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Joined:
March 2018
Posts: 9
Location: Melbourne, Australia | I really like the tone on this Adamas 1681
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o7qWxw4qug
Do any experts here know what year this might be from from eye-balling it?
Also, can someone let me know what the difference is between the 1681-7, 1681-8, 1681-9 are? I assume they denote year of release?
Many thanks
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6197
Location: Phoenix AZ | Sentionaut - 2018-09-18 12:21 AM
Also, can someone let me know what the difference is between the 1681-7, 1681-8, 1681-9 are? I assume they denote year of release?
COLOR. -2 Red, -5 Black, -7 Beige, -8 Blue, -9 Brown | |
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Joined:
May 2011
Posts: 755
Location: Muenster/Germany | I can not see the preamp exactly (appears to be the optima preamp), I would guess it´s from the early 90´s. | |
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Joined:
March 2018
Posts: 9
Location: Melbourne, Australia | aah, duh of course that makes sense that the numbers correspond to colors. I didnt even think of it.
Is there a general consensus on what era Adamas are best? I have read a few comments that people say the early 80s models were the pick of them, but one would think with the progress in technology over the years the later models might be more consistent or built to a better standard?
Edited by Sentionaut 2018-09-18 7:02 PM
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Posts: 755
Location: Muenster/Germany | Sentionaut - 2018-09-19 2:01 AM
Is there a general consensus on what era Adamas are best?
I don´t think so.
I have and had old and new Adamas guitars. The old ones are built tank-like, but IMHO deliver a wonderful sound with all you need, I say, these guitars ring like a bell but are a wee bit inert with longer sustain than the new ones.
The newer models are very much lighter and somehow much easier to handle and to play. The lighter construction makes them "quicker" in sound, they even can be "funky", I prefer them e.g. for fingerpicking.
The old guitars have a quite hefty neck with a decent D shape, the newer tend to a more or less V and they are little thinner. As mentioned above, the new ones are easier to play (except if you use barée chords quite often).
Some of the new ones have set necks, I prefer bolt-on necks in case of maintanance, if needed.
The Ovation preamps have always been good to handle and work perfectly. Very good was the OPTIMA preamp from the 90´s with the built-in tuner and notch filter, and I still love the simple but effective OP24, too, which is found on older models. The VIP preamp delivers really surprising, very "acoustic" sounds.
But modern amps have all these high-tech equalizers, sometimes I don´t understand why this has to be mounted on the guitar.
The old "2-knobber" with only volume and tone knobs was so wonderful easy to handle, maybe less can be more? I´m sure that there will not be a common sense about that, too.
I must say that I´m glad to own both of these worlds. I highly appreciate the airiness and versatility of my 2008 Adamas as a "take everywhere"-guitar, and I would never want to do without the fundamental sound of my "heavyweight champion", the 90´s 1688 12 string. I have a 1997 made shallow-bowl 12 string Adamas which turned out to be one of the best fingerpicking guitars and my early 90´s 1687 has a bit of all of them.
I can say that a guitar player´s existence is poorer without an Adamas.
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Joined:
March 2018
Posts: 9
Location: Melbourne, Australia | Hi, thanks for the detailed reply, I really appreciate it.
DetlefMichel - 2018-09-19 4:14 AM
I say, these guitars ring like a bell but are a wee bit inert with longer sustain than the new ones.
Can you expand a bit on the older models being inert? Is that to say lifeless compared to newer models?
DetlefMichel - 2018-09-19 4:14 AM
The old guitars have a quite hefty neck with a decent D shape, the newer tend to a more or less V and they are little thinner. As mentioned above, the new ones are easier to play (except if you use barée chords quite often).
I actually do play a bit with barre chords, and I do also prefer a D shape neck to a V, so I am leaning somwhat towards an older model now.
DetlefMichel - 2018-09-19 4:14 AM
The old "2-knobber" with only volume and tone knobs was so wonderful easy to handle, maybe less can be more? I´m sure that there will not be a common sense about that, too.
