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Location: Michigan | Can someone tell me what the differences were when the upgrade was made to the ADII?
Thanks |
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Posts: 256
Location: chicago | I am thinking its is either the stealth button or the op-pro is not on the 1769AD . Jeff |
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Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Hey Tim. Dunno about *when* but I bought a 1769 AD II in 2005. I have doubts about what the "upgrade" achieved. The axe is beautiful, but in terms of tone, range and volume no match for my old beater (1974 1117). |
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Location: SoCal | Dob, one of these days I have got to play your 1117. I've never been impresses with the VT bracing, but I'm prepared to change my mind when I play yours.... |
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Location: Indiana | Isn't the inlayed rosette one of the new ADII features? |
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November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | No, the inlayed rosette was on the AD also. I know the electronics are different but not sure what the difference is. I think I had read that the bracing was different? Anybody? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Original AD had Optima, ADII had OP-Pro. |
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Location: chicago | Wish mine had the optima! |
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Location: Chicago | Yeah, I wasn't getting results with the OP-Pro. When I retrofitted the OP-Studio it was MUCH better. Dunno about the bracing.
Also I should say that my bandmate Jeff is much more into his 1769 than I am mine. BUT he will never bring it to a gig, never. It's always the Elite. So he votes that way.
Moody: I suppose that 35 years of playing an axe will make a difference. In a way, it's not fair to a brand new box to compare it to something from the Nixon era!!! |
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Location: Texas | It would be interesting to hear an A/B of an AD and an ADII…
As for those old Legends, I picked up a beat-up old 1117, circa 1973, (yep, with VT bracing,) and I agree with Dobro, the sound is great, (even with my mediocre playing.) It's full, rich and "woody," it is exactly the sound that I think of as the Ovation "signature" sound.
An A/B of Legends with different bracings would be interesting, too… |
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Location: Michigan | standing,
I thought the 1117 was A braced:
http://www.ovationguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=974
As for the AD v. ADII the differences were cosmetic except for the electronics which has been noted in prior posts, this I just found out straight from the horses mouth. |
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Location: south east Michigan | You talked to Al DiMeola himself???
wow |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by twistedlim:
standing,
I thought the 1117 was A braced:
http://www.ovationguitars.com/?fa=detail&mid=974
As for the AD v. ADII the differences were cosmetic except for the electronics which has been noted in prior posts, this I just found out straight from the horses mouth.
You know a horse that can talk? Mr. Ed? |
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November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Originally posted by Slipkid:
You talked to Al DiMeola himself???
wow I knew you would be impressed Brad!
No I got an email from one of the other 2 helpers. |
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Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | Originally posted by twistedlim:
standing,
I thought the 1117 was A braced The Ovation site apparently lists the specs of the last version of the 1117's that they made. As Moody explained, the bracing "evolved" but the model number stayed the same. Mine is a 1973 version and it definitely has the older VT bracing (with an extra piece, possibly from a previous owner's preventative repair…)
I am actually delighted with the sound, that's why I would be curious to hear a side-by-side with an A-braced version to determine how much of an audible difference there really is between the bracing patterns on otherwise identical guitars…
…but I want Dobro to be the one playing the VT braced 1117… :) |
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Location: SoCal | The question is, who you gonna believe, the Ovation website, or me? While it strains credibility, believe me, not the site..... |
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Location: chicago | The ad11 has something done with the bracing to produce more low end.I will ask Al when he comes to my house to jam next time......Jeff |
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Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
The question is, who you gonna believe, the Ovation website, or me? While it strains credibility, believe me, not the site..... I believe, I believe. |
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Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | My '74 1117 Legend has a VT 11 bracing pattern for sure (I scoped it out with a mirror): 
You can hear the unplugged axe on "Lullaby" amidst my mp3s on my "OFC page" link below. It is a "raw" recording done unplugged with an AKG mic. |
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December 2008
Posts: 1456
Location: Texas | My 1973 1117 has the same bracing as Dobro's, except that mine has a mysterious extra piece of bracing, shown here in red:
The soundboard shows no indication of repair, I don't know what that extra piece is or who put it there. (Factory?/Luthier?/Leprechauns?) Anyway, I think it sounds great… Dobro's recording indicates a similar sound to mine. Rich, warm, loud, and even "woody"… that's my idea of the "Ovation" sound that I loved in the past and which brought me back to them when I started playing again…
…sorry, twistedlim, this has drifted a little from your original question about comparing AL D models… I would assume that all the Al D models have the same (A) bracing, so apparently only the electronics were "upgraded." |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | In the interest of full disclosure I suspect that my 1769 has a wiring problem: with the Op Studio I hear a persistent hum and the booster button does no work.
My assessment of the axe, in the first instance, was of the unplugged "raw" tone. I'm listening now to Al DiMeola Stanley Clarke and J. Luc-Ponty "Rite of Strings".... That is one of the BEST acoustic tones ever and it sure as hell ain't a late-model Al DiMeola signature. |
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1769AD v. 1769ADII