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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | A week or two ago I wrote to you all telling about the friend who was given a free Taylor. I wasn't much impressed with the guitar, but if you recall, I mentioned jokingly that I wished someone would give me an Adamas I. If you recall, Beal posted a one word response - "OK". I sent him a message saying, "Knock it off, you're scaring me." Long story short, Beal knows I have a hard time accepting expensive gifts and the like, but he also knew how badly I wanted it, so he phrased it in a way he knew I couldn't refuse. He said "Consider it a long-term loan."
It arrived yesterday. It is a 1587-7, made in New Hartford in 1984. An AMAZING guitar. Big bass, clear trebles and LOUD. Beautiful to look at. (I know, I know - pictures! I will get them to you as soon as I can.)
Last night I stayed up really late playing it. As easy as it is to play, my fingers are sore. To be honest, I started writing this post an hour ago but kept having to stop and go play it some more.
Beal, I have thanked you in a private message, now I want to thank you out loud. I have known you for over 30 years, and all I can say is, you are a wonderful person and your kindness is overwhelming. The day I went to work at Ovation changed my life, and it is still changing my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Fantastic Alison...you deserve it and welcome to the Adamas Owners Group...
Ovation has certainly changed many of our lives...
Beal, you really are first rate! |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Congrats on all counts!
Not bad for a guy that used to own a Gas Station and fed the bears off of his deck :D |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Kudos, congrats and good job all around!
Stories like this help me sleep a little better at night. (They also make me a little envious. ;) ) |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Alison I bet you can really make it sing.
What a great thing to do Beal. |
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Location: Newington, CT | Sigh -- I wish someone would give ME an Adamas I.
...
...
...
Just kidding!
Beautiful story! Grand and beautifil gesture! Faith-in-humanity-restoring story! |
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Location: south east Michigan | HCIT!?!
translation.... How Cool Is That!! |
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Location: South of most, North of few | I've got to say, the first time I met Beal, I was blown away by how approachable he is. For a guy who is such a great guitarist, and a big player in the Ovation history, yet he is always ready to talk to anyone and help out in any way he can. All BS aside, I am proud to know him. KUDOS!!! and congrats Allison! |
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Location: Vernon CT | I'm so happy for you Alison. That guitar will sing under your fingers!! As someone who has just recently had first hand knowledge of the giving spirit of this group, it makes me proud to know ALL of you! Once I get back to work, pay back a "loan", I have an Idea that has been inspired by the generosity here that I want to do. As they Say "Pay it Forward"! :) :cool: |
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Location: Tennessee | It's a wonderful life. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | If I recall correctly it was after Alison's post about want an Ad1, that she gave away a Fender to a kid who "really needed it". No good deed goes unpunished. |
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Location: Tuscany, Italy | Congrats Alison ..... and well done Beal :)
I like the happy ending ....
Riccardo |
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Location: Nashville TN. | Now....
where the pictures???? |
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Location: Indiana | Random acts of kindness make this hard world a little softer.
Way to be excellent to each other. |
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Location: Rego Park, NY, | WOW Very Nice Beal, Congrats Alison!! |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | Beal - awesome! And Alison - well deserved! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Nicely done.
This place really does foster incredible friendships. |
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Location: Utah | Nice job, Beal! Nobody is more deserving than Allison to get such a nice loan. |
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Location: Jet City | Congrats Alison! Couldn't have happened to a nicer person. |
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Location: Cincinnati | I continued to be amazed at the generosity of the people on this board. Congratulations to both of you. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Pretty Neat, Folks! :cool: |
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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I am never surprised by the generosity and caring spirit exhibited by the members of this board.
I don't have the time to belong to many "places" on-line, and this is the one I found first. And threads like this one are what keep me here--oh, sure, the info, the banter, the hive mind, the opportunity to cheer acquisitions gained and mourn those lost make life here interesting, but this is what makes it worth it. Why we log in and visit.
And...I'm going to get to play this baby at the Black Hills gathering next June. BBBIIIGGG grin!! :D :D :D
--Karen |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Thanks for all the kind words folks. I've been playing it all day, and I was wrong, it isn't a great guitar, it is far BETTER than great. Every time I put it down and then come back to it I literally start to shake. Some of the gang have been in and I've let them play it. Two of them put it down and said they didn't want to play it anymore because they will be dissatisfied with their guitars now.
Beal, I know you didn't do this to be a hero, but you are my hero anyway. I only have one complaint - I may never sleep again! Last night when I finally drifted off, it wasn't a very deep sleep. I saw and heard this beautiful thing all night, and when I got up I raced for the guitar instead of the coffee pot. I'm happy to the point of tears. I know a lot of you guys have said I deserve it, but NOBODY deserves to be THIS happy. I'm so wound up I'm almost ill! I'm gpoing to go play it some more, and I may leave that cook-out/jam session early tonight so I can go home and play on the porch. Tonight will be mostly bluegrass which I love, but this guitar was made for solo jazz. Gotta go play some more now... |
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Location: SoCal | Beal's an ok kinda guy.... |
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Location: CA | I wish someone would give me a million dollars.
