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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | This was from user Randy's original message to us back in February of 2016. "I have had my guitar for about 24 years. I did not purchase it from a dealer but from a fellow that was selling it on his own. He told me it is a preproduction Adamas. The paper inside the body is signed by Charles Kamen and has these numbers MN 1689-8 and SN 0028-96. It also says Adamas by Ovation. It is acoustic electric. full body and round back. Blue front with a dark brown (black?) back that has glitter in it. I am trying to find out more on the history of the guitar. The story from the person I bought it from was that Ovation gave it to Cat Stevens to evaluate. When he got religion , he gave up his earthly possessions and returned it to Ovation and this person bought it from one of the Ovation reps. I can't seem to find the MN on any of the lists but that and the low SN makes me think it might actually be a preproduction guitar. Does anyone have any info that might help me out? Thanks Randy" I reached out to Randy and while he lurks, he doesn't post, but has given me permission to post the following information.
I will also combine the other threads so all of the info is in one place. From the current owner: (as of June 20, 2016) The history of the guitar as I know it is that I purchased it at a flea market near UCLA in West Los Angeles in 1993 and have owned it since. There is a scratch on the back as result of the Northridge earthquake (6.7) in 1994 when a wall clock flew off the wall striking the guitar which was in a stand. The scratch is on the back - thin about 2 inches. I thought about repairing it but didn't as it is part of the history of the piece and a repair might be difficult due to the uniqueness of the guitars brown/copper glitter material. It has the original case and a brochure introducing the model.
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| I have had my guitar for about 24 years. I did not purchase it from a dealer but from a fellow that was selling it on his own. He told me it is a preproduction Adamas. The paper inside the body is signed by Charles Kamen and has these numbers MN 1689-8 and SN 0028-96. It also says Adamas by Ovation. It is acoustic electric. full body and round back. Blue front with a dark brown (black?) back that has glitter in it.
I am trying to find out more on the history of the guitar. The story from the person I bought it from was that Ovation gave it to Cat Stevens to evaluate. When he got religion , he gave up his earthly possessions and returned it to Ovation and this person bought it from one of the Ovation reps.
I can't seem to find the MN on any of the lists but that and the low SN makes me think it might actually be a preproduction guitar.
Does anyone have any info that might help me out?
Thanks
Randy |
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| I forgot to mention that the head has 2 four inch slots up where the strings connect.
Randy |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Do you have a picture you could post a link to? That would help with identification.
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Beal - 2016-02-15 6:03 PM
First, it is not preproduction. It is the first production.
Cat Stevens may have been given the guitar, I can't find my list of the first ones and it doesn't seem to be posted here in the FAQ. His guitar was stolen and another was made for him. It was originally supposed to come back to me when Cat was done with that part of his tour. But it didn't. I would appreciate it if you could send it back. We could work out some sort of arrangement, I'm surè. I would have posted this on the intro page but I guess I can't.
Randy, I copied this from another section to be sure that you see this.
"Beal" is CW "Bill" Kaman II
Edited by Old Man Arthur 2016-02-15 8:38 PM
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Location: Jet City | Randy, feel free to join in on the main forum. Only a few people can respond to you here in the welcome center.
Your status is updated. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Once you post again, I'll combine the two threads. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | First, it is not preproduction. It is the first production.
Cat Stevens may have been given the guitar, I can't find my list of the first ones and it doesn't seem to be posted here in the FAQ. His guitar was stolen and another was made for him. It was originally supposed to come back to me when Cat was done with that part of his tour. But it didn't. I would appreciate it if you could send it back. We could work out some sort of arrangement, I'm surè. I would have posted this on the intro page but I guess I can't. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Bill,
There's a list in the Reference and FAQ section under The Elusive Slothead. It shows #28 and 56 going to Cat. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I thought that it was his and thats the one that was stolen 56 is the only -9 that was made in the original 34. |
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Location: Jet City | The list says 28 went to him after 56.
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Location: 6 String Ranch | So...... The only person who might have the slightest interest in this guitar is the cat man and that is highly unlikely. So share the story, how long have you had it? Where you got it and where they got it from and who that person got it from. Glen Campbell had a bluebird stolen once. I think a member here wound up with it. Turns out this guy stole it from the Boston gig Glen was playing and Glen was pissed for loosing what was in the case pocket. We got a different guitar and he played that, the night he played with Aurthur Fiedler and the Boston pops. Anyway this guys girlfriend steels it from him and a few years later contacts us to have some work done on it. I say sure we'll look at it cause it was Glen's and she gets weird and it disappears again for a few more years. In the end I think our Canadian brother got it. Don't know if he still has it or if that is the one AJ has.
