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Location: Bluffton, SC | Ok, tho' most of you have seen and played the 1537 and know exactly what it's all about, here\'s pics of the one that's been brought back from the dead by the OFC and the Mothership. And apologies up front for the lousy pics - I just suck at photography. (Phil! Paging Phil!!) Sure, it's got some aging and opening up to do but she sounds pretty darn good right now and looks great. Those of you who are coming to the Tour will be able to spend some time with her if you like as well. Enjoy the pics and, once again, my sincere thanks to all of you. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | By the way, tried to get some shots of the Quintad bracing as well for those interested. |
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| Nothing ages a guitar, or a human being, like spending 6 months with me. Ship it immediately. |
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Location: closely held secret | Will it be possible to spend time with her without actually having to spend any time with you?
Just asking, you understand. In case anyone's curious... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Black bowl!?
It's feakin' gorgeous. |
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Location: Orlando, FL | Wow! Beautiful. They did an awesome job. It looks showroom new in the pics.
Congratulations! |
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Location: Lebanon, TN | That is a stunning restoration! |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I see from the one pic that the bowl is brown, but darker than other 1537's i've seen... or is this a trick of light?
whatever, it's freakin' gorgeous. |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Very nice!!! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Waeser, that's a pleaser :rolleyes: |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Congrats Wease! I just got my Adamas back from a complete restoration, and as in the case of your 1537, they changed a frog into a prince. I remember that one when it was up on the bay, and man, what a transformation. It used to look like a canoe paddle. ;) |
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Location: East Tennessee | At the bottom of the thumbnail section is says to "Report Inappropriate Content".
I think I'll send in a report that you have given a lot of people GAS from posting those pictures. :D
What a beautiful guitar. :cool: |
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Location: Tennessee | Very nice! It's hard to tell from the pics ... did they resurrect it with the floating fretboard? The smile on your face must be a mile wide. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Wow..
What a testament to what the factory can do. |
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Location: SoCal | Tell us again, what was done to this guitar? New top & bowl? New 2 knobber electronics? It's just beautiful. |
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Location: Australia | Beautiful guitar, how does she sound ? |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | New bowl and top, refinish and regloss the neck, head and fretboard, replace the bridge, new epaulets, 2 knobber electronics, strap buttons and tuning machines. Setup is absolutley perfect for me. Though it's tough to see in my pics, there is a slight float in the fretboard. Just enough in my opinion. Mr Bundy and his boys are incredible. The smile I have right now is a mile wide, Bob. I fell in love with that sound when I played yours at last year's Tour and knew I had to have one. I have not had ten free minutes where I haven't played it for five of them. Even Lady Weaser loves it!
...and yet the GAS meter barely moved... :eek: (because of the FD14, the Ute, Cliff's 54, Tom's Millenium, hell, even Tup's uke tickled me last year! And this year is bound to kill me but I'm going anyway.) |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | She sounds great to my feeble ears, richard, but I've played the 47 and there are very few guitars that I've ever heard that reach that level. Hope you're enjoying that one as much as I'm enjoying this! |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Looks sweet Wease! For another 50 Cents I could recreate the name carved into the binding!
You realize that you have the first 1537 Reissue don't you?
Enjoy |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | I am, Mr. Woody. Every day. |
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Location: Houston, Texas | It sure looks good Wease, but I've got a couple of questions. Is that a red color in the plys of the binding? I think you've already stated that there is no laminate in the upper third of the top. The bracing looks really close to original and the bowl looks very good as well.
The only real difference that I can see from the original are the strap-locks and possibly the binding, with the top being slightly different (without the laminate). It looks like a plastic nut, mine has a bone nut (which I think is original, but I'm not sure). It would be really interesting to see how it compares side by side with an original.
All in all, a very amazing transformation from what it was. I hope it measures up soundwise.
Does anyone know for sure whether bone nuts were standard on all the originals, or could mine have been added at a later time? Mine does have a plastic saddle. |
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Location: Houston, Texas | Originally posted by MWoody:
You realize that you have the first 1537 Reissue don't you?
