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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Lodz, Poland | Hello everyone!
I have a question. I'm about to buy a guitar which is called Celebrity by Ovation (that's what's written on the headstock). It has a nice serial number plate on the back saying "Celebrity TM by Ovation, no. 545151, A Kaman Music Product".
It looks almost exactly like a Kaman GTX 33 guitar. It has 24 frets, the headstock pointing downward, two single coil XK-110s and one hb XK-120, all three with plastic covers. The body is also very similar to the Jackson Dinky model.
I have searched the net over and over again for any info on this guitar and found nothing except one short mention at vintageguitar.com, which suggests that these were made in 87, but from what i already learned, the GTX catalogue for 89 included guitars looking exactly like this:
"Still not ready to give up, in ’87 Ovation contracted with a Korean manufacturer to bring in a Celebrity line of solidbody electrics. These were Strat-style guitars again, with bolt-on necks, pointy/droopy six-in-line headstocks (with a bi-level carved relief along the bottom, per style), two-octave rosewood fingerboards, triangular flag inlays, and a double-locking vibrato system. We’re not sure what the pickup brand was, but there are models with two XK-110 single-coils and one XK-120 humbucker, plastic-covered with no exposed poles.
(...)
It’s not certain how long the Celebrities lasted, but one source lists them as being offered until ’89. That might be long, given what was in store. But they were, again, a marketing flop."
Now one more thing that is interesting, is that seemingly, those guitars (i found a few threads on this forum, and i know that user StoneBobbo has one) are dated as being from late 80s. However, using the 'Date Your Ovation' option at OvationTribute.com, it says that this specimen is from 1999! The same applies to the specimen which photo is in the electrics gallery at OvationTribute.com, tho the owner claims it's from 80s.
Does anyone know anything about such guitars? Does anyone here actually own one (except StoneBobbo)?
This specimen that i can buy now is in absolutely perfect shape and costs approx $150.
Thanks a lot in advance for any info! :)
Greetings
Adam |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Lodz, Poland | Wow, i just noticed that StoneBobbos two Celebrities (one of which has been transformed to the StratoViper) have different bodies (more like Strats) than the specimen i'm talking about (like Jackson Dinky and GTX 23/33). Plus - Stonebobbo's headstock has only "Celebrity" text as far as i can see while the one i have in mind has "Celebrity by Ovation" on the headstock, however the "by Ovation" part is not in the exact Ovation font.
Weeeeird. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Adam,
Welcome!
Those Celeb Strat-likes units are a good starter and were part of the Off-shore era of manufacture for the solids.
Put your heart into a Viper or Preacher though. The Celebs can be had between $150-$230 but the parts are hard to find.
Clean and playable that Celeb sounds like a good one to have. Most of us can't have just one guitar, so watch out. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I have one of the celeb strat-style guitars and it's a great axe. I also have a couple of the GTX models and when I was in MD one of the local artists I had in the studio played GTX's almost exclusively. They make great shredder guitars.
What I find interesting is that you have a "by Ovation" GTX model. Bill had mentioned he thought there was a model like that before the GTX models came out. I have never seen or heard of one and have been looking. Appearently you scored. |
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Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Lodz, Poland | Ok, i decided to get this one. When i have it here i will post some detailed pics.
All i know is that the Celebrity GC3, which i guess this one is, came in red, black or white. This one is red, and i spotted a white one in the Ovation Electrics Gallery .
And, thanks to StoneBobbo, i know that serial numbers on imports (like this one) do not refer to the actual year of production. So this one surely is more 1989 than 1999.
Thanks and see you later. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3411
Location: GA USA | Welcome aboard, Koz! |
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Celebrity solidbody aka GTX 33 ???
