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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Hi All,
Remember me....the person who said the other night that he didn't hear enough difference to justify an Adamas over a Balladeer 12-string (or 6-string, for that matter)????
WELL.....my lovely wife and I traveled to an Ovation dealer in the Detroit area (Huber and Breese in Fraser) today that we had never been to before...I was looking for a 6751 Balladeer 12-string....they didn't have one, but they DID have an Adamas Melissa Etheridge Signature 12-string....I played it and I admit it...IT DOES SOUND (A LOT) BETTER THAN A BALLADEER!!!!! My wife agreed....the place cut us a great deal(I think they really wanted to get rid of it), and it came home with us. It is my wife's birthday present to me.
It was a good ways on the wrong side of $1000, but that's the great thing about 12-strings, chicks dig 'em...... |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Confession is good for the soul, and it also sounds like it produced a terrific birthday present. Keep us informed as you meld with this guitar. I am shamrock green with envy.
Bailey |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Bailey,
I am REALLY surprised that she did this....I was really only looking for a Balladeer 12-string. I tend to be a "bang-for-the-buck" person, not a "gotta-have-the-absolute-best" person.
Why it happened, though, is the deal the shop gave us on it. After looking at it, it has the older pre-amp. I suspect from the appearance(heavily fingerprinted) that it is a couple of years old and they wanted to move it out. We got it for well under what they are going for from the major internet shops.
This ties into the string on Ovation/Adamas product placement as well....the Ovations WERE in the expensive room with the "big boys" this time...but the Adamas(and there was only ONE) was at the end of the row, the hardest to get to. The only reason I even picked it up was that it was the only Ovation 12-string there.
The salesman did bring us a Celebrity 12-string that they had in storage, but I declined to play it, I was looking for a U.S.-made guitar. Everyone here has convinced me of their superiority.
While I was there, I tried a Gibson J-185 and Rainsong 12-strings. The Gibson sounded good, but wasn't that easy to play. The Rainsong sounded and played about as good as the Adamas, but the Adamas is not nearly as expensive. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Sounds great. I suspect we will be hearing an unending stream of praise as you discover the hidden goodies as you become intimate with this guitar. I don't want to sound envious, but has your wife considered that your attachment might become too great and to prevent that she could PACK IT UP AND SEND IT TO ME. That would no doubt save your marriage and ruin mine of 46 years. I think you have found a great guitar and will enjoy it greatly.
Bailey ;) |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | I was talking to someone yesterday about the Adamas textured top, surface area and its relation to the sound. it was an interesting conversation. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Congrates!....Huber/Breese is a good store. I have taken lessons there and loitered in the guitar room. They have alot of interesting instruments to look at.
Brad
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | OAO;
CONGRATS!
Not only did you get a GREAT guitar, but you got one that you'll keep forever that came with built-in "sentimental value".
btw:
Crow doesn't taste too bad if put a lil' HOT SAUCE on it! ;) |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Cliff
My son told me he talked to illegals in California that travelled with a bottle of hot sauce and knew all the edible plants that they encountered that became dinner with a little hot sauce.
Keep a bottle handy and you can survive any disaster. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Thanks all. We went to Huber and Breese because they are listed as a dealer on Ovation's website, and I found their website with a bunch of Gibson Custom Shop guitars on it---I figured any shop that has that many Custom Shop guitars has to be a cool place.
I'm already finding one nuance of playing a 12-string; I'm getting tender spots on my fingers from holding down the extra strings. I'm sure they will toughen up. I've been switching off playing it with my CC01 Celebrity 6-string for this reason.
My wife has nicknamed the Amadas "The Chameleon", because the color changes with the light on the top. In low light, it is black, with sunlight, you can see the dark red burst. Brighter light, the redder it gets(to a point). We thought it was black when we bought it; when I cleaned the 1-2 years of fingerprints off of it, I found it was actually a dark red.
I would think that ANYTHING would be palatable with the right hot sauce!!!! :) |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Old Applause Owner
That guitar is sounding SO good as you get to know it, a small hint from a mandolin player (double strings) who has played sometimes from early in the morning (a gospel session) to late at night on the same weekend gig, and did not destroy the fingertips. Learn to hit your notes briefly just long enough to sound them but not where you grip the neck more than is neccesary to play the music. Your fingers should dance over the frets and not grip them in a spastic nervous grip.
Bailey |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Thanks, Bailey, I will try to do that. I think I need to strengthen my fingers some. Coincidentally, I am trying to learn mandolin as well(I bought a Epiphone MM30 A-type a couple of months ago---not a great mando, but good enough to learn on)! It's been put aside for the moment, though. The call of the Adamas is too strong. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | Speaking of eating crow reminded me of this story.
Many years ago the US government agency that was in charge of wildlife (no not guitar players) was the Washington Biological Survey. One of the things they did was to band birds, so they could later be inspected as to weight age, etc. The name of the agency was to long to go on the band so it was abbreviated to Wash. Biol, Surv.
They received a letter from an old farmer in Tenn. He stated, "Dear sirs, I shot one of your crows. Like it said on the leg, I washed it and biled it and served it, but it was terrible! |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Obviously, he didn't serve it with hot sauce!!!!! :D |
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Time To Eat Some Crow.....