See? Isn't it cooler to know the whole story? And I'm surè I've got pieces of that one wrong or incomplete. One of you moderators approve this guy so he can talk here.
Edited by Beal 2016-02-16 8:26 AM
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Location: Tennessee | I'd love to hear the story surrounding this guitar. It's great that it's surfacing again.
Who knows, maybe Yusuf would like to see it again. He's been back to the music thing as of late. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | It has been way to many years. Useless has no rights to it anymore |
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Location: Indiana | Amazing someone owns a "holy grail" slothead and doesn't know what they have. Amazing. |
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Location: Texas | "Useless has no rights to it anymore" Yep, just ask Frampton. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Yes there is that but he didn't go looking for it, they brought it to him, as I heard the story. |
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Location: Canada | jay - 2016-02-16 9:51 PM "Useless has no rights to it anymore" Yep, just ask Frampton. Please elaborate for us non-insiders. It seems the OP has disappeared. |
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Location: SW Mintsoda | d'ovation - 2016-02-18 10:27 AM
jay - 2016-02-16 9:51 PM "Useless has no rights to it anymore" Yep, just ask Frampton. Please elaborate for us non-insiders. It seems the OP has disappeared.
Frampton's famous and beloved Les Paul Custom was lost in a plane crash (somewhere in South America?). Some 20-30 years later, it turns up - someone found it - it wasn't destroyed when the plane crashed as originally thought.
So after all these years, he has his guitar back, and plays it again regularly on tour (in rotation with several others). I saw his "Frampton's Guitar Circus" tour about two years ago; great show. I actually NEVER owned his Frampton Comes Alive album (one of the best selling of all time), but I really loved his live show, and have picked up his recent live CD/DVD - it's worth seeing if you get the chance. [The other guitarists on this leg of the tour were B.B. King - who opened and played about 4 tunes - and Larry Carlton and Rick Nielsen/of Cheap Trick fame.]
Edited by 360Ovation 2016-02-18 12:18 PM
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Location: Texas | Beal...that would be accurate... D'... Frampton lost the guitar when the cargo plane it was on, crashed in Venezuela. Frampton had figured it was gone and around 2010 received a call from a guy in Venezuela that reconized the guitar, when the "owner" brought it into his shop and at some point, became willing to part with it. It took a couple of years to arrange for the return of the guitar...part of that time was getting the guitar bought through channels and Gibson flying out there to authenticate the guitar, etc. Needless to say, after 30 some years, once it got back to Frampton, it went to the custom shop and now he tours with it again. There is a lot more to the story...but that is it in a nutshell. Maybe it wasn't the greatest comparison...lol.
Edited by jay 2016-02-18 7:13 PM
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Location: Colorado | C'mon man tell the story...tell what you know for sure...and also tell us what you've "heard" Pics? Heck - I'd love to see what became of the one brown one...a unique one among unique guitarrs |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Beal - 2016-02-16 8:25 AM
So...... The only person who might have the slightest interest in this guitar is the cat man and that is highly unlikely. So share the story, how long have you had it? Where you got it and where they got it from and who that person got it from. Glen Campbell had a bluebird stolen once. I think a member here wound up with it. Turns out this guy stole it from the Boston gig Glen was playing and Glen was pissed for loosing what was in the case pocket. We got a different guitar and he played that, the night he played with Aurthur Fiedler and the Boston pops. Anyway this guys girlfriend steels it from him and a few years later contacts us to have some work done on it. I say sure we'll look at it cause it was Glen's and she gets weird and it disappears again for a few more years. In the end I think our Canadian brother got it. Don't know if he still has it or if that is the one AJ has.
See? Isn't it cooler to know the whole story? And I'm surè I've got pieces of that one wrong or incomplete. One of you moderators approve this guy so he can talk here.
And now we have... the rest of the story!
I had heard that one of Glen's Bluebird 6's had been stolen at the Boston Pops shows but wasn't it one that had the headstock painted like the body? There is a YouTube video of Glen playing one like that from around that time.
I would love to hear more about this slothead. Come back, Randy!
Wayne |
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Location: Texas | OK...i gotta ask... "losing what was in the case pocket. " What was in the case pocket? |
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Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Dunno, but I'm gonna go check my two BB case pockets right now!
Edited by Bluebird 2016-02-25 6:38 PM
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Location: Jet City | Willie knows what goes in the case pocket
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Location: Texas | I thought it was all the little pieces off his soundboard. |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | Good Grief that is Beautiful!
That is tantamount to owning a John Denver Adamas! (I know, I know)
Amazing!!! I hope that Randy posts more about it, and more pictures, this is an Incredible piece of Music History and Ovation History!
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Location: 6 String Ranch | that was Glen's Bluebird that was stolen out of Boston that had those "little pieces of the fingerboard" in the case pocket |
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