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Location: Atlanta,Ga. |  ;) |
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Location: SoCal | Sam: What do you know about the history of this guitar? Obviously, an Adamas with a wood top. Do you know when and why it was built?
Paul |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Paul, here is what i know about the adamas woodtop guitar.I got the info from Bill so, maybe he can confirm..There were three built before they decided what to do with the elite model..This is the predicessor to the Elite..I was told that three woodtop adamases were built with carved headstock, bridge,AAA spruce top and adamas binding...This is one of them.The sound is incredible!! Years later they built for the japanise market a woodtop adamas called the "century" but it did not have the carved bridge and heastock.They were basically adamas II with 100 year old spruce wood tops. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | nice bricks in that wall sam!! and the little fish pond in another photo-------beautiful.
well it's time to pull out my little brown mouse balladeer and practice the stones' "you cant always get what you want-------" for tonights gig. seems like a good opening number after seeing your photos. i retract all previous statements about being a collector. i have a big working guitar family-------thats it. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | This one is unoque in that the top was fitted into an Adamas chassis, if you will. Later Elites and others used the normal Ovation top to bowl attachment method. This was a great guitar. Early 80's I'd guess. Does it have a s/n Sam? If it's a 6 digit prototype lable the numbers are the date. |
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Location: Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Sam, you are wrong about the Adamas Century: it may not have the carved headstock, but it does have the carved bridge along with the carved fiberglass binding. As with the "100 year old" redish top, that's another story... |
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Location: SoCal | Looking at this guitar, I'm glad they decided to make the Elites. Mine is about 1400 into the production. Black walnut fingerboard, AAA spruce, wood body binding, and layered headstock and heel cap. Not as fancy as Sam's, but one hell of a guitar. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I'm not familiar with the century, must be after my time. I did hear some rhetoric about 100 year old tops but frankly I think that's a bunch of codswollop, but then I've been wrong before too. I'm sure there is some marketing justification and would like to hear what it is.
Does anybody in Bloomfield read this stuff? |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Bill, no serial number but it was built in 1980 or somewhere there close,from what i understand.Because the guitra has the adamas binding and it makes the bowl 1/4" deeper it really has a great sound..This one is a keeper for life........Bill, can you confirm how many of these were built? |
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Location: SoCal | Re: The Adamas Century, there was one for sale at
http://www.mandoweb.com
On a quick look, I didn't see it, but I might have missed it. It was marketed in Japan as being greatly superior to the guitar that Ovation makes for the U.S. market.
Also over there, for your interest Sam, is a very old 12 string (with the smaller soundhole than the rosette), and there was, a very early baladeer.
Paul |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Paul, i have known about these guitars for a while now.i think the balladeer is sold.They had it for sale for 15 years and they have finally sold it.. |
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Location: NJ | from a good source
the adamas century used the adamas bowl rings and they were made from old tops bought from martin It is not sure if they were 100 years old but they were old. they were made for the Japan only market and probably had stereo electronics with 2 wooden knobs. their color was a -7 which is a brown/organge/red |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Al,great info..I doubted also that the tops are 100 years old...After all who would know or verify this? Also, if your selling feature and is 100 year old top,why paint them that red color and cover it up ? Whats the point of painting it? I would want a 100 year old top where someone can actually see the top...HHHMMM??? |
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Location: Philadelphia, PA 19107 | Hi guys,
Al, I strongly believe that all Adamas Century were made after '94, and all are equipped with the OPTIMA system. |
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Location: NJ | elias
I only accurately posted the information given to me by a reliable souce. Any additional information or verification of the facts in any way is welcome. |
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Location: SoCal | Bringing this thread back to the early Elites, it's my understanding (and Bill can confirm or correct this) that the first Elite prototype went to Glen Campbell, who played it for a number of years. What was interesting was that the design on the fret board seemed to look better when the guitar was on it's side being played. Standing up, I couldn't figure it at all. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | The inlay was taken from a necklace my wife wore at the time, the stylized triangle. There were two guitars made, Glen has one and I've got the other. You can see Glen's in the book. They were made after this one of Sam's. We were calling it the Super Legend at the time but eventually settled for Elite. |
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Location: SoCal | Bill:
You should post some pics of some of these guitars of yours. I've seen the pic at your website with the 87 Collectors, but I suspect that we'd all be interested in seeing some of the Ovation history that you own.
Pushy of me, isn't it? |
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Location: Atlanta,Ga. | So, Bill since mine came before your super legend,then mine must be a "SUPER ADAMAS"...OOHH HELL YEAH!!! BTW, when are you sending the super legend.I just cleaned off a place in the ovation musium in my home....LOL |
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Sam's early Wood-top Adamas! 1 of 3!
