checked and my 1978 1617 also has a brown bowl. Both are, or were, A-braced.
I always thought that in addition to the shallower head stock angle and fret board binding, one of the distinguishing features of the Legends from the Balladeers were the brown bowls.
Posted 2015-11-07 5:12 PM (#518328 - in reply to #518233) Subject: Re: Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
Joined: March 2008 Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D.
The ones with the K-bar were made in Moosup. They were still making them in New Hartford too at that time, but New Hartford guitars had truss rod covers.
Hey Sherlock Hemlock - MISSING LABEL
) the Legend has the white binding down the sides of the neck, and across the bottom of the fretboard following the shape of the sound hole. And the gold colored tuners. 
