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Location: So. Cal. | This 1689-8 s/n #173-95 will be leaving on a FedEx truck tomorrow ... to a very nice new home.
Just want to share some of my thoughts:
1. Good things are often overlooked - this guitar sings like a lark that never runs out of breath; it sits comfortably with any high end Martin full body (actual sittings, not imaginary). Yet how many of these have you seen?
2. Pioneers and not followers - steel string wide neck, who else made these things? Finger-style is its cup of tea.
3. Engineering - 1978 to present time, it's solid like a tank, and shows no sign of aging.
As I am preaching to the choir, I do want to put it down in writing for others to see. These are facts, and opinions. |
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Location: Right now? | PlayAdamas,
You have my sincerest condolences. Are you replacing her with something else?
To the new owner, whoever s/he may be, congratulations. You're in for a treat!
;)
Willa |
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Location: Newington, CT | That's just beautiful! I'm on a quest for steel string wide-necks, and that one just makes me drool in the most undignified manner! Playadamas: don't forget to furnish pictures of the new addition! |
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Location: So. Cal. | Willa, thank you but I am not sad... it's going to a very good home.
No, it's not being replaced... it CANNOT be replaced. This is one of those "I will never sell" guitar. Indeed, I am not selling it. I am actually trading it for another long lost friend that I used to own (non-O).
Alan, if you play finger-style; go and get one, they are out there! |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I love the carved bridges on these vintage models. They are darker, and appear to have a more glossy finish than the newer remakes. Beautiful post, PA. |
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Location: So. Cal. | PBB, yes you are correct; both the headstock, bridge are considerably darker (despite glossier) than later models. The top finish and speckles, however, are simply unmatched by any of the new ones that I have owned or seen.
Again, I am sometimes disappointed that the world hardly knows its (Adamas, in general) existence. My non-Ovation guitar friends have pointed the finger to less expensive (and inferior quality) Celebrity models bearing the same overall look. I may agree. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Michael, I know exactly of what you speak...my 1687-8 #119 is in a class of its own...it has the voice of a choir...
I am sometimes disappointed that the world hardly knows its (Adamas, in general) existence. Every time I use my Adamas guitars in a concert or gig, I take the time to educate the public on the construction and history of these fantastic guitars. I do not need to tell them about the sound: they hear for themselves. In almost every event, people come forward to look at them and ask questions. They are the best of the best, in my opinion.
BTW, thanks for the cases: they are being well used and are exactly what I needed. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | AlanM...call Al and see if he has any of the wideneck Adamas 08C Collectors. They are terrific fingerstyle guitars and beautiful to boot.
Michael, I hope the "long lost friend" is as wonderful as you remembered. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | AlanM,
I've got a wide neck Adamas, I'd think about selling. It's just the acoustic model, 1189-7. Serial number 36. I'd let it go for, oh about 36, with three little small, ooos. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Originally posted by playadamas:
The top finish and speckles, however, are simply unmatched by any of the new ones that I have owned or seen. This is precisely why I custom ordered the heavy flakes, or speckles as you refer to them, on my 1187 custom SSB. The factory will still do it, but it takes a custom order. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Beal:
AlanM,
I've got a wide neck Adamas, I'd think about selling. It's just the acoustic model, 1189-7. Serial number 36. I'd let it go for, oh about 36, with three little small, ooos. The way these are getting harder and harder to come by, in a few years we're gonna look back and say "DAMN I should've grabbed that one when it was only 36K!" |
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Location: So. Cal. | May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. |
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Location: Tennessee | I have one. You played it. You loved it.
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Location: So. Cal. | Bob, on that note... it didn't feel like a wide neck to me!? |
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Location: Paris/France | Wonderful and rare guitar, congratulations to the new owner.
Beal, your 1189-7 still a dream for Tom and I since we saw it at the Factory in 2007.
We saw lots of wonderful guitars during the Factory tour but we were very impressed by the #36!!
Slothead, Beige, WN and acoustic only, all the Adamas should be like this one to my opinion. ;)
PICS ARE HERE!!
I'm the lucky owner of a nice Adamas II WN from 1982 bought about 3 years ago in Germany (with Karl's help).
This is one of the best sounding Adamas I owns!!
J:-)
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. I have:
#6 OFC2 wide neck
#57 wide neck original slothead
plus I guess both my 6 and 12 2080 baritones are kinda wide necks.
Is the mandocello a wide neck? Seems like it. |
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Location: SoCal | I've played the guitar that Michael's selling (trading?). Looks like it was run over by a trash truck, but plays and sounds angelic.
A really great guitar..... |
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Location: Tennessee | Stephen ... did I tell you that I talked to Lawrence Juber in the Martin booth at NAMM for a while. We about about #57 for a few minutes. He said he doesn't remember selling that guitar and wondered what happened to it. He also said "that guitar is on a lot of hit records". |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Guess after surgery I'll have a wide neck too...lol
(sorry, couldn't let the op pass...)
