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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 5
Location: Wisconsin | I own an Ovation 1613 Classical guitar ( single piezoelectric pickup with volume control. ) The serial number 051163 corresponds to a manufacture date of 1975 according to Ovation's website. It bears a paper 1613 label in the bowl of the guitar under the serial number. I have just listed the item on eBay.
An eBay member contacted me and stated that without a foil label, the guitar could not have been produced in 1975, despite the serial number.
I contacted two very well-known vintage guitar dealers. Each rep advised me that the guitar bearing that serial number is a 1975 and that, to their knowledge, there is no direct correlation between the paper / foil label and the specific date of manufacture. The label could have been changed during production, Ovation could have run out of foil labels or used foil labels on some 1613 models and not on others.
I purchased the guitar used in 1984 ( I still have the receipt ) so I know it dates prior to that. I feel confident in the 1975 date, but does anyone have information on the foil versus paper label issue ? There is no mention of it on Ovation's website.
Thanks,
Steve |
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Joined:
September 2002
Posts: 153
| Hi Steve,
The metal (foil) labels appeared from approximately 1972 - 1979, and all USA Ovation guitars from that period carry the silver metal label, with the exception of the Custom Legend that had a smaller, gold foil label. The blue and white label on your guitar did not appear until about 1983, when it replaced a similiar blue and white label with a brown shadow.
Your guitar; however, can definitely be dated to 1975, not only because of the apparent original serial number, but also due to the fact that the gold Ovation decal on the headstock of your guitar was discontinued after 1976. In approximately 1977, the letters of the gold Ovation decal are outlined in black.
The inconsistency of the label is probably due to a factory repair that was done on the guitar during the period of 1983 - 1989 when this label was used. For some reason, in the 1970's and 1980's, in certain cases the factory was known to replace the label on a guitar in for repair.
Thus, I have seen many Ovation guitars with non-period labels that do not correspond to the correct period of the guitar. |
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Joined:
September 2002
Posts: 153
| As an ammendment to my previous post, I would clarify that all <> USA Ovation guitars from approximately 1972 - 1979 carry the silver foil label. There are special models such as the Patriot, Anniversary and perhaps others, that may carry a label specific to that model. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 5
Location: Wisconsin | Thank you very much for that explanation. I guess I cannot explain the label being replaced at some point and why, but I feel that I am being honest when I list the guitar as a 1975 model. Thanks much.
Steve |
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Serial No and Paper versus Foil Labels
