New at MIM: Ovation Thunderbolt guitar belonging to NENA's guitarist
News from 12/29/2025
It belonged to the co-author of “99 Luftballons”: the guitar with the distinctive “Thunderbolt” sound holes from the American company Ovation.
An Ovation Thunderbolt has recently been added to the collection at the Musical Instrument Museum. It belonged to German guitarist Carlo Karges (1951–2002). Among other things, he played with the Hamburg band NOVALIS and with NENA, where he co-wrote the hit song “99 Luftballons.”
The Ovation Thunderbolt TB-01, cat. no. 6236, is a semi-acoustic guitar model manufactured in the late 1980s by Ovation in the USA. The shape of its body (roundback) with the unusual “Thunderbolt” sound holes gave the guitar its name.
The instrument has a preamplifier (OP-24) and is equipped with a piezo pickup under the bridge. This allows it to be used both acoustically and electronically amplified. The neck is made of mahogany and the fretboard is made of ebony. The founder of Ovation, Charles Kaman, was originally a helicopter designer. For this reason, the company's guitar models use carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) as a material for the top, among other parts. The Thunderbolt model was only produced for a relatively short time, which is why there are only a few examples in various colors such as black, red, and pearl white.
The Ovation Thunderbolt is on display on the upper floor of the Musical Instrument Museum.
Ovation Thunderbolt TB-01, Cat. No. 6236, Photo: Heidi von Rüden Shakibi