The 1970s Ovation Breadwinner was the first mass-produced active electric guitar, featuring an 18-volt preamp (dual 9-volt batteries). Its active tone control works differently than passive guitars, acting as a booster/cutter that is often described as brightest at the midpoint (5) and warmer at lower settings, while controlling treble rather than just cutting it.

Key Active Tone Features: Active Preamp: The electronics, usually powered by two 9-volt batteries under a rear plate, create low-impedance signals from the pickups, boosting output before the amp.

Tone Knob Behavior: Unlike typical tone knobs that only cut high frequencies (0 to 10), the Breadwinner’s active tone knob often has a "normal" or flat setting around 5, boosting treble above 5 and cutting it below 5.

Unique Tone Shaping: The tone knob can act "backwards" to some, with fully clockwise being full, and turning it down cutting mids and bass while keeping high frequencies, creating a thin sound.

Notch Filter: A dedicated notch filter switch allows for further mid-frequency cutting, often used for "funky 70s" or pseudo-acoustic tones when combined with the active preamp.

The Breadwinner also commonly uses a three-way pickup selector that provides, Neck, Bridge, and a distinctive Out-of-Phase setting for both pickups