Ovation resumes US production in Hartford

Anyone intrigued about Drum Workshop’s plan for the Ovation guitar brand it acquired from Fender earlier this year, will be interested by news that US production is about to resume again.

Machinery, finishing equipment, and assembly lines are currently being reactivated at the New Hartford, Connecticut plant, the home of Ovation production for almost four decades. 

Shipments of guitars are set to resume later in the year. Drum Workshop CEO Chris Lombardi, who acquired Ovation along with Gibraltar Hardware, LP, and Toca Percussion, and distribution rights for Gretsch drums from Fender Musical Instruments last January, said: “A US production site is critical for maintaining the integrity of the Ovation brand. And, it contributes to the sale of the imported Ovation product as well.”

Ovation’s New Hartford plant closed in April 2014, after Fender management made a strategic decision to focus resources on Fender-branded products and offload brands in its KMC Music subsidiary and other non-core brands. 

When Drum Workshop completed the acquisition on the eve of the 2015 NAMM show, Lombardi confessed that he was unsure of how exactly to proceed with the Ovation line. “With our experience in the percussion market, we had definite plans for Gretsch, Gibraltar, Toca, and all the other KMC percussion brands. But guitars were new for us.” 

“With an experienced staff, the equipment in place, and a strong order book, the decision was easy. Getting production back was just a question of setting up the dust collection system, hooking up electricity, and renegotiating the lease.”

Bill Xavier, the newly hired Ovation product manager, says that the first production models are likely to be a continuation of the long-running Collectors Series limited editions, designed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Roundback. “We’re planning some very special products that will appeal to both the committed Ovation fan and any other player who appreciates a fine instrument,” he said.