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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I just got in.
Before all the tall tales and technical information comes out I just want to thank Al, Miles, and the staff at Ovation for the "top drawer" hospitality we recieved.
I have more to say but right now I am dog tired and got to get some rest. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Thank You...Rick Hall, Kim Keller, and John Budney for creating such a wonderful atmosphere of fun and excitement at the tour. It is absolutly outstanding to find out that all those wonderful, happy little elves working in that beautiful old textile mill have the same level of passion and dedication as the OFC.
Thank You....Mary..for doing such wonderful inlay work on my guitar. It was a pleasure to meet and talk to you.
Thank You...to all the employees who took time from their work to look up and give a smile and a nod.
Thank You....Chief Engineer Dave for being so generous with your time and knowledge.
And....Thank you Frank Untermyer for fostering a creative enviroment that allows such a wonderful guitar to be made. |
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February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | Also see willingheart's thread entitled "thanks" |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | By the by....it's John Budney. Just not as easy to spell as Keller. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Hello John and Willingheart!!! It was great to meet you. Please allow me to be so bold to copy your thanks onto this thread.
willingheart06
posted June 18, 2005 07:45 PM
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For all those of you who made a big difference in my first time on the tour, I thank you. I was so surprised to find how easily guitars were passed around and how easily I felt accepted. I really enjoyed the jam session Friday night a lot.
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bauerhillboy
Member
Member # 2227
posted June 18, 2005 08:10 PM
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A deep, deep thank you from me to all at Ovation for creating an event that cultivates friendships, mega-encourages me in my playing and my obsession with your guitars, and leaves me with one of the fondest memories I'll ever have (did you think you'd have this effect?). And thanks for a venue where I could be so very proud of my daughter's (the artist formerly known as Lori Anne) talent! Thanks OFC for giving Lisa such a warm embrace. John <>{ |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I wasn't even there but I have to thank the wonderful folks at the mothership and our members of the OFC who allowed pictures, posted pictures, and shared knowledge of future upcoming products!
THANKS EVERYONE INVOLVED!!!!!! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Thanks to EVERYONE involved. All the folks at Ovation and Hamer especially the people on the factory floor who always make us feel like we aren't interrupting their work day as much as I know we must be. Also thanks to the everyone who traveled in to attend, be it from down the street, across the country, or across the pond.
My parting words with Rick Hall, as they have been for the previous two events, are "how are we possibly going to top this, next year?" The event just keeps getting better and better.
To those that couldn't make it, you were missed and ya-shudda-been-there!!!
Early Saturday morning at about 1:00am I awoke at a rest stop along I-78 in PA. I wondered about the dream I was having. Many of you were in it. Cliff, Al, Bill, Rick, Kim, John, Frank, Paul, Paul, Paul and Paul, and many others... there were 2 Llama's, there was beer, there was great food, there were guitars everywhere, there was music everywhere.... Oh.... it was just another Ovation Fan Club tour of the Ovation Factory... and it wasn't a dream. |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 1180
Location: Vermont USA | Hi Everybody,
Thank you Miles and Al, and Ovation we had a wonderful time. Enjoyed the tour and meeting and playing with everyone.
Paul |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 26
Location: Northern Virginia | Let me add my thanks and appreciation, first of all to the folks here at OFC who (I guess) made this possible, and most importantly, to our hosts at Kaman. Talk about gaining more respect and appreciation for your "axe"! Wow! My wife and I had to leave after the tours and forum at the factory, so we missed the cookout and jam session. I had just come down with a really bad cold Thursday morning and was feeling pretty miserable by 4:00 PM. But what an experience!
Hey, a quick question to anyone who might be able to help. I discussed with John Budney doing a special order on an Adamas 12-string, and he gave me the numbers to use in ordering it. My concern is since it's a custom order, I don't have an Ovation list price to work from. (My local dealer typically gives me 37.5% off list.) I have a little bit of fear of getting screwed by the local dealer if the list is unknown to me. Isn't there a sales person who is on this board? Since they're just going to call in the order and have it drop shipped to me, it's a pretty easy sale. They don't have to touch any product, just process my credit card. Thanks if you can help.
