How Ovation Serial & Model Numbers Work
A complete reference for decoding Ovation serial numbers, model-number digits, condition and instrument prefixes, signature lines, and color/finish codes. Use the jump links below to find a specific section.
How to Read an Ovation Model Number
Ovation model numbers follow the format [prefix]1234-[color] where the 1st digit encodes origin, the 2nd digit encodes electronics generation, the 3rd digit encodes body shape, and the 4th digit encodes the series.
1st Digit — Origin
| Digit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Core USA Ovation / Adamas |
| 2 | Contour body (2008+) |
| 3 | Pinnacle |
| 4 | Korean-made |
| 5 | Special / Limited editions |
| 6 | Extended USA models |
2nd Digit — Electronics / Generation
| Digit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Acoustic-only, no pickup (1968–1986) |
| 2 | Solid body / Semi-hollow electrics |
| 3 | Ultra acoustic |
| 4 | Ultra solid body electric |
| 5 | Transitional A/E (Ultra, Elite, Adamas) |
| 6 | A/E with early preamps (FET, V/T) |
| 7 | A/E with later preamps (OP-24, OP-30, OP-40, Optima) |
| 8 | A/E shallow bowl / cutaway generation (1990s+) |
3rd Digit — Body & Cutaway
Digits 8 and 9 typically indicate an Adamas model (when the 2nd digit is not 2). The 4th digit then encodes Adamas tier and neck configuration instead of the standard Ovation series.
| Digit | Body Style | Cutaway | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deep Bowl | No | |
| 2 | Shallow Bowl | No | Pre-1600: varies (Artist bowl, semi-hollow, deep). 16xx+: shallow bowl |
| 3 | Deep Bowl | No | |
| 4 | Shallow Bowl | No | |
| 5 | Deep Bowl | No | |
| 6 | Deep Bowl | Yes | |
| 6 (18xx+) | Super-Shallow Bowl | Yes | |
| 7 | Mid-Depth Bowl | Yes | |
| 8 | Deep Bowl | No | Adamas indicator |
| 9 | Deep Bowl | No | Adamas indicator |
4th Digit — Ovation Series
| Digit | Series | Strings | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Special | — | — | Miscellaneous models (varies by era) |
| 1 | Balladeer | 6 | steel | |
| 2 | Custom Balladeer | 6 | steel | Pre-1600: Artist / various. 16xx+: Custom Balladeer |
| 3 | Classic | 6 | nylon | |
| 4 | Folklore | 6 | steel | |
| 5 | Pacemaker | 12 | steel | 12-string variant |
| 6 | Classic | 6 | nylon | When digit3=1: Classic nylon. When digit3=5: Legend 12-string steel |
| 7 | Legend | 6 | steel | |
| 8 | 12 Strings | 12 | steel | |
| 8 (17xx+) | Elite | 6 | steel | |
| 9 | Custom Legend | 6 | steel |
4th Digit — Adamas Series
| Digit | Series | Strings | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Adamas Premier | 12 | steel | wide neck |
| 1 | Adamas II | 6 | steel | |
| 2 | Adamas II | 6 | steel | wide neck |
| 5 | Adamas II | 12 | steel | 12-string |
| 7 | Adamas I | 6 | steel | standard neck |
| 8 | Adamas I | 12 | steel | 12-string |
| 9 | Adamas I | 6 | steel | wide neck |
4th Digit — Celebrity Series
| Digit | Series | Strings | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celebrity | 6 | steel | |
| 3 | Celebrity | 6 | nylon | |
| 4 | Celebrity | 6 | steel | |
| 5 | Celebrity | 12 | steel | |
| 7 | Celebrity | 6 | steel | |
| 8 | Celebrity | 12 | steel |
Collector's Series Model Numbers
Ovation's Collector's Series instruments use the production year (1976–2009) as the model number, instead of the standard 1234 positional encoding. The decoder recognises three patterns: a bare year (1988), a year with a finish/feature suffix (1998-NEB), and the Adamas singleton (2008-5).
