Viewing a thread - 1687-8

Posted 2005-07-04 12:43 AM (#145344)
Subject: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

No rolling on the floor laughing here - I'm new to the site. I have a 1687-8 slotted head that I purchased used in 1985 from a music store in Atlanta. They said it was one of the original 34 prototypes - the one Nancy Wilson was given. I don't know too much about these. It has a banged up slotted head stock - and the original nutt had been recut to narrow the width of the strings. A few years later I sent it back to the factory to put in an OP-24 - the old wood 2-knob stereo system sounded bad. They had to cut access into the back - to do it - but did a nice job - they also reworked the bowl. It came back with a new ID tag inside - designated as 1687-8 # blank. No more old tag! The tag is hand signed by Charles Kaman II. It is still a workhorse of a guitar for me and sounds great. I'd have to dig a little to come up with the receipts and the hand written story of the guitar. The story said it had passed through a band called The Goads. Any suggestions from anyone as to how I can get the story confirmed, and the guitar credentialed..certified? Anyone got good old-time contacts with Ovation? It's a great guitar with a great history, and I look forward to sharing more with this club.

Posted 2005-07-04 2:25 AM (#145345 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303

Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066

CWK2 is known to have pretty good connections with the factory.

The serial number would help but pics would also be good.

Posted 2005-07-04 2:57 AM (#145346 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

Thanks btw - I'm in Broomfield!

richardd

Posted 2005-07-04 3:07 AM (#145347 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 651

Location: Australia

You've certainly got a rare find there that many consider (including me) to be the ultimate Ovation.
You must post pictures ! There are many here that would love to have a look.
There are a number of slothead owners on this page who know alot more about your guitar than I and if it's an original slothead it shouldn't be difficult to get it "credentialed"

Jeff W.

Posted 2005-07-04 8:40 AM (#145348 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039

Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub

some folks are going to be mighty pleased you showed up. You need to post some picutures. What color is it?

Welcome aboard.

Posted 2005-07-04 9:17 AM (#145349 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970

Location: Atlanta,Ga.

I spoke about a year ago to a music promoter who knows Nancy Wilson and has visited her home many times.He ashured me she still had the guitar because i asked about it.He specifically remembers it and several other of her early guitars..He is also the one that sent me the autographed picture of Paul McCartney and wings holding the slothead adamas i have.. Here is a similar pic he took but its not autographed.
Many of the early adamas guitars had the serial number written on the bracing of the top.The one "elginacres" has may have the original serial number on the braces .A flashlight and mirror may give some answers..

http://www.ovationfanclub.com/photos/samova_54134_pdvd_000.jpg

fugot

Posted 2005-07-04 12:49 PM (#145350 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 640

Location: boulder

heynow elginacres,
Is it possible Ovation still has a record of your repairs, maybe they recorded the original serial number?
When I am back in boulder, maybe stephen, you and I could hold a colorado get together. peace, mike

Posted 2005-07-04 1:08 PM (#145351 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303

Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066

now that might be pretty cool.

Mike, when do you return?

Posted 2005-07-04 2:55 PM (#145352 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

OK - I'm not making promises here - this is what I know - I'll post pics as soon as I find my camera. I bought it in 1985ish from American Musical in Atlanta - they actually had to ship it to me in Tucson. Written on a legal pad was the description, that Nancy had owned it - it had ended up with a band called the Goads. I played it for a while, then from South Carolina had them update the electronics to an OP-24. They had to do extensive bowl work to get the electronics in. Prior to my owning it, both the nutt and the bridge had been recut to narrow some of the distnces between the strings. I've got pretty big hands, so I had them redo them back to typical distances. Since they had to cut an access hole in the back of the bowl, they redid the finish of the bowl. They had it so long, I argued about the price, and they did all the work for nominal charges. I remember it having a serial number, but what - I don't know. When it returned - they had put in a new one labeled 1687-8 with the # left blank. It is hand signed by what looks like CHKaman II. I've been playing it all along - no complaints - and a great tone it has. If it isn't hers - I'm not disappointed - but judging by the wear on the slotted head, and the wear on the fingerboard, coupled with how the nut and bridge used to be cut - it could be. If she still has hers, I wonder which one this may be. I'll post this message under the general posts as well. Thanks for the info so-far folks. I copied this message in the nancy wilson thread too

moody, p.i.

Posted 2005-07-04 3:05 PM (#145353 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664

Location: SoCal

elginacres:

First, welcome to the board. YOu'll like it here and learn quite a bit. It'll be interesting to see if the history of your guitar can be determined. Great guitar, regardless.