And a Corvette. With an Adamas in it. |
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Location: SoCal | 1587-7. Acoustic electric, deep bowl, cutaway, beige. 2 knobber? Bass side sound holes only? Outie, not innie?
Bet it sounds great. Pictures please.... |
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Location: Simpsonville, SC | CBSprings....does that git have a slight GAS aroma to it?
Beal's an alright person ain't he, give 'em a little time in BM and he'll be talkin' like me! :eek:
ENJOY it CBS, I hope ya don't get any sleep for a good while now. ;) :cool: |
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Location: big island | what a wonderfully warm grin i am experiencing at this moment. i'm happy for both of you, beal and alison, and all of us who get to share in this glimpse into the way all of life should be. sweet! |
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| The Southern Samba boys just caught up with this thread, and all we can say is - YES! Alison, congrats, can't think of a more deserving person. Beal, nice! |
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Location: Central Massachusetts | Nicely done, and well deserved. Congrats! |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | 1587-7. Acoustic electric, deep bowl, cutaway, beige. 2 knobber? Bass side sound holes only? Outie, not innie?
Bet it sounds great. Pictures please....
Alison is busy playing...and I don't blame her at all...she'll get around to it...
Meanwhile, to satisfy the curious and GAS sufferers,here's one from Jerome's site: 1983 1587-7 from Jerome\'s Site
Take your time Alison! Enjoy! :D ;) |
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Location: Location Location Location | How heart warming. I've told several people about this. What do they call this? A random act of kindness? Wonderful. |
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Location: Flahdaw | What a great forum. What a great collection of people. Funny, generous, talented, knowledgeable. I'm fortunate to have found it.
Nice, Beal
And Alison, as Beal says....."play it" |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yes, it looks like the picture from Jerome's site, excet it does NOT have the two knbs. It looks kind of like the op24. Black controls on a chocolate brown background set up like this:
G
A O o low 600Hz 6KHz high
I eq
N 0 0 0 0
N
O
T O o
C tuner
H > 0 <
000000000000
The O's and o's and 0's are the knobs, and I couldn't get the sliders, but you get the idea.
My friend with the camera came in yesterday but didn't have the cord with to put them into my computer. Soon, I promise. |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
but you get the idea.
Well, actually, no. Or maybe. Is it one of these
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Pr%E9-amplis/Ovation%20Preamps.html
If so, then Beal upgraded somewhere along the line.... |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yeah, that's it, it's the Optima. And I've got the pics now so I'm going directly over to the ning site and post them now. Thanks Moody. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Originally posted by darkbarguitar:
What a great forum...Funny, generous, talented, knowledgeable... Db...pUH-leeze...stop...I'm blushing already...
Oh and enjoy it, Allison. Around this place, people are kinda famous for paying it forward...(very nice, Beal.) |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Bravo Beal. What a great gesture. Alison - you deserve it. Play that little sucker. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Beal,
NICE. :cool: |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Grand gesture to a Grand Lady!
Congrats to both of ya'll...
Now wear it out!  |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | That's the way I found that guitar in the basement. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | That's the way I found that guitar in the basement.
I hate it when that happens...lol :rolleyes: |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | I wish my basement was like Beal's. I never find any misplaced Adamii in mine. |
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Location: Nashville TN. | sniffle....
I do not even have a basement |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Well, it's not really a basement. More of a garage. |
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Location: SoCal | Bill,
Good job...you could have just faded away.
Yet, your support for the OFC, Ovation factory tours, Amelia get-togethers, Matt Smith chop shops, current and past employees, individual members of the OFC, questions ad nauseam, et al., have been invaluable.
All of us have benefited from your outreach. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Thanks, Alison's a special person and so was her father, now enough of the back patting and let's get back to how she likes the new guitar. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | OK, just a LITTLE more back patting. Beal, when you mentioned in your e-mail, the contributions my father made to the company, well, it meant more to me than recieving the guitar. You are honoring my father by doing this, and if anyone deserves honor it's my Dad. I'd like the members here to know a little more about him.
He went to work at "Kaman Aircraft" in the late 50's. He was a tool and die maker who never stopped going to school. While he had nothing to do with designing guitars, (that was Charlie, Beal, and the great Jim Rickard), once the guitar was designed, it was up to my Dad to find a practical and cost effective way to actually build it. Dad created the tools and machines that made it possible. He was proud of the guitar shop and the part he played in it. And the time I spent working there with him was a gift. I remember when I first started working there, two different ladies who didn't know who I was came up to me and told me that if I ever had any problems I should go ask "Swannie", because he was so smart, and the greatest guy. I said, "I know, he's been helping me all my life."
