Ovation
Brand Ovation 
Type Adamas 1687-5
Year 1979
Serial number No. 727-91
Additional info Mark Knopfler ordered this 6 string acoustic-electric guitar as a pair with the 12 string Ovation in early April 1979. This guitar was custom built for Mark as can be seen in the internal label dated 2nd April 1979. Labelled internally: C W Kaman II / Made for / Mark / Knopfler / Adamas by Ovation / 4-2-79 No. 727-91 / 1687-5

This guitar was used on Bob Dylan´s Slow train coming, Love over gold and Local hero. Click here for a picture that is taken from the Love over gold tour programme and shows the guitars that were used for that album. The Ovation guitars are on the right, left of the black basses.

This guitar was used on The man`s too strong during the Brothers in arms world tour in 1985. Click here, here and here for other pictures of Mark and this guitar.

The picture on the left was taken during rehearsals for the Brothers in arms tour, Split, former Yugoslavia, 24th April 1985.

This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 126.000 Pounds.


 

Brand Ovation 
Type Adamas 1688-5
Year 1979
Serial number No. 726-93
Additional info Mark Knopfler ordered this 12 string acoustic-electric guitar as a pair with the 6 string Ovation in early April 1979. This guitar was custom built for Mark as can be seen in the internal label dated 2nd April 1979. Labelled internally: C W Kaman II / Built for / Mark / Knopfler / Adamas by Ovation / 4-2-79 No. 726-93

Like the 6-string Adamas, this 12-string was first used during recording sessions for Bob Dylan’s album Slow train coming at Muscle Shoals in Alabama, April-May 1979. This guitar was played on the uplifting ballad I believe in you.

Later, Mark Knopfler used the 12-string Adamas to record his haunting guitar part for the Dylan composition Blind Willie McTell on 5th May 1983. It was meant to be for the Infidels record, but Bob Dylan did not want to put it on the record. Later, two alternate full-band versions from the first Infidels session on 11th April 1983 were officially released in 2021.

This guitar was also used on on Dire Straits' album Love over gold. Click here for a picture that is taken from the Love over gold tour programme and shows the guitars that were used for that album. The Ovation guitars are on the right, left of the black basses.


This guitar was auctioned at Christie's in London on 31st January 2024. It was sold for 119.700 Pounds.

 

Brand Ovation 
Type Adamas
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info This black Ovation guitar which seems to have no dot markers (or are they just badly visible?) was used during the rehearsals for the song Going home. Mark played it in the dressing room with Pete Townshend preparing for the Prince's Trust Rock Gala, 4th July 1985.

 

Brand Ovation 
Type 1116 Classic
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info This guitar has nylon strings and can be seen in the video clip of Private investigations.

 

Brand Ovation 
Type 1119 Custom Legend
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info This guitar can be seen in the documentary BBC Arena (1980) where Mark plays the unreleased song Making movies on this guitar.

 

Brand Ovation 
Type Unknown
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info Mark Knopfler played this guitar in the videoclip of Never told a soul by John Illsley, 1983. It is a different guitar compared to the one above, as you can clearly see by the different inlays on the neck.

 

Brand Ovation 
Type Unknown
Year Unknown
Serial number Unknown
Additional info Another Ovation pictured on this photo from 1981. The noticeable differences compared to the Ovation above is the  rosace and the truss rod cover. See here and here for two larger pictures.

 

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