merlin6666
Senior Member
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.