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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Along the lines of a recent thread around the bowls..
At one time it was my understanding that ALL necks were made in Hartford. The Electric's had proprietary frets, so possibly even the import Ovation solid body necks were made in Hartford or Moosup..
I'm hoping we have enough people to piece together the neck timelines. Maybe something like up until year 19xx they were all made in then only the were made in with the rest made .... you get the idea.. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | - - - sound of crickets? - - - |
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Location: Jet City | I thought some necks were made in Moosup? At the very least Applause necks were. 75-83 maybe?
BTW, I waved towards your house Friday, on our way back from Anacortes Ferry. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Obviously necks aren't as sexy as bowls, although I've always been kind of a neck guy (it all started with that "Baby Got Bowl" song) |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | @Damon... and you didn't stop by?? I see how ya are.. :)
As primarily an electric player, the neck to me is EXTREMELY important. Lets face it, I think all of us wouldn't think twice about buying a guitar with a flawed top, body or bowl as long as it was playable... and to me "playable" pretty much means a good neck. Or let me put it this way... how many times have we passed on a great guitar at a great price, mostly because the neck was shot.
Also, from a quality point of view.. Necks go bad way more often than bowls or tops on any guitar.
Again, at least to me, while a good guitar is the sum of it's parts... I can look past a lot of things, but the neck needs to be usable. |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Can't speak for all my BFLG associates, but those necks are a major reason I choose to repair O's & A's, not other critters. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | But still nothing on the history of what one were made where. Someone must have some info I would think. Have actually stumped the Ovation FanClub hive mind? |
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Location: New Hartford CT | Miles - I can't speak for electrics or Moosup necks, but I believe all the necks were produced right at the factory in New Hartford. Hundreds of thousands were manufactured there, from scratch. Maybe another member has the info you seek regarding your electric necks.
There was a period of several years where some acoustic necks were subcontracted owing to huge demand but that was under Ovation supervision and right up the street. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | @Geostorm98 Does that include the necks on imports as well? I seem to recall someone saying that at least for a time, just like the bowls, the necks were shipped to Korea for assembly as well for those models. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | aluminum and foam nex in Moosup, 76 to 82
Wood nex, New Hartford
All electric nex, NH
Bd and Legend 82-85 for NC guitars, made in NC, For New Hartford guitars made in NH
When Moosup was making wood nex, they were made in NHand finished(spray and buff) in Moosup.
From time to time there were some Foreign made nex, didn't last long, 78? 79? 80ish? Usually just on a few Bd models. Every few years marketing would get this great idea and try it again only to be reminded constantly why it doesn't work.
As Geo said, some of the neck work was sub contracted out to a local place in NH. This worked cause the necks were all sprayed in NH, so all the finish was the same and tachniques were the same so all repairs would work. You couldn't fix a ding on a Foreign neck without it costing twice what it was worth.
so far as I know all necks are still made in New Hartford. |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by seesquare:
...those necks are a major reason I choose to repair O's & A's, not other critters. From a repair perspective, what sets them apart? |
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Location: sitting at my computer | Originally posted by Beal:
Bd and Legend 82-85 for NC guitars, made in NC, For New Hartford guitars made in NH
From time to time there were some Foreign made nex, didn't last long, 78? 79? 80ish? Usually just on a few Bd models. NC = ? :confused:
"a few Bd models"... standard, deluxe, custom, all?
can they be ID'd visually... were they 5-piece or solid?
Originally posted by dark bar:
Obviously necks aren't as sexy as bowls
Gee I dunno, some of `em are very sexy.... so silky and smooth... and decked out in MOP. (insert wolf whistle here)
Nothin' against a nice round bottom too!!! :D |
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Location: New Hartford CT | SO Beach - not to worry. The vast majority were made in New Hartford. It was labor intensive and required all sorts of special machinery and skill.
I love manufacturing; imagine the New Htfd factory cranking out 3, 4 or 5 hundred units/week! Recollecting that kind of production makes me smile but it is bittersweet.
Compare those necks to the ones you see on current O imports, if you need a good laugh. OK they're not horrible but there is no comparison really. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
@Geostorm98 Does that include the necks on imports as well? I seem to recall someone saying that at least for a time, just like the bowls, the necks were shipped to Korea for assembly as well for those models. Send the bowls out...
Send the necks out...
Have them assembled over there and shipped back here.
Amazing all the trouble the corporate elite will go through to outsource jobs to save a few bucks.
Takamine outsources their G Series... But the good stuff they make at home.
