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Location: Bryant AR | I just posted photos in the Gallery under Magic Rick that are remarkable. I had long sought after either a Glen Campbell Artist Model 1627-4 or a Legend Model 1717-4. The former was out as a reissue with original electronics, while the latter had been discontinued, with their last new 1717 literally sold out right from under me.
Even as the generous and helpful Doug Bundy of Ovation was assisting me in negotiating a price with the Ovation factory in Connecticut to build one final 1717 to my specs, I was made aware of a pristine Glen Campbell Artist Model 1627-4 that had not always been so pristine.
Connecting here in the OFC with Chris Clark, a/k/a seesquare, this fine young man had acquired this guitar some five years ago, getting the Factory Wizards to rebuild the instrument from a damaged one he provided.
In an obvious labor of love, four factory luthiers tackled the job, replacing the damaged Artist bowl with a new, full Deep bowl, new spruce top with rosette, and a new bridge, all joined together with the original near, almost totally mint five-piece neck with GC's own signature on the truss rod cover.
Affixing a second factory label with different graphics above the center-sound hole label, each man involved personally signed the extra label, making this non-electric model quite unique.
In a remarkably generous agreement to purchase, I bought the guitar from Chris, and arranged with Ovation's Kim Keller to install the OP Pro electronics system. This truly one-of-a-kind 1627-4 has now become my studio and stage guitar of choice, with unequalled richness, tone and action of any guitar I've played in 35 years.
See my photos in the Gallery under Magic Rick. I'm pleased to share this dream guitar with you, and thank everyone in the forums who helped make the connection possible. I have found a new lifelong friend in Chris, who will be welcome at any and all performances I may do in the Yakima WA area for free! THANK YOU CHRIS, and thank you, awesome OFC members who helped me! |
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Location: SoCal | Congrats Rick! I didn't think that Chris would really sell Connoly (his name for it), but I'm glad it went to somebody who loves it.
I was under the impression that it has a mid depth bowl, not a deep bowl. Also, if memory serves correctly, it has a A braced top. Because of that, I have no doubt that it sounds wonderful. The GC reissues have A bracing and they are terrific guitars. Acoustically and plugged in, you've got a winner!
Again, congratulations on acquiring such a wonderful instrument. |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Here ya go Rick..
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| Great story to go along with a great guitar. Congrats! |
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Location: Tuscany, Italy | Congrats Rick, nice get, I agree with moody, THIS is a wonderful instrument !! This guitar is on my wish list.... |
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Location: Indiana | Congratt's on the beautiful restoration.
Don't know how this came about but the last picture in your gallery of the damaged bowl is actually mine. It's what remains of a Classic the mothership rebuilt for me in the mid 90's... they sent me the old bowl at my request.
Keep thinking I'll make a lamp out of it someday.
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Location: South of most, North of few | Not a bad idea...
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Location: Indiana | :) |
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Location: SoCal | I love the look of the original Legend/GC guitars. My absolute favorite of all Ovation/Adamii guitars.... |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Yeah, I had a hard time letting go of that critter, but Ricky was deserving of it- and could actualize it's potential MUCH better than I ever could.
Its not all bad, however. I'm getting Connolly's crib back, to fill with another creation, eventually. After the electronics modification, "Glen C." has "outgrown" the old case, and Ricky was kind enough to send it back to me.
And, I'm taking Ricky up on his offer- to attend any local performances. Heck, I'm open to a 3-hour drive, in any direction! Especially, if he has any special guests......... |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Reduse, Reuse and Recycle!
Looks good Rick. |
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Location: SoCal | Hey Rick, let's see some pics of you gigging with this guitar. What are people saying who hear it? |
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Location: Bryant AR | My apologies to Jonmark Stone about the damaged bowl pic (I'll remove it from the gallery) -- Chris shared it evidently for a peek at a damaged bowl, and I just assumed it was the same one! LOL! But what a GREAT lamp, dude! Kinda like the "leg lamp" in A Christmas Story, huh? Well done, Trader Jim! Now, on to Moody....Chris was kinda worried about what you were going to think when he sold it to me! I'm sure he's relieved that you're pleased for both of us. I too am a fan of the Legend/GC guitars, and they were always my favorite too.
