|
|
Joined:
July 2010
Posts: 83
Location: Urbana, IL | ..I bought an Adamas and I might have never bought an Adamas if Ovation didn't finally offer smooth tops.
I've owned a few different brands of acoustic over the years (Yamaha, Alvarez, Guild) and a few Ovations (3 including a Balladeer, Elite and '91 Collectors) but I never bonded with any of them as I have with my W597. I've never played a more dynamic and responsive guitar in my life. Other Ovations have played just as well but I've found a wood top that sang like the top of an Adamas.
I take a bit of ribbing my my guitar playing friends, both in RL and OL, for playing a guitar that's "not made of wood" but I pay them no heed because in the end, all the matters is that I get the sound I hear in my head, the sound that inspires me to play. The W597, and now its brother-in-arms the W598, is the only guitar that ever really did that. Every note and every chord seems to burst forth from the guitar like it's just been waiting forever to be released and heard by one and all.
Anyway, I really love my Adamas guitars and I'm glad to have found others who understand and appreciate the beauty of these guitars. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Nicely said, Matt! The Adamas guitars truly ARE in a class by themselves. In a really good way! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Matt_B:
I take a bit of ribbing my my guitar playing friends, ......but I pay them no heed because in the end, all the matters is that I get the sound I hear in my head, the sound that inspires me to play.
BINGO!
That says it all whether it is wood or lyrachord whether $5 or $5000.
Glad you have found guitar nirvana. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | You'll not hear much dissent from this crowd. Consider us part of the choir. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2010
Posts: 83
Location: Urbana, IL | Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
You'll not hear much dissent from this crowd. Consider us part of the choir. That's why I joined up. ;) I'm all for folks having different opinions on what sounds good and not but some acoustic players are all too eager to voice their dissent about "plastic" guitars. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 715
| Originally posted by Matt_B:
Originally posted by ProfessorBB:
You'll not hear much dissent from this crowd. Consider us part of the choir. That's why I joined up. ;) I'm all for folks having different opinions on what sounds good and not but some acoustic players are all too eager to voice their dissent about "plastic" guitars.
I've played a Melissa Etheridge Adamas. It is a nice guitar, and I can see why you would fall in love with an Adamas guitar!
Some of the acoustic players who rag "plastic" guitars probably have never played one.
Michelle |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I had a guy in here yesterday whose wife thought Karen's Patriot was pretty. I heard him say, no, those are plastic. So I took it down and strummed a few chords. Then I picked up an Adamas. The guy said "I know they sound really good, and I know they are easy to play, but I like wood better." Doesn't make a bit of sense to me. They are pretty, they sound good, and are easy to play, but this guy's prejudice would have him playing a guitar that is NOT as pretty, DOESN'T sound as good, and ISN'T as easy to play. He deserves whatever he has I guess. (Probably a Samick or something.) Talk about letting "what others think" run your life! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15677
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
The guy said "I know they sound really good, and I know they are easy to play, but I like wood better." Doesn't make a bit of sense to me. They are pretty, they sound good, and are easy to play, but this guy's prejudice would have him playing a guitar that is NOT as pretty, DOESN'T sound as good, and ISN'T as easy to play. He deserves whatever he has I guess. (Probably a Samick or something.) Talk about letting "what others think" run your life! The guy didn't say that they sound better than wood guitars, just that they sound good. Some people will think that all wood guitars sound better. All the more power to them.
I've played lots of all wood guitars that I thought were steller. But I play the guitars that are right for me.
Lots of different guitars out there. Lots of different flavors of ice cream. Don't be narrow minded in favor of roundbacks. That's as bad as the other way..... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I think it's good that there's a wide variety of guitar types and materials available. Something for everybody, as they say.
Moody brings up a good point. As Ovation fans we can tend to be as biased and narrow minded as fans of other brands. There was a stretch of several decades where I would not even CONSIDER a guitar if it wasn't an ovation. Looking in the mirror, you could say that I was as closed minded as the fellow who would not even TRY an ovation because he hated the idea of a plastic bowl. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | I have a couple of wood guitars that I love, plus a few that I like a lot. I just hate seeing people close their minds to something the way this guy did. He even admitted that Ovation has the best electronics. It was just the plastic that he couldn't get over, and I could tell from the way he talked that it was the opinions of his friends that kept him from buying one. Oh well, more for me... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I grew up around Gibsons and Martins. I've got 8 Gibsons or so, and in fact I'm a mod on the Gibson forum. I have expensive guitars and I have cheap guitars and I have just as much fun on one as the other. Doesn't matter it's pedigree as long as it gets used. I have no use for cork sniffers who don't play their instruments. In fact I visited the Gibson acoustic factory in 2007 and one thing that stuck with me was said by a member of upper management. He said "We don't want our guitars to be hothouse flowers; we want you to play the living ___ out of them and enjoy them." True words regardless of where it was made or what it cost.
