Ovation guitars are differentiated by their composite synthetic bowl, rather than the traditional wooden back and sides of the modern acoustic guitar as produced by luthiers starting in the late 18th century. Ovation has also produced solid body electric guitars. A lower-priced version of the bowl-back Ovation design, known as the Applause Guitar, has also been produced.
Developed starting in 1966 and introduced as the 'Balladeer' in February, 1967, Ovation has sought to bring modern materials and construction techniques to guitar building.
Ovations reached the height of their popularity in the 1980's, where they were more often than not seen during live performances by touring artists if acoustic guitars were being played. Their low feedback and ability to cut through other band instruments made them ideal for playing alongside electric guitars and drums.
