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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 25
Location: Regensburg BY, Germany | Dear OFCers,
provided with a budget for another O/A I am looking for an opportunity to play a UTE and a 1581 to figure out which model I'd rather go for. They're entirely different, I know, but both are on the top of my list of favourite guitars (= U681T, 1680, 1581-5 single or double epaulet).
The 1680 looks amazing, plays perfect (although I used to play 1-11/16" O/A frets) and is nice sounding but not overly »Adamassive« to my ears. I love the VIPs modeling though and I find it convenient to pick and mix the miked sound from the preamp instead of a stomp box or acoustic amp.
As for the UTE: I already have a W681T and read in one of the OFC postings that UTE and W681T sound somewhat similar. I love the W681T's sound because it's totally different from anything I ever played before including Adamas. Even unamplified it's quite piezo-ish (I don't know what else I could call it). If the UTE is not too close but also in that acoustic direction I'd surely have to have it.
The 1581-5 is a model I could get right out of the factory (current production model, two eppies I'm afraid...) for 70% of the regular price (not the MSRP). That's a big temptation, too. I already have a 1687 and if the only difference between them (beyond the Adamas II look) is the Cutaway then I won't put it on top of my wish list. And of course a 1581 is not as hard to get as a UTE or a 1680, so I could still postpone this acquisition for a while.
BTW: do the single vs. the double epaulet 1581 models sound very different?
Problem is: these models are not accessible in stores around here (ZIP/PLZ 930xx). So I'm kindly asking for an opportunity to play both of them in one place if possible. I'd be happy to take one or two of my As with me for inspection and evaluation ;)
Thanks for reading and take care
Minnefred/Manä |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | Building quite the stable there, Mana. Congratulations. Having been lucky enough to have played all of them, I can say that the Ute, the 1680 and the 1581 are all outstanding guitars. I've never compared the Ute to the W681T so I'm no help there.
With the 1581, my impression of the single vs double would be that Ovation accomplished exactly what you think they would with the configurations. That is, I found the single to be a little more powerful in the bottom end (boomy but not muddy at all) as opposed to the much more balanced sound of the double.
Hope some of that helps! |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I have a 1531 30th Anniversary RI with the single epi. It was my first Adamas and is one of only two guitars I keep strung with mediums (the other is a Tak dread). This is a loud, clear, tight guitar with a lot of boominess, which is precisely what I want out of it. The FET preamp is no-fuss and foolproof. I don't use it with the band much anymore, but it is often the first thing I reach for when I play outside in front of the fireplace with a few friends and without an amp. And it never needs polishing, just an occasional swipe with an air compressor blow gun to remove the dust. |
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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 25
Location: Regensburg BY, Germany | Thanks so far, guys!
I'm already quite excited 'cos I'm going to play the 1680 today -- not for the first time but with a sufficient amount of money in my pockets, so to speak ;)
Let's see and hear how much I'm going to like it this time... |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | 1531? I meant 1581! |
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Joined:
August 2010
Posts: 25
Location: Regensburg BY, Germany | I guessed so...
Remember: in former times this happened yet more frequently with the ink ribbon of the typewriter getting outworn -- and that looked quite similar ;)
BTW: I'm still not convinced of the 1680. It's lacking that certain something, not so much in my eyes but especially in my ears. As for the looks: wonderful except for the back of the neck which seems like it was made of plastic (O.K. for the bowl but not the rest).
While we're at it: does anyone here have a single-eppie 1581 for sale (or maybe possibly perhaps trade)? If so, please let me know before I go for the double-eppie model right from the factory. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | At our weekly practice I play my UTE and Brian his 1581. With the low number of UTES out there it will be hard to find them both in the same place. Except maybe among Jerome and his crew.
We practice every Friday, 6:30 to 9:30. Stop in some time. The next day we'll take you up to the town of Frankenmuth for a little taste of home. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | You can buster the treble side epis on a double and it sound just like the single.
I owned w681 and u681 at the same time. U has more bottom end but both are outstanding instruments. |
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Who'd let me »test drive« both a UTE and 1581 in Germany?
