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Location: NJ | from a reliable source ...
The guitar was offered between 1980 and
1983.
There are no production figures anywhere on file that anyone can currently locate.
the warranty registration cards were examined to get a ball park figure.
The serial numbers range for the UKII is from 12000 to 15000 although it
looks like not all of these numbers were for only this guitar but most were.
Best estimate is between 2000 and 3000 were built.
The retail price for the UKII was 650.00 plus case.
It was also explained to me that when you send a message to Kaman on their website they are routed to different people. So if the subject line or text of your message may determine where it gets sent. This also determines how quickly it gets answers.
From my personal experience I can tell you that e mail that is directed to the service department all gets answered as quickly as possible.
Please realize that sometimes it takes some digging to get to the information sought and since most of the questions here are posed about older intstruments where the records are not always at arm's reach the answer can come a little slower.
I hope this sheds some light on our questions about the UK II. I started a new thread since I could not find where the topic was brought up before |
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Posts: 873
Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | thanks al. the ukII is very interesting to me as it seemed to break ground like the composite bowls did in the acoustic line. everyone has their own idea of what approaches the perfect guitar for them, and the ukII comes closer than anything else i own. kinda like a 427 shelby cobra. light and powerful and fun to drive. if anybody ever runs across photos of that aluminum framework i would be interested in seeing it.
on nights i am going to play 4 sets or more the ukII really shines. i played a les paul for one set once and a guy needs a comfortable strap or needs to get in shape so the weight doesn't distract you. les pauls are in general are too heavy for me despite the reputation and following they have. like bill said, what flavor of ice cream do you like? the ukII is my flavor. i hope to find one of each flavor variation for my working "ukII museum".
i had a peavy i sold and a nice 24 fret strat (also for sale) that i just don't play anymore. they dont blow my hair back like the ukII does. in fact i cant remember the last time i gigged with anything but an ovation.
[ March 31, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ]
[ March 31, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: UK | Mex, theres 12 to 15 companies in the UK who make replica Cobra chassis!
Some of their brochures show their bare bone chassis`s, i assumne you want to make one? |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | actually i was referring to the aluminum frame the ukII has. although a ukII would look great in the passenger seat of a 427 cobra--------hmmmmm. russ |
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Location: UK | Lol, DOH!
Well i just learnt summat new about Ovation guitars, the UKII has an alloy frame! Wow.
Proves this site is worth its weight in gold, i learn something new everyday. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | The lunium frame had a nice big flat spot that the neck rested on and the bridge adjustment screws are in in too. Good soild contact from the ball end of the string to the nut for sustain and all that. That was a big thing back then. |
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Location: UK | :eek:
Does this mean i just wasted heaps of money on a DC Les Paul?
I thought mine has good sustain :( |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | Bill,was that frame welded together or cast? i'm tempted to take one to my doctor friend and have it x-rayed. only costs $10 down here. could be a first for a guitar. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | It was cast. They look cool under the xray. What's a DC less Paul? Pauls are a comodity really, if you got into it right you should always be able to get out of it right. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | i have got to go to the clinic on crutches carrying the ukII. there are very few mexicans that understand the gringo way of thinking and i am going to have way more fun than the cost of the the x ray watching them try to figure out what is going on. i guess you e rayed the ukII for quality control, bill?
[ April 01, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: UK | A DC les paul is a Double cut body, i hate the shape of the normal les pauls, its a STD plus, with all the gold bits, was 1/2 price on clearance sale, so no probs getting more than my money back,but i cant :rolleyes: i like it too much, just gonna have to go and get meself a UKII NOW. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Gary, Thanks for the responce. There should be some UK's hanging out in the UK! We sold a bunch over there through Rose Morris. Good Luck finding one! |
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Location: UK | Is there anywhere where i can see some piccies of UKII, Preachers, Breadwinners, Deacons etc? |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | try the link to e bay on this site under links or type in ovation solid bodies and also specific names like ovation uk2, ovation ultra kaman etc into google search and you will find several photos and references. harmony central has gear reviews of many ovation models. i'm not alone in my high opinion of the ukII. the reviews show how little outside of this site is really known about this particular guitar. |
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Posts: 126
Location: UK | After checking out some UK2`s around, which are deemed the best? The bow tie inlay type? the big oblong inlay type or the small dot inlay types?