I do spend some time defending roundbacks over there but I don't get much more than truly good natured ribbing. The occasional reference to salad bowls or boat paddles. Hey, at least I don't worry about running a humidifier around my Academies.
I've accumulated 12 Ovation products over the past year, mainly because they went cheap on ebay and I jumped on them. I did have a 1990 1719-1 once but it got purged along with many others when I bought a J200. It was a fine guitar. I think it went to Spain.
I will have no issue tonight alternating between a random Applause, a Martin M-38, a $100 Seagull, or an oddball USSR acoustic. I love them all. If I can make music on it, it's a good guitar. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by ksdaddy:
I will have no issue tonight alternating between a random Applause, a Martin M-38, a $100 Seagull, or an oddball USSR acoustic. I love them all. If I can make music on it, it's a good guitar. Perfect. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2010
Posts: 83
Location: Urbana, IL | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
As Ovation fans we can tend to be as biased and narrow minded as fans of other brands. There was a stretch of several decades where I would not even CONSIDER a guitar if it wasn't an ovation. Looking in the mirror, you could say that I was as closed minded as the fellow who would not even TRY an ovation because he hated the idea of a plastic bowl. I am that way right now and I have no problem with that. I've owned and tried many, many different brands but Ovations, particularly the Adamas, are the be-all end-all for me. I will try any guitar that strikes my fancy but based upon the features I like in an acoustic guitar, I have yet to find any other manufacturer offering what I want.
To me, there's a difference between between closed-minded and being happy with what you have. I'm happy to not be on an acoustic tone-quest any more. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 715
| Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
I have a couple of wood guitars that I love, plus a few that I like a lot. I just hate seeing people close their minds to something the way this guy did. He even admitted that Ovation has the best electronics. It was just the plastic that he couldn't get over, and I could tell from the way he talked that it was the opinions of his friends that kept him from buying one. Oh well, more for me... Well, Allison, at least you tried to get him to see differently. Contrast that to when I went to an authorized Ovation dealer, only to have a Taylor salesman trash Ovations!
I get a lot of ribbing on another forum for my love of Ovations, but deep down inside, those people really respect Ovations. Ovations just don't happen to be their preferred guitar at the moment, and I have to accept that.
Michelle |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | If someone wants to trumpet the cause of wood guitars on the basis of aesthetics or tradition... I won't argue their point.
But from a strictly commonsense, technological view... there is no comparison.
If you could get a Adamas with a graphite neck, using the exact same design... everyone else could stop making guitars right then and there, because that would be as good as it could get!!
It would be beautiful, sound angelic and be indestructible.
Personally, it makes me happy there are so many ill-informed guitar buyers out there. With Ovation's reluctance to push their top of the range guitars (beyond boutique status...), all these 'wood guys' just leave more O's for the rest of us...
;) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Originally posted by Avatar4550:
If you could get a Adamas with a graphite neck, using the exact same design... everyone else could stop making guitars right then and there, because that would be as good as it could get!!
It would be beautiful, sound angelic and be indestructible. Did someone say "Adamas Q"? Never had a chance to try one. Would like to. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Exactly. The Q is just what you described. Unfortunatley there didn't seem to be a market for a $7000. adamas and the project got scrapped. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Didn't seem to be a market for the CA's either as they went by the wayside. All carbon fiber including the neck and pretty well indestructible. The Adamas does sound better though, even with a wood neck, (that is as stable as carbon fiber from what I've seen).
Oh, and welcome Matt, glad to see you finally made it over here. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
Unfortunatley there didn't seem to be a market for a $7000. adamas and the project got scrapped. No market? I figured you guys would each have one (some maybe more than one...)?
All kidding aside... did they ever build any? Are there any pics? Would love to see one (almost like seeing a real, live unicorn).
:D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609
Location: Colorado | Yep they exist...even played one for a weekend....thanks unca' beal |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | They built a hand full of protos. Very nice instruments, probably the only ovation I would consider buying these days. Do a search, there's photos on NING. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | And the July calendar page. Nice shots btw, Beal. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| FYI: Q #10
 |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Well said, ksdaddy. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 4232
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | I really hope to try one of the Q's some day. |
|
| |
I never loved playing acoustic until....
