New Hartford update

merlin6666

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As many of you know, the New Hartford plant re-opened in September 2015 under new ownership of DW Drums who had bought the Ovation brand name and remaining assets. There was an initial launch of very high end limited edition 50th Anniversary Ovation and 40th Anniversary Adamas guitars, and Ovation U.S.A. continued as a boutique brand with a small staff of about 15 people. Several new and re-vamped models were launched, including some Adamas, and it seems they are at a very reasonable price point, comparable to pre-Fender days in the early 2000s. One notable feature I found was that the wood-topped guitars now also have a nitrocellulose finish - I assume that's a remnant from the Guild days. Anyway, last week it became apparent that more than half of their staff was laid off, including the stalwart John Budny, who for many was the face and first contact with Ovation. There has been no official statement from DW Drums on the direction and future of Ovation, but I am not optimistic. There is still inventory of new Ovations including several Adamas at the main dealers (Al Pepiak - Lostartvintage and Damon Thomas - Red Blanket Guitars), so if you want to round out your collection of awesome guitars there are still opportunities.
 

chazmo

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Oh, man, sorry to hear about JohnB... He was a wonderful host at the LMG events. That said, I'm happy he got a few more years of employment.
 

JohnW63

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I had a feeling that just a very limited selection of higher priced guitars was going to be a tough road to hoe. They needed to sell really well to warrant expanding.

I'm sure I'll have more Ovations in my herd, as time goes on.
 

SFIV1967

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On April 4th there was this news which didn't indicate anything: https://americansongwriter.com/2018/04/ovation-guitars-welcomes-home-richie-sambora/
On April 13th I found this: http://www.ovationtribute.com/
"13 April, 2018: Some of the talented employees are leaving the factory today. Many Thanks to them all for making this possible during so many years!! A very special and big THANK YOU to Monsieur John Budny, he was one of the biggest supporter and helper for Ovation Tribute, we will miss you."
Alpep had posted on the Ovationfanclub: "60% of the staff were terminated yesterday".
Ralf
 
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