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Location: Brisbane Australia | Well it's finally happened.
I arrived home this morning from my trip to the US with the Slothead I purchased from Cholloway.
It's an outstanding guitar.
Thanks Colin for your patience and understanding and Paul for taking delivery, enabling me to collect it in LA on Thursday.
It was quite a clandestine operation, meeting a PI in a restaurant parking lot under the cover of darkness and taking delivery of an "instrument case"!!
I'll post some pics soon.
Thanks guys
Jim (AJ) |
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Location: big island | wow, aj! a very large CONGRATULATIONS to you. your country has been blessed. |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | Congratulations AJ. Welcome home. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | THe scene of the crime!
Collecting Cholloway's Slothead from Moody
Paul with his OFC guitar as comparison
Thanks again Paul.
AJ |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | CONGRATULATIONS !!!
We want pictures and lots of them.
Dave |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | We (Myself, Muzz and Ozwatto) want to know: "When do we get a go?"
Great catch AJ.
BTW, Welcome home. |
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Location: GA USA | Well, since I'll probably never see that one (#45) again, I'm glad I already played it. Congrats, AJ! |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Thanks Richard,
You and Oz are most welcome anytime, as for that other bearded individual who is not in favour of "Broccolli" on the peghead, he might have to wait and take his chances.
Great to be home.
I love the US but after the terrible LA haze of the last few days and arriving home to a crystal clear Brisbane sky this morning, boy oh boy!!!
I'm joking Muz, any time Mate.
I've now had the priviledge to meet a number of OFC members in the US.
I can only say it has been an absolute pleasure.
Thankyou everyone for making Deb and Myself feel so welcome on our holiday in the US.
It was such a great experience.
Cheers Jim and Deb |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | . . . . so . . . . It's reached the point where the U.S. economy is in enough decline to start selling-off national treasures...
Ah-well, enjoy it AJ. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | It's still in the family Jeff.
Come visit anytime
And I do consider it a treasure and honour to own
AJ |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ;) |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | . . . . so . . . . It's reached the point where the U.S. economy is in enough decline to start selling-off national treasures... Isn't this how the Roman empire also began it's decline...Nero sold off his fiddle? |
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Location: Atlanta, GA. | Yes, the slothead finally came "out of the closet"!
As for selling off National Treasures... nobody can say they didn't have a chance at it. :)
I'm glad it went to a member here and I'm quite sure it will be appreciated for what it is.
BTW. Even though Jim gained custody, I still retained visitation rights!!!
Enjoy it Jim! |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | My hat's off to AJ for bringing his wife along to buy the slothead !!!
Gesus, I'm looking ahead at my wifes work schedule trying to figure out what days I could sneak something into the house undetected and making sure the super-secret-secondary paypal account that she knows nothing about is locked away and all emails routed to my work only !!!
Dave |
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| Congrats! (I'm jealous). |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Congrats AJ! That is a very special one - it's the first on the continent, and a new tourist destination, if any OFCers go to OZ! |
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Location: NJ | Congrats to Colin for holding-out for what you felt was a FairPrice.
And CONGRATS to James!!!
Welcome to "th'Club". |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Welcome home, Jim. Can't wait to hear about your trip in person. Sounds like you made quite the impression over there.
And you only bought that thing to piss me off. I hope it sounds better than it looks.  |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I only clicked once! Honest! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Nice grab AJ! Hopefully your guitar course is waiting for you so that you can now learn how to play it :D |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Jim, you dawg!...Lucky dawg, that is! |
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Location: Paris/France | Congrats Jim,
This guitar is a dream !!!
J :) |
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Location: SoCal | I had that guitar for about 24 hours. Not a bad instrument at all....... |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
. . . . so . . . . It's reached the point where the U.S. economy is in enough decline to start selling-off national treasures... There are some national treasures still left? Into the long boats fellow looters. My Great Great Great Grandfather who was transported to Australia for burglary will be proud of me yet! |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Way to go, AJ! You said you wanted to take home a special guitar. You weren't kidding! Great meeting you and Deb up at the PNW jam. |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Originally posted by g8r:
Congrats! (I'm jealous). Me too. ;) |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Congrats AJ: Very nice! Excuse me now while I get a tissue: (sniff, sniff, sniffle)...lol |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Congratulations AJ. Too bad you didn't pick that git up on the way TO the PNW gathering.....'course then I mighta scooped IT instead of the O history book.
