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Location: Texas | As posted on Ovation Collectors facebook page: Interesting news- Ovation is no longer a Kaman brand, now owned by DW (drum workshop). They bought all of the Kaman percussion lines, Ovation was bundled with them. |
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Location: Bristol England | Is this for real and, if so, where is DW based USA? Korea? China? |
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Location: Canada | jamesholl - 2015-01-06 2:02 PM Is this for real and, if so, where is DW based USA? Korea? China? Wkipedia says they are in Oxnard, California ... |
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Location: Orlando, FL | and they offer factory tours. |
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Location: Canada | News release:
http://spotlight.fender.com/newsroom/news/459/ |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Time will tell. Looks like a great American DRUM company.
Drum Workshop, Inc. is a family owned American manufacturer of professional drums, pedals and hardware. Many of the world's top professionals, such as Sheila E., Mick Fleetwood, Neil Peart, Max Weinberg and Dave Grohl have made the DW brand "The Drummer's Choice." Drum Workshop is also home to Pacific Drums and Percussion, a full line of production drum and hardware products. For more information...
At least it wasn't a banjo company...
Edited by Designzilla 2015-01-06 4:56 PM
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | "We are extremely proud of our team's effort to nurture and grow each of the individual brands and are enthusiastic for their future,” said FMIC’s interim CEO and board member Scott Gilbertson.
That made me throw up a little in my mouth. And I can't help but have a bad feeling for John Budny's team in New Hartford all of a sudden.
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Location: Nashville TN. | Wonder how long New Hartford repair will be there? |
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| I was thinking of bringing my 1687 up there for a tune up. Wonder if it's too late. |
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Location: NJ | gone gone gone..... |
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Location: Nashville TN. |  confirmed gone? Good thing they reset the neck on my 1777-usa in Dec. |
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Location: NJ | not positive but waiting for an e mail from budny |
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Location: Jet City | I have a guitar over there right now. Should I be nervous? |
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Location: Jet City | Let's just hope they're still making wine. |
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| Designzilla - At least it wasn't a banjo company... ... and that quote certianly made my day  |
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Location: New Hartford CT | JAN. 6 I KMC, DW I SALE
KMC Music Sells Percussion Brands, Ovation Guitars to Drum Workshop
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) announced today that its subsidiary, KMC Music, has sold its owned and licensed percussion brands, including Gretsch Drums, Latin Percussion, Toca Percussion, KAT Percussion and Gibraltar Hardware — as well as the Ovation guitar brand and the exclusive U.S. distribution rights for Sabian Cymbals — to Drum Workshop, Inc., the manufacturer of DW drums, hardware and accessories.
"We are extremely proud of our team's effort to nurture and grow each of the individual brands and are enthusiastic for their future," said Scott Gilbertson, FMIC's interim CEO and board member. "We recognize the strategic opportunity for DW and are confident that they will be champions of the brands moving forward."
"This is an amazing opportunity to extend our passion and commitment for the art of drumming," said Chris Lombardi, CEO of Drum Workshop, Inc. "We're excited to welcome these legendary American brands to the DW family."
Financial and other terms of the deal are not disclosed.
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Location: New Hartford CT | Drum Workshop has become a behemoth in the world of drum manufacturing. From making a cannister seat and chain drive pedals in the 70's....to becoming one of the top drum companies in the world, DW has always been on the move. They manufacture their USA lines in Oxnard CA and their PDP import line is built in Mexico. Just a huge company.
Their drums and hardware are innovative and the President of the company, John Good, is a not just a CEO who rests in a back office but actually pitch matches drum shells out on the plant floor. He's a good man...I'm not sure where Ovation fits in, especially the repair shop in New Hartford. I mean, they're a drum company and it seems they are expanding their vistas to own a major distribution chain as well. |
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Location: NJ | dw is a pimple in the industry.
I bet them dump ovation to their oxnard neighbor .......
wait for it
cordoba
oh yeah they own guild....... |
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Location: Canada | alpep - 2015-01-07 7:09 AM dw is a pimple in the industry. I bet them dump ovation to their oxnard neighbor ....... wait for it cordoba oh yeah they own guild....... Well there's also another more established and respected acoustic guitar maker in that neighbourhood - Larrivee ... |
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Location: Flahdaw | Sure seems like the Ovation brand was just kind of thrown in that deal. It doesn't make any sense logistically. Maybe FMIC did not want to shoulder the negative PR when Ovation ultimately gets eliminated. "Another iconic American brand is no more, thanks to FMIC..." Who wants THAT blame? Better it be DW. |
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Location: Lake Forest, CA | My hope is that Ovation doesn't turn into the DesignCAD 3D of the guitar world.
