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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 9
Location: Houston, TX | I just picked up a white Breadwinner (serial #E00443) and wanted to find out a few things from the experts.
(1) What year is my guitar (has large pickups, side jack)
(2) Why doesn't the guitar work without the batteries installed?
(3) To me it seems like a low output guitar compared to the others. Could it be weak batteries or do I need to adjust something?.
(4)The tone pot seems to be a push pull that does nothing...
Any help would be greatly appriciated. I love this guitar and want it to be my main guitar if i can fix these problems.
Thanks
joe b
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Joe B,
Nice Get! That puicture can give a guy Solidbody GAS for sure.
I believe the Breadwiner is Active Electronics vs. a Passive system. This should allow more control over what goes out. That's why the battery is needed. Step 1 & 2 to troubleshooting would be to put in a fresh battery and look for loose wires and connections.
If it still frustrates you I'll take it off your hands!!!
Pretty soon someone that really knows something will add their nickel.
Enjoy and welcome! |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Ooooooo! It's just like mine! (ser# 906) I just posted about my Breadwinner in "confessions of an ex-noodler".
It looks in really good shape. IMHO, it's not the guitar for L-Zep and AC-DC work, but it sure sounds sweet in many different ways.
I have the same semi-hard case with red fuzz inside.
Because of the pick-up style and side jack I an sure it is a very early one. Where did you find the serial number? Mine is stamped in the neck plate. Just a 3 digit number. No letters.
Yes, batterys are required. I bet it will solve the output problem. FYI...don't leave it on the stand with the chord plugged in. It drains the life from the batterys and puts un-needed miles on the circuit board.
very,very nice
Brad |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 9
Location: Houston, TX | Thanks for the warm welcome guys.
This guitar has the serial number stamped on the neckplate. Also, there is no big Ovation logo on the battery compartment, it's just blank. It also has a push/pull pot on the tine control (that does nothing IMO).
So Slipkid, if you take your batteries out, then the guitar doesn't have any output signal? |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | You check the serial number in the reference section of this site, but it is an early one based on the pickups, end jack, bridge, and most importantly the more plain battery cover and neck plate.
It definately needs the TWO 9 volt batteries to work as the electronics are active. The pickups actually should be pretty hot, however, there was no "push-pull" so I don't know what that is about. The early tone controls were not actually "numbered" correctly as 5 is really the mid point and move toward 0 for more bass, and 10 for more treble.
My first guess is that someone monkey'd with the pre-amp. Also just FYI the lower switch is the pickup switch and it's Both-neck-bridge (or maybe the other way) but not both-in-middle as you might suspect. The upper switch is a notch filter.
You check BruDev's albums for the manual and schematics. |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 9
Location: Houston, TX | Thanks Mr. Ovation. Checking on the serial number, the reference section says it's a 1975 (I think it's earlier that that).Also the push/pull tone pot is a stacked pot (with original solder joints that have never broken). Who knows.....
The lower switch is neck, bridge, and both pickups out of phase. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | JoeB,
I have never tried it without any battery so I don't know. I bought mine in about 1971. My battery cover is also plain. To the best of my knowledge they had gone to a different pick-up by 1975. But there are others here who know more.
Brad |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I have a dozen or so of these and never seen one with a push-pull, which only means, I have never seen one with a push-pull, but I think I may go check. They are stacked pots, and I'm wondering the the push-pull is just a broken stacked pot. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | As indicated by the pickups, plain battery cover & position of the output jack your guitar is pretty early. Impossible to tell from the serial number but certainly within the first couple of years of production, '72/73. Sam or Miles may be able to get it closer.
The tone pot is stacked, but is not push-pull, one pot adds treble, the other the bass. As Miles said the tone control is a little confusing on the earlier guitars with the knob calibrated from 1-10. Later knobs were calibrated with a centre "normal" setting and bass/treble in each direction.
The pickup output on Breads & Deacons is usually pretty healthy. From your picture it looks like the pickups are set pretty low. Try adjusting them a little closer (but not too close) to the strings which should improve the output somewhat. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 119
Location: Georgia USA | Yay! Another Breadwinner guy. I'm not so much of an acoustic enthusiast, so I crawl around this board waiting for stuff like this.
That guitar looks great. Put some more pix in your gallery.
I revamped an old guide to Breadwinner's electronics. I can send it to ya (PDF).
And these guys are right. When working properly, the active pickups should be hotter than snot.
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Joe,
Another FYI...The pick-ups have foam padding underneath. The padding in mine turned to dust and the pickups kind of flopped around. Replace padding if needed.
Brad |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Factory production did not use push pull pots. Were they even invented back then? |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Originally posted by cwk2:
Factory production did not use push pull pots. Were they even invented back then?
bill they were available but it was not too common in guitar stuff at that point. |
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Joined:
June 2004
Posts: 3
| I am getting a Breadwinner soon. I was wondering if you could take the coating off the body and refinish it like a Deacon. I would think the coating chokes the resonance of the body.
Anything's possible, but has anyone stripped one?
Thanks-- Mel |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | It's possible to strip and refin clear but the finish doesn't choke it, not at this point in it's life. If it was new and thick finish, maybe but this has had years to cure out. If you refin clear that may choke it more than what's there. |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Great Looking Breadwinner! Congrats!! |
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New Breadwinner Owner