I owned a Legend back in the 80s but just never got the GC despite picking up a $50,000 check when I won the national title of the True Value / GMC Truck Country Showdown back in 1993 (it's now the Colgate Palmolive Country Showdown, biggest country music competition in the world.) All that money, and no GC.
But yes, this turned out to be a rebuild with a deep rather than mid-depth bowl. I had to buy a new case to accommodate the OP Pro electronics module, and the Ovation case was a combo for both deep and mid-depth. The guitar top came all the way to above the top edge of the case! That put it at the max, since the lid ridge comes down around the top at that point, making it a full deep bowl (the mids hit slightly below that point.) I could still be wrong, but I don't see anywhere for a deeper bowl to go!
I'm also a lifelong fan of Glen Campbell, and my style has often been compared to him (which is a real compliment to me.) I met his dad, Wes, many years ago and other members of his family, including Debby, even opened a show for him, but didn't get to meet HIM! It was a corporate show and the bigwigs locked him behind a door, flipping him smooth out. His guitarist, Jeff Dayton, had to force his way in just to get my Rhinestone Cowboy book signed for me!
But trust me, Chris and I have bonded well on this and it's in good hands with me. I'm a 30 year music professional (stage, TV, studio, etc.) and this will be my stage/studio guitar of choice for life.
Also to moody, with the OP Pro electronics put in by the Factory Wizards (as Chris calls them) with the same perfection as the rest of the instrument, the sound is just absolutely beyond your belief. The richness of tone, depth, projection and action of this guitar literally exceeds anything I have touched in more than 40 years of guitar playing (I'm 54) and that's being conservative.
What I may not have told Chris is that when the guys at Ovation did the OP Pro job, they also reset the action (it was already good), dressed the frets (since they had to do routing work on the bridge for the wider piezo pickup strip) and retested the action several times to insure that the neck was properly set. The result -- action that would make any guitarist cry real tears.
Glen himself couldn't tell the difference between this and one of his old guitars except for the OP Pro. I'd be willing to bet serious money that this is the only GC 1627-4 on earth with an OP Pro! VERY special indeed. What do people think when they hear it?
Mostly just sound effects from their mouths, like "Whoooaaaaa...." and "Ohhhhhhh...." and "Oooooohhh...." with an occasional "Man!" thrown in! Ha, ha! The few I've allowed to play it just sit there and say, "Oh, I am not believing this," and "How do you sleep at night, knowing this is in the other room?"
Chris literally made a dream come true when he sold this to me, and when the case first opened (even before the OP Pro), I looked at it, took a deep breath and could not believe my eyes. It completely exceeded any expectations I could have had, and after the Ovation boys finished with the install, and the neck and fret resets, it's just over the top.
For those reading this, salivating and shedding tears, I apologize. This is not intended to be any kind of "rubbing it in," just letting you know that I'm the keeper of an Ovation jewel, and I know it. This guitar will leave my hand when I leave Earth, and no sooner!!
OVATION ROCKS!! And so do all of you.....
Ricky David Tripp (aka Glen Campbell Jr.)
P.S. Photos will follow sometime in December of me onstage with the GC, so be watching for those later on! |
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Location: SoCal | Rick,
That's a great story (don't get cocky about it -- there's something about this board and great stories like yours happening here ("Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa")).
It's very very cool when the right guitar gets to the right person, whether its a high end guitar like yours, or a Celeb just getting to somebody who plays at home.
I never realized that Connelly was a deep bowl. Always thought it was a mid depth. If I had known it was deep, I might have grabbed it myself. But I think it's right that you've got it. It's home now.
Chris, you done good son.....
