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Location: Yokohama, Japan | In a recent post in the "For Sale" forum, john bange posted a thread titled "2 shiny bowls" where he was attempting to sell his K1111 and 12-string sister to get an Adamas. In that thread, there were many comments made praising the K1111. Some comments suggested that getting rid of the K1111 to purchase an Adamii was not a good idea. That's pretty high praise indeed...got me wondering, which Os you all thought were equal to the task of an Adamas?
Of course, "guitar sound" preference is such a subjective thing...and please, please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to belittle Adamii or their owners, but I played a 1687 over 30 years ago, and it was such a magically resonant guitar...it was like it resonated into my soul. I've always wanted an Adamii, any Adamii since, but I know I'll never be able to afford one in my life time, but a K1111 (or the original 1111)...that sounds like a possibility! Kinda gives my GAS some direction and hope, lol!
I've also read in these posts somewhere that the 1778 Elite Ts were very close to Adamii. I sure would love to know your thoughts on this. Which O's do you think are equal to the task of an Adamas?
(Adamii owners: please go easy on me...) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Arumako; When I was commenting on selling the K-1111 to buy an Adamas I was not really comparing the sound or playability... I was speaking of Rarity. The K-1111 is a Rare Ovation.
I had a K-1111 and it sounded Nice.
Adamii sound Different, not necessarily better.
I just wanted to clarify... But I also want to see what others may say.
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Location: south east Michigan | IMHO, The Elite T's were a great value and a real sonic overachiever.... but let's not get all crazy and call them some kinda Adamas.
Edited by Slipkid 2014-11-07 9:15 PM
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Location: SoCal | They are all different guitars with different sounds. To some, an Adamas is THE sound that they love. For others, a wood topped Ovation does it. For the truly ignorant, it might be a Taylor.
I own an OFC I slothead Adamas. Great guitar. I'm glad I own it. But I also play an acoustic only A braced Legend, a 1537, and an 87C. They all get played. And every K1111 I have played has been steller. When you talk about one guitar being better than another, you're talking about what your ear is telling you. Different flavors of ice cream...... |
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Location: Flahdaw | immoody - 2014-11-08 12:14 AM
To some, an Adamas is THE sound that they love. For others, a wood topped Ovation does it. For the truly ignorant, it might be a Taylor.
Where does that put Conant lovers? |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | darkbarguitar - 2014-11-07 8:01 PM
Where does that put Conant lovers?
Lol! BobG, you talk about Conant guitars a lot. I'm beginning to wonder if you and DaveKell are alter egos of the same person?! Sorry, I just couldn't resist!
However, I've seen a lot of your super helpful YouTube guitar lesson videos, and would love to hear what your thoughts are on the Os and Adamii question.
Edited by arumako 2014-11-08 6:44 AM
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think a number of us were simply advising John to think twice before jumping. Which guitar he prefers is up to him. Just consider that you can buy an adamas any day of the week. But you may never see another K1111 again. Just a matter of rarity of one vs the other. Maybe that's a factor for John or maybe not. Up to him. |
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Location: Muenster/Germany | Adamas guitars are the best, but simply too expensive for the most of us. I mean those people who do not spent all their money on guitars instead of buying some food or clothing or other needless things...
I would say that a 1718 should match your nice collection. These guitars are to find quite often in good shape and not too expensive and you may really have the Adamas basic construction (offset soundholes, fan bracing), and a sound quite unlike the center soundhole OV´s. I loved to play a 1718 before I got the surprisingly chance to buy a real Adamas woodtop. Ok, the WT is a phantastic guitar, but the 1718 Elite is a real good one as well, I always loved it. Don´t get me wrong, but this guitar is in my eyes an Adamas at a budget.
You have a 1117, which should have a VT-Bracing. Another unique sounding guitar!. The second addition to your OV´s should be an A-braced one like the 1619, 1769, Anniversary or ´82 collector´s, I think then you have a good idea of how different Ovation guitars can be.
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Location: Utah | I've been fortunate enough to play a diverse variety of O's and A's, and I have owned a small variety myself. To start off I'll say that the workmanship and playability of every USA made O was up to the standards of any A. In a general way, the wood tops have a bit more zing or crispness to them, whereas the carbon fiber tops are a bit mellower. But the carbon fiber tops are noticeably more responsive to right hand technique and provide better clarity from string to string. When strumming a chord, the carbon fiber tops seem to make each string audible whereas the wood tops sort of blend them all together.
The very best sounding, to me, of all the guitars I've owned is the 1776 Patriot. It is an acoustic only A braced round hole deep fiberglass non-cutaway bowl from 1976. It has a full, deep, crisp, clear, and loud tone. Lots of character to the tone of this guitar, which has been played a lot by previous owners and by me.
The next best that I've owned was the 2007BCS Collector's Edition. Modern deep contour bowl, LX braced, LX neck, multi-hole epaulet cutaway, acoustic-electric. A slightly more refined and balanced tone than the Patriot. Plugged in, this guitar was superb but came in second also.
