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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Hello all! First time posting here...
I recently acquired a pair of old Ovation speakers. Wondering if there's any interest in these or if anyone can tell me more about them.
Based on my research, they appear to be from about 1969-1970. They have a gray-ish silver grille cloth, are covered in padded naugahyde, and have rounded casters mounted to them. The thing about these that is unusual is that they appear remarkably similar to the 'Little Dude' guitar amps mentioned in the vintage literature, but they are passive speakers -- no amp modules. Also, they contain just a single 10" speaker and a horn. I don't see anything like this in any of the old catalogs.
They were purchased by me in Western Connecticut, very near the original factory location, and I was told by the seller that they had belonged to an engineer who worked for Ovation back in the day.
I'm wondering if they might be some kind of a prototype -- ? There's an Ovation name badge on the rear of each speaker, with serial numbers, but no kind of model number or anything else.
I have tested them out with my vintage Thordarson tube amplifier (seen in picture), and they sound great for guitar! |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Unable to figure out how to attach pictures...
If anyone can clue me in, I'll send some pictures!... |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Welcome, I've updated your membership and moved you to this form, so others can respond only a few can respond in the welcome center again, thanks for joining and welcome to the community. You will be able to add photos by clicking the add attachment checkbox when you respond now that you're a member. |
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June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | That is an extension cabinet for the Guitar Dude amplifier to set it up as a dual cabinet configuration. |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Standingovation,
Yeah, I thought that, too. Every single reference I can find for the ‘Guitar Dude’ or ‘Little Dude’ mentions 15” speakers. The pair I have contain 10” speakers. These cabs are smaller. And they don’t match up with any PA speakers they offered, either. I should mention the pair of speakers I got also came with two separate horn enclosures…
I would love to share some pics, but I’m still having trouble with that. The only option I can find in the forum for inserting pictures is asking for a URL, which my photos don’t have… |
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Joined:
February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | Smokestack... at the bottom of the this thread page where you type your reply, look just below that text box.. there should be a button "Advanced Reply". Before you type anything, select that button, and it will take you to a new text box page that gives the option to "attach photo or file after posting". Just check that box before you post your text, and then follow the prompts that come up. At least that's how it works on my configuration and screen.
PS: I am using a desktop PC, so I'm not sure if the description I just gave works the same when posting with a phone or other device.
Edited by Love O Fair 2023-08-25 4:43 PM
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Joined:
August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Hoping to be able to add pics here…
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Joined:
August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Love O Fair,
Thanks — that worked!
Now I’ll be interested to see if anybody has any comments… |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | There are three phenolic knobs on the top of each speaker cab, and four of these on the sides of the horns — does anyone know what these were for? |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | I know vintage Jensens and Celestions get all the accolades amongst amp guys, but these Audient 70 speakers are really sweet. They were made by University and rebranded for Ovation, is that correct? I couldn’t get the bell cover off the speaker in the enclosure I opened up, but it looks to be a fairly hefty alnico magnet, judging by the size of the cover. Gotta love the robin’s egg blue color of the speaker frame! |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | How long was Ovation in the guitar amp and sound reinforcement business, does anyone know? Couldn’t have been for too many years… |
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Joined:
February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | A good question... but it's not me with the exact answer. Definitely not the SM58 of amps. From what I've ever seen there was never much of an ongoing (years-long) run on any particular amp product or model.. and never came across any or noticed one on a stage and considered it among the more common equipment.
PS: It sounds like you are into components.. so are you considering using the innards to build and outfit your own design?
Edited by Love O Fair 2023-08-30 4:58 PM
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | No, I plan to keep this rig together. I don’t know if I’d ever have a need for the separate horns, but it seems a shame to break any of this up. The bottoms would make great little guitar cabs, and I may use them like that, but I’m not planning to pick them for parts. They appear to be very well-made cabinets — heavy plywood, nice (if old) hardware…
Just wanting to find out more about them.
The three knobs on the top of both speaker caninets still mystify me… |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 563
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hello, Everyone,
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall that, "OVATION INSTRUMENTS", i.e., various OVATION acoustic and/or electric guitars, basses, amplifiers and/or PA systems, were featured in, "The Partridge Family", comedy series for a period of time, c.1971-197474. This was/is possibly before the now iconic Ovation 6-string piezo pickup we all know and love, made for Glenn Campbell, was added to the acoustic guitars for his TV show.
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON.,
CANADA
Edited by Mike S. 2023-09-05 12:39 PM
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Well, the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour ran from 69-72, and I believe those Ovations even from the earliest episodes had a piezo pickup. So, more concurrent with the Partridge Family then, right?
And it’s interesting that Glen didn’t use the amps, being that he was a big endorsee. In the clips I’ve seen, it’s Fender amps… |
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August 2002
Posts: 563
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hey, Smokestack52,
Thanks for correcting me. I'm still not sure exactly what Ovation guitar model Glen was using on his show from the very start, or when his GC signature was put on the headstock TRC, but I have a song book in my library from 1969 showing Glen playing a shiny bowl Ovation, w/, "Deluxe Balladeer" written on the headstock. It was an, "IGOTTAGETMEWUNNATHOSE", moment for a young teenager at the time.
