On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Magnum I, Model 1261-1

Ovation Guitars
Kim Gordon American

Not on view

Bassist, guitarist, and vocalist Kim Gordon is a founding member of the New York–based experimental rock band Sonic Youth. This Ovation Magnum I was her main bass from 1983 to 1987, used on Sonic Youth’s first three albums, Confusion Is Sex (1983), Bad Moon Rising (1985), and EVOL (1986). Gordon stripped down the bass’s complicated electronics, removing the original pickups and stereo circuitry and replacing them with just the essentials needed for her sound.

Technical Description:
Mahogany body and neck with graphite center stripe, rosewood fingerboard; 34 in. scale; red-brown sunburst finish; bolt-on neck with pearloid dot inlays; gold Ovation logo decal on headstock; EMG active humbucking pickup at bridge, volume and tone controls; cast aluminum bridge-tailpiece with brass saddles and lever-action mute, nickel-chrome tuners, black and silver plastic knobs, three-ply black and white plastic pickguard; original pickups, mounting frame, selector switch, two controls, and stereo output removed, stickers added

Magnum I, Model 1261-1, Ovation Guitars, Mahogany, rosewood, graphite, plastic, metal

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Courtesy of Sonic Youth