|
|
Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | Well, as promised (I know you couldn't sleep wondering), here is my first Adamas owning experience and commentary.
Losing my Adamas virginity
My first impressions, good and bad: WOW this thing can project! Too much so, in fact, for my voice. This is great for cutting through a room full of unplugged guitarists, but too loud for me to strum hard and sing along with. On the positive side, what a feast on the eyes! And as far as the texture, I didn't know what the top would feel like. It was very similar to the textured Elites, only thinner. You could feel it vibrate like a speaker cone. Perhaps bass-side only soundholes would help with my problem of over-projection. Well, I was about to find out. I called Cream City Music and snatched their last brand new Adamas II 1781S. Four days later it arrived:
Adamas! Take 1!
In the end, I sent it back. It was, like the first one I played, both beautiful and boomy. But to my surprise, too boomy, or "boxy", if you will. This has me wondering what a supershallow might sound like with the Adamas top.
At any rate, to summarize my graphite-top test: beautiful, boomy, but I like the textured T better, sonically speaking. Looks-wise, however, my Adamas story has only just begun. I want a broccoli'd, frilly-bridged Adamas one day, to feast my eyes as much as my ears!
Sound-wise, I have yet to try a contour bowl O or a supershallow graphite A, but I'm willing to try both, to see how they compare to the midbowl textured T, which to my ears is still number one in the studio and at the gig. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Hey Joe,
As another Floridian, glad to have you aboard and hope to meet you at a get together soon. (You'll get plenty of Adamas advice from others) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2007
Posts: 1486
Location: Cincinnati | Joe, I think you'd like the SSB Adamas. It doesn't project like the deep bowl but still sounds great. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | I believe you! But... gotta try it next to my textured T. Hopefully there will be some Floridian O gathering at some point with a contoured T and/or a graphite SSB. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3620
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | You had me rollin' with that "fetal" shot (:
If it were lightened a bit in Photoshop it would make a nice addition to the calendar.
Great Picture and nice creativity. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Joe,
The next time you're in the neighborhood, I'll pull out the 2078T Elite 'Sweet T' for ya to try.
I'm thinking of initiating the ToneRite on this 'un...
Loved the 'fetal' pic!  |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | Thanks for the fetal feedback (I would be honored if " Gas Attack " was part of the calendar)!
Iffy, I definitely owe you a missed visit from last week! I have some time off again the last week in October and I still want to revisit Anna Maria island.
As for the ToneRite, I have a much better idea: it's called the TunonRite. See, the way it works is, you lend Joe Tunon the Sweet T, and he plays it for 24 hours a day for a couple of years to naturally wear it in... :D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | JJ,
"Gas Attack" is a really great shot…
I enjoyed reading your observations about the Adamii you played/owned/returned. I'm sure I will be quickly corrected by someone, but I don't recall hearing anyone say that their Adamas is too loud before? Then again, I think many of us like them BECAUSE they can project so much volume. Maybe you gotta learn to strum more softly or find softer picks? ;) (Do they still make those felt-covered numbers?) ;)
I have a "deep contour" bowl Adamas (2080) and I think the sound is amazing; very clear and rich whether played softly of strummed hard. I recently took it to play with a couple of friends who think that Martins are the only "real" acoustic guitar, and I had to pry it out of one guy's hands. I don't recall which specific Martins they had, but I know they each paid quite a bit for them and they were not the inexpensive laminates. They were very nice guitars, I played them both, but I honestly thought my 2080 sounded better overall than either of those particular Martins. It had a richer, fuller, more consistent tone (and louder when I wanted it to be…) ;) Of course, my preference for the "round-sound" is evidenced by my membership here and my growing herd…
Anyway, I do love your O collection, and your photos. We'll look forward to a brocolli photo one of these days… ;)
Have fun, |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Jukebox Joe sez:
In the end, I sent it back. It was, like the first one I played, both beautiful and boomy. But to my surprise, too boomy, or "boxy", if you will. Y'know... Technology has come a long way. There is even a way to amplify the human voice now. :eek:
One of the reasons I don't sing is because I cannot sing louder than my guitars or traffic noise.
Also my voice sux...
But if I could sing louder, I could sing in a style that would accommodate my crappy voice.
But yeah... In general, Adami are loud. So are deep bowl Ovations. So are my T's for that matter.
But good luck in your search...
[I added 'Gas Attack' to my screen-saver slide show] |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2009
Posts: 381
Location: Miami | Y'know... Technology has come a long way. There is even a way to amplify the human voice now. :eek: I heard about this whole "amplified" thing and looked into it :-)
Seriously, though, unplugged my pipes aren't strong enough to compete with my strongest strumming on the Adamas (or alot of other guitars for that matter). Yes I could strum softer, use a softer pick, or sing harder. But I'd rather use a guitar that fits my strumming and singing style instead of changing my style around the guitar.
But even with that being the case, I wouldn't return an Adamas because of the extra projection. I agree, projection is a good thing! But I would keep it as a playing guitar, and use the T's as my singalong guitars. I returned the Adamas not because it was too loud, but because it was too "boxy" (too much thump, even in the high registers, compared to the textured T's. And I'm talking about the 1781S in particular).
I'm sure every Adamas sounds different, just as every Elite sounds different. Perhaps (and I would LOVE for this to be the case) a supershallow Adamas would fit me perfectly, given the extra boominess of the graphite top to compensate for the bowl depth. I won't know until I can get my hands on one. In the meantime I'm going to try a Contoured Textured top next to see how that fares.
Gits, like mics, and just about any other gear, are such a personal thing that there is no "best". I'm sure everyone knows that when I say the textured Elites are the "best" I mean "the best for my style of singing and playing".
Beauty is in the ear of the guitar holder. I may not have found the Adamas for me, but when I do, she will be mine. Oh yes... she will be mine.
[I added 'Gas Attack' to my screen-saver slide show] Thanks, Arthur (and everyone else). I submitted the pic to Brad for the calendar as suggested! :) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | JJ,
I have no problem singing louder than any of my guitars, it's singing in key that challenges me… ;)
IMHO, I don't think you'll find a major difference between a deep contour bowl and a "traditional" deep bowl. (There have been many discussions on that subject here.) However, based on your comments, a shallow bowl Adamas may be just the ticket for you. Since so many members here love to help other people spend their money, I suspect that someone will get one into your hands to try sooner rather than later… |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan |
I have no problem singing louder than any of my guitars, it's singing in key that challenges me… ;)
Man, were you listening to me banging away last night? deja vu |
|
| |
My first Adamas... almost!
