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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Hi guys. I've finally committed to buying my first American roundback. I put my CC255 12 string up for sale on ebay. The Epiphone Riviera 12 is going away next. I've also been saving my nickels. About a year ago I tried to describe what I wanted in a 12 string Ovation & one of you "guys that know" told me what I was looking for was either an 1858 Elite like this-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2533876913&category=33029&rd=1
or an Adamas.
Which brings me to my first question- Would it be worth it to save more money & buy an Adamas? Would an Adamas have a nicer action than an Elite? I guess what I'm really looking for is a guitar that looks & sounds like my CC255 (which looks nearly identical to the 1858) & plays somewhat like a 12 string version of my '53 Gibson ES-175 (smooth as butter). If it matters, I play at home alone 99% of the time & I don't really need super rugged construction or anything like that, so if that's the main difference between an Elite & an Adamas other than possibly sound, I would probably be happy with the Elite. I don't want to have to trade up yet again to get the 12 string I want. So far I've bought the Celebrity & the Epiphone Riv & neither one is satisfactory. The Celebrity looks great & sounds terrific but doesn't quite have the action I require, the Epiphone has too thin of a neck for a 12 & sounds pretty much blah compared to the Ovation.
There isn't an Ovation dealer within 120 miles of here (at least) so I can't just go try out a few.
As an aside, I've been watching for 1858 Elites for a while now & I found this "G868"-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2535694786&category=33029&rd=1
It really doesn't matter yet since I still don't have cash in hand & this isn't what I'm looking for, but what can you guys tell me about it? I've never heard any mention of models identified with letters as well as numbers like that in here. (I don't post much but I lurk here nearly every day.) The description says it has a two piece mahogany neck, rather then the five piece the 1858 has, what's up with that?
Thanks for any info you can give me.
Nils |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Nils
Good questions, I am also working toward a 12 string and look forward to answers to your questions. I don't have the money together yet and am also wondering between an Elite and an Adamas, those are good looking Elites and the prices are right, but shallow bowls make me wonder about playing at home acoustically as I probably would 90% of the time.
Bailey |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7251
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Interesting set of questions, and as basically a non-acoustic guy, I will make some unbiased observations.
The Elite and Adamas guitars are both very fine guitars with much different sounds. I'm not really sure how to describe the difference other than just different, so that is your first decision, and it will take at least hearing them to decide.
As far as action... a $50 no-name flea-market guitar can have great action. Not likely, but it is possible. Once you get into the realm of quality guitar which you are in because you play Ovation, good/great action (which is a personal thing anyway) can be achieved with little effort.
Again you are comparing two great guitars that should be able to be dialed into exactly what you want.
I used to believe that bowl-depth made a big difference. Al's 12-String Adamas proved that wrong. Again, this is something that you will have to listen to.
Now.... what I think is the most important part of your question, that wasn't really a question. You mentioned most of your playing is at home. If it is by yourself, and to entertain yourself, there is an often overlooked feature.
When I bought my 2001 Collectors, I made Al play several of them as he sat across from me. I liked the sound of the center-hole model while I was playing it, but from the listening end, the epulet model sounded much better. I had to decide, was I looking for a guitar that sounded a particular way for me, or for who I might be playing to. I went with the epulets, because I wanted that projection for others to hear.
Now I'm not sure of all the options of the guitars you referred to, and I am no more than a casual acoustic player, but I hope this different perspective helps. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | I too play mostly for myself and at home. I LOVE my Elite! It's the most comfortable guitar I have ever played and I am very happy with it's sound. I can play it in almost any position, and any where in the house. If I want it louder, I just amp it. O sure a deeper bowl might sound a little richer, but I would not play it as often or for as long.
I finally ordered an 1858 and it's on it's way as I write this. Never played one, but from the way I love my 1868, I know I'll LOVE my new 1858. Living in the country as I do, I'm hours away from a store to try one out, so I have to order almost everything.
I'll be happy to post back with my impression on the 1858 once I have a chance to play it, but I think we already know the answer to that question....
Dale |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Dale;
WELCOME!
Last year I spent the week of July 4th driving from Albequerque thru Santa Fe/Bandolier and up into your neighborhood spending the 4th in Estes Park and Rock Mountain NP.
BEAUTIFUL neighborhood ya' got there!!