| Year | Encoding | Sample | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Bare year | 1976 | Inaugural Collector's Edition |
| 1982 | Bare year | 1982 | |
| 1983 | Bare year | 1983 | |
| 1984 | Bare year | 1984 | |
| 1985 | Bare year | 1985 | |
| 1986 | Bare year | 1986 | 12-string variant Coll-1986-12S also exists |
| 1987 | Bare year | 1987 | |
| 1988 | Bare year | 1988 | |
| 1989 | Bare year | 1989 | |
| 1990 | Bare year | 1990 | |
| 1991 | Bare year | 1991 | |
| 1993 | Bare year | 1993 | |
| 1994 | Bare year | 1994 | |
| 1995 | Bare year | 1995 | |
| 1997 | Bare year | 1997 | |
| 1998 | Bare year & suffix | 1998, 1998-NEB | Suffix variants exist |
| 1999 | Bare year | 1999 | |
| 2000 | Bare year | 2000 | 2000-NFM is Elite, not Collector's |
| 2001 | Bare year | 2001 | 2001-X is Acoustic Custom Orders |
| 2002 | Bare year | 2002 | |
| 2003 | Bare year | 2003 | |
| 2005 | Bare year | 2005 | |
| 2006 | Bare year | 2006 | |
| 2007 | Bare year | 2007 | 2007-BCS is Legend, not Collector's |
| 2008 | Adamas singleton | 2008-5 | Adamas 2008 Collector — only year-suffix Adamas |
| 2009 | Bare year | 2009 | Final Collector's year |
1992 and 1996 have no Collector's Edition release. Year-shaped inputs without a catalog match (e.g. 1979, 2010) fall through to standard 4-digit decoding.
Serial Number Reference Tables
Three-Digit (1966–1967)
| Year | Serial Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 006 – 319 | Three digits in red ink |
| 1967 | 320 – 999 | Three digits in red ink (Feb-Nov 1967) |
Letter-Prefixed (1968–1973)
| Prefix | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1968 | July-Nov 1968 |
| B3 | 1968–1969 | Nov 1968-Feb 1969 |
| B5 | 1974–1979 | Magnum solid body basses |
| C | 1969 | Feb-Sept 1969 |
| D | 1969–1970 | Sept 1969-Feb 1970 |
| E4 | 1973–1975 | Solidbodies (Jan 1973-Feb 1975) |
| E5 | 1975–1980 | Solidbodies (Feb 1975-1980) |
| E6 | 1980–1981 | Some UK IIs |
| F | 1968–1970 | July 1968-Feb 1970 |
| G | 1968–1970 | July 1968-Feb 1970 |
| H | 1970–1973 | Electric Storm Series |
| I | 1970–1973 | Electric Storm Series |
| J | 1970–1973 | Electric Storm Series |
| L | 1970–1973 | Electric Storm Series |
Four-Digit (1967–1968)
| Year | Serial Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1967–1968 | 1000 – 9999 | Four digits in black ink (Nov 1967-July 1968) |
Five-Digit (1970–1972)
| Year | Serial Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1970–1972 | 10000 – 99999 | Five digits, no letter prefix (Feb 1970-May 1972) |
Six-Digit Sequential (1972–2013)
| Year | Serial Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 000001 – 007000 | May-Dec 1972 |
| 1973 | 007001 – 020000 | Estimated range — 1973 production data unconfirmed |
| 1974 | 020001 – 039000 | |
| 1975 | 039001 – 067000 | |
| 1976 | 067001 – 086000 | |
| 1977 | 086001 – 103000 | Jan-Sept 1977 |
| 1977–1978 | 103001 – 126000 | Sept 1977-Apr 1978 |
| 1978 | 126001 – 157000 | Apr-Dec 1978 |
| 1979 | 157001 – 203000 | |
| 1980 | 211011 – 214933 | |
| 1981 | 214934 – 263633 | |
| 1982 | 263634 – 291456 | |
| 1983 | 291457 – 302669 | |
| 1984 | 302670 – 303319 | Elites Only |
| 1985–1986 | 303320 – 356000 | |
| 1984 | 315001 – 339187 † | Balladeers Only |
| 1987 | 357000 – 367999 | |
| 1988 | 368000 – 382106 | |
| 1989 | 382107 – 392900 | |
| 1991 | 400001 – 403676 | |
| 1992 | 402700 – 406000 † | |
| 1990 | 403760 – 420400 † | |
| 1990 | 421000 – 430680 | |
| 1991 | 430681 – 446000 | |
| 1992 | 446001 – 457810 | |
| 1993 | 457811 – 470769 | |
| 1994 | 470770 – 484400 | |
| 1995 | 484401 – 501470 | |
| 1996 | 501471 – 518689 | |
| 1997 | 518690 – 528368 | |
| 1998 | 528369 – 536826 | |
| 1999 | 536827 – 545890 | |
| 2000 | 545891 – 555979 | |
| 2001 | 555980 – 564478 | |
| 2002 | 564479 – 571883 | |
| 2003 | 571884 – 579654 | |
| 2004 | 579655 – 592919 | |
| 2005 | 592920 – 601450 | |
| 2006 | 601451 – 609566 | |
| 2007 | 609567 – 618494 | |
| 2008 | 618495 – 620263 | |
| 2009 | 620264 – 621209 | |
| 2010 | 621210 – 621981 | |
| 2011 | 621982 – 622147 | |
| 2012 | 622148 – 622419 | |
| 2013 | 622420 – 622539 |
† Overlapping ranges — different product lines were assigned non-sequential serial blocks.