Who did you deal with in customer service? The two mainstays are John Budny and Kim Keller. But I also know that there were others along the line. The names I can think of are John Basso and Nancy Heacock.

Also, when was the work done on your guitar. You had an OP24 put in which means that it was sometime between 1985-1995 (roughly). If you have your service order and receipt, they might have info as well.

Is it possible that Nancy Wilson had two slotheads, with one coming from the factory and one coming from a music store or another party later?

Waskel

Posted 2005-07-04 3:15 PM (#145354 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840

Location: closely held secret

By dark of night, he prowls the streets, searching out clues to his latest case. Living on coffee and Belgian waffles, he lives for adventure and intrigue, sniffing out guitars wherever they may be hiding.

In T28's garage - or Kim Keller's upstairs room of mystery - he's not afraid to take the tough cases.

He's Moody - private dick.

fugot

Posted 2005-07-04 4:56 PM (#145355 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 640

Location: boulder

stephen,
I am in ct. until i have enough money to leave, sometime in august/september. we are down to 65% humidity today. that's as low as i've seen it here.
Maybe we could plan a thanksgiving week OFC jam. or find out when the Hamer tour will be in/near denver and crash their party. (The 2005 tour turned me on 100% to Hamer guitars.) Can I just start the rumour now, "Big Party at elginacres house!" ??? ;) peace mike

Posted 2005-07-04 6:07 PM (#145356 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

Well my house is pretty good sized. Party it is. The guitar is a mystery. On the top bracing - the number #17 appears - on the other side of the top bracing #17 appears again, as well as the number 3, and something is also written behind the pickup wire - which to this point - I have not cut to be able to see what was written. Anybody know anything about numbers written on the bracing. You know 27 plus 17 is 44 - which is the number of the guitar Nancy Got ....ooo.. mystery. Did they number the ones prior to 27? IF so - who got those instruments. As you can see when it comes to guitars - I just play them - I typically do not research them.

Beal

Posted 2005-07-04 6:26 PM (#145357 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch

Enough speculation. Show a picture then we can talk about it. I can think of several reasons for the numbers on the braces. Lets have a look and then go from there.

Posted 2005-07-04 7:11 PM (#145358 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

I promise by tonight - after Colorado's fireworks - I'll put pics up. What resolution works best. I've got several pics at 1.2 meg per pic - is that good enough?

Paul Templeman

Posted 2005-07-04 7:12 PM (#145359 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750

Location: Scotland

ELgInAcreS. Get a life.

Posted 2005-07-04 7:13 PM (#145360 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303

Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066

There ya go, elginacres.......

CWK2 has spoken, so get us some pics and lets solve this mystery!

Posted 2005-07-04 7:38 PM (#145361 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 1609

Location: Colorado

I promise - pics after the fireworks - for those in the UK, yep us yanks still celebrate this date! Now I gotta get to the gig.

Northcountry

Posted 2005-07-04 8:50 PM (#145362 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487

Interesting post..... You have come to the right place if your looking for info on this guitar. We have more than a few owners of the original "FAB 34" Adamas slotheads. These are undoubtedly the Holy Grail's for us Ovationites. And some of these guy's could write a book themselves concerning these interesting guitars. And Samova keep those photo's coming I/we Love to see these guitars in the hands of famous musicians.

Randy

Posted 2005-07-04 8:51 PM (#145363 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970

Location: Atlanta,Ga.

Mark Langston (elginacres) emailed me these pics of the guitar

http://d04.webmail.aol.com/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.10715342&folde...

http://d04.webmail.aol.com/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.10715342&folde...

Posted 2005-07-04 8:57 PM (#145364 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970

Location: Atlanta,Ga.

http://d04.webmail.aol.com/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.10715342&folde...

http://d04.webmail.aol.com/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.10715342&folde...

http://d04.webmail.aol.com/get-attachment.aspx?uid=1.10715342&folde...

Posted 2005-07-04 9:00 PM (#145365 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970

Location: Atlanta,Ga.

Posted 2005-07-04 9:55 PM (#145366 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 970

Location: Atlanta,Ga.

Here is Nancy's

Bluebird

Posted 2005-07-04 10:45 PM (#145367 - in reply to #145344)
Subject: Re: 1687-8 - slotted head

Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445

Location: Nova Scotia, Canada

Sam, the links don't work if you don't have an AOL account. Can you post them on this site?

Wayne