My girlfriend Jeanette's got family out there, and she's flying out Friday to help her mom recover from post-op. Wish I was goin' back, too!!
Whereabouts do you live? |
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May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Thanks Cliff! I live by and work at the Royal Gorge Bridge, near Canon City. It's actually considered to be the foot hills of the Rocky's, being semi-arid and having the shorter Pinion pines and Cedars. I love it though! I drive through only one stop sign going to work. I love the country life!
Tell Jeanette's Mom to get well soon. I'll say a prayer for her quick recovery.
Dale |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Dale,
I lived at around 5,000' in Northern Idaho and that was really fine. I realy miss the smell of high altitude living. I'm a flatlander now living in Wisconsin. I think everybody has to come down sometime or another. |
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May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Hey Willard! Northern Idaho is beautiful. There are allot of places in these good ol' United States that are. I am going to do my best to stay where I am at. I have moved around enough as far as I am concerned. My wife and I feel that this is "THE" place for us to stay. One can never count on anything though, that is for sure. The only true constant, being inconsistency....Hmmm.. I do seem to be able to count on my Ovation however......
Dale |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Thanks for the info. So far it sounds like I'll get what I'm looking for in an Elite. Now I have another question. What's the difference between an 1858 & an 1868? I'm also still curious about the G868. Why the two piece neck? Lower cost?
Nils |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Hi Nils, the 1868 is a six string and the 1858 is a 12 string...
I don't know enough to answer your second question...
I will say the Elites are the 5 piece, slightly "D" shaped necks, and I personally love the fit and feel to my hand...
Dale |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Nils, take a look here at the Ovation web site.
Elite's
Dale |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Well that was a good idea Dale! Duh, why didn't I think of that? :) Now if my Celebrity will make reserve I'll be close to having enough loot to start seriously shopping. Then again I might wait until I sell the Epiphone Riv 12 & buy a brand new 1858!
Thanks,
Nils |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Nils, first I'd like to correct my earlier post when I said the Elites had a "D" neck. It's more like a "V" neck.. Regardless, they are comfortable..
In shopping for my 1858, I found a pretty good deal at World Music Supply.com. They did not have one in stock, but I will get one of the latest ones made, with the OP 40 electronics. Ovation is going to drop ship it, so I will get it factory direct. They had 13 in stock as of 5/31.
I did find some out there a little cheaper ($20.00) but they had the older style electronics. I figured I would rather have the latest and greatest for not much more in cost...I cant wait to get it...
Have fun shopping, I had a blast... I just love to spend money...(grin)...
Dale |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | As long as we're talking about Elite 12-strings, I've put my Elite 1858 up in the for sale section. It's a fixer-upper, but playable. Take a look.
Bradley |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Hey you high altitude guys, spent a year in Silver City, NM exploring and researching. Here at 4000 ft is OK, but all the real old west activity is higher up. Geronimo and the Wild Bunch operated in that area and I tracked down their territory and visited the mining strikes of the late 1800's, bought the books that described that era and read them, Butch Cassidy and his crew spent some time in the Moggollons and the Apaches sowed terror all over that area, which was their aboriginal home and todays's critics of why we can't find the weapons of mickey destruction should read the efforts to find the gold strike of the Gila river area that was searched for over 100 years. There are ceartain, unimpeachable evidence of a gold strike on the Gila in the 1800's, thwarted by the Apache's, and lives were sacrificed for the quest for gold. The Wild Bunch didn't waste any time on futile searches, they just robbed the trains and kept the money, hiding some of it in the NM backwoods of the Moggolons. There was a store in Mangas Colorado, half way between Silver City and Mogollon, that had a pile of coin stashed in the back room belonging to the Wild bunch.
Bailey |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 143
Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | Yeah, the whole area that I live in has mine shafts all over. We have an old silver mine on one end of our property and a Bentonite clay mine on the other . Not to mention around 20 some exploratory shafts (for silver, we think) on our land alone. They are only 10'x8'x12'deep, but there they are none the less. If they would have found anything, I'm sure we would not have wound up with the land.
Just because a thing hasn’t been found, doesn’t mean it aint there... The biggest problem here, is the Government retained the mineral rights when they originally deeded the land, back in the 1800's.. If we found anything, they would claim it. So, I will not look...
Dale |
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Working my way up & what's this?