Lenny Bianchi
Bluemont, VA |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | That would be Al. Click on the Lost Art/Vintage Instruments link on the left to contact him. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | lenny
custom orders do not get dropped shipped
fyi |
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April 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Kane, PA | Slipkid, you were more than welcome to add my post to this thread. I enjoyed meeting you too, and I loved the ukelele lessons. :) |
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June 2004
Posts: 271
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida | Who was the curly haired player at the cookout jam with the killer blk 12 string Adamas and great performance ???
AB |
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November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Sounds like Strummin12. Did he have a good lookin' partner that sang like n angel? |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Yep, it was Strummin12. Nope, he was alone. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Johnny's one hell of a performer. Lot's of energy. He's fun and enjoyable to watch. Just so happens that he's a nice guy as well. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 68
Location: Malden, Massachusetts | I remembered John (Strummin12) from the first tour and he remembered me. I also seem to remember a lyric from his second tune at the Jam...."the comfort of your company..." I think that was it.
Well, I think that sums up the feeling of the tour pretty well. We were away from home, family, friends, lovers.....AND WE COULD'T HAVE BEEN HAPPIER !!!
We were in the comfort of each other's company.
I know it's been tossed around before this years' tour, but John had suggested an "alternative" to the tour for those of us that have seen it two or three times now.
I think the simple answer would be a Jam in the morning, a jam in the afternoon, a jam after the neubies take the tour, and then we could jam. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | Hey Gang-
Thanks for the kind words. Truth is, I was in awe of all the talent around me. You guys are brilliant players/singers and I enjoyed listening to all the jams and performances!
Michele, the "good lookin' partner that sang like n angel" (mentioned above) that came to the previous tours is my girlfriend and music duo partner. She opted out on this year's tour. I think she was a real trooper to make the last 2 tours, considering she's not a guitarist, and has a vested interest in my not buying any more guitars!
That said, I enjoyed having more of an opportunity this time to chat and bond with other OFC members. Met some really great people, and enjoyed hangin' with the "regulars" again. It's a great group of people with good hearts. I'm glad to have made some new friends too.
BTW...the Adamas 12 string I brought this time is the SMT MEII-1598 model. Glad so many enjoyed the sound, and I was thrilled when a few asked to play her for the jam.
All the best, and special thanks to Al, Miles, and the generous Ovation crew. Top notch tour and an awesome time!
Johnny |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | It’s been over three days, and I still can’t get the SMILE off my face!!
Okay, (from what I’ve been told), here’s the way it went:
Thursday afternoon, Al, Miles, and Rick Hall are in the R&D/Conference Room area getting things ready for the next day.
As they’re going over details, I guess someone must’ve made the now-all-too-familiar “llama” reference.
Rick stops dead in his tracks and suddenly recalls that Cathy in the Factory USED to raise llamas.
A call to someone else confirms that MAYBE she still DOES.
Rick looks at the time. It’s 2:15. The Factory staff goes home at 2:30.
Rick literally BOLTS and sprints to the shop.
He returns five minutes later with an S.E.G. on his face as he utters the word: “Done!”.
26 Hours Later:
The giveaways (which were many) including a killer Adamas are raffled off. The Q&A session has just wound down.
Bill Kaman points to me from across a crowded room, and beckons me with a hooked finger as if to say “YOU! . . come HERE!!”
Now . . . I consider Bill a good friend of mine . . . but I gotta admit . . . if this was “Back in the Day” and I was an employee being
called into his office in this fashion . . . without QUESTION, my FruitOfTheLooms would NOT be riding home with me!
We’re all told that there’s just “One More Surprise” that (evidently) would ONLY be befitting of our group . . . and that it was IMPERATIVE
that I be the first one out the door to see it.
I couldn't help it, but I had this impending sense of "doom". I felt like I was walking the "Green Mile". I’m led all the way through the second floor, down the stairs, all the way through the first floor to the Customer Service entrance, where we came in.
I go out the door and up the stairs to the street (parking lot) level. I’m greeted at the top of the stairs by “Sable” and “Valentino” (and of course, Cathy).
I nearly fell over backwards and back down the stairs!
Jeanette said that she’d hadn’t seen me smile THAT MUCH for SO LONG in quite some time. For that alone, I am eternally grateful . . .
Two of our attendees had JUST previously come from ANOTHER GuitarFactoryTour (no names, please) in which they were rushed through
(constantly “behind the YellowLine”), and SHOWN PICTURES of many of the actual operations . . . ultimately being corralled out to the “Gift Shop”.
