Ovation Folklore Lefthand 1976

1976 Ovation 1614-4 Folklore in very, very rare left-handed version. The Folklore revives Ovation’s early “Josh White” concept: a 12-fret, slotted-head steel-string built for articulate fingerstyle and easy projection from the deep Lyrachord bowl.

Mid-’70s examples like this carry Ovation’s original onboard FET preamp with stacked (and supercool looking) volume/tone on the upper bout and an under-saddle transducer—simple, quiet, and ready for stage or studio.

This guitar is almost 50+ years old and has seen a LOT of gigs. There’s lots of playwear and scattered dings on the spruce top, as well as marks on the bowl. A headstock crack (not break) has been professionally repaired. Frets are in very good condition with plenty of life. The original electronics are intact and working. Neck feel is the desirable “wide slim” – generous nut width for spacing, paired with a relatively shallow depth. Weight is 2400g.

The Folklore was Ovation’s 12-fret, slot-head alternative to the more common models, combining a solid spruce top with the company’s deep Lyrachord composite bowl for strong low-end support and clear mids. The multi-piece mahogany/maple neck with ebony fingerboard, 25-1/4″ scale, and 1-7/8″ nut combined with teh at the time unprecedented ability to play amplified at stage volumes made it a natural for classical crossovers, fingerstylists, and singers.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Orientation: Left-handed
• Finish: Natural
• Body: Deep Lyrachord composite bowl, 12-fret non-cutaway
• Top: Solid spruce, round soundhole, plain rosette
• Bracing: Ovation steel-string pattern
• Bridge: Walnut, pinless; compensated saddle
• Neck: Multi-piece mahogany/maple; adjustable truss rod; slotted headstock (12 frets to body)
• Fingerboard: Ebony, dots; side markers
• Scale length: 25-1/4″ (≈641 mm)
• Nut width: 1-7/8″ (≈47.6 mm); wide-slim profile
• Frets: 18 total, medium
• Electronics: Factory FET preamp with stacked volume/tone; under-saddle pickup; ¼” endpin jack
• Weight: 2400g