Any difference in build quality between these?
I assume the round dot types are the later models. |
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Location: Scotland | I think the bow-tie inlays look nicer, & there's nothing vaguely like that on any other guitar. I personally prefer the original Ovation bridge. I've noticed that it's very difficult to adjust the intonation on UKII's with the later Schaller bridge, as the screw heads are very close to the bridge pickup. Great guitars, the pickups have a very high output & are virtually noiseless. The little series/parallel switches do a decent single-coil impersonation. This is the guitar that convinced me to sell my PRS custom. Keep an eye on Loot, I've seen a few there for sensible money in the last year. I got mine from Germany, mint, cased & shipped for less than £300.
Paul
Paul |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | The bow-ties were first and the guitars were black and the brown sunburst.
We switched to the abalone preecher deluxe inlays when we added the white and later the barnboard.
The bowties were machined MOTS and were about twice the cost of real abalone! When I found out the costs we switched in a hurry.
Whatever dot inlays there are are toward the end and were not production guitars, they were built by the R&D guys who also built the Adamas. Same building, same floor, different room.
There really isn't any quality differences from start to finish of the UK2's. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | bill, what exactly is MOTS? i guess between bow ties, abalone and dots combined with the standard colors and some custom, pick guard or no pickguard, there are a fair number of variations out there. i ran across photos of a reddish mock mahogany one recently. the black are really classy with the gold hardware.
did the r&d guys start building them because there was limited demand or because they were being phased out? |
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Location: UK | Does this mean the dot inlays ones are the rarest? |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Mother Of Toilet Seat , better known as plastic pearl.
The r&d guys did it because it was at the end of the run and things were closing down. The dot inlay ones I think all have chrome hardware and unbound necks. They aren't many of these, 15 to 20 maybe.
There is an all purple and all ds brown, both metallic. there is also a grey and grey with silver pinstriping. There were around 10 that were painted by a guy named Jarret in NC. all grafics and pretty nice. There was also a couple with maple fingerboards, a metallic red one that looked just like a strawberry daquari. I can't remember the other maple board colours. |
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Location: NJ | "Mother of Toilet Seat"!!!!!
I think I just lost one of my contact lenses from laughing so hard!!
Thanks Bill, I needed a good laugh today! |
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Location: UK | "Mother of Toilet seat"
Lol , never heard that one before, but an apt description of the material.
Ive seen a purple one for sale, and a Dusty brown one,(brown one claimed to be out of W.Kamans collection) approx 600 $ each, worth going for one?
[ April 04, 2002: Message edited by: Gary(Uk) ] |
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Location: Scotland | Gary, I've had my eye on those too, but be careful. Shipping will be approaching £100 or more & vat & duty runs at about 24%. You'll get a better deal in the UK & Europe if you look hard enough (you don't pay UK vat & duty if you buy from an EEC country) Though you probably wont get one of Bill's cast-offs, unfortunately.
Paul
[ April 04, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | mots is going to be a permanant part of my guitar vocabulary. i can't wait for an opportunity to use it with the band. i knew it wasnt tortise shell, but--------------
was that a shop term, bill?
[ April 04, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: UK | Paul,
im lucky in that a friend of mine flies to UK regular, so NO vat and import duty and nO Fed ex air bill! Hand luggage :rolleyes: you should see what else he brings over, BSA motorcycle engines!!He does get some grief tho over the hand luggage weights :)
Only prob, is that collecting is now getting to be an obsessive habit that is just starting to hook me.Silly really, cant play `em all at once!
But better to collect something of quality and the joy value of playing,is priceless. |
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UK II information
