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| I have a Preacher 12 string solid body. I've looked at all the links and reference sites from here and from Ovation's site. My serial number is E15xxx There should be some way to get a better idea of the date of manufacture than 1975 to 1980. Anybody know?
Also I would like an explanation of the active electronics, frequency responses, etc. A schematic would be nice or an online version of the original manual.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.Thanks. |
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Location: Scotland | Scmematics are available online at the UK Breadwinner site, check the links section for the URL. The Precher Deluxe pre is the same as used in the Breadwinner & Deacon guitars. The Breadwinner/Deacon pre-amp is quite subtle & unique. it's primary purpose was as a buffer, rather than a gain boost in the traditional sense of a pre-amp. The idea being that the response would not be affected by amplifier input impedance or length/quality of cord and the volume control does not cause high-frequency loss when turned down. The tone control is centre off with a treble boost one way & a bass boost the other. The pick-up mix is out of phase & the phase relationship is adjustable via a trim-pot in the battery compartment. The second 2-way toggle is a midrange notch at, I think, 600Hz, which makes the humbucking pickups sound a little like single-coils. The P.Deluxe 6-string had the addition of series/parallel switches for each pickup
Paul
[ October 16, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I don't think you can really close the date in much more. I assume the "xxx" in "15xxx" translates to a number. You might want to post the number and maybe someone (like me) who bought their guitar in that time could at least help you lock in if it was before or after.. I bought mine in 77, I'll have to go look at the serial. |
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| Thanks for the replies.
Paul, I'll check out the schematics at the site you mentioned. The information you provided is very useful. The 12 String seems to have the exact setup you've described.
Mr. Ovation, yes the x's represent numbers. This is just an old habit of mine and a common way of identifying serial numbers on the internet. The last 2 digits rarely indicate the year So E154xx should be easy to fit into a sequence. If you know yours is from 1977, maybe actually manufactured a year before, the letter is probably E. At least with your first 3 numbers I could put mine before or after that. Many manufacturers know the first serial number of each year so it's easy to date. I was surprised that the Ovation site groups 1975 to 1980 together.
This is very helpful. I really appreciate the information. |
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| I just checked out the schematics. This is great. It appears the Breadwinner has the same electronics as the Preacher 12 string. Now if I could only figure out the age of this thing. Thanks again. |
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Location: NJ | I have the schematic book it is another project that has to get scanned and then stored on this site....more work just what I need ..... |
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| I just recieved an answer from Ovation to my question about what date my guitar was made. They actually expanded the date from what's posted on the website to 1975-1982.
Does anyone know why this confusion exists on Ovation's part? Perhaps they made thousands of neckplates with the serial numbers and just randomly put them on guitars as orders came in. There were a few years at G&L where this was the case. Maybe some smaller part was changed from year to year that will date the guitar. Any ideas on that? I'll open mine up and check the pot codes.
thanks again everyone. |
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| I realize I'm probably talking to myself, but just to save anybody else the effort, the pots don't have the standard code on them, in fact no code at all on the sides. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Hey there, younotme, All electrics had an E (as in electric) in the serial number. There wasn't alot of logic to using the numbers but it's safe to say the higher the number, the later it was produced. The first ones were 4 digits and then 5 but keep in mind the number in no way reflects the quantity of gitters produced. |
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| Thanks for contributing cwk2. I think you're correct about the numbers not being logical in the sense that any model number or year is contained in the number, though they are probably sequential. The E+4digits were 73 to 74 and the E+5digits were from 1975 to 1980, or now 1982, as Ovation has just informed me, even though this is different than the website. With rare exceptions (Gibson mixed some up in the 60's, G&L in the 80's) the higher the number the later the date unless there is a format change as Fender, Gibson, and Rickenbacker, among others, have done frequently.
Here's a question you may be able to help me with. What is an estimated first E+5 digit serial number and what is the last based on any real data or direct knowledge? Every major guitar manufacturer I've researched this sort of thing about over the last 30 years has estimated (or sometimes precise) first and last serial numbers for each year, especially by the 70's. Assuming they were more than likely sequential I could estimate a year.