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON.,
CANADA
Edited by Mike S. 2023-09-05 3:41 PM
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Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | @Mike S - >>>or when his GC signature was put on the headstock TRC<<<
The dust of my memory is so old that it has that crusty layer on the bottom... but for my own experience the earliest I recall seeing the GC TRC signature was on the 1127 in 1972.. and the last was on the 1627RI in 2018 (of which I own both). And though the 1627RI is not highlighted in gold like the old ones were, and is barely visible on the black TRC, there is also a white GC signature below the bottom fret on the fingerboard that stands out quite well.
And also curious as to when the headstock moniker switched from "Deluxe Balladeer" to simply "Deluxe" on the old shinys. My 1968 DB only says "Deluxe".
Edited by Love O Fair 2023-09-05 7:02 PM
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February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | Do those knobs on top of the cabinet turn as if to adjust something?? |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | The knobs don’t do anything! I thought they might unscrew slightly to attach to some sort of bracket — say to affix the separate horns to the lower speaker cabs — but there are no brackets and nothing lines up on the cabs. Still a mystery… |
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February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | Being the shape of the knobs perhaps they were installed to wind cord around. That's the best detective work I can come up with at the moment, but I must say that they have me intrigued to ponder.
Lee, MA. Now that's cool. You know much about North Adams?? Only about 30 miles from you.. been researching it lately, but I'm in California so it's a bit difficult to actually drive and walk around the place. |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Yeah, North Adams is cool — a funky old New England mill town. Was the original home of Sprague capacitors, but that’s long gone now. Actually, the old Sprague factory is now home to MassMOCA, the largest contemporary art gallery in the country, I believe. |
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Thanks for the suggestion about the mystery knobs on the cabs being there to wrap speaker cables. Sounds as plausible as anything else! |
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Joined:
August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Here’s a link to a YouTube video I posted of me playing guitar through one of these cabs, in case anyone’s interested:
https://youtu.be/PAQrAHxwHrw?si=L8jPJUszjP51VQO1 |
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February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | Every time I check someone's video it only disappoints me that they can play stuff I can't do for squat.. but then again 99.9% of my playing is unplugged, so I guess there's that. The Ovation box sounds great. Nice and rich, especially considering we're only listening to a YT recording at home. Heck, I'm guessing it's those damn knobs.. supplementing a secret frequency into the room like broadcasting antennas. Balance a frozen burrito on them and see if it cooks. Then we'll know for sure.
PS: Yes, I read up on the MassMOCA. Apparently the reason they chose that building was to be able to house large art pieces indoors that won't fit anywhere else.. and it has turned out to be quite a hit for the town. Another one of the old, large mills has also been converted to residential loft art studios.
Edited by Love O Fair 2023-09-07 9:00 AM
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Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | That sounds great! My Li'l Dude might sound that good if you played on it. Mine has an old fashioned reverb in it, but I never finished hooking it up. |
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August 2002
Posts: 563
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA | Hello, Everyone,
Hey, Smokestack52, the YT video with the OVATION cab sounded great, BTW! OOPS! Yours truly was mistakenly reading the label inside the guitar in my songbook. There is only "Deluxe" written on the headstock of the guitar GC is pictured with, so I had to double-check THE OVATION GALLERY, and OVATION TRIBUTE sites to figure out the dates and times of the guitars in my songbook. Hey, LOF, I finally played my Ovation for a short time yesterday, after almost 2 months, and I played it unplugged also. It was not pretty, but it's start. Just continue to enjoy playing your OVATION. My first guitar teacher told me something when started I started taking lessons as a wee lad. "If playing your guitar isn't fun anymore, go do something else." You can always pick it up again later. When I myself became a guitar teacher, one of my guitar students was a lady being 72 years young!!
Mike S.
Ottawa, ON.,
CANADA
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August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Just wanted to show that these speakers are actually really decent sounding — whether they were intended as guitar amp speakers or PA speakers… I’m glad I picked them up! And they’re a cool — and odd — little bit of Ovation history…
On the same day I got the speakers, I also stopped by the original Ovation factory in New Hartford. Sad — not a trace remains of Ovation Instruments… it’s been subdivided into many spaces — which are occupied by artist studios, yoga spaces, craft supplies stores, a pub, etc.
Again, I say, kind of sad… |
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Joined:
August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Original Ovation Instruments factory in New Hartford, CT.
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February 2016
Posts: 1772
Location: When?? | Is that photo one that you took when you went there recently? I've seen a few others from a couple years ago when it was first being redone, but they weren't very complete, and would be interesting to see what they did with the place as of today. At least it isn't sitting abandoned and falling apart, and has kind of taken the same path of like what we were talking about earlier with the old mills in North Adams.
Edited by Love O Fair 2023-09-26 1:52 AM
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Joined:
August 2023
Posts: 17
Location: Lee, MA | Yes, that photo was taken about a month ago. Lots of activity at the factory — just none of it guitar related. Supposedly the pub there has an ‘Ovation Room’ where they have some memorabilia associated with the former factory, but they were closed the day I came by… |
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