(Chris, you ever get out to SoCal to play, let me know -- and now, we want pics and video! You're stuck with us!) |
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Location: Indiana | No need to apologize Rick. After a while you'll come to recognize my crappy photography.
I was another young player in the late 60's influenced by Glen. I've often wondered just how many Ovation sales Glen is responsible for through the years.
Once again, welcome to the OFC. |
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Location: Bryant AR | Well, maybe a LITTLE cocky, Paul! LOL! Mine, all mine! Ah, haaaaaaaaaaaa! Naw, seriously, it was an alignment of the stars, so to speak. You played a role, Chris did too, recommended him highly, many of you did, turned out to be true, a guy with solid character and the real deal on the guitar. In face, I consider myself to be one very, very lucky guy and I literally have all of you to thank for it. If it hadn't been for you, and this forum, and the nice things you had to say about Chris, I wouldn't have gone any further on a "sight unseen" deal. There truly is something special about people who appreciate the genius of Ovation guitars -- you guys are just tops!!
Ricky (aka The Lucky Uncocky Guy) |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Y'know, I always thought it was a mid-bowl, too. My old 1111 sure doesn't fit in Connolly's Crib, anyway.
Ol' Faithful's house is 5" in-the-well, 1 1/2" in-the-lid, with another 1/4" teardrop indentation in-the-center, to accomodate the bridge.
Connolly's Crib is 5 1/4" in-the-well, 1" in-the-lid.
So, there's a total of 6 3/4" in the 1111 Balladeer case, and 6 1/4" in the 1127 Artist case. |
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Location: Bryant AR | Chris, when I got the new case for Connolly (now Glen C), it fit all the way to the top with no apparent room for anything deeper. The case I have now was designed for both a deep OR a mid-depth bowl. There is now apparently a mystery surrounding the question: WHAT WAS AN ARTIST BOWL??
Ovation was very shy in the beginning about making the bowls shallower, so they proceeded slowly before going all the way to "super shallow bowls." It was around the time of the transition to acoustic electrics, I think. We seem to have a DEEP bowl, an ARTIST bowl (which is deeper than a mid-depth), then the MID-DEPTH and finally, the SUPER SHALLOW bowl.
The question is: What is the difference between a DEEP and an ARTIST bowl? From what you have described, it may only be 1/2 inch! My theory was that when Connolly was first sent in for the fix, the new bowl put on it was a deep bowl, replacing the Artist bowl.
Someone help us! I'd like to know, too if this is a true "deep" bowl or an Artist. Anybody got a tape measure out there?! |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I thought mid depth bowls only came in cutaway? |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | This may be a superfluous expedition. Point is, it's a superb instrument, and well-appreciated.
Play on! |
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Location: SoCal | Rick,
I don't have the numbers in front of me but it's
deep
mid depth
artist
ssb
The first bowls were deep. The Artist bowls came in around 1960-70. Ssb's came in around 1981-2, and the mid bowls were introduced about 5 years ago with the LX models. There's whole threads around here devoted to the depths.
I believe that the GC reissues used mid depth bowls rather that the artist bowls (it's what was being used at the time) and that your guitar probably has one of those (mine does, but I've learned that mine was one of the first ones built so I don't know what came after).
Take a pic of the profile. We can probably tell from that.
Chris is right tho'. The main thing is that it's a great guitar. The rest is just fun trivia.
By the way, I can tell you if it's a deep bowl or something else just by looking at it, if you want to send it out here. I'll have it back to you in 6 months or so...... |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Original deep bowl = 5 13/16"
Original Artist bowl (also called "shallow bowl") = 5 1/8"
Original Super shallow bowl = 4 1/2"
However, over time they changed a bit and recent vintage guitars (maybe 5-10 years) are:
New deep bowl = 5 3/4"
New mid depth bowl = 5 1/4"
New supershallow bowl = 4 1/16"
Dave |
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Sharing my Glen Campbell Artist with YOU!