Honda, Toyota, Nissan outsource to USA, but the good stuff they make at home.
BMW, Mercedes, Audi (and all those cuckoo-clocks) are still made in Europe even with astronomical wages...
And they still make a profit (So there goes that argument) |
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Location: Texas | Amazing all the trouble the corporate elite will go through to outsource jobs to save a few bucks. And why do they outsource, when at one time there was pride associated with "Made in the USA"? We will employ other nations workforce...while forsaking our own.
Along with so many other things in this great country...We have met the enemy... |
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Location: Tennessee | We Can\'t Make It Here Anymore - James McMurtry
Recorded at my local radio station |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Begin Rant... look away children.
Umm So OMA... How many $3000+ guitars have you bought...NEW and how many under $1000 guitars have you bought new... exactly..
Ovation NEVER (to my knowledge) outsourced to "save a few bucks"... They outsourced so that we can buy a quality instrument for less than $3000 dollars.
It's nice to be anarchist, but buy a damn calculator dude. You can ship enough parts to and from in a container to build a few thousand economy guitars for the labor to build a FEW Adamas guitars, and if they weren't able to sell a boatload of imports like they did.. This conversation would be mute because there would be no Ovation USA guitars.
End of Rant - we now return you to our regularity scheduled shenanigans. (and yes I meant to type regularity) :) |
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Location: Flahdaw | Yeah OMA, ya damn calculatorless anarchist! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Probably shouldn't get into automobile economics, either, since BMW, VW and Mercedes all make some very profitable models in the US, while most all US manufacturere outsource some significant parts, like transmissions, to other countries.
I'll bet that local luthier who is hand crafting a guitar in the USA is doing it with at least some tools made in another country. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
and how many under $1000 guitars have you bought new... exactly.. Ovations? New? Two (2) Both under $700... Sweet T and 2058T
Ovation NEVER (to my knowledge) outsourced to "save a few bucks"... How about FMIC?
I understand why Celebrity's and Ultra's were made overseas...
To create an affordable Ovation for poor folks.
I still cannot understand why Legends are being made there now.
And on the whole world thing... My Mom used to make Chic and Rustler jeans.
(Rustlers were GREAT $8 jeans... $10 for Black)
And Oshkosh B'gosh was also in her town, both are gone now.
Not really a rant... just sayin' :p |
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Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
I still cannot understand why Legends are being made there now.
Because the world market for $1000 Legends is huge and the market for US-made Legends at $2K is tiny. Despite what we think here, Ovations will never be considered a "high-end" guitar by the general US guitar-buying market. Especially those people who will plunk down $2K or more ...
But all you have to do is look at eBay and you'll see a lot of Adamas guitars, both CF and wood topped in the "high-end" space. |
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Location: sitting at my computer | Paid approx. $500.00 for my 1617-4 new in '75.
In today's dollars that'd be $2,102.51 (320,5% inflation rate) - source: usinflationcalculator.com
I wish I could afford to do that nowadays!
It's a proverbial capitalistic conundrum:
How to economically produce
a competitively priced product
wholly in the USA
with USA labor being paid a livable wage
and still remain in business?!
- `course then you hear about the incomprehensible amount made by some corporate CEO and you just can't help but think that there's been a serious disconnect somewhere along the way. The demise of Gordon Gekko has been greatly exaggerated. |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by SOBeach:
The demise of Gordon Gekko has been greatly exaggerated. That was just a movie....the truth is actually much scarier. |
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| Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
... buy a damn calculator dude.
This conversation would be "mute"....
Maybe you mean "moot" - buy a damn dictionary dood...lol |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
... buy a damn calculator dude.
This conversation would be "mute"....
Maybe you mean "moot" - buy a damn dictionary dood...lol |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by Joe Rotax:
- buy a damn dictionary dood...lol You meant dewed, right? |
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Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | @Nick B.- Quality of the wood, stability, robust, engineering & geometry. And now, familiarity & familial (Esprit de Corps) |
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| Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
LOL, it's a music forum... [/QB] Yeah, I did actually consider it from that perspective because if no Ovation USA guitars had ever been made then they'd certainly be mute but in the context and with the calculator an all it was too good to pass up...lol |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | It's all one world we share my friends.
Wish your neighbours well and the best of them
will wish the same for you.
Shipping containers have built the better world we now live in.
Barriers to the world build countries like North Korea and Myanmar/Burma...
...so be careful what you wish for.
Now 'scuse me, I got's to get back to neckin' |
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Where are the necks made?