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UK II [UK2] 1979 - 1982
The UK II (pronounced and sometimes printed UK2) was made
in Moosup, Connecticut from around 1979 to 1982. The print ad below did absolutely
nothing to sell this fine musical instrument. This is probably the most overlooked
and misunderstood solidbody that Ovation Instruments ever produced. On the surface,
there is nothing more than its shape to help it stand out in the crowd. However lets
start with that beautiful woodgrain finish. Rather nice for a guitar that has NO
WOOD on the body! In fact the body is an aluminium frame surrounded by a lightweight
urethane foam called Urelite. For maximum sustain and transference, the neck and
the bridge were mounted directly to the aluminium frame. The humbucker pickups (with
10,000 winds!) were especially designed for this guitar to have a higher output than
anything on the market at the time and 20bd quieter also. Each pickup had a series/parallel
switch so that a player could achieve a single coil sound. The chrome plated, bar
style pole pieces used in the pickups were non-magnetic to prevent any pull on the
strings which dampens sustain. These bar style pole pieces also provided constant
interaction between the strings and the pickups, so that no volume would be lost
by string-bending. Even the special volume and tone controls were tapered so that
when the volume and tone levels were adjusted the output correspond exactly with
the numbers on the knobs.The body cavities were shielded with a non-conductive paint
to reduce magnetic interference on stage or in the studio.
Well I disagree that they
failed due to a lack of "It", but rather, the UK II was not as successful as hoped
because few people really knew about "It." Most marketing consisted of a lot of "catch
phrases" rather than content explaining what the UK II really had to offer. Few people
knew enough from the brochures or other print material at that time to give this
guitar a chance. It wasn't until the late 90's, long after they "failed," that one
could learn in the above mentioned book that there was a lot more to these guitars
than meets the eye. Even the Ovation book neglects to mention the connection of the
neck, bridge and body which is arguably the heart of this guitar that produces the
phenomenal sustain. There has been more useful information posted in 2002 at The
Ovation Fan Club than ever appeared in print about this guitar. If any of the above
construction information was made readily available and contained in the brochures
during this guitars run, the UK II would have been a more popular guitar.
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