Which will be in the mail this week. |
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Location: Orange County, California | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
I had that guitar for about 24 hours. Not a bad instrument at all....... More than enough time to swap it out for an OCF-FRG.
AJ, You'd better check that thing out closely. The "new strings so he could A-B it with his OFC slothead" story is a classic Moody ruse.
Oh well, If you fell for it, you'll just have to come back and visit again soon to get your "real slothead". :p :D :p :D |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Moody, you are one of at least three OFC members blessed with the opportunity to A/B an original slothead against its OFC offspring. I had No. 43 along with 5/12 in my bandroom for a while, Dave has one of each, and now you. Didn't you folks in Southern California have a group of them as well last year some time at a get-together? Not sure if there have been others. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | This is a cool story. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think there is some variations in sound among the original slotheads. after all each one was pretty much a science fair project. I've played 8 of them. To MY ears Cliff's No.54 is the best. I played another one which was very "average". The other 6 fall somewhere in between (with my No.42 of course a close second to Cliff's, IMHO).
The real fun is comparing the originals to the reissues. Sound aside, the original slothead is just way, way cooler and more comfortable than the reissue. Warts and all. It's like a well worn faded pair of tattered old Levi's compared to a brand new pair of 501's right off the shelf. Yeah they're both bluejeans. End of similarities.
At least to my ears - the 47 Reissue sounds superior unplugged to the OFC Guitar. Sorry but it does at least in may case. I've got to attribiute that to the solid saddle of the 47RI. But on the flip side, the 47RI is way uglier and can't hold a candle plugged in to the OFC Guitar. Plus the 47RI neck is too skinny.
But comparing a RI to the original gets very fuzzy because my ears are jaded by the fact that No.42 is a piece of history and cost me 2.5 times what the reissue did. Well of COURSE the original sounds better. But does it really?
The other small fact that gets lost is that there are quite some physical differences among the original slotheads. Everyone is a snowflake. And as good of a reproduction that the RI is, there are actually quite some differences between the origials and the reissues. Paul picked up on this during his baby sitting and suggested that maybe we do a real detailed comparison some day for people to reference.
But anyway you slice it, the originals, the 47RI, the OFC guitar and some of the variations that people have custom ordered are from the very, very top of the guitar foodchain.
Dave |
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Location: south east Michigan | James... I'm glad to hear the you have ended up with an original slothead. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
I wonder if the sound swirls around the bowl in the opposite direction down there. |
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| AJ you crazy Aussie! your creating one hell of an Ovation collection and in a record amount of time too. Congrats that will be an impressive group photo, acoustics & electrics. Always wanted me one of them slotheads.
Enjoy.
Randy |
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| How can anything be safe in a country/continent that has more deadly creatures than anywhere else on the planet? And I'm not just talking about muzza's beard. |
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| But, congratulations on grabbing a piece of history. It must be a great feeling, and a great sound. :D |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Congratulations |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | schroeder's right, (might want to mark this date down!) pound for pound there are more ways to die in Oz and thingies that want to kill you than anywhere else on the planet.
say, AJ...... y'give any thought to your estate? As far as where the gits should go?
Buddy.
Mate.
Pal.
Sport. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by fillhixx:
schroeder's right, (might want to mark this date down!) pound for pound there are more ways to die in Oz and thingies that want to kill you than anywhere else on the planet.
say, AJ...... y'give any thought to your estate? As far as where the gits should go?
. Time to let you all in on a little secret. Australia's perfectly safe. We just make up all that stuff about dangerous animals to keep the wimps out. Think about it, if salt water crocodiles were really dangerous, wouldn't there be video footage somewhere of someone being eaten by a croc? Go to far North Queensland and go for a swim anywhere* it's perfectly safe.
As for AJ's will, we don't allow foreigners or cats to be beneficiaries. It just gets too silly.
(*as long as "anywhere" is a public pool or 100 miles inland) |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Yeah, tell it to Steve Irwin.
....or Harold Holt for that matter.
(how many places could lose a Prime Minister and nobody heard about it?)
