🎸 Marcel Dadi's Guitars
The Epic Story of Ovation Adamas Guitars
🎼 Marcel Dadi and Ovation Guitars
The fabulous Adamas epic by Dominique Filhon
The story of Marcel Dadi and Ovation guitars begins in 1973. During his various guitar lessons and visits to different music shops in Paris, he had the opportunity to try his first Ovation. Marcel was immediately seduced by this guitar with its resolutely modern design.
Everything appealed to him: the bridge design better suited to picking style than the classic peg bridge, the guitar's shape eliminating edge contact and allowing better feel of the instrument against the body. But this guitar, a Balladeer, suffered in Marcel's eyes from a major flaw: the neck width.
Like most picking guitarists, Marcel had a clear preference for wide necks, which is also why he recorded his first album on a Martin D 28 S, lent for the occasion by Steve Waring.
Nevertheless, this first contact allowed Marcel to meet the Ovation importer for France. At that time, Ovation remained unknown to French guitarists. From then on, the importer considered finding a guitarist whose reputation would serve to promote the brand.
Since his first album had enjoyed significant success, the Martinet company therefore offered Marcel Dadi to participate in promoting Ovation in France.
This was an opportunity for him to explore the Ovation range and among the many models, the Folklore type 1614 caught his attention. With a wide neck (1 7/8"), twelve frets clear of the body, a deep body and equipped with a first-class electro-acoustic system for the time, the Folklore had all the assets to serve Marcel's technique.
It was with this guitar of astonishing power that he played at Bobino in front of a thousand people, purely acoustically, without amplification.
Very quickly, the Folklore was complemented by a nylon string model. Thus a Country Artist appeared in Dadi's sound palette.
Based on the same general characteristics as the Folklore and besides the specific bracing for nylon string guitars, the Country Artist differed however by a 14-fret neck clear of the body and a narrow body.
It's the very particular sound of the Country Artist that can be heard in the interpretation of Blueberry in the album "Dadi and friends". Marcel was therefore the official demonstrator on the Ovation stand during the Paris music show in September 1973.
🕰️ Innovation Timeline
🌟 The Meeting with Charlie Kaman
The Decisive Moment
"Charlie is a very good jazz guitarist and it was very quickly a two-guitar session. After a few hours, we were already old friends who couldn't leave each other. In the evening at dinner, we talked guitars and I explained my ideas about an ideal model" - Marcel Dadi
It was with this title that he was introduced to the entire American team at the Frankfurt show at the end of January 1974 by Claude Martinet. On this occasion, Dick Della Bernarda (one of Ovation's managers) offered him a just-created model: the Euro Classic.
In February 1975 Marcel Dadi, back at the Frankfurt music show, met Charlie Kaman, the company president. Instantly, the two men appreciated each other and took advantage of the situation to perfect their acquaintance, guitar in hand.
Marcel's description of the perfect guitar in his mind had a very favorable echo from Charlie Kaman because it was at this time that Ovation was studying a prototype corresponding to Marcel's wishes:
Characteristics of the Ideal Guitar according to Marcel
| Neck | Wide (1 7/8") |
| Frets clear of body | 14 frets |
| Sound quality | As good as a 12-fret guitar |
| Sound hole | Elimination of the "big hole" |
Charlie, smiling, then announced to Marcel that Ovation was working on developing a model with similar characteristics. Having a prototype at his hotel, he offered Marcel to try it and tell him what he thought.
It was a shock for Marcel: "the sound was almost incredible: powerful and clear like no other instrument". Marcel dreamed of taking this instrument with him but Charlie opposed it, this model being the "top secret" prototype #22.
The history of Adamas development included no less than 26 prototypes used in its development.
🔬 Technical Innovation of Adamas
- Advanced materials: Soundboard made of carbon graphite fiber
- Sound hole elimination: Replaced by 22 holes distributed symmetrically
- Fan bracing: New system developed by Charlie Kaman
- Precision assembly: Each piece weighed to 1/10th of a gram
- Limited finishing: Maximum 5 grams of paint to preserve sound qualities
- Unique aesthetics: Precious wood marquetry and sculpted openwork headstock
🏆 Marcel Dadi's Adamas Collection
Adamas 1689 n°37
Wide Neck
Adamas 1689
"La Lilas"
Adamas 1689-7
n°516-90
Adamas 1687-X
n°3189-94
Adamas 1688
12 strings
Adamas Model Numbers
| 1187 | Acoustic narrow neck without cutaway |
| 1687 | Electro acoustic narrow neck without cutaway |
| 1688 | Electro acoustic 12 strings without cutaway |
| 1689 | Electro acoustic wide neck without cutaway |
| 1587 | Electro acoustic narrow neck with cutaway |
| X | Prototype or custom shop model |
The Pre-production Series (n°27 to 60)
In the wide neck series, Charlie Kaman offered the Adamas 1689-8 N°37 to Marcel Dadi. A fabulous guitar from the Ovation legend, used in numerous tracks and particularly in the album "Dadi and friends volume 2" where, played alternately with a Folklore and a Country Artist, according to the different pieces interpreted, Marcel Dadi's playing was enriched with new depth.
📚 Bibliography & Acknowledgments
Bibliography:
Ovation magazine interview Marcel Dadi
The history of the Ovation guitar (Walter Carter)
Acknowledgments:
Martine and Pascal Fournier
Jean Claude Couret
Rémy Loyant
Jean-Félix Lalanne
To be continued...
📍 Guitar Pickers Association
The story of Marcel Dadi's guitars testifies to a passion for innovation and the pursuit of sonic excellence. His collaboration with Charlie Kaman and Ovation gave birth to the legendary Adamas, exceptional instruments that marked the history of picking guitar.