Ovation fretless. Not seen one of these before.

[oldslapper]

Liking this. Not so much the short scale though. 
 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144531899530?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=o6dCGPhITKe&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=apR0TlihRse&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[Happy Jack]

Now that's very different from what I expected to see.

 

That's a Typhoon Mk.III where they moved from three control knobs to four, dropped the selector switch from ther upper bout to the lower, and changed the body shape to elongate the horns.

 

Those knobs obviously are not the originals (they would have been witches' hats) and it's missing the original ashtray. £825 is ambitious but hardly outrageous.

 

I was unaware of the 'body made by Hofner' story and I have no idea where that comes from. Without doing any actual, y'know, research I have to say that it sounds highly unlikely ... that wasn't the sort of company that Ovation was.

 

[oldslapper]

23 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

 

 

I was unaware of the 'body made by Hofner' story and I have no idea where that comes from. Without doing any actual, y'know, research I have to say that it sounds highly unlikely ... that wasn't the sort of company that Ovation was.

 

Looking on TB, the “made by Höfner”narrative seems to be supported. I have no idea if it was said once, then copied and pasted thereafter, like much of the internets “facts”. 
Intriguing little bass though. 😎  

[Max Normal]

4 hours ago, oldslapper said:

Looking on TB, the “made by Höfner”narrative seems to be supported. I have no idea if it was said once, then copied and pasted thereafter, like much of the internets “facts”. 
Intriguing little bass though. 😎  

http://www.vintagehofner.co.uk/factfiles/ovation/ovation.html

 

On this page also. There's an original image of a 1969 Typhoon on there too, which looks like an earlier model going by what Happy Jack says, so perhaps the ebay one is actually a little later than 1969.

[Shaggy]

I’d never heard about the Hofner connection either

Only seen them in sunburst or natural before, always with really nicely flamed maple backs.

[prowla]

I wasn't even aware that Ovation were around in the 60s.

[Happy Jack]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

I wasn't even aware that Ovation were around in the 60s.

Founder Charles Kaman (1919–2011) developed the first prototypes of the Ovation guitar in 1965–1966. Kaman, an amateur guitarist from an early age, worked on helicopter design as an aerodynamicist at United. Eventually, he founded a helicopter design company, Kaman Aircraft, in 1945.

 

The Kaman Corporation soon diversified, branching into nuclear weapons testing, commercial helicopter flight, development and testing of chemicals, and helicopter bearings production. In the early 1960s, however, financial problems from the failure of their commercial flight division forced them to expand into new markets, such as entertainment and leisure. Charles Kaman, still an avid guitar player, became interested in making guitars.

 

From 1966 to 2007, Ovation guitars, and later on Adamas guitars, were a brand of KMCMusicorp, which itself was a subsidiary of Kaman Aircraft.

Edited May 7, 2022 by Happy Jack

[prowla]

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

Founder Charles Kaman (1919–2011) developed the first prototypes of the Ovation guitar in 1965–1966. Kaman, an amateur guitarist from an early age, worked on helicopter design as an aerodynamicist at United. Eventually, he founded a helicopter design company, Kaman Aircraft, in 1945.

 

The Kaman Corporation soon diversified, branching into nuclear weapons testing, commercial helicopter flight, development and testing of chemicals, and helicopter bearings production. In the early 1960s, however, financial problems from the failure of their commercial flight division forced them to expand into new markets, such as entertainment and leisure. Charles Kaman, still an avid guitar player, became interested in making guitars.

 

From 1966 to 2007, Ovation guitars, and later on Adamas guitars, were a brand of KMCMusicorp, which itself was a subsidiary of Kaman Aircraft.

Cheers - I knew of his background.

It's just I remember the brand coming to prominence in the mid-70s.