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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | Well today GEWA officially takes over Ovation and I just read on facebook that after nearly 28 years Darren Wallace is leaving.
If you don't know Darren was instrumental in saving machinery from the dumpster in order to have DW set up the factory again.
This is an interesting development as of last knowledge I was told Ovation would only be building Adamas and custom orders. Now I seriously wonder about that.
NO I don't want to start rumors but after being personally associated with this company for 25 years I have to say I'm very sad |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | Nail meets Coffin ... |
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Joined:
February 2016
Posts: 1769
Location: When?? | A sad report indeed. And indeed as well, we are all fortunate to have lived through the decades we have experienced with such a fine company, and preservation of what we have savored and saved looks to be the legacy, as evolution in this instance is very most likely not going to resemble anything even near to what we have always admired. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | We were blessed to discover Ovations at the right time.
I remember in the early 70's... More than a few traveling musicians came to our town park carrying Ovations.
I also remember in the later 70's... When many bands played Ovations (and Adamas) on stage.
Must be a boomer thing. 
Maybe GEWA has people who want to recreate the old daze. 
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | custom orders currently suspended..... |
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Joined:
October 2012
Posts: 1018
Location: Yokohama, Japan | alpep - 2021-02-01 12:03 AM
...after nearly 28 years Darren Wallace is leaving.
Perhaps "a new dusk"... |
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Joined:
July 2020
Posts: 36
Location: NY | Very sad news, on many levels. I had the pleasure of meeting him just recently when I went to the factory. You could clearly tell he's a passionate guy about the craft, and the brand. I hope he found another opportunity, but it's hard ti imagine the brand without his vision. |
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Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 4221
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Well .... SHOOT! I dunno what else to say... |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | Death by a thousand cuts (of the company we knew).
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | He says publicly he has a couple surgeries to go through, then he has another job lined up. His words were "more on that later." The folks from GEWA publicly wished him well. Fair winds Darren...Thanks for personally servicing or building my Ovations and Adamas' over the years. Keep Fiddlin' around. |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | Sorry if this sounds blasphemous, but I still think what Darren did with Guild production in New Hartford was incredible. We tend to think of "engineering" as designing a great guitar, but engineering how to BUILD the damn things at a consistently top notch level is perhaps even more of an accomplishment. I own seven different New Hartford built Guild guitars and I can tell you side-by-side from personal experience they are right there with the best of the best.
No matter if it's related to brands we love or not, let's hope we have not heard the last from Darren.
Dave |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | The good news as always is that there are tons of good used Ovations around for us affectionados to enjoy as long as we inhabit this mortal coil!! |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Agreed Dave - his ability to put in a quality process to produce any instrument is outstanding. Each guitar he has built I own is quality.... |
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Joined:
August 2011
Posts: 887
Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Pretty much any USA built Ovation is quality IMHO! |
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GEWA Darren Wallace a new dawn