I like the idea of a simple setup as well.
Have you had the chance to play any very early 80s models that had a rosewood / mahogany necks?
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Posts: 755
Location: Muenster/Germany | Inert...it´s very hard to explain what I feel about the sound of a guitar in a foreign language.
There are guitars with a tremendous tone, but it takes these few milliseconds more to build it than on others. I have a very old 1658 custom legend 12string. I f you play it, the notes "jump" out of the guitar, it feels like a 6-string with a small body.And I have an early 90´s 1759 custom legend 12 string. The guitar appears to be only half as loud with less midrange, but if you play it, you will have clearer definitions of single notes within a chord and an endless sustainnnnnn. Thus you will choose to play abolutely different music on these guitars.
It´s similar to the difference between a Martin D28 and a Martin D45, the D28 has it all but the D45 is definetely faster, easier to handle and has that bit of more tone, still my favourite guitar.
Now let´s talk about Adamas. I must say that I have more experiences with the Adamas I.
The old ones are not so fast but they sound more fundamental. My new ones are simply quicker, the sound seems to have gone through an EQ with more high and low frequencies but with less midrange. There are structural differences although these guitars seem to look alike from outside. The older bowls are on the heavy side and the newer have a different mounted top. I had 3 older Adamas I but had to sell them for some reasons. The best was a 2-knobber from 1982.Now I have a (relatively) newer (1992) and I must say If I had the chance to choose I would prefer the old one. Astonishingly my old Adamas worked much better with lighter strings than my new one.
Except my 2008 collector, this is the easiest playable guitar I ever had. I use strings with exteme low tension on this one.
I can say that I´m very glad that I am in the blessed state to own 4 of these extraordinary guitars. It took years to get them.
Edited by DetlefMichel 2018-09-21 4:26 AM
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Posts: 848
Location: Canada | DetlefMichel - 2018-09-21 4:23 AM Now let´s talk about Adamas. I must say that I have more experiences with the Adamas I. The old ones are not so fast but they sound more fundamental. My new ones are simply quicker, the sound seems to have gone through an EQ with more high and low frequencies but with less midrange. There are structural differences although these guitars seem to look alike from outside. The older bowls are on the heavy side and the newer have a different mounted top. Detlef, you have me totally confused with your newer and older distinction. I only have a 2006 or 2007 Adamas I (1687) RI so is that "older" or "newer"? It certainly feels very heavy and substantial, more than any other of my guitars, including my 12 string Legend LX which is about the same age. It also most definitely has the longest and most impressive sustain of any guitar I have ever played. | |
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Joined:
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Posts: 755
Location: Muenster/Germany | d'ovation - 2018-09-22 12:23 AM
Detlef, you have me totally confused with your newer and older distinction. I only have a 2006 or 2007 Adamas I (1687) RI so is that "older" or "newer"? It certainly feels very heavy and substantial, more than any other of my guitars, including my 12 string Legend LX which is about the same age. It also most definitely has the longest and most impressive sustain of any guitar I have ever played.
Ha, ha, sorry, older Adamas for me are ca. before 1980, newer about 1990, new about 2000 and later. Maybe I should have made 3 categories.
I only have experiences with Adamas guitars from 1979,1980,1982,1992,1997,2003 and 2008.
And one Adamas WT, forgot the year.
I only wanted to describe what I felt about these guitars and that they are in fact a little different.
(Why not, my 1992 Mercedes is totally different from the cars today. It opens and starts with a simple key....no smartphone needed for driving).
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Joined:
March 2018
Posts: 9
Location: Melbourne, Australia | Thanks for the comments, I am now leaning towards a newer 1581, around the 30th reissue era.
As a side note, does anyone know what woods are on the sound holes of a mid 2000 1581? | |
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Anyone hazard a guess what year this 1681 is?