I almost said the same thing. I'm not sure whether Ovation would ever consider reissuing this model, but if they have, I bet alot of minds were studying this refurbishment. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | That is a red line in the binding, Rick, and I've already wondered what a bone would do for this guitar. I'd be very interested in hearing thoughts on that because I've heard bone does amazing things on nice guitars.
Did the orignal have a laminated top? I wasn't aware of that. The strap locks are not original (good eye). The factory guys sent it back to me with the originals, which I have kept, but with everything else being newly polished gold (the tuners and the electronics), it looked odd to my eye to have locks that weren't as clean and shiny. I'll keep the originals intact but the factory was good enough to send me new as well so the new ones'll stay on for now. |
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Location: SoCal | Elites have always had a solid top.
So bone does amazing things on nice guitars? I don't know about that but I do know that every time I pick up my 1537 I get a .... no, sorry about that.. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Don't make us call Brad, Paul... |
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Location: CT | So in other words it's a whole new guitar...except for the neck? Wow. Anyway, it's beautiful. I was looking at these in the catalog in '83 when trying to decide what to buy, but it was a little to unconventional for me at the time. I got the Custom Legend instead, and sometimes wish I didn't. I think the Elite was like 60 bucks more at the time. Maybe some day... |
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Location: SoCal | Nothing wrong with that "whole new guitar except the neck" concept. I just had the same thing done to my 1969 GC 12 string. The only part of that guitar worth keeping was the neck. Now that neck has a whole new A braced body and gets played an awful lot. And I still love that neck.... Every time I play it it gives me a ..... no, wait a minute.... can't say that.... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ... callous? |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | It'd be interesting to know the cost breakdown of a new Ovation. Like, how much is the neck and how much is the body? And didn't they put in new electrics as well?
If the mothership replaces the bodies so readily (as supported by other similar threads) I'd hazard a guess that the neck must be the major cost? |
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Location: Houston, Texas | Originally posted by Weaser P:
Did the orignal have a laminated top? It is a solid top with the upper third (the area under the epaulets from near the waist up to the neck) having what appears to be a tapered (in thickness) laminated piece glued to the bottom of the solid top. Or at least that's how it appears to me.
It's an interesting design and I can only assume its done to alter the frequency response of the top. Probably to increase higher freqeuncies near the epaulets or perhaps to lessen dampening of the lower frequencies near the bottom. Whatever the reason it certainly seems unique.
I'm still not sure whether the bone nut was original, it looks original, but how much of a difference it makes I could not say since I've never replaced the nut on any of my guitars to have a before and after comparison.
I'm really happy with the 1537, its a very elegant looking, very nicely voiced guitar. |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Is that a touch of Bear Claw at the bottom of that top? |
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Location: GA USA | Here's my favorite Weaser quote from "the auction" thread...
Originally posted by Weaser P:
Very nice, Capt. And nice cause, Woody. You guys have got me looking around for anything to throw in the pot but all I've found so far is a wooden round back... :rolleyes: Wouldn't it have been great if he'd ended up buying or selling something to help out a brutha? |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Irony is so ironic... :D |
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Location: big island | gorgeous, weaser. i am impressed that a major guitar maker goes to the lengths that ovation does in refurbishing guitars. they really seem to care about the folks that play their instruments. guess you'll be keeping this one awhile! |
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Location: Rego Park, NY, | Bill,
The pictures that you took are great. I have been testing different exposure settings so that people and their guitars will look better. Hopefully I can get it right by the tour.
Congrats again on the guitar.
Phil |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | Very nice guitar indeed Weaser. Congratulations! Unless something out of the ordinary happens, I will be at the tour again this year ... I'll see you there! :) |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Hey Weaser!
You need to update the registry at Dave's place or ownership returns to me!!!!! :rolleyes: |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Will do. Tried to at one point but I think the registry may have gotten a little confused when I put a duplicate number in. Either that or it figured it had to be useless spam when it connected me with a 1537. :rolleyes:
Either way, I'll pm Tup to get the record straight.
(And looking forward to seeing you as well, Gil!) |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Thanks, Dave!
Didn't even have to pm him - man, he really has no life! |
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Finally! Ressurected 1537 Pics