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July 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Hi! I am a newbie here and a regular over on Harmony Central's Cool Jam forum. I have one of the original carved headstock Adamas guitars (#8), and its been years since it has had any setup or repairs. Can you recommend a repair facility close to Southern Maine? I am having issues with my mono jack and I'm sure my truss rod could use a twist or two. Thanks in advance for your responses... |
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January 2006
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Take a drive to Hartford and let the factory do the work for you. You have a treasure. |
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Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Thank you for your feedback. Much appreciated.
This guitar has some history associated with it as well. My dad worked for Kaman Aerospace and did some of the early resonance studies on the materials that went into Ovation's synthetic and composite materials. He was a stress engineer working on rotor blades, an application where resonant frequencies were a bad thing, and the research came across materials like carbon fiber where the ability to reproduce and amplify resonant frequencies were very abundant. This guitar hung on Charlie Kaman's office wall for several years and then was raffled off. My dad and I bought it from the raffle winner @ Kaman for my High School graduation present - $750.00 in 1978. In 1984 I rescued it (literally) from my burning apartment building, the case still bears the scorch marks. Because my dad has passed and because of its sentimental value, I will never part with it.
I may try to repair the jack myself - I do the repairs on my electrics. I wondered if there was anything non-standard about the mono jack - i.e. IC boards, etc. It worked up until recently so I think its a solder joint that has failed. I would suspect I would need to undo the outer nut and extract the wiring harness leads and the jack through the rear access panel. Anyone done this? This one has the walnut knobs - tone and volume controls only. Its a blue one, by the way, with the gold-flecked bowl. |
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Location: NJ | Can you post/e-mail some pics?? |
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Location: NJ | please contact me at alpep@aol.com I need to talk to you es-135 john
thanks
al |
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Location: south east Michigan | On a list of the top 10 places to have your Ovation worked on, the factory in Hartford takes the first nine spots.
I'm sure they would be thrilled to work on that guitar.
And welcome to the OFC John. |
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Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Thank you, folks. I appreciate your responses and intend to keep my presence here. I recently finished up eight years in a classic rock band (semi-pro, yes I have a day job as a technical writer/BA) and have decided to go the trio route to get more opportunities to play out up heya' in Maine. My ovation is getting more use than ever alongside a newer National resonator and my Gibson ES-135.
As for pixs - I will have to borrow a digital camera to do it justice. Hopefully someone here at work has access and can lend me one for a few minutes. I have the guitar with me. As an aside: Can pixs files be attached directly in this forum or do I have to serve them up from a remote server?
I will give the factory a call and arrange a drop-off in a few weeks when I am down to my hometown (Simsbury, CT). Hopefully a quick turnaround time - hate to not have it around. |
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Posts: 19
Location: Maine | alpep - email sent. Thanks. |
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Location: Orange County, California | You can click the "members area" button on the left menu (if you have it) or go to the main Ovation Fan Club page (by clicking the link at the bottom of this page), and upload photos there. Then you "live link" then into your messages. We definatley want to see pics!!! |
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Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Hey John,
on the same label with the model number (1687-8) are there any other numbers? |
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July 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Maine | The label has:
Charles Kaman (signature)
9/26/78
0384-87-1687-8 |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I'm assuming that it doesn't have a slotted headstock?? |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | ***hoo boy*** |
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Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Serial number: 384 (middle of 1978)
"top frequency response": 87 (ask somone else to explain)
Model: 1687 (deep bowl, A/E)
Color: 8 (original Adamas blue)
*all info from the "refrence section" of the OFC main page. |
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September 2005
Posts: 3619
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Hi John,
Welcome to the board! I'd like to see a picture of your ES-135 also. I used to have one of those. |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by Slipkid:
On a list of the top 10 places to have your Ovation worked on, the factory in Hartford takes the first nine spots.
I'm sure they would be thrilled to work on that guitar.
And welcome to the OFC John. What's number ten? My bet is it will be the factory in Hartford. :D
Welcome to the OFC John.
My guess is you have an EXTREMLEY valuable and wonderful sounding instrument. |
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Location: Anchorage, Alaska | I know that several of you have John Bundy's number at your finger tips. Someone ought to post it for him. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | John Budny
Customer Service Manager
Ovation Instruments
37 Greenwoods Rd
New Hartford, CT 06057
800-552-4681
jbudny-kmc@kaman.com |
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July 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Wow! Thanks for the clarification on the serial numbers - I never knew the secret code! The headstock is not slotted - its solid and carved with most of the mass at the tip. The guitar is bright - and really projects.
I will have some pictures tomorrow after I get ahold of my dept's digital camera. I should have a pix of my ES-135LE around here somewhere as well.
I appreciate the help - its nice to more about the Adamas - heading out to use it at practice shortly. Nice to meet all of you as well.
- John |
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Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Thank you for the contact info - you guys are great. I especially like the fact that you guys are into the Ovations - they tend to get slammed by the purists around me but I have to believe they have closed minds. I have a rather eclectic guitar quiver, so it goes right along with the Adamas.
I have been in love with the sound of the Adamas from day 1 - never heard anything like it or close to it (yes, my ears by now are biased!!) I am currently infatuated with it in Open D tuning - the resonance of the guitar just rings and rings and rings. Its my go-to guitar when I am writing - it just feels good in my hands and sounds as good if not better acoustically than plugged in.
As for value - I have no idea. I am not letting go of it, but perhaps fr insurance purposes should probably get it appraised.
Thank you for your warm welcome to OFC. |
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Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Man - it isn't often that someone with an instrument like this one just pops up on the board. Welcome John, and most of us are dying to see, and maybe one day have a chance to play, your Adamas. Ya see, we have this little get together every Spring in New Hartford ... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Geez... John's got no problem gettin' a prom date.
Welcome. Cool story, great guitar. New Hartford is the place to have it tweekt.
(You guys, distract him with a Llama joke, I'll sneek behind and nap the tupperware (you know which one I mean) |
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Posts: 19
Location: Maine | New Hartford in the Springtime - hmm...there is an outing place just up the hill from the factory where in High School at a reunion we broke just about every underage drinking and depravity law known to the Nutmeg State! I appreciate the welcome and brought my fiddle back to work today just so I can get some photos of it to you. Looks like early afternoon EDT I should be able to get some pixs posted.
Last night a rehearsal it was so humid that electronics were optional - so we unplugged and went for it. The Adamas blew away my singing partner's high end Taylor.... especially in the upper midrange area...
Catch up with you guys soon.
- John |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Back to one of your questions: Yes, you can remove the jack by taking off the nut and resoldering if necessary. If the older Adamas are like my 1537, however, put in a new battery that you know is good. My 1537 went dead and even though the battery tested good, it was low enough that the preamp didn't work at all. After wasting a lot of time testing all the wiring, I put in a new battery and it was fine.
You don't need me to tell you that we love your guitar. |
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July 2006
Posts: 19
Location: Maine | Thank you Mark - I caught that! Its a welcome and new perspective - most folks don't know what one is, and when its not square and boxy and woody, they lose interest. I hope to get access to the digital camera here at work tomorrow - it was out on loan for actual business purposes (imagine that!) - the nerve of some people!
Thanks for the info on the jack - I was hoping the wiring harness was long enough to be able to pull it out far enough to fix it myself. I did replace the battery recently, and because th stereo jack works fine (I fixed the balance issue - operator error in the mixer channel trim setting)so I dont think its the battery. I have heard it fuzz out when the battery is dying.
Pixs soon... sorry to keep you waiting. |
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Repair Recommendations for My Adamas - Maine