DesignCAD 3D was an affordable CAD program originally developed in the 1990s for PCs running MS-DOS. It was a good program for its time.
When the original company that developed the program went out of business, the product was passed around more than a $5 hooker. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Face it guys, the Ovation brand is dead. They just can't figure out where to put the corpse. |
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Location: Texas | +1 Dave...concise and accurate. sadly... |
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Location: Bristol England | Lazarus made it and so did the phoenix. It's not over till the fat lady sings!
Lets not presume life extinct until the Certificate has been issued. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Maybe it will come back to life like Bugatti. Hopefully it won't take as long. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | There's always an opportunity for a feisty bunch of officianados to band together, buy the brand, and reinstate it to a beloved status!!!! (Didn't someone do that with Harley?) |
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Location: Flahdaw | Standingovation - 2015-01-07 2:19 PM
Face it guys, the Ovation brand is dead. They just can't figure out where to put the corpse.
That's it exactly. It's just not "official", and Fender didn't want to be the one to MAKE it official.
Edited by BobG 2015-01-07 4:38 PM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Fender was making "re-branded" Celebrity guitars, anyway.
The sad part was the loss of the MotherShip... But it had already gone away.
Fender added Ovation to the drum deal to get out from under the Warranty obligations.
BTW-- Fender still sux.  
Edited by Old Man Arthur 2015-01-07 8:36 PM
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Location: California | Ok new name, Ovatti-Bugatti. Wish they continue with the repair shop and or making guitars in CA.
Edited by hwebster 2015-01-07 9:08 PM
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Location: Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire | Fender used to have a soul! His name was Leo!! |
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| I have my ADii there now for repair. Haven't been able to reach John Budny since the 6th (which was the day of the announcement). Not good. He always gets right back to me. He isn't answering emails and he's not answering calls....
This is not good....
Jeff |
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| fillhixx - 2015-01-07 3:47 PM
There's always an opportunity for a feisty bunch of officianados to band together, buy the brand, and reinstate it to a beloved status!!!! (Didn't someone do that with Harley?)
Yes! I own a few Harley's. The employees bought the company back from AMF in the 80's. It turned out to be a brilliant move!
Jeff |
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Location: Texas | <<<I own a few Harley's.>>> I would be saddling one up and heading to New Hartford. or maybe it's Oxnard CA... If you flip a coin, heads always works for me.
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| This just in from John Budny:
Hi Jeff,
Sorry it has taken a bit to get back but it has been an exciting couple of days. We are here for a while, hopefully a long while and not sure what will happen but will get you information on your guitar by tomorrow. We are operating as usual for the time being.
John |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Good news |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | The good news is that there are still plenty of great Ovations out there for us Ovation lovers to acquire if we so desire. Enough to last till we are dead and gone. And as our foreign friends so readily point out we live in Ovation heaven -- the land of plenty. And plenty of vintage stuff out there still to be had for those so inclined! Alas and alack our offspring and their descendents may not be so fortunate!! |
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Location: Nashville TN. | question
Hi I have 26 Ovation guitars purchased new and wondering status repair shop in New Hartford and how warrenty will be handled
Thank You
Paul Edward Zukowski
P-E-Z
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Answer
Paul,
We are still in the process of acquiring all information from Ovation. Your best bet for a quick answer is to call Ovation directly at 800-552-4681.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Skylar Maloney
Customer Service
Drum Workshop Inc.
skylarm@dwdrums.com
Phone 805-822-5363
Fax 805-485-1029
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | A fine gentleman with integrity is that aforementioned John Budny!! |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Yes he is |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | nerdydave - 2015-01-15 4:53 PM
A fine gentleman with integrity is that aforementioned John Budny!!
Indeed!!! I like John very much with limited communications!!! He is a Good Man!!! He has a great sense of humor too!!!
