# What brand of guitar does Carole King have here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730 "2005-07-01T17:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/1 "2005-07-01T17:40:46Z")
[+](http://www.startribune.com/stories/457/5478550.html) Has anyone here ever play one? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/2 "2005-07-01T21:39:46Z")
Woulda thought Godin, but can’t find a pic like that when I search under Godin Guitar images on Yahoo… ---
**Author:** ![Liz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/liz/32/17737_2.png) [@Liz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liz)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/3 "2005-07-01T22:20:41Z")
Looks like an Ovation acoustic-electric maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/4 "2005-07-01T22:24:07Z")
I don’t think it’s an ovation. My first thought was also a Godin. Maybe it’s some boutique guitar? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/5 "2005-07-01T22:37:43Z")
Most Ovation guitars have that flared headstock. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/6 "2005-07-02T02:08:27Z")
I swear I’ve seen this model before. The 3 knobs on the face look very familiar. I have my own crack research team on this and hope to know soon. I don’t think its an Ovation. The headstock on an Ovation is generally a severe mushroom-like outward flare just above the 3rd tuning knob, and this doesn’t have that. I’ll let you know what I come up with tho. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/7 "2005-07-02T03:37:43Z")
Doesn’t look like an Ovation or a Godin. Ovation guitars have that [funky headstock](http://www.ovationguitars.com/index.cfm?fa=detail&mid=1141). I can’t find a Godin with a circular sound hole (some have F-holes). No amount of magnification (OK, it’s not a super-fine-resolution photo) reveals anything written on the headstock, so it might be a custom made axe. “Gosh, make a guitar for Carole King? Yes, I’d be willing to do that!” I’ll keep looking. Y’all keep looking, too. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/8 "2005-07-02T04:49:23Z")
I did some googling and came up with the idea of looking at images of Gibsons. I thought the headstock was not inconsistent with some available from them, and the body shape was reminiscent of the Les Paul (with the obvious problems of having a sound hole, only three control knobs, and a differently-shaped tailpiece). But the picture is clearly part of the promotional materials for her _Living Room Tour_ album. Perhaps some enterprising soul could give Concord Jazz a jingle and find a friendly publicist willing to talk about it… ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/9 "2005-07-02T04:55:02Z")
That doesn’t look like a Gibson headstock to me. It looks like a standard blank pattern. In fact, the “stock” headstock appearance and apparent lack of a nameplate suggests to me that her guitar is a custom job. I have no way of knowing for sure, of course. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/10 "2005-07-02T15:29:39Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I did some googling and came up with the idea of looking at images of Gibsons. I thought the headstock was not inconsistent with some available from them, and the body shape was reminiscent of the Les Paul (with the obvious problems of having a sound hole, only three control knobs, and a differently-shaped tailpiece). > > But the picture is clearly part of the promotional materials for her _Living Room Tour_ album. Perhaps some enterprising soul could give Concord Jazz a jingle and find a friendly publicist willing to talk about it… **kaylasdad99** - the shape is reminiscent (actually derivative of) a Fender Telecaster. The bridge is Martin/Gibson-ish and the headstock is similar, but not a true copy of, a Gibson “open book/mustache” carve. I am inclined to go with custom made, too - but it is similar to some Godin’s I have seen… ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-brand-of-guitar-does-carole-king-have-here/310730/11 "2005-07-02T15:31:25Z")
Yep - I thought so. Not CK’s guitar, but there is a Godin Telecaster-type guitar out there: [http://www.gruhn.com/photo/AM5567.jpg](http://www.gruhn.com/photo/AM5567.jpg) So that’s what I thought it was…and am wrong. I stick with custom for now…