Played this tonight and felt much better: 1978 1687-8 #119
Accept No Substitutes!
sigh.... :rolleyes: |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. OFC Guitar #8
OFC II Guitar #8
Josh White
Folklore Deluxe
Lost Art Koa
Custom Legend
U681-TA |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | #35
#36
1967 Josh White
#220 1189-8
1982 1582-P started life as a 1581 but I converted it with an old Ad2 wide neck
1984 proto, has had a new "1984" neck added
2080D
2004 Reso proto
2008 C-Series
many custom built Hamers and Warmoths
Every Collings Tippin Merill Tak and 4 Martins
That's everything |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. 2008-5
1689-8 ;)
1111-4 (at MS being refitted with 1 3/4" neck) |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
I've played the guitar that Michael's selling (trading?). Looks like it was run over by a trash truck, ... I'll bet the new owner will enjoy hearing that. ROFL
ps. No, I'm not a mean person. There's a reason I think this is so funny. ;) |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Stephen ... did I tell you that I talked to Lawrence Juber in the Martin booth at NAMM for a while. We about about #57 for a few minutes. He said he doesn't remember selling that guitar and wondered what happened to it. He also said "that guitar is on a lot of hit records". Now that's really cool. Wish I had been with you to hear all that. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I'm not sure it was his to sell, but I'm not sure on that. |
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Location: NJ | I once asked Al Stewart why (after playing Ovations "live" for so long) he suddenly switched to Taylor.
He told me:
" . . It was Laurence Juber (who played on a few of Stewart's albums) that convinced me that Ovations were shit, and that Taylors were much better instruments . . "
Even if it WAS his, he DESERVES to have "lost" it. |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. Specify non-nylong string.
FD-14.... |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by stephent28:
Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Stephen ... did I tell you that I talked to Lawrence Juber in the Martin booth at NAMM for a while. We about about #57 for a few minutes. He said he doesn't remember selling that guitar and wondered what happened to it. He also said "that guitar is on a lot of hit records". Now that's really cool. Wish I had been with you to hear all that. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by playadamas:
Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? 1614-1 Folklore '78
FD-14 Folklore Limited, at MS for new top
1680 Adamas
1689-7 '78, rode hard, had MS neck reset and fret job |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Originally posted by stephent28:
Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Stephen ... did I tell you that I talked to Lawrence Juber in the Martin booth at NAMM for a while. We about about #57 for a few minutes. He said he doesn't remember selling that guitar and wondered what happened to it. He also said "that guitar is on a lot of hit records". Now that's really cool. Wish I had been with you to hear all that. |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by MusicMishka:
Played this tonight and felt much better: 1978 1687-8 #119
Accept No Substitutes!
sigh.... :rolleyes: |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Mike, that's a GREAT photo. |
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Location: Hanau, Hessen, Germany | Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. I have widenecks only.
The Folklore 1614 - 1 7/8
The Folklore Deluxe FD14 1 3/4
The U681-T - 1 3/4
I never bonded with anything slighter than 1 3/4 and I probably never will :rolleyes: |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | 1978 1687-8 #119
-
Accept No Substitutes!
sigh.... [Roll Eyes]
That one's a wide neck? WOW. Nice score when you snagged that one!
I posted it not to "show me yours if I show you mine"...I just wanted to share a picture of a guitar that would bring a similar response from me as Michael felt when he sold his...wide neck, regular neck...no matter to me...I own both but presently, not an Adamas wideneck...and I'm absolutely fine with that... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Folklore, Ute, Lav Koa 12 fret,Classic (1713) and the Country Artist that's for sale. |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by stonebobbo:
Stephen ... did I tell you that I talked to Lawrence Juber in the Martin booth at NAMM for a while. We about about #57 for a few minutes. He said he doesn't remember selling that guitar and wondered what happened to it. He also said "that guitar is on a lot of hit records". Some confusion here. #57 belonged to Jimmy McCulloch, not Juber. McCulloch died in '79, and Juber replaced him in Wings. When I saw #57 in London it must have been early to mid-1980. A dealer had #57 and several other guitars from the McCulloch estate for sale. I doubt Juber even saw it, let alone played it |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Paul, When I met Juber at Abbey Road when we were hanging out with the other Paul, you know, what's his name, Juber did have one that he'd been playing. This was when they were recording Rocestra. Don't know the number. I always figgered that all that stuff was McCartney's and they just used it. |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by Nick B.:
Originally posted by playadamas:
May I ask how many other members have an Ovation/Adamas wide neck of any kind? Please stick with only O/A's. Thank you. 2008-5
1689-8
1111-4 (at MS being refitted with 1 3/4" neck)
My apologies to anyone that rushed out to buy a 2008-5 wide neck. :) |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | As far as I am concerned a 1 3/4" and a 1 7/8" neck would be considered wide necks vs the standard 1 11/16. A 2" neck is not a wide neck, it is a classical neck.
What kind and wise person told you otherwise cause I definitely disagree. |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
Some confusion here. My bad, Paul. I never actually mentioned #57 to Juber, we just talked about the "Adamas slothead" ... so Juber could have been thinking about the other one. But I thought I had seen a picture of him (courtesy of Samova) playing the 57 when that guitar came onto the market about a year ago.