Tom Wozniak (“Woz”) made a very nice statement (ShutUp, Al!) from the “stage” Friday Night that “another” guitar company could have an event and offer you the chance to
win one of their entry-level guitars, and it’d probably be . . . “pretty cool”. “Another” guitar company could offer you an intermediate model, and
you’d be pretty damned “enthused”.
I DEFY anyone to show me another guitar company that’ll literally OPEN their DOORS to a group of people for an entire DAY for about as CLOSE to “hands-on” as you can GET,
raffle-off one of their TOP-OF-THE-LINE models, and THEN sponsor an absolutely KILLER Party at a GREAT location, and all that they ask for in return
is a bit of input and our continued support.
Thank You ALL at Ovation!
Thank You (Again! Again!! And AGAIN!!!) Al and Miles !!!
Thank You Frank and Jol !! (for letting us invade your respective territories and “get in the way” . . . )
Thank You Masters Keller & Budney (for making us feel at home at the Tour . . . AND throughout the year . . .)
Thank You Darren (for your Endless Inventiveness . . . and showing me the stuff "behind the curtain" ;-)
Thank You cwk2 for your presence!! (I’ve had more than one person tell me that the trip was worth it just to meet you and shake your hand)
Thank You Master Templeman !! (for allowing Jeanette and myself to laugh hysterically for an entire weekend)
Thank You MoodyPI !! (for helping to delude Jeanette into thinking that I’m a nicer, more deserving (of her) person than I really am)
Thank You to Everyone ELSE who made the effort to NOT be one of the “ShouldaBeen’s”. It was truly a PLEASURE to meet/play with you ALL!!
Thank You Cathy!!! (for going out of you way and literally DELIVERING on something that you probably didn’t REALLY “understand” Thank You Again!!!
Thank You “SABLE” and “VALENTINO” . . . . . . well, . . . . basically for BEING Llamas!!!!
And finally, THANK YOU Rick Hall!!!
(Even though you may be a self-proclaimed “Marketing Puke” (HIS Words! . . . NOT Mine!!), anybody that can take an almost two-year-old, totally SENSELESS “Joke”
And make it a physical REALITY in a matter of MINUTES, could truly be considered a Marketing Genius (tho, I generally consider that term to be an oxymoron ;-)
. . . I OWE you one.
An excerpt from an e-mail Jeanette sent me this morning:
“. . . Hey, when you get onto the Ovation board could you please thank everyone for me and just tell them that I had an amazing weekend. (I hope I didn’t offend anyone with my bad singing.) (I am just a roady after all.)
I am sorry that I didn’t get to say good-bye or see ya later to most of them but I hope we can all be together again next year for the 40th anniversary.
JP . . . . . “
THANK YOU AGAIN . . . . . . ALL OF YOU!
- cliff
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 474
Location: Anchorage, Alaska | Beautiful...
I wasn't even there but would like to say "Thank You". I've been smileing all weekend reading the posts from all that were there and having a great time. I WILL MAKE THE TRIP FROM ALASKA NEXT YEAR! |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Sure you will.
A personally guided factory tour, an awesome prize guitar, the chance to hold and play incredible prototypes, great accomodations at great rates, lunch, dinner, jamming at a ski lodge with pro sound, staying up half the night jamming in the lobby with great friends generous with their precious guitars, all willingly and graciously provided by the wonderful people at Ovation... noooooo.
But have a couple llamas show up and suddenly everybody's planning to attend next year. ;) |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | I should'a been there! |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | You shoulda' been there. You were all missed. Sable and Valentine were asking where you were. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Two of our attendees had JUST previously come from ANOTHER GuitarFactoryTour (no names, please) in which they were rushed through
That was BrianT and I. I'm not ashamed. We love all guitars to some extent. When things get a little slower I'll post about that experience. |
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Joined:
April 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Kane, PA | Thank you Moody,pi for your words of advice on singing, and thank you Johnny (strummin12) for the warm welcome and the use of your guitar (which I fell in love with, the first one since mine), and thank you Cliff for all the little things I picked up from you just watching you at the Friday night jam. And Woz, thanks for playing a little with me. And thank you to all those I may be forgetting. Thank you all for the great experience of playing so many NICE guitars! And thank you for not being proud. It was so nice to be able to jam with those of you way beyond my skill level and not feel everyone was simply trying to be better than me. My quote from the couple days there is this: "Multiple good guitar players fuels creativity." |
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2005 OFC Tour----"Thank You" section
