Here is a surprise resurrection out of nowhere, the return of Ovation’s Viper, the cult classic electric guitar that had largely been forgotten even if it had been periodically reissued and played by Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys circa 2009.
But it’s true. Ovation have officially brought it back. The only catch is that this is a limited edition anniversary release to celebrate 60 years of the Connecticut-based guitar company.
There are two models in the release, an alder-bodied sunburst model with a Babicz 2-point vibrato, the other has a maple-veneered basswood body and ships in a “Dusk till dawn” blue burst with a Babicz hardtail.
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Both have solid basswood bodies with a maple veneer, bolt-on maple necks topped with java rosewood fingerboards, and they come fitted with Lace Sensor Hot Gold Dually pickups. You can split the coils via a push-pull function on the tone pot. Both have no shortage of mojo.
The original Viper was a creature of the ‘70s. When compared to Ovation’s more outré electric designs, such as the Breadwinner and Deacon, it was relatively conventional, a bolt-on singlecut with abundant curves, something that could exist outside of the Fender/Gibson design continuum and yet not look totally weird. And yet it never really made it big.
It does, however, have some serious pop-cultural kudos. Younger readers might cite Turner. Older readers might see one and think of Status Quo’s Rick Parfitt, who played a white Viper with a black pickguard, and most famously used it in the video for Rockin’ All Over The World.
(Image credit: Ovation)
The Viper didn’t quite make it all over the world, but it was played by the likes of Jeff Buckley. Neil Diamond, a longtime player of Ovation acoustic guitars, owned own. Jeff Buckley played a Viper, too.
But perhaps its subtle twist on guitar-making convention consigned the Viper to cult appeal.
They could be picked up cheap on the used market. Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth played them, and the model assumes an important place in Queens Of The Stone Age history, with Josh Homme playing one during the band’s first concert at Seattle’s OK Hotel, in November 1997.
(Image credit: Ovation)
Ovation brought back the Viper 10 years ago for its 50th anniversary, reimagining it as a hollow-bodied mahogany build with a carbon-fibre top. The Viper was offered as an acoustic electric guitar from 1994 to 2006. But these 2026 models are quite different, more faithful to the original ‘70s models.
Ovation sounds pretty excited about putting an electric guitar back in the catalogue. Maybe it’s time it brought the Viper back for good. They are priced £1,084. Price includes a gig bag. For more details, head over to Ovation.
