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Location: Chicago | Dave: The blue 1581 Adamas I in your gallery is described as having a "growl": how does the 2007 collector's compare to this (both very similar construction)? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | That was a 1581 Adamas II. Very nice sounding guitar. Paul Templeman now owns it, so maybe he can comment. I naver owned the 2007 reissue 1581 so I can't compare, but on paper they would seem similar.
The black 1587 Adamas I version was actually quite superior to the 1581. I have no idea why or how, but it was much more than a subtle difference. To this day, that 1587 was one of THE best sounding Adamas that I ever owned.
Personally, I'm hoping that this 08 Collector sounds like Jeff W.'s cutaway U681. THAT would please me a lot. As for the looks of the guitar, I'm not so impressed. But if it sounds like a $5000. list guitar then I can live with the looks.
Dave |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Greg, email Al and he can give you the skinny on the cost. |
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Location: France | Very nice Mike!!!
congratulations!
Tom |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | Originally posted by Slipkid:
If I was stubborn, old, and set in my ways I would say without the skunk-strip, it's not an Ovation. But I'm not.
Not which...stubborn, old, or set in your ways? :D
Beautiful instrument, Mike...make sure to include me in your thoughts when you decide to retire from guitar collecting and start giving them all away... |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | FYI: Jerome had the high def images on his site: Link to Ovation Tribute Page/Jerome\'s Site
Don't worry Dave, it'll grow on ya!
:D ;) :rolleyes: |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | BTW: I see several are trying to figure out how the guitar sounds: if you have seen the Jean Felix Lalanne/Marcel Dadi concert film from the Olympic Theatre and heard Marcel's Slothead (the cream one) THAT is as close to describing the sound of this guitar as I can get!
Is it the sound of a $5000 guitar? Apparently so, since Kaman has decided on that as the Retail Price for this model. In my opinion, it is!
As for the looks, well thats purely personal preference and again, for me, its reflective of the price! It looks like a tuxedo ready for a night out at the Met! Some don't like opera! There's only a hundred worldwide to go around so I'm sure they will find good homes!
I'm off to get my neck (hopefully) fixed: enjoy the day! |
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Location: Tennessee | Nice guitar ... it proves the Adamas custom shop can put out a very nice product, high quality, and the market will end up rewarding them with a nice price point.
This configuration isn't my cup of tea. I really prefer the traditional Ovation peghead design, and have never been a fan of the way Ovation slotheads look ... except for those with the broccoli head, for whatever reason that whole look is so right. This whole guitar just seems sort of incongruous - like they did a mix and match of greatest hits in Adamas guitars into this one model. I understand why they picked all these elements in the guitar, but all the pieces just don't come together as a whole into a guitar that even whispers my name. I know ... it's the sound that matters (but you pretty much know what you're going to get from an Adamas), and for $5K you want it to be pretty, to yourself anyway.
I can see how all these custom shop level features can turn out one heck of a guitar, and there are people with a lot better taste than I that are fawning over this. I hope they easily move 100 units at $5K each. Maybe they'll figure out a way to make a run of 100 Qs next year. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Bobbo, with your level of talent, you would make it talk! Seriously! Wish you were coming to Amelia! Have a great holidays! ;) |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I'm just wondering if they'll really sell 100 of them. It's a great and beautiful guitar no question about that, and everything that follow is just personl opinion ... BUT, what keeps running through my head is that any way you slice it, this is guitar will have certain "compromises" to everyones definition of a "dream guitar". Well, of course that's true you'll NEVER satisfy everyone. Hypothetical examples some won't like the contour bowl, some will wish it was 1-7/8 neck, some wich it wasn't black, etc. Personally I don't like the headstock, epaulets, tuners or snotblob. Don't get me wrong, people will buy this because it's appearently a GREAT instrument and they'll accept the compromise.
But should they? For $5000. should you compromise? or should you just get a custom to the exact specifiications that you want? Tough call. Upon hearing about this guitar, one of my very best friends who's opinion I respect a lot emailed me and said "It looks nice but for that kind of money wouldn't be better to get exactly what you want?"
Don't get me wrong, this is a nice unit as is and I'm not trying to rain on the parade. I just really wonder if 100 people will make such a compromise at this price level. When for similar money you could get exactly what you want. I'm thinking about Tom_CA's custom for example. It's not that different than a regular OFC guitar. The easy thing would have been for him to compromise a little, save 6 months, and get an OFC guitar. For for similar money he got EXACTLY what he wanted. Makes me think ...
Dave |
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Location: Munich, Germany | Absolutely right.
As far as I apreciate the idea of an Adamas Collector's - and the return of the textured top in a "regular" model - who buys this guitar?
The regular GC customer won't pay that amount for a guitar like this. The OFC member and Adamas connaisseur probably will - but with knowing that he could order a guitar built to his wishes through Al for nearly the same money - he probably won't.
A guitar like this would have been a great idea two years ago - and would have been sold as easy as the UTE, the #47 and the two reissues did, but with introducing the Adamas Custom shop it is a risky experiment.
Anyway, it sure is a beautiful and great guitar that shows some new ideas (e.g. the black/gold binding) and my congrats go to Mike and Leslie.
Kurt |
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Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by MusicMike:
Bobbo, with your level of talent, you would make it talk! Seriously! Wish you were coming to Amelia! Have a great holidays! ;) He is (or at least he was). |
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Location: NJ | They'll sell a bunch overseas, Dave . . |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Just wait until you play it! Negative, Negative, Negative...$5000 seems to be the real problem...Thats just the suggested retail: it will sell for much less...I bought mine for way less than 5 large! In any case, I love mine and I have no doubt many other players will as well! Even some who are not actually players! It think its beautiful and at least its made in the USA which can't be said for certain other brands...JMO though. I really don't think the opinion of the OFC affects the bottom line here: if you don't like it, no one is twisting your arm to get one? This is a company with a lot of distribution points and dealerships! A whole lot!