Third best is my Adamas 2080. Cutaway deep contour bowl. This guitar is just a tiny bit too mellow, which seems common in A's I've played. Not enough crispness or zing in the tone compared to the Patriot. But plugged in this guitar is hands down the winner of all the O's or A's I've ever owned. And when down tuned (currently one full step low) this guitar blows everything else away acoustically.
The very best of the very best O or A was an original slothead. It had it all acoustically. If I ever win the lottery I will be making offers to owners of original slotheads they can't refuse.
A few other Adamii were very good, but I didn't own them or compare them side to side with the Patriot or 2007BCS. They struck me as at least as good as my 2080, and one of them I liked better acoustically but not nearly as much plugged in.
I've played a number of guitars others rave about but to me were nothing exceptional. Some of these were very expensive and/or custom models, and they are very fine guitars but not my cup of tea.
I'd like to try a suspension ring version of the 2080. It might be just the perfect combination for my tastes.
I'm starting to believe that the saddle may be a very big player in the differences I've noticed, with the piezo assembly being a bit of a liability when not plugged in. To that end I'm experimenting with making different bone saddle configurations to drop into the piezo saddle.
Edited by FlySig 2014-11-08 9:59 AM
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Thanks for the great comments, and thanks for clarifying about the rarity of the K1111s. I figured that's what you all meant, but with so many folks owning both the Adamas and the Os on this forum, the question was just so intriguing to me. It seems that the consensus is "personal preference has to be the priority;" but after all is said and done, the Adamas seems to be the hands down 'superior' guitar (no offense to non-Adamas owners like myself). I thought that my 1687 Adamas experience was just a result of youthful exuberance; but alas, it was REAL! Adamas are expensive; but frankly, I've never heard of a dissatisfied Adamas owner.
DetlefMichel, my son has an "A" braced 1861 that sounds great, but my "X" braced 1861 seems to resonate a bit more freely. The super shallow bowls don't project, but they are so comfortable for me, sound great amplified and I can stand playing those things all night long without fatigue. I love my 1117 too. She's a canon. Right now, I really want a USA Elite. There's a cheap 1868 needing repair work that's up for auction over here in Japan; I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to do the repairs on her. If the 1868 sounds anywhere near as nice as my 1861, she'll be worth the trouble to repair. I'll definitely look out for the 1718s also...
FlySig, thanks for the knowledgeable and detailed comment, as usual! Thoroughly enjoyable read!
Thanks for the comments and advice!
Edited by arumako 2014-11-08 10:12 AM
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Maybe it doesn't mean anything, but I personally have known, or known of, a significant number of Ovation owners who sold their guitars to buy an Adamas. Not sure I can think of too many Adamas owners who sold theirs to buy an Ovation. The ratio is probably 200 to 1.
The other thing we tend to do is talk about Ovation and Adamas as though they are unique entities. They are just umbrellas like Chevy and Buick. Some Ovations are great, but a large number models truly suck. Same can be said of Adamas, I've played a few models that you would have to pay me to own.
Better off to speak of a specific model and your personal preference for it (or dislike of it) than to paint brand names with such broad brush.
Edited by Standingovation 2014-11-08 12:32 PM
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I wouldn't want to do without either. Generally speaking, an Adamas is loud with a lot of bass. And generally speaking, an O has that sweet wood ring to it that an Adamas lacks.
You would think tha an Adamas with its volume and bass would be perfect for bluegrass but I have gone to bluegrass jams with an Adamas and it just didn't sound right. An A-braced Legend however mixes perfectly with the other instruments.
Folk or blues sounds great on an Adamas. Jazz sounds great on either. Classical (yes, even on steel strings) sounds better on an Adamas.
Of course this is just my opinion, and I am talking about unplugged sound. Plugged in, they ALL sound good.
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Standingovation - 2014-11-08 2:28 AM
...The other thing we tend to do is talk about Ovation and Adamas as though they are unique entities. They are just umbrellas like Chevy and Buick. Some Ovations are great, but a large number models truly suck. Same can be said of Adamas, I've played a few models that you would have to pay me to own.
Your right Standingovation, I tend to think of Adamas as the Lexus and Os as the Camry. You just drive the Camry until you can finally afford the Lexus. I think the price and mystique of the Adamii make me feel that way, and I've just not had the experience playing Adamii (although I've heard a few of them - each one sounded stellar); but man, if anybody said they'd pay me to own ANY Adamii, I'm afraid I would jump at the opportunity!
CanterburyStrings - 2014-11-08 2:49 AM
I wouldn't want to do without either...
I guess that about says it all, CanterburyStrings. That's really interesting that Adamas didn't seem to work for bluegrass, but works well for blues, jazz and classical. But that makes a lot of sense. Different genre's of music would require different resonant characteristics in a guitar. I guess, I just need to stop thinking about getting that One ultimate guitar that "does it all" and "beats them all". Tends to be what happens when you're always on a tight budget, lol! My wife ain't gonna like it, but I've just gotta let the GAS flow... |
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Location: seattle, wa | I know, I know...I just love that Adamas
quote from Cheech and Chong...I plead insanity, i'm just crazy about that stuff
having said all that...the k1111 seems to be going nowhere |
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Os that surpass Adamii?