Adamas (1977–2013)
| Year | Serial Range |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 77 – 99 |
| 1978 | 100 – 608 |
| 1979 | 609 – 1058 |
| 1980 | 1059 – 1670 |
| 1981 | 1671 – 2668 |
| 1982 | 2669 – 3242 |
| 1983 | 3243 – 3859 |
| 1984 | 3860 – 4109 |
| 1985 | 4110 – 4251 |
| 1986 | 4252 – 4283 |
| 1987 | 4284 – 4427 |
| 1988 | 4428 – 4696 |
| 1989 | 4697 – 4974 |
| 1990 | 4975 – 5541 |
| 1991 | 5542 – 6278 |
| 1992 | 6279 – 7088 |
| 1993 | 7089 – 8159 |
| 1994 | 8160 – 9778 |
| 1995 | 9779 – 11213 |
| 1996 | 11214 – 12448 |
| 1997 | 12449 – 13020 |
| 1998 | 13021 – 14623 |
| 1999 | 14624 – 16136 |
| 2000 | 16137 – 17393 |
| 2001 | 17394 – 18961 |
| 2002 | 18962 – 20040 |
| 2003 | 20041 – 20802 |
| 2004 | 20803 – 21085 |
| 2005 | 21086 – 21514 |
| 2006 | 21515 – 22211 |
| 2007 | 22212 – 22522 |
| 2008 | 22523 – 22878 |
| 2009 | 22879 – 23155 |
| 2010 | 23156 – 23402 |
| 2011 | 23403 – 23591 |
| 2012 | 23592 – 23763 |
| 2013 | 23764 – 23845 |
Condition Prefixes
Prefixes indicating a factory-condition or warranty variant of the model (left-handed, factory second, reconditioned, etc.).
| Prefix | Name | Description | String Override |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR | Factory Reconditioned | Factory reconditioned second, 5-year limited warranty | — |
| FRG | Factory Reconditioned | Factory reconditioned second (variant designation), 5-year limited warranty | — |
| K | Electric Storm | Semi-hollow body electric model | — |
| L | Left-Hand Model | Factory left-handed version of the model | — |
| S | Factory Second or Special | Slight imperfection with partial warranty, or a Special model. Look for a "2" branded on back of headstock to confirm a Second | — |
| T | AAA (Triple-A) | Extremely minor cosmetic imperfection, full warranty | — |
Instrument-Type Prefixes
Prefixes that indicate the instrument type (bass, mandolin, etc.). These override the default 6-string steel configuration for non-standard instruments. Note: single-letter feature prefixes like N (Japanese market), M (MIDI), C (Custom Elite) are decoded in a future update.
| Prefix | Name | Description | String Override |
|---|---|---|---|
| EAB | Viper Bass | Viper solid body electric bass | 4-string bass |
| EA | Viper | Viper solid body electric guitar (6-string standard) | — |
| DS | Longneck / Baritone | Longneck / baritone scale variant | — |
| MM | Mandolin | 8-string mandolin (4 courses / paired strings) | 8-string steel |
| MC | Mandocello | 8-string mandocello | 8-string steel |
| D | Double-Neck | Two-neck configuration (e.g., D768, D868) | — |
| B | Bass | 4-string bass model (B768, B778, B5768, B5778) | 4-string bass |
Signature / Special Prefixes
Prefixes denoting signature artist models or special market/commemorative releases.
| Prefix | Name | Description | String Override |
|---|---|---|---|
| MILL | Millennium | Millennium commemorative model | — |
| NSB | Nikki Sixx Bass | Nikki Sixx signature bass variant | 4-string bass |
| MOB | Tangent | Tangent series (MOB signature designation) | — |
| NS | Nikki Sixx | Nikki Sixx signature (6-string) | — |
| MT | Mick Thomson | Mick Thomson signature | — |
| GC | Guitar Center | Guitar Center exclusive model | — |
| NV | Century | Japanese-market Century model | — |
Feature Prefixes
Feature prefixes signal a non-instrument modification: Custom finish (C / CE), MIDI electronics (M), Roland synth pickup (R), Japanese-market origin (N), Adamas top variants (W, Q), or special editions (FD).
| Prefix | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C | Custom | Custom-spec model variant |
| CE | Custom Elite | Custom Elite (premium tier) |
| FD | Folklore Deluxe | Folklore Deluxe model |
| W | Cross-Weave | Adamas cross-weave textured top |
| Q | CVT | Carbon Volcanic Textured top |
| M | MIDI | MIDI-equipped model |
| R | Roland Synth | Built-in Roland synth pickup |
| N | Japan Market | Japanese-market model |
Model Number Suffixes
Suffixes appended to the model number indicate version variants (LX, AX), commemorative editions (30CM, N2K), or signature artist models (MEII, ADII, AD).