Would it help to write the new Company, and express our desires to see John and the Boys stay, and the Ovation brand continue???? Would it help them make a decision if they knew that there was solid interest from the Buyers out there???? |
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Location: N.J. | Well DW isnt exactly a stranger to guitars in a way. Years ago when Kramer was trying to make a comeback before Gibby bought 'em, they used to outsource all their guitars to DW for paint work. I had one of my custom guitars painted by them in a Polyester finish and they did a real nice job. Perhaps they can sell off to a buyer and work a deal to still do the paint work. Wishful thinking but heres hoping. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | What is really interesting to me is that Ovation was purchased. I know this may sound like an odd observation, but hear me out. Fender didn't purchase Ovation, they purchased KMC which is a distribution company that Ovation was a part of and roll it into Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, again a distributor. Once acquired, they could kinda do whatever they wanted with the Ovation business unit. Now they sell FMIC and Ovation was obviously NOT part of that sale. So what was DW's motivation to pick up Ovation. In the previous Fender purchase, Fender "ended up" with Ovation as part of purchasing a distribution company. We hoped they planned on doing something with Ovation, and they did a little. DW just bought Ovation. No equipment that I know of, but that's possible I guess, no people, that I know of... just a name ?? You don't just "buy a guitar brand" or anything company and do nothing with it. I mean I guess you could, but I think that would be pretty hard to get past your Board of Directors of whomever is in charge and writing checks.
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Location: Upper Left USA | I'm optimistic.
Not very patient but optimistic... |
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Location: Flahdaw | I agree. No reason to buy Ovation by itself without a plan on doing something positive with it. |
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Location: south east Michigan | I hope your right Miles...
But I think it's time for a sports metaphor.
A while back there was a guy from the Marlins that the Tigers wanted very, very much. But to get him we had to take a guy that we, or any other team would want no part of. We got the guy we wanted. The guy we didn't want was an anchor for a couple years and cost us not just a few games. But he is long gone and the guy we wanted has been a superstar.
DW may have the Ovation name but they don't have the people or any of the specialized tooling. I bet they don't even have and an instruction book on how to put one together. |
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Location: SoCal | Wouldn't they have all the overseas manufacturing facilities? |
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Location: Texas | I am with the kid. Ovation was rolled in with the percussion bundle. Just the name. No guitars. No machinery. No factory. What can DW do with Ovation, that Fender couldnt...errr...and Fender had a factory, machinery, and craftsmen? I don't want to be debbie downer...but realistically...bringing Ovation back to life doesn't seen very feasible for someone that just owns the name. As sad as it may seem...I bet John B is the one that turns out the last O light. Unless, FMIC had to retain the warranty work on previous Ovations sold. I am curious as to how that plays out. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Yes, my own bubble was burst when I talked to Al and he reminded me that DW picked up the Percussion from Kaman. So Ovation was likely tossed in as a deal maker to make the sale to Jam easier. |
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Location: SoCal | There is still the overseas manufacturing........ |
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Location: Canada | It's sad that after almost a year the factory tour is still prominent on the O website and it is obvious that this has not been tended to in just as long, with exception of the phone number and warranty information update. Would the deal with fender not also include the arrangements they had with the Asian suppliers and the merchandising/distribution stuff, as well as potential patents and plans? |
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Location: south east Michigan | immoody - 2015-02-22 4:48 PM
There is still the overseas manufacturing........
Might sound harsh, but I'd rather the line stay dead then be nothing more than entry level guitars.
Resumed overseas production would only perpetuate the myth that Ovations were and are plastic canoe paddles.
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Location: Flahdaw | amosmoses - 2015-02-22 11:06 AM
I am with the kid. Ovation was rolled in with the percussion bundle.
Ahhhh....Mr Ovation didn't SAY that. Well, that's a horse of a different color. |
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Location: Utah | Brad Durasa - 2015-02-22 4:29 PM
immoody - 2015-02-22 4:48 PM
There is still the overseas manufacturing........
Might sound harsh, but I'd rather the line stay dead then be nothing more than entry level guitars.
Resumed overseas production would only perpetuate the myth that Ovations were and are plastic canoe paddles.
I agree with all of this. For a long time now Ovation has been having to fight the canoe paddle untruthitude. I just don't see how entry level only is good for the way the company gets viewed. |
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Location: Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire | If I ever hit the Mega-Millions jackpot, I'd buy Ovation and give it the attention it deserves as any good privately owned company and not be played like a pawn in the stock market! Too much said already but you can't help but think of the possibilities of a company fueled by passion for their product and dedicated to customer satisfaction and service! Like the old days! Employee owned would be another good option IF they had the resources to do it!
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Location: Tennessee | How do you make a small fortune in the guitar business? Start with a large one. |
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Location: Lake Forest, CA | Yeah, but I couldn't think of a better way to go broke... |
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Location: Jet City | DanSavage - 2015-03-04 1:27 PM Yeah, but I couldn't think of a better way to go broke... hookers and blow comes to mind |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I see that Takamine (another KMC all-star "back in the day" has managed to extract themselves from the fender phallus and has a new US distribution agreement with ESP. Hope it works out well for them. At least they still HAVE a mothership. |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I've been wondering about Takamine. Glad the landed on their feet. |
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Ovation purchase by DW?