Charles H. Kaman founded Ovation Guitars in 1965 in order to apply the use of composite materials (fiberglass/resin) to acoustic musical instruments. The first products were those bowlback guitars that we all know, and, I have actually met people who claimed to like them.

Electric instruments followed in 1968. The first of these were semi-hollow body guitars (roughly resembling the Gibson ES-335), made from bodies that were imported from overseas. The first electric guitar to be made completely by Ovation in the United States was the Breadwinner which became available in June of 1972. Although the Deacon was announced at the same time as the Breadwinner, the fancier guitar did not become available until January of 1973. Production of both models ended in 1982, when Ovation quit the electric guitar business.

The Deacon is the deluxe version of Ovation's Breadwinner, the first mass production electric guitar with active electronics. The Breadwinner has dot markers on a rosewood fretboard, whereas the fancier Deacon has dots and diamonds on a bound ebony fretboard.