Original Balladeer 12-String

The first Ovation 12-string ever to be introduced was part of the original shiny bowl series.  Various early documentation called it either the "Ovation 12-String" or the "Balladeer 12-String".  In either case it borrowed features from most of the other shiny bowl models.  The 1-7/8" wide 12-fret neck was the same as the Josh White, but the slotted headstock was elongated to accommodate the 12 open geared tuners.  The fret markers and rosette were identical to the Deluxe Balladeer, however the sound hole was smaller.  This effect of the smaller soundhole with the full sized rosette actually gave the guitar quite an attractive look.  Ovation claimed that the smaller soundhole helped to produce a harsichodian effect.  Of course this model shared the deep shiny bowl with the rest of the line in those days.  Early 12-strings had a 3-piece spruce top, while later ones such as that shown below (serial number A-808 from 1968) had a 2-piece top.