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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1
Location: CT | I have a 6 digit serial number ovation that indicates it was made in 1976. Model number is 1142-1. The fretboard is black anodized aluminum. This is the only one I've ever seen. This thing can sit for a year and never go out of tune. Can anyone tell me more about it. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970
Location: Atlanta,Ga. | This is a Matrix by Ovation guitar.It listed for $249.00 in 1976. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7236
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | It should say Matrix or Medallion on the headstock and Ovation in the Bowl. Nice to have another fan of this guitar onboard. I've had mine since '75, treated it terribly for many years, but it forgave me and still plays great today. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | 1142 is a shallow bowl (mid as we know it now)
1132 was the deep
The first ones were just aluminum frets and probably said Medallion on the peghead. Some tosser in the midwest claimed he had the rights to that name and wanted who knows what so we switched to Matrix. The later ones had nickle plating on the aluminum to last a little longer |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | As a follow on to the Applause/Medallion/Matrix.
The Applesause was the first and it was intended to be a copy of Ovations. We wanted to do it before someone else did. CHK wanted Ovation to take the project but they were very back ordered and busy and like all children when they don't want to do something, found many reasons for it not to happen. This was in 72-73. CHK said OK, you don't want to do it, We'll do it in aerospace with a new bunch of people and new approaches to design and assembly. (like aluminum fingerboards and foam necks and plywood tops and grafite tops and the rings that hold the top to the bowls. Also the new molded bowls. Think about it, the design of the early applause and Adamas guitars is the same concept, just applied slightly differently)
So this line was started up and the New Hartford factory provided some help but I think were secretly waiting for it to fall on it's face. The Applause was going to be introduced at the NAMM show in June of 75. (a further point here is that Ovation had its own sales force, the distribution companies, Coast Wholesale(SF,LA)and C. Bruno had their own sales force. The distribution companies were going to get the Applause since they didn't have a round back) When the prototypes of the Applause were shown to the Distribution Sales people and key customers, they were very well recieved and the projected sales were huge! This was when New Hartford woke up and realized they were about to have their lunch eaten by their cousins. They came crying to Charlie, "You can't let this happen to us, it will hurt the Ovation name, the sales, the dealers, the bottom line, etc. etc. etc."
SO, That's when the Medallion was born. The Applause was stalled till the two could be launched at about the same time. The rest, as they say, is history. It wasn't till the late 80's that the two sales forces were combined. 1985 for all the companies to be combined together as Kaman Music.
Sorry for the longwinded history lesson but most good stories have another story behind it.
[ May 27, 2002: Message edited by: cwk2 ] |
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What's an 1142-1 with Aluminum fretboard?