Originally posted by MusicMishka:
As the caption clearly says: 1687-8... Again, my bad. I'm not real good with what all of the secret code numbers mean, especially on the Adamas line which doesn't seem to map well to the Ovation line. Since everyone else were posting pictures and talking about wideneck O's and A's, I assumed you also were showing us a wideneck. Now I get what you were doing. Sorry about that. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | There is no hard and fast definition of "wide neck". Most builders like Collings, Martin, etc. would consider 1-3/4 to be standard. Anything small is a narrow neck and anything larger is a wide neck.
Ovations are mostly targeted towards female players so traditionally Ovation has considered 1-11/16 to be standard and anything bigger to be a wide neck. |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | All I know is that since I picked up a couple "wider" necks, I spend a lot more time playing THEM, and I can really tell the difference. It is amazing how much easier it is to play fingerstyle with that little extra. |
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Location: So. Cal. | For those who might be interested, the trade has been completed. Both guitars arrived at their new homes safe and sound (save a small hiccup with the 1689 case, but it was unharmed).
Stephen, my "long lost friend" came back as if it never left (really a different guitar, but same exact model). It was actually quite emotional as I held it, tuned it up and played it until its ringing filled the room.
As for the 1689, the new host seems to be happy so far. But give it some more time and maybe you'll hear from him directly.
Thanks again everybody, for listening. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Awesome! I love happy endings. |
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Location: Germany | 1689-7 #325
1689-9 #2576
1682-7 #1570 (wide neck Adamas II)
Josh White
Karl |
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Location: Texas | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Ovations are mostly targeted towards female players so traditionally Ovation has considered 1-11/16 to be standard and anything bigger to be a wide neck. Thanks for convincing the thousands of teenage boys who come here looking for information about Ovations that they are “girly” guitars. ;)
I don’t know if you made that statement based on inside knowledge of Ovation’s secret marketing strategy, personal speculation or simply to bait us, but I will bite:
I believe that the 1-11/16” nut-width has been Ovation’s “standard” for over 40 years, the implication that it was designed for female players and the converse assumption that it is too narrow for the average male player seems quite absurd to me, how did you reach that conclusion?
Also, many, many guitarists (regardless of gender) who play the most popular solid-body electric guitars find that they can transition to an Ovation acoustic easily, because Ovations feel and play very much like an electric.
Despite the fact that I think you were being intentionally flippant, someone looking for information might read your comment and conclude that Ovations are less desirable because of the nut-width, when, in fact, they may well be more desirable for the majority of players.
…just my 2¢… |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Didn't say anything about ovations being undesirable. Just the contrary. They are extremely popular. I dare anyone to go into a Guitar Centre and NOT find an ovation guitar. Yes ovation's standard nut width for decades has been 1-11/16, with a few wider thrown in. Other makers are just the opposite, 1-3/4 is the standard and they'll offer some smaller. Ones not better than the other. Yes ovation has a significantly higher percentage of endorsees who are female than other makers. I learned this just by looking at their lists on their own websites. 40% of ovation signature models are named after females. There is nothing at all wrong with that. By comparison another random maker I checked (Martin) is 13%, and another (Takamine) is 15%. It's just an observation based on publically available facts, that's all. I didn't check Taylor but I would guess their percent of female endorsees is not small. I doubt very seriously that my statements will scare teenage boys away from ovation. There is always the Mick Thomson model to draw them in. Back to nutwidth, it's just a personal preference that each of us have to find the guitar (nut) that is most comfortable to us. I have a couple of each and they all do the job for which they were purchased. |
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Location: Texas | Gallerinski,
I respect your opinion, but I don't agree with your conclusion that Ovation "targets women" just because currently 40% of the tiny number of signature models happen to bear women's autographs. That 40% is also a relatively recent development, yet you implied that Ovation "traditionally" targeted women, which could be interpreted as saying that the standard neck was not appropriate for the average male hands, which is not true.
Plus, does the gender of the spokesperson really determine if the guitar is "for" you? I hope the primary objective in signing-up artists for signature models is that they are respected guitar players, regardless of gender.
My point was simply that potential new Ovation buyers might read this thread and get the incorrect impression that Ovations are designed for a particular gender or that their standard necks are too small for "male hands" or something crazy like that. I think that is misinformation. Ovation "standard" necks are perfect for most "standard" hands, male or female.
Yes, if someone has extremely large hands with fat fingertips, maybe they can only play a wide-neck, but I think that wide-necks are more "targeted" for a certain style of playing than for any particular gender or even hand size.
…up to 4¢, sorry… |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Nothing wrong with your opinion.
Hey only 6 more cents and you can get a cup of coffee! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | The contour bowl is for today's guys. It might fit a pregnant gal, but I think it is definitely targeted toward guys.
Where can I get that cup of coffee for 10 cents? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
Where can I get that cup of coffee for 10 cents? my house. Come on over.
Normally it's free but for you I will make it 10 cents! |
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Location: Texas | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Nothing wrong with your opinion.
Hey only 6 more cents and you can get a cup of coffee! I'm glad we can agree to disagree…
but no coffee for me…
this thread no longer makes any cents…
;) |
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RE: bidding adieu to a good friend