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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | I took my one year old 1778 LX to the shop for a re-string and check-up and my guitar tech. discovered the top is bowing out underneath the bridge! Today was the first time my guitar has left my home since I purchased it (from the same place I took it to today). I have babied my LX and it has not been exposed to severe conditions. The store assured me the factory would replace the top when it finally cracks! Has this happened to anyone else? Is there anything I can do? HELP!!!!!!!! |
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Location: SoCal | There's a slight arch to the top that's natural. That may be what they saw. Is there any sign that the bridge is coming up or off?
Check with the factory in the morning. |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | No, Moody I didn't notice a thing until they pointed it out. The bow doesn't look symetrical like an arch top. I don't think you could see it in a photo unless the light was just right. Thanks for the reply, I really value your opinion. |
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Location: south east Michigan | You have the best customer service department in the industry backing you up. If there is a problem, it will get fixed to your satisfaction. |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | You guys sure are making me feel better. |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | It isn't unusual for an Ovation kept at full string tension to develop a slight arching of the top, and this may well be the case if you can only see it in certain light angles.
It is more serious if you begin to see striations developing along the length of the body that go with the grain of the wood, but still not critical. If you don't have to remove shims for the action to be good, it means you don't have a related neck problem and that is to be celebrated because a bridge that is truly lifting will increase the string height and require the removing of shims to compensate. When all of the shims are removed, there is nothing more to do but have the neck reset or the bridge reglued.
But the bridge rarely needs to be reglued, in my experience, unless it is faulty to begin with and affects the intonation seriously enough to call for regluing it.
The good news in any of these scenarios is that the factory will take care of the problem, and -- assuming you are the original purchaser -- it won't cost you to have it done. |
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Location: SoCal | There's almost always a little pulling on the top that you can see when the light is just right. I can see a little on my new 1773 LX which has less pull than yours due to the nylon strings. But it doesn't concern me in the least.
The other thing to check is the intonation on your guitar all the way up the neck. If the top was pulling too much, wouldn't the intonation be off at the 12th fret and above? |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | I am the original owner. I have e-mailed Ovations' support I don't have a phone number (anyone have this?). This gets worse. My guitar techs. actual words were tthat the top is bellying in underneath and to one side of the bridge. He adjusted the neck and filed the frets a little, because of this (wasn't sure why?). I was in the store before Christmas and played a 2005 Collectors and mentioned at the time that it seemed easier to play than my LX, even though the neck, strings and action should have been pretty similar. My pre-Christmas visit was one of the reasons I took my guitar in for a check-up. I did check the intonation above the 12th fret and it's OK. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | There are many luthiers who see a slight bulge as a good thing...it means that the guitar is loaded and ready to vibrate like crazy...
in other words, the guitar is in near perfect balance between string tension pulling each end of the guitar toward collaspse and the structure (bracing and such) resisting that collaspse. The slight bulge represents a near perfect balance of the two... |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | So , maybe this is OK after all. You guys all have a lot more experience with guitars, Ovation and the OFC than I do. I suppose I should just relax and have faith in Ovation and my Lifetime Warranty. If anyone else wants to add any additional encouragement go right ahead! Of course I could be asking for trouble ;-) |
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Location: south east Michigan | Perhaps at this point it would be best to tell your guy to quit trying to fix it and get it back to the factory.
If the top is defective they will not try to put a new top on your "old" bowl. You will get a complely new top/bowl assembly. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | wtw84,
I think what we are saying is that a slight bulge in nothing to worry about.
But if it effects the guitar's playability and if a trained eye suggests that it is more than just a slight bulge, then something is likely to be wrong.
The Ovation Service dept is terrific and they will know just what is going on... |
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Location: closely held secret | All my wood-top guitars bulge a little... as do I... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Hard to hide the cotton tail...  |
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Location: south east Michigan | What concerns me is that the bulge in not symetrical. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Brad,
You shouldn't worry Waskel like that, it is common for one testicle to hang lower than the other... |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | Just when I was going to show this thread to my Wife! |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I meant tenticle |
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Location: closely held secret | Sorry, wtw84... I thought it was Brad's day to watch him... :rolleyes: |
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Location: Waxahachie, Tx | I have a Brand spankin New (4 days old) 1778LX-4 that has the bulge just under bridge area and a year old 1771LX-4 the same. At first I thought this might be a discrepancy but most all the other "O"s I see at the GC are the same. unloaded it is no detectable but when I full tension it's there. :D
I just saw the place that sold me my guitar just had about a 200.00 dollar and some change increase in prices on the Ovation line, glad I bought before the 1st of year |
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Location: SoCal | wtw84:
If it really bothers you and you want to dump this guitar as a piece of junk, I'll give you $203.46 right now, sight unseen for it.
Seriously, Ovation customer service will get back with you. Those guys are the best in the business. |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | texbaz, If you took a protractor and put the point side down it in the center of the bridge (no I would never really do this) and traced an arc underneath the bridge you would highlight the area I am concerned with. The left side has a depression following the left side of the bridge. I can't see anything on the right side. |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | OK, waiting for customer service. No Moody it's not for sale :-| |
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Location: NJ | Y'mean compass . . . not a protractor . . . |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | That's why I'm a Band Director. |
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Location: NJ | Oh, . . so YOU'RE the guy with the van . . .
:D |
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Location: Cicero, NY | The van...Man! I wish...they always point me to the short bus... |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | I have no idea what you guys are talking about. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Sometimes I wonder if they know what they are talking about. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ¿que? |
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Location: NJ | 'zactly. |
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Location: Minden, Nebraska | Let's see if I can summarize the essence of the thread, vanless: the guitar may or may not have a problem, but seems to play and sound okay and has no intonation issues. Should a more observable problem develop, the factory will repair it. What am I missing? |
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Location: Poplar Bluff Mo | Ovation says "The tops on LX guitars are built with an outward radius to increase sound and projection. If you are concerned and would like to have us take a look at the instrument, contact Customer Service at 860-379-7575 with the model and serial numbers from the guitar for a return authorization." I think I'll sit tight for a while. I do appreciate all of the replies,(well some of them I'm not to sure about) even the humorous ones. You guys are great! |
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Location: closely held secret | Ovation customer service is very cautious about making any recommendations without having the guitar in hand.I think it's the best policy for them, though sometimes a little frustrating. |
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1778 in trouble-HELP