Not to mention the lovely collection of snakes (br rr rr) like the Inland Taipan |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | "...your creating one hell of an Ovation collection and in a record amount of time too..."
Yeah...Jim's doing...ok ;) |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | AJ, very cool! Hope you had a great visit to the states, you sure took home the ideal memento! It was great to meet you and Deb in Mt. Vernon. Thanks for the goody bag. How was Vegas? |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | David,
Vegas was great, the slots were not kind to me but the Slothead was.
We had the best time in the US, made an even richer experience by the opportunity to meet some of you guys.
Thanks to all.
I know it has been said before but this is the best guitar forum on the planet.
I was really hoping that I could have had the Slothead at the NW Jam but circumstances didn't allow that.
Y'all have an open invitation to visit "Down Under" anytime.
Thankyou Friends
AJ |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by AussieJames:
Y'all have an open invitation to visit "Down Under" anytime. The 'O' History book is in the mail.
Don't be surprised if it's in a 210lb shipping crate.... |
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| Originally posted by fillhixx:
Don't be surprised if it's in a 210lb shipping crate.... ...with airholes |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Who you calling an airhole!?! |
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| ...and it's outta the park! |
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Location: Brisbane Australia |    
Thought I'd add a couple of pics of #45's new home
AJ |
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Location: SoCal | Jim, you ever change the strings? Whatcha put on it and what kinda difference did it make? |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Not as yet Paul. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by Slipkid:
I wonder if the sound swirls around the bowl in the opposite direction down there. A wide-spread popular misconception. People confuse draining toilet/sink water with the action of the "Coriolis Effect" which does not act on sinks, tubs or toilets (or roundbacks) due to their short-lived time span and turbulent nature. |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by Slipkid:
I'm glad to hear the you have ended up with an original slothead. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Sure it coulda.......
Playing the two of them (James' slothead and the OFC slothead (ding!), they were very similar but there were differences. The trouble was that they didn't have the same strings on them. I thought about changing those on the original, but it wasn't my guitar. But they were very similar.
Having said that, the original was much cooler to look at and play just because it had 30 more years on it. The guitar had aged in a wonderful way. Like Dave said, an old pair of jeans, perfectly worn in with that "look" that you love.
I took a number of comparison pics. I'll either send them to somebody to post on the new page or I'll sit down and learn how to do it. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I would love to have an original; who wouldn't given the chance and the money: and I am very happy for AJ that he has one...I know that it will have a great home...
That said, I am happy to have my #47 RI: what a fabulous guitar. I (and everyone who has seen and heard it) just love it! Cliff is good natured in his put down of the RI's but he has that right! Personally, I think it is the premier guitar made by Kaman in the past 30 years! I feel blessed to own one; and #87: the last one made in the series at that! I am a happy guy!
Whooo Hooo! |
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Location: Atlanta, GA. | #45 looks to be acclimating to it's new surroundings very well. Then again, I guess anything is better than a bedroom closet.
The strings on it were the D'darrio's (sp?) the factory put on it when it went up for the "Slothead Reunion" in Sept '05. Although very little use on them, probably time for a change.
I'm glad you're enjoying it. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | AJ, I've got a sparkling new set of Adamas Silk and Steel extra lights if you'll let me have a play with Ol' 45. |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | I kick myself everyday for letting that one slip by... |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by MusicMishka:
I would love to have an original; who wouldn't given the chance and the money: Me. |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Muz, you don't count :D
How about coming down for Riverfire? Richard you too :)
AJ |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Riverfire sounds great. Is there parking near your place without taking out a second mortgage or are you walking distance from the busway station?
What time are you thinking? Enough time to get sore enough fingers that we'll appreciate a break to watch the fireworks would be great. SWMBO will have to miss out though, because she'll be overseas. |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Originally posted by AussieJames:
How about coming down for Riverfire? You're burning it already??? :eek:
I'm there! Do I need to bring my own lighter?
Tell me more about Riverfire, AJ, but lets not bore our foreign friends here. Lets take it to the Downunder group 'over there'. (I can't post the link coz I'm at work and 'ning' is a no-go area.) You still haven't joined the 4 of us in the Downunder group. (Schroeder is our 'honorary' aussie.) |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Don't let Muzz anywhere near that thing, he can't be trusted around broccoli.  |
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Slothead safely Downunder