Does anybody have a solid body they know both the date and number? That would be a start.
thanks |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | My Viper serial # E9597 corresponds to when I bought it in 1973-1975. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | My first Viper was actually bought in winter of '78 and the serial is "E8114." So I guess this really doesn't help as we have no idea how long these guitars were sitting in the store.
[ October 18, 2002: Message edited by: Mr. Ovation ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Someone from the factory would have to take a stab at aligning the numbners by years. As I said I don't know if there was enough logic in how they were used to be able to do this. |
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| The difference in numbers and dates for the 4 digit serial numbers is not encouraging, but I remember at the time, in the 70's, people weren't buying these solid bodies so they probably had a backlog both at the factory and the stores.
I bought this 12 string because I remembered it from the 70's in a store where it sat for years. I hadn't played one in over 20 years, but remembered it as the best electric 12 I'd ever played. Every time I would play a 12 I would compare it to my memory if the Ovation. It took me 3 months to track one down in a store in Ohio and I bought it online last week and had it shipped to California. I'm not disappointed.
I'm a player but also a bit of a collector and I really want to know the year this one was made. I tend to latch onto these things and don't give up without a good reason. I'll try emailing Ovation again and see if I can get a reason why they can't nail down a year. Thanks. |
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Location: Scotland | The type of bridge can help you get the year of manufacture in the Ballpark. If it's the original brass & plastic Ovation type it's earlier, the all metal Schaller-type makes it later production
Paul |
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| Paul thanks for the tip. Maybe you can help me figure out which I have. (And maybe the 12 strings were different). Mine is solid brass, gold color, all one molded piece with a black plastic cover that the strings slip through after going through the brass bridge at the back when you put on a string. It's a "compensated" type brige but not adjustable for intonation, only for action. It doesn't say Schaller on it but maybe the Schaller ones didn't have the name on them, I don't know.
What do you think I have? And what year did they make the switch?
I'm waiting to hear back from Ovation as to why they can't give us more accurate dates. I'll post when I hear back.
Thanks. |
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Location: Scotland | This is the earlier Ovation bridge, which I personally much prefer to the Schaller type, though I don't really know why. I'd guess the change happened around 1980 (Sam???) give or take several months, which doesn't help you a whole lot
Paul
[ October 18, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: SoCal | Early 80's is about right. I've got a couple of catalogs (Ovation Information) which shows the newer bridges in about 1982-3. |
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| Thanks. I wonder if any other parts changed in the 70's. Probably nothing obvious like gears. |
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| For those who are interested, I heard from Ovation again and here is an excerpt from our emails.
I wrote:
I imagine there was a surplus produced and they were distributed long after actual production. Is this correct? Perhaps none were actually manufactured after 1978 or so.
Ovation wrote:
<>
I wrote:
Maybe you could give me some information that I could estimate from, such as were the E+5digit numbers sequential? What was the first E+5 digit number in 1975 and what was the last in 1980? Or what was the first production serial number of each year? If I had the total range of the numbers I could at least fit my number in the sequence somewhere. As these guitars reach vintage age those of us who keep them as collectors as well as players would really appreciate this information.
Ovation wrote:
<>
So this seems to be the final word. The only way left would be for a site like this to compile a database of solid bodies by having members volunteer their serial number and date of purchase, or if they bought it used perhaps what year they were told it was manufactured when they bought it. Even this would be no more than an estimate as these guitars were in storage at the factory and in stores for years. |
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| Did you try looking for a date stamp in the neck pocket on the body? There May be an inspection stamp as to when it was inspected in the detail shop.I don't remember if one was used back then of not .........just a thought |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Just for the record, I probably bought my Viper in 1978. But Bill, the store owner, had been part owner of a music store in Escondido, CA in the early 70s and he split and opened his own store in Poway around 1975. The Escondido store closed and sent him some of their their inventory to settle some dispute in about 1976-77 that included some new Ovations of which my Viper was one. So you're right about guitars setting on the shelf.
Bailey |
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| Yeah, I thought about looking under the neckplate and in the neck joint. I did remove the pickguard and the body cavity is lined with foil and I didn't want to pull that up. There were no markings that I could see, and none in the battery area. Next time I change the strings I'll pop the neck off and take a look. If anybody knows that Ovation didn't stamp or mark in these areas it would be nice to know to save me the effort. thanks. |
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where can I get schematics and other info?
