Ovation Breadwinner
Encyclopedia
The Breadwinner was a solid body
electric guitar
made by the Ovation Guitar Company. It is one of the few solid body electrics they ever made. It has an unusual ergonomic body made of mahogany and shaped something like an axe, although that is not the only reason for the body shape, the designer also used considerations of balance and ergonomics.
The guitar has either 2 toroidal single-pole pickups (early models) or 2 mini-humbucker pickups, volume and tone knobs, and a three way pickup selector and a phase switch.
There were 3 distinct models based upon the Breadwinner's exotic shape - the Breadwinner, the Deacon, and the Breadwinner Limited. The main difference between the Breadwinner and the Breadwinner Limited was an odd additional cutaway in the upper body and a "Tuxedo" gray to black finish. The difference between the Breadwinner and the Deacon was in the finish and hardware used. The Breadwinners were coated in Kaman Industries' "LyraChord" material and were available in a number of colors including Blue, White, Black, Tan, Gray, and Red while the Deacon was available in either Natural Sunburst, Clear Mahogany, or a clear Red finish - all three were glossy. The Deacon also had Mother of Pearl diamond-shaped inlays and an ivory binding around the fretboard.
Artists of the day using the guitar included Glenn Campbell
, Steve Marriot, Todd Rundgren
, Dave Lambert (Strawbs), Ace Frehley
and Paul Stanley
(Kiss), Colin Newman
(Wire), Robert Smith (The Cure but used with Siouxsie & The Banshees in 1979 & 1984) and David Cassidy in The Partridge Family, also Rage Against The Machine
guitarist Tom Morello
uses a Breadwinner on some songs.
Early models were equipped with Ovation's toroidal single pole pickups while later models were equipped with humbuckers. Most collector / players prefer the sound of the original toroidal pickups.
Regardless of the model, the guitar was one of the first to come equipped with an active FET preamp on board. The active electronics allowed guitarists to get a very wide range of sounds out of the guitar. In fact, Ovation published a guide to sounds where they listed various band and song "signature" sounds and the settings to use to achieve those sounds with the guitar's electronics.
Solid body
A solid-body instrument is a string instrument such as a guitar, bass or violin built without its normal sound box and relying on an electric pickup system to directly receive the vibrations of the strings....
electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
made by the Ovation Guitar Company. It is one of the few solid body electrics they ever made. It has an unusual ergonomic body made of mahogany and shaped something like an axe, although that is not the only reason for the body shape, the designer also used considerations of balance and ergonomics.
The guitar has either 2 toroidal single-pole pickups (early models) or 2 mini-humbucker pickups, volume and tone knobs, and a three way pickup selector and a phase switch.
There were 3 distinct models based upon the Breadwinner's exotic shape - the Breadwinner, the Deacon, and the Breadwinner Limited. The main difference between the Breadwinner and the Breadwinner Limited was an odd additional cutaway in the upper body and a "Tuxedo" gray to black finish. The difference between the Breadwinner and the Deacon was in the finish and hardware used. The Breadwinners were coated in Kaman Industries' "LyraChord" material and were available in a number of colors including Blue, White, Black, Tan, Gray, and Red while the Deacon was available in either Natural Sunburst, Clear Mahogany, or a clear Red finish - all three were glossy. The Deacon also had Mother of Pearl diamond-shaped inlays and an ivory binding around the fretboard.
Artists of the day using the guitar included Glenn Campbell
Glenn Campbell
Glen Campbell may refer to:People:* Glen Campbell , American musician -- country, active in US* Glenn Ross Campbell , American musician -- rock, active in UK* Glenn Campbell , Scottish journalist...
, Steve Marriot, Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Dave Lambert (Strawbs), Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley
Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of the "Spaceman" or "Space Ace" when the band adopted costumes and theatrics...
and Paul Stanley
Paul Stanley
Stanley Harvey Eisen , better known by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American hard rock guitarist, singer, musician, painter and songwriter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and primary lead vocalist of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's...
(Kiss), Colin Newman
Colin Newman
Colin Newman is an English musician, record producer and record label owner.-Biography:Newman is a member of the rock band Wire. When the band temporarily split in 1980, Newman pursued a solo career. His first solo LP, A-Z, was released in 1980 on the Beggar's Banquet label...
(Wire), Robert Smith (The Cure but used with Siouxsie & The Banshees in 1979 & 1984) and David Cassidy in The Partridge Family, also Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
guitarist Tom Morello
Tom Morello
Thomas Baptiste "Tom" Morello is a Grammy Award-winning American guitarist best known for his tenure with the bands Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, his acoustic solo act The Nightwatchman, and his newest group, Street Sweeper Social Club...
uses a Breadwinner on some songs.
Early models were equipped with Ovation's toroidal single pole pickups while later models were equipped with humbuckers. Most collector / players prefer the sound of the original toroidal pickups.
Regardless of the model, the guitar was one of the first to come equipped with an active FET preamp on board. The active electronics allowed guitarists to get a very wide range of sounds out of the guitar. In fact, Ovation published a guide to sounds where they listed various band and song "signature" sounds and the settings to use to achieve those sounds with the guitar's electronics.