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Location: Newburgh, N.Y. | An ORIGINAL !!! NUMBER 151 !!!!!
SERNUM 006-319 1966 THREE DIGITS
SERNUM 320-999 1967 FEB-NOV (NEW HARTFORD)
The Kaman/Ovation Balladeer guitar.
A collectible for which the market for it is in its infancy.
It started in 1964, when Charlie Kaman chose a small team of aerospace engineers and technicians (several of whom were woodworking hobbyists) and set them to work to make a better guitar.
In 1966, two years and many prototypes later, the team brought the first production Ovation to life; the Balladeer.
Pictures are at: http://www.videoeditor.com/ovation |
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Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Very nice and welcome. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | . . . and . . .
. $ . ? . $ . ? . $ . ? . ? . ? |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Kevlar???????????????
Looks to be in great shape, bet it sounds killer.
Great guitar, but they don't fetch anything close to what they should. There's been a couple of these with the early chain rosettes on Ebay recently & they reached a couple of hundred |
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Posts: 4
Location: Newburgh, N.Y. | It's worth several thousand.
I've been offered up to $3k for it, and knew I was going to get ripped.
A number in the 200s was sold,
ten years ago for $3,500
Make an offer, :) |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The reality is that to most people they are just an old Ovation, whose value is diminished further because there's no pickup system. Realistically this should be worth 2-3K (certainly not "several" thousand) but the market says different. Mandolin brothers advertised a similar guitar at around $3K but it did not sell. The situation may change in the future but right now you'll strugle to get into 4 figures unless you find someone who really wants one. The vintage/collectors market at this time just isn't interested. I would go back to whoever offered you $3K and take it. |
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November 2003
Posts: 4
Location: Newburgh, N.Y. | Thanks Paul,
MANDOLIN BROTHERS wanted to "broker" it, but I don't need the money, and am in no hurry to get rid of it. Plus, I don't want to send it to them, I love playing it :)
You're right though, it would take a special kind of collector to want it.
I never thought that it was worth anything, and everyone I asked laughed at the "plastic" back, but a few people's jaws have droped. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Nick, several of us on the board own early O's with 3-piece tops, 5-point rosewood bridges, shiny bowls etc. None of us are in a hurry to sell them either, partially because they sound so good but also because they are worth so little for what they are. Their time will come. |
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November 2002
Posts: 1196
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana | It is unfortunate that most Ovations are worth only what you can get for them. I am not sure why that is, because they are such good, well made guitars. |
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August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | For purely selfish reasons, I am enjoying Ovation's relative state of unpopularity. I can get 3 or 4 great sounding (and looking) guitars for the price of one good Martin. Now where else can you find a deal like that. Most of the Ovations including the Adamas were bought at less than or low $1K. At least now the older Adamas are now fetching high $1K to $2K. |
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Location: SoCal | That's why I am buying now...I don't expect this window of opportunity to continue for more than a couple of years. |
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January 2002
Posts: 970
Location: Atlanta,Ga. | The number stamped on the heel is not actually the serial number.I have had many early balladeers and the heel stamped number almost alway never matched the serial number on the label.Do you have a picture of the label.Also most of the early 1966 productions had the long trus cover almost the lenghth of the headstock with the model name written on the trus cover..I would like to see the label before i would count on the heel number as the serial number..Also the 66's had two other rosettes that were inlayed..Im not saying that this could not be a 1966 but it looks more like 67 or 68 to me..Still a cool guitar |
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November 2003
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Location: Newburgh, N.Y. | I never had a label on it, dosn't look like one ever was there.
Did the numbers stamped on the heel ever match the label?
If there was ever a trus cover, it's gone :(
Hope it's a 66, but it still is a great guitar |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The truss-rod cover is there, but it's a later version than the very early cover Sam is referring to. |
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January 2002
Posts: 970
Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Im not saying that this is not a 1966 but from the over 15 shiny bowls ive owned only about two have a matched label serial number and heel serial number..The rest were different and im sure the necks were original and not replaced.
As i said before the 1966(bloomfield Ct.) models had different rosette and longer trus cover with ingraved model name on it..Either way,its a great guitar and a wonderful peice of Ovation history.Enjoy it! |
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June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | Sam, Several of my oldest shiny bowls have the Bloomfield label, but I don't think they were made there. How can you tell? By the way, on all the shiny bowls I currently have (six) the s/n on the label matches the neck block, except for one balladeer that has no number on the neck block at all. Dave |
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1966 Kaman / Ovation - Serial Number 151
