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Posts: 1374
| TobbacoBurst(sunburst), pristine, (-1 cosmetic only)top split from binding to saddle. purchased new
at Marvin Kaye's(sic). in Jacksonville, FL according to Ovation. Original owner was Jeff(rey?) Crooke. Registered and warrantied in CT immediately after purchase.....here's the rub. has a passive piezo saddle pickup in original saddle.....wired through bottom strap button....everything appears to be factory finish and time correct down to the cloth insulation on the wiring inside.(were they prototyping this type of pickup at that time?) It has the 5-ply neck w/fatlip headstock. Black/Chrome original ovation schallers. Dark Gold Ovation Logo on top of headstock. mirror-finish/glass flat (epoxy?) soundboard w/no waves, bows or ripples in top. This guitar plays itself. the tone is unreal. The electrics clear and balanced. as I said passive piezo, no volume control or pre-amp. has MOP single dots at 3,5,7,9 double dot at 12 single at 15 and 17. 2 MOP on saddle. triple-line black pinstripe traces the entire (ivoroid?) binding.
soundhole surrounded by glossy black&mop rosette in chained leaf pattern. truss-rod cover is Black/white. I Believe it is an ebony fingerboard.
This is a Fat-Bottomed deep-bowl model. have the original (Ugly tan/brown beat to death world travelled case.complete with D'addario stickers and cigarette burns)samsonite type crushed velvet-lined case from day-1 along with braided-leather strap,an old stubbie pick, glass neck slide, and an old Hamilton capo that came along with it. This is a silver-labeled stamped(foil) New Haven Connecticut USA model...white paper ser#label w/black type #003502..... Were any of these built or played around with or prototyped at the factory like this? if not the guy who did the work really knew his stuff.....neck is absolutely straight action is very light but a little high......my wife bought it for me for my Birthday the year b4 we got married...Jan 2001....paid $225 for it as described....(they had no idea it was wired)..the jack receptacle in the strap button is that professionally finished and done....I know the records and labeling were really screwy from 69-71 with viet-nam, free love,cheap dope and a whole lot of great music going on at the time...Have since bought a new oem black hardshell for her since the hinges and Samsonite have given up the ghost after these 33 or so years....still have the old case and paraphernalia that came along for the ride ;) .....gonna keep her just want to find out more bout who held her and played her and where she's been through the years....any and all help, leads or info will be greatly appreciated.
Thanx all
Glenn
Glennahesssr@msn.com
321-757-9971 |
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Posts: 1374
| have attempted to ul photos w/no success any help?
this is an awesome site.....this guitar is my excalibur....like i said I'd like to find out as much as possible as I've never seen another like it |
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Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | Sounds like standard 1111 from the day. I would guess that someone had an aftermarket piezo installed by a good tech. I think the tuners have also been swapped at some point. 1111's in those days had chrome Klusons and then later chrome Ovation logo'd Schallers. The chrome and black Schallers came later. |
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Posts: 73
Location: out there | I would have to agree that it sounds like a Standard Balladeer with an added pickup. |
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Posts: 3666
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | My 1111 has the chrome Klusons. Peghead painted black, with "Balladeer" 'tween the pegs. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Balladeer between the pegs is the very early style but they weren't black. Maybe you have something unique? |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Thanks for your input, Bill. You may be right. I posted the best image I could with my webcam. It shows the logos adequately, and the background is definitely a black stain. The lower portion is where I masked off the peghead for the repair of a break below the two lower pegs. Its a great neck, and still has a wonderful action. |
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Location: SoCal | That's the "bastard" guitar, isn't it Chris? Earlier neck with a later body? |
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Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I hate to disagree with "the man", but I've got a few old acoustics staring at me right now. Some have stained peghead faces, others are painted black (or at least a very, very dark stain). Even within the same model some appear stained and some painted.
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | One of my "bastards", and the original member in the "O"rphanage. The bowl has a blue label, and someone removed the serial # label before I got it. "The Bastard", as you kindly christened it, making you, technically, it's godfather by the way, was an 1124 where some schmuck cut a 1 1/2 x 3-inch hole 'tween the rosette and bridge for a Guild electronic pickup. Sent that critter to Florida about 6 weeks ago, after replacing the main brace and patching the hole. Also did an interesting "bowl-bend" with a heat gun, and a BIG C-clamp. Had a real nice action, after that moment of engineering genius.
Somewhat off-track, but I just installed preamps in Smiley and Mose this weekend. No fear, or no future. |
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Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | Nothing wrong with being a bastard. I would have been one had my mother not run so fast.
The important thing, regardless of how guitars came to be what they are, is that they have homes where they are appreciated. We got a second dog a couple of years back, not realizing until we met him that our family had been "short" one dog.
Family is a great thing. |
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Location: San Bernardino, California | 1971 is the time frame for the Baldwin pickup, maybe that's what's in it. |
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Posts: 1374
| heres a photo i hope
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Back then they put walnut stain over the whole neck, mahogony neck and walnut peghead veneer. The majority of the ones I've seen over the years (afterr20-30 years) have reversed in color. When the stain is applied the p/h gets very dark and the mahogonyis lighter. Over time the mahogony gets real dark and the walnut lightens up.
Now maybe some didn't age that way, maybe some had rework done and something was different so the face stayed dark. I just don't recall the faces ever being painted black and the rest of the neck mahogony.
Aside from that please feel free to disagree anytime you think you've got it and I don't. It nakes for more interesting discussions and inevitable leads to the correct answer. |
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Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | Geez Bill, why did you assume "the man" was referring to you? But thanks for the open invitation to disagree. I'm sure that will drastically change the tone of my posts. Now I can go from being a pompus ass to being a disagreeable pompus ass. Mondays are great! |
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Posts: 1374
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 1374
| Here's the guitar my original post referred to
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1971 balladeer 1111-1 #3502 (003502) wired piezo saddle passive
