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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Okay, so I can't remember - who all has a 1547 Elite, and were they all made on the SSB body with what appears to be an OP-24 preamp? I'll post pics hopefully tomorrow (after I've slept for a few hours), but just got my 1547 and was looking for more info on the model. I know all about the 1537's, but does anyone have the skinny on the 1547's as well? In typically thorough fashion, Ovation's website has no info I could find.
The only down side is a decent crack from about the bridge to the base of the guitar, with just enough pucker to it that I can tell it's in the wood. Looks to me like a loss of moisture in the soundboard caused it...it's right along the seam in the top panels. Anyone else have something like this fixed at the mothership recently, and for how much? |
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Location: Orange County, California | 1547 should be a deep bowl cutaway A/E.
There's more info on the Decoder on Jerome's website.
If it's as you described, it sounds like a custom job or refit done later. |
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Location: PDX | My 1547 is as mbfred describes: deep bowl, cut-away with two knob pre-amp.
Images: here
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gh1 |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Cutaway version of the 1537. Specs should be basically the same. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I've only seen the deep bowl version. The mothership can fix the crack. It may still be visible, but they can refinish the top so you can't feel it. |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | So...why would a guitar be labeled as a 1547, with a serial number of 110xxx, and yet be a shallow body (not even an Artist, definitely SSB) with a preamp exactly like an OP-24 except for an Ovation logo on the knob instead of the "OP-24" label?
The other REALLY weird thing is that the serial number (printed on the blue label) puts it at production between 1977 and 1978...wouldn't that be a problem, as the "first" elite was the 1537 in '83 and the first SSB wasn't until the late 80's?
What the heck did I buy? |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | 
Bill, Al, anyone...any ideas? |
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Location: Paris/France | If that guitar is a SSB prototype, the serial could be the date of production??
11-02-1984??
Just like MIKE\'S 1537-4 SSB Proto ??
J :) |
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Location: SoCal | Actually, that guitar looks almost exactly like Beal's 1984 Collector's. Take a look at this month's callendar picture.
And I'm certain that the serial number is the production date. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | My 84 C-Series is dated 11-02-83 so if that was the s/n then it's a year after the 84 was started. It does look like a typed in number so it could be. You have it in person, is it a typed in number?
Not sure what this guitar is but it's nice and it's right around the beginning of the elite production. |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Jerome is right...the ser# is a date, like other prototypes from that era. EH, that is is one rare guitar you have there! I've never seen or heard of another SSB 1547!
Wayne |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Nice, Andrew. I think you got a rare bird. |
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Location: SoCal | If this sounds anything like Beal's 84-C, then it's even got a very good acoustic sound. Much better than you'd anticipate with a ssb..... |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | It sounds great, so no complaints here. Bill, after looking at it again, the serial number is typed in, so it makes sense that the date idea is right. I'm curious if any others were produced like this one. The other thing I noticed is that it has no inlays on the 12th fret, unlike the standard elite inlay pattern with the 2 marks on 12. Did the early versions of the OP-24 look like this? My brother has an old mid-90's Pinnacle with a FET-3 that looks similar...any relation? |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | That's the first version of the OP24, mine looks just like it. I had one put in my 84 about mid 84. Mine had a similar crack up the top and they were able to fix it with superglue at the factory. DON"T have it refinished. Guitar looks great. Have your initials put in the 12th! |
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| Kind of bizarre to see a super-shallow bowl 1547 that everyone said doesn't exist...makes me wonder if they ever made one in a mid-bowl. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | No.
Mid bowls didn't come back till Debanjo wanted it on the 94 C-Series. |
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Location: Orange County, California | It's cool to discover these oddities. I think they put the model number of the closest thing to it on them just to get them through the production process (or to keep upper management from knowing just exactly what was going in Moosup) :D :p :D :p |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | It is pretty cool, I think. I'll get it sent in to CT for fixups - I wouldn't want the whole top refinished anyway. It's just gorgeous as it is.
I can deal with being the lucky guy that swiped this one... :D :D :D |
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Location: Hiram, Georgia | Very nice Andrew, the dark honey top says it all, that is something special, glad you got it. phil |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Make sure you specify the REPAIR the top. Tell them just like they did mine, I think Mike did it.
Good luck with it, it's a real nice one. |
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