13. Roundback Guitars
Back in the first half of the 20th century, the foundation was laid for most of the acoustic steel-string guitars we have today. They worked so well that there wasn't much revolutionary innovation happening for a while. But then, in the swinging 60s, along came Charles Kaman, an aerospace engineer with a musical spark. You might be wondering, what's a successful helicopter maker got to do with guitars? Well, turns out Charles Kaman had a strong passion for music, especially guitar playing, since he was a kid.
In fact, he was such a talented guitarist that he even made it to the finals of a national guitar competition and had a chance to perform with the legendary Tommy Dorsey Band. The offer to join the band full-time was on the table, but Charles was already knee-deep in his aerospace engineering career and loved it too much to give it up. However, the dream of making a mark in the music industry stayed with him.
In 1945, at the age of 26, Charles founded Kaman Aircrafts, specializing in building helicopters. His machines were a huge success and set world records left and right. Charles Kaman became known as one of the most innovative aircraft designers in the USA.
But the music bug never left him, and in the mid-60s, Charles saw an opportunity to diversify his company and venture into the musical instrument business. With a team of skilled engineers and cabinet makers experienced in crafting high-quality spruce rotor blades, he came up with a brilliant acoustic guitar concept. It combined traditional guitar craftsmanship, tried-and-true materials, and the advantages of modern composite materials.
And so, in 1966, Charles Kaman unveiled the world's first roundback guitar, leaving everyone in the music scene in awe. The first mass-produced model, the legendary Ovation Standard Balladeer (also known as the K-1111), quickly followed.
Art.-Nr. 332549 - Ovation Celebrity CS24-4 Standard
The guitar featured a rounded back made of a fiberglass-like material mostly composed of natural components. Charles called it the Lycrachord body. The roundback design became the signature of the Ovation company. The guitars had essentially the same dimensions as oversized concert guitars. The "mid depth" variant had the volume of a dreadnought, while the deep bowl was even more spacious. But the roundback wasn't the only innovation Ovation brought to the world.
The company also became a pioneer in developing excellent pickup systems. By the late 60s, Ovation was already equipping guitars with outstanding pickups and preamps, propelling the trend of electrified acoustic guitars with their phenomenal performance. Nowadays, Ovation guitars are regarded as the best electric/acoustic guitars in the world. It's no wonder top musicians like Steve Lukather, Al Di Meola, Melissa Etheridge, and Dave Mustaine (to name just a few) swear by the sound and playability of these guitars from Bloomfield, Connecticut.