Later.... |
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Location: Chicago | Paul Templeman now owns it, so maybe he can comment. I naver owned the 2007 reissue 1581 so I can't compare, but on paper they would seem similar.
The black 1587 Adamas I version was actually quite superior to the 1581. Paul T: As I recall, I was looking at a 1587 on ebay and your advice was, NO! By all means seek out a 1581 ("for your style"). I have done just that and am quite pleased. Interesting how perceptions vary. Could this be a matter of approach to the guitar? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Perhaps what Paul was referring to was the fact that the 1587 version is double epaulets vs. the 1581 is single. But I owned them at the same time and quite frankly it wasn't even close.
This was a unique situation. For reasons I can not explain, this particular 1587 had something very special about it. To this day, that specific 1587 was the best sounding Adamas guitar that I ever owned. Think about that for a moment ...
Selling that guitar was a big mistake.
Dave |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I agree with Tupp. If I'm hankerin' for a specific guitar with specific features, which I do from time to time, then I am better off just ordering it as a custom and pay a little extra in order to obtain exactly what I want. That said, when ordering custom stuff from the Ovation/Adamas/Hamer lines, I haven't found the custom prices all that far out of line. I think this speaks more to Al and his unselfish willingness to provide value to his customers. Your mileage, of course, may vary. |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Originally posted by MusicMike:
Bobbo, with your level of talent, you would make it talk! Seriously! Wish you were coming to Amelia! Have a great holidays! ;) He is (or at least he was). |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I like the looks. I like the limited edition.
I am sure I will like the sound.
Price is in line with a custom and I don't have to wait 6-9 months.
If I decide to sell it after a while and move on to something else, it won't be the first (or last) time I have sold an expensive or ltd ed guitar.
I feel it is better to grab one of the few available that to sit back on the sidelines and "wish" I hadn't procrastinated. Then I have the luxury of time to really get to know it and love it or sell it off and try something new!
In my mind with the old style top and contour body, this one will always rank up there as one of the 1st really special ones (like slotheads/#47RI/OFC). |
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Location: Chehalis, Washington | I don't think they'll have a problem moving them. Yes, you could buy a nice used 1581 on ebay for around 1500, but there's nothing especially rare or unique about it. For a limited run of 100, the street price won't be too out of line at all.
Personally, I love the looks, setup...the whole package. If I was in the next income bracket up, I'd already have one ordered. The only thing stopping me at this point is actually having the $3500 that I assume will end up being the street price in hand. That, and I just committed almost exactly the same amount for a custom-build wood box that I've been saving up for.
I don't see this as a "compromise" of Adamas features at all, but rather a really nice blend of some of the best of what Adamas has done, combined with the top new technology. It'll go. This just jumped to the top of my Adamas wish list, above the UTE or #47 - it's just the right setup for me. |
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Location: SoCal | I've stayed out of this discussion. The last time I voiced an honest opinion on somebody's guitar, I alienated that owner and half the board.
I think this guitar will easily sell 100 units and ought to make each and every owner happy. It will sound and play great and I'm pleased that Ovation finally came out with an Adamas for a collectors.
But this guitar doesn't speak to me and I have no desire to own one. The older I get the more I want to go back to years past and order up an acoustic only, wood topped, center hole guitar. Maybe in 2008 (assuming the company is still there) Al and I will do some business (nobody else I'd buy a new Ovation from)..... |
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Location: Scotland | Originally posted by dobro:
Paul Templeman now owns it, so maybe he can comment. I naver owned the 2007 reissue 1581 so I can't compare, but on paper they would seem similar.
The black 1587 Adamas I version was actually quite superior to the 1581.
Paul T: As I recall, I was looking at a 1587 on ebay and your advice was, NO! By all means seek out a 1581 ("for your style"). I have done just that and am quite pleased. Interesting how perceptions vary. Could this be a matter of approach to the guitar?
I have a Dave's 1581, an early 1689 and the 47. The all have similar characters but at the same time all sound different. I would not say that any of the 3 were "superior" to the others. To be quite honest the only thing that makes me pick up one over the other at home is the condition of the strings.
As for the 08 collectors, I'm sure it sounds stunning, but visually the black/gold mounting ring just doesn't work for me. |
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Location: Nîmes, south of France | Hey, one more guitar at home :eek: :eek:
This 08 collector is very nice, this is a keeper, congrats Mike :) :) |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Speaking of necks, Mike, how's your's doing? |
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Location: Germany | I've never realized that the contour bowl has no rear door. How do you access the electronics?
Someone stated here that it will sell well overseas. I can't say anything about the Japanese market but I doubt that a lot of them can be sold in Europe. To be attractive for the Dadi fingerpickers the neck is not wide enough. And we don't have so many hardcore Ovation collector's over here who are willing to pay a vast amount of money for a guitar which must be a compromise in terms of esthetics for a potential buyer. You must take into consiceration that we have 20-30% higher market prices due to customs duties.
That was quite different with the #47RI which appealed the emotions. The Collector's 2008 lacks of this factor.
Anyway, congratulations to the owners. I'm sure it sounds awesome.
And thanks to the factory for this model. Now I have some nice ideas for ...... well, we'll see.
Karl |
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"007" in the House