| Code | Name | Description | Feature Override |
|---|---|---|---|
| LX | LX Upgrade | OP-Pro preamp upgrade | — |
| AX | AX Version | AX-spec model variant | — |
| TX | TX Version | TX-spec model variant | — |
| T | T-Top | T-top variant (rev8 line 217: "T version") | — |
| D | Deluxe | Deluxe-spec model variant (e.g., Ultra Deluxe) | — |
| RM | Recording Model | Optimax preamp variant (Recording Model) | — |
| MEII | Melissa Etheridge II | Melissa Etheridge signature model | — |
| AD | Al DiMeola | Al DiMeola signature model | — |
| ADII | Al DiMeola II | Al DiMeola II signature model | — |
| N2K | Year 2000 (N2K) | Millennium commemorative model | — |
| 30CM | 30th Anniversary | 30th Anniversary commemorative model | — |
| LTD | Limited Edition | Limited-edition release | — |
Color & Finish Codes
The suffix after the dash in a model number identifies the finish color (e.g., 1778-BCB = Black Cherry Burst).
| Code | Finish Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sunburst |
| 2 | Red |
| 2WFB | Red Waterfall Bubinga |
| 3 | Green |
| 30CM | 30th Anniversary Natural |
| 4 | Natural |
| 4C | Natural Cedar |
| 4G | Natural Graphite |
| 4GB | Natural Graphite Burst |
| 4HFX | Natural w/HEXFX Electronics |
| 4RM | Recording Model that features Optimax |
| 5 | Black |
| 5E | Ebony Stain |
| 5F | Black Flake |
| 5HG | Black High Gloss |
| 5P | Black Pearl |
| 6 | Top White Pearlescent |
| 6P | White |
| 7 | LTD Nutmeg / Anniversary Brown / Tan and Beige / Deep Red |
| 8 | Blue |
| 8T | Blue Transparent |
| 8TQ | Blue Turquoise |
| 9 | Brown Sunburst |
| 9T | Brown Stain Sunburst |
| AB | Autumn Burst |
| AM | Amber |
| ANB | Antique Natural Burst |
| ANR | Antique Red |
| ARB | Autumn Red Burst |
| ASB | Aspen Blue |
| B | Barnwood (Gray-to-Black Sunburst) |
| BCB | Black Cherry Burst |
| BCBQ | Black Cherry Burst Quilt |
| BCS | Black Cherry Sunburst |
| BFT | Blue Flame Top |
| BG | Blue Green (Adamas) |
| BSB | Blue Sparkle / Blue Surf Burst |
| BTA | Blue Tamo Ash |
| BZ | Bronze |
| CB | Cobalt Blue |
| CBV | Cobalt Blue with VIP Preamp |
| CCB | Cherry Cherry Burst |
| CCBQ | Cherry Cherry Burst Quilt |
| CG | Cadillac Green |
| CGB | Cadillac Green Burst |
| CRP | Crimson Red Pearl |
| CS | Cherry Sunburst |
| DBP | Dark Blue Pearl |
| Code | Finish Name |
|---|---|
| DPQ | Deep Purple Quilt |
| FKOA | Figured Koa |
| FR | Figured Redwood |
| GB | Green Burst |
| GQ | Green Quilt |
| H | Honey |
| HB | Honeyburst |
| HBY | Honeyburst |
| IC | Iced Coffee |
| LFR | Legend Figured Redwood |
| LR | Lusty Red |
| M | Mahogany |
| NB2 | Solid Red |
| NB5 | Solid Black |
| NB8 | Solid Blue |
| NEB | New England Burst |
| NFM | Natural Figured Maple |
| NMQ | Nutmeg Maple Quilt |
| NWT | Natural Woven Top |
| OB | Opaque Burgundy |
| OFT | Orange Flame Top |
| P | Pewter |
| PB | Plum Burst |
| PTF | Purple Tribal Flame |
| PY | Plumburst on Sycamore |
| RB | Rootbeer |
| RF | Red Flame |
| RG | Ruby Graphite |
| RR | Ruby Red |
| RRB | Ruby Redburst |
| RRBY | Ruby Red Burst |
| RTD | Red Tear Drop |
| RTDB | Red Tear Drop Burst |
| RWB | Red Wineburst |
| SS | Silver Sparkle |
| SSP | Silver Satin Pearl |
| T5 | Textured Black |
| TB | Tobacco Burst |
| TDB | Teardrop Burst |
| TH | Transparent Honey |
| TPB | Transparent Burgundy |
| TQ | Turquoise |
| USA | US Flag |
| VY | Vintage Flamed Sycamore |
| WFB | Waterfall Bubinga |
| WP | Walnut Stain / White Pearl |
| Z | All Black (hardbody guitar, hardware and finish) |