So thanks Beal, for honoring my Pops. |
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Location: big island | who could believe this thread would get any better? sweet! |
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Location: Las Vegas, NV | Beautiful! |
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Location: SoCal | So Alison, you've never said what work you did at the factory.... |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I love these personal history stories. Maybe it has something to do with aging.
When I was in Colorado a few weeks ago, I was having dinner with someone from Boise and we were talking guitars. I had just picked up Stephen's #47 and that led to a discussion of Ovations. The guy told me his father in law worked for Kaman and kept trying to get him to try Ovations, but he had an old Martin and never wanted to try those plastic backed guitars. Anyway, he tried the 47 and really liked it. I'll find out the father in law's name and get a little more history and see if it brings back any other fond memories for you. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Moody, I worked in quality control at the Moosup plant. Ron Holden was my supervisor, I was group leader, and Lance Deitz, Rob McCloud (who is still with Ovation), Glenn Doughty, Dave Orlomoski (who is a member here and still works for Ovation), John Berwald, and Joe Campbell rounded out the crew. A great bunch of people, and most of them are still my friends today. Oh, what good years they were! Changed my life and helped make me who I am today. |
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Location: New Hampshire | Beal what a fantastic thing you did, Allison congrats on the new guitar, I'm still in awe at how many people are on this board and almost daily you hear a story like this going on from all different members on this forum, I'm proud to be apart of this! |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by EricandSuebee:
almost daily you hear a story like this going on from all different members on this forum Then there are the countless special 'treasures' that fly below the radar. I know; I've been a fortunate and most grateful recipient more than a couple of times.
What makes this event SOOOO special is that it touches ALL of us that love and/or have an interest in the Kaman heritage and care for our 'family' members!
Just wonderful...  |
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Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | Wow, just think some of the members here could have actually worked on some or all of my old Ovations. How great is that?!
No wonder this place is so full of knowledge and great people.
Anita |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Very nice...are other guitar forums like this? I think not. |
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| Allison, it's true what they say: "What goes around comes around". From reading about what you have done for others, it's nice that someone (Beal) has done something nice for you.
Michelle |
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Location: SoCal | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
Moody, I worked in quality control at the Moosup plant. Ron Holden was my supervisor, I was group leader, and Lance Deitz, Rob McCloud (who is still with Ovation), Glenn Doughty, Dave Orlomoski (who is a member here and still works for Ovation), John Berwald, and Joe Campbell rounded out the crew. A great bunch of people, and most of them are still my friends today. Oh, what good years they were! Changed my life and helped make me who I am today. Joe Campbell? I know a professional guitar player here in CA named Joe Campbell. Probably not the same guy.... |
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Location: Corning, NY | class all the way around...nice. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | OK, I FINALLY got some pics up on my ning page. They're not the greatest, but I'll try to get down to Cascade Falls to get some with a nicer background this weekend.
I am LOVING this guitar! I bring it home every night and bring it back down to the shop with me every day. In the morning we have coffee together, during the day we jam with the gang. After hours I give guitar lessons with it, then we go home and play on the front porch 'til bedtime. Tomorrow night we will be playing at the Flatiron. I was going to take it down last week but I had just gotten it that afternoon and wanted some alone time with it.
I have a couple of nice little guitars - the Aria classical and the Yamaha beater.
I have four really good guitars - the old 1617 Legend, the 2077LX, the new Parlor guitar, and my Hamer.
I now have three GREAT guitars - the 2 Bean Blossom Gettysburgs, and now the Adamas.
Humbling. But I guess these are some of the rewards that come with age. Who cares about a little grey hair when you can play such great guitars? |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I agree completely!
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | HEHEHE...A guy from San Jose just stopped in the shop. I always ask people what they have for guitars. This guy got a smug look and said "I have a Taylor 6-string Leo Kottke". I showed him the Adamas. He was flabbergasted. Kept saying "Wow!" He'd play a little more and say "WOW!". Then he said "I like this even better than my Taylor." Didn't surprise me, but it sure did surprise him. I mentioned Lost Vintage Art, and he's going to be checking it out when he gets home from vacation. ;) :cool: :D |
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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I just LOVE the "Ovation Ambush." They never even see it coming. Figure something that unconventional-looking can't possibly be worth playing--until they get started. (I love to buy new ones just to take 'em to bluegrass so's our lead fiddler will try them; he's a great guitar player, too, and has a ton of guitars--but he just drools over my O's, especially the 1758 and the Parlor Princess.)
Nice job "bush-wacking," Ali. ;) :D
--Karen |
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Location: Right now? | Congratulations Alison, and God Bless Beal! |
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I'm blown away!!!