From that point on, Josh worked closely with Charlie Kaman. He thoroughly loved the Ovation prototype and the full-bodied sound of its rounded, synthetic back. Even the brace pattern, which you can't readily see, was a thing of beauty.īlues singer Josh White was the first official Ovation endorser. All this was married to a slim and fast five-piece laminated neck that, to this day, is a characteristic people still look for in an Ovation. A dark walnut bridge sat in contrast to a light spruce top. Understated dot inlays graced an ebony fingerboard. With its composite Roundback design, it was unquestionably the strongest guitar in the world. This was a radically different instrument. Initial reactions to the Balladeer's tone elicited words like “smooth, full, rich, clear, and mellow.” The resounding answer came in the form of the Ovation Balladeer (named after a local folk group who received a standing ovation - the event yielded not one, but two lasting names). While there was a logical transfer of technology from aerospace to guitar building, the question remained: Would it sound good? It's probably safe to say that no guitar manufacturer knew more about vibration, mode shapes and resonances than Kaman engineers. They had a couple of intense years of guitar research behind them by 1966 as well. Ovation already had mountains of research measuring how helicopters twist, torque and vibrate. It is with great humility we present the rest of the Ovation story. Forty years later, such renowned artists as Glen Campbell, Al DiMeola, and Melissa Etheridge all use Ovation Guitars. A humble beginning for sure, but the start of a long history of the Ovation Guitar. Kaman also looked at Harmony guitars, but determined that it was better to build fresh and new. Martin was a family business, and wanted to stay that way.
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We know how to tool these things, we've been doing it for years on helicopter rotors.” Charlie made an overture about buying Martin, but was turned down. His response was “Hey, man, we can cut your costs in half. He was taken through their shop, noticed that they were putting things together with glue and clothespins. Having never lost that passion for guitar playing, Charlie saw a natural progression into the guitar making market.Ĭharlie had an old Martin D Guitar whose neck was badly warped and split, in need of repair. He was committed to being an aeronautics engineer. After the show, Tommy Dorsey offered Charlie Kaman a job as the band's guitarist. So much so, that he entered a Raleigh and Kool cigarettes national guitar contest, became a finalist, and got to play with the legendary Tommy Dorsey band. Guitar playing was a long-time passion of his. They looked at Winnebagos, golf clubs, four wheel drives, even surf boards. How else could he have built Kaman Aircraft from scratch in 1945 with $5,000 in equipment and $2,000 in cash? In 1965, Kaman Aircraft determined that to ensure company stability, diversification was imperative.
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Charlie from early on was a free spirit pioneer.
After all, what is a successful helicopter manufacturer doing in the guitar making industry? Anyone who knew Charlie Kaman wouldn't find this to be odd or unusual. In 1966, that's exactly what the music industry was asking.