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March 2004
Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Hi,
I was watching TV in my sofa tonight when I heard a very big noise coming from the wall where my guitars are hanging.
It was like if all the strings have broken at the same time!!!
I made a test each guitar and finally the I found that the trouble comes from my Ute.
She's completely out of tune and first I thought that the K-Bar was damaged but finally I discovered that it comes from the bracing.
After opening the back of the bowl, I discovered that all the braces are unglued at the level of the bridge so the top is lifted and the guitar is completely unplayable... :(
Of course, I lowered the tension of the strings to stop the damage immediately.
I'm sad tonight even if I know that the guys at the factory could make a miracle.
It's my first trouble with an Ovation since 20 years and that Ute is one of my favorite...
You can see some pics of the disaster BY CLICKING HERE.
I'm not sure to be able to sleep tonight.
J :) |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | WOW...my heart goes out to you!
but like you mentioned, the factory will make it like new. I hope you don't have to pay duties when you send something in for repair! |
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| Ouch! Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Mother will take care of it. |
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Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Thanks,
I don't know what I will have to pay for the repairs and it doesn't matter.
I'm not rich but it's a rare and fantastic instrument so it deserves to be repaired!!
I'm just sick to see my Ute in that condition and I will miss her... :(
J :) |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Ouch! Sorry that popped out on you, Jerome, but hang in there - but rest assured that she'll be (apparently) better than new when you get her back. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I would assume repairs would be covered under warranty....but shipping costs, etc. might be up there.
Might be cheaper to fly in to Florida and have it repaired while you are attending a guitar clinic! :rolleyes: |
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Location: SoCal | Jerome, are you the original owner of it? |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | "blowing goats" is a phrase that comes to mine |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Spontaneous Guitar Destruction! :mad:
Wow! That is really a drag, and scary too! ["Sux" is the word that comes to my mind...]
Best of luck with the repair. Wish You Well! |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Jerome, my first UTE had the same thing happen, only in transit to me. I had to send it back and the factory fixed it. I think another member had a similar problem with a UTE also. Could there be a pattern here? |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Zut alors! Cela suce! Je me demande si cela traduit. Or as they say in the United States, Ay Caramba! apesta! |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I have to say also, it's a pretty stinky joke. |
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Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Originally posted by moody, p.i.:
Jerome, are you the original owner of it? I bought it this year in near mint condition from Mike (Fugot) and it's one of the 3 Ute acoustic only.
I'll send an e-mail to John when he will be back at the Factory after his vacation on 02,Jan.
The warranty doesn't cover that kind of damage because I'm not the original owner and I'll ask for a quote for the repairs.
J :) |
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August 2004
Posts: 709
Location: Germany | Sad to hear that Jerome. Currently it´s cold and dry in Europe so a permanent low humidity in your flat could have caused the problem. Without humidifier I would have less than 30% in my music room. That´s definitely not enough for a guitar even it´s an Adamas (well, the braces are wooden). Just a thought.
Karl |
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Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Hmmmmm, how to play the angles....
If fugot is the original owner, maybe HE could send it to the factory for you.....? |
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Location: Tychy, Poland | +1 for Charlie Ramon.
Exactly the same happened to my fathers martin 0018 '65 one year ago. Braces unglued and top lifted and cracked, which virtually killed this guitar. Reason was humidity.
Since i don't have a humidifier i put wet clothes or wet towels on a heater every other day and iot gets the work done, i have 45-50% humidity in my room so it's ok. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I guess Germany is the same as New York. I started the humidifier in November. The humidity outside the house is always above 40% here, but when the heater goes on, the indoor humidity goes below 40%. |
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Location: big island | so sorry, jerome!
i would like to see the folks at the mothership offer special consideration to jerome on this situation. there is no telling how much great influence his labor of love website and devotion to the brand has benefited Ovation company. would anyone else here object? |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Of course, with the exception of members here who are also shareholders in the company, it's not our place to make commitments for the company.....
......and not even the shareholders for that matter. |
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Location: Paris/France | Karl is right!!
It's cold in France and the air is very dry at this season.
Around 40% outside and probably less than 30% inside.
I've put humidifiers on my heater so the humidity should be between 30% and 40% in few hours.
Thanks for your support. ;)
J :) |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Best to try and get it up around 45%. |
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Location: big island | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Of course, with the exception of members here who are also shareholders in the company, it's not our place to make commitments for the company.....
......and not even the shareholders for that matter. not a commitment, just a suggestion. |
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Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Originally posted by fillhixx:
Of course, with the exception of members here who are also shareholders in the company, it's not our place to make commitments for the company.....
......and not even the shareholders for that matter. I never looked for any favour for myself to factory and it will be the same this time!!
The website is my hobby and my passion and surely not a way to have a special treatment compared the other O's customers.
They're doing a so great job that's why I don't need anything else... ;)
Thanks
J :) |
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Location: SoCal | It "shouldn't have happened".
I'm sure the staff will be helpful. |
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Posts: 269
Location: Nîmes, south of France | Hi Jerome,
Very sad story ...however i'm sure that can be fixed at the factory.
Also that would not happen with a carbon bracing (i suggest the idea of a carbon bracing). Wood and carbon are two different materials which, glued together could become an issue when combined with humidity variations. This problem is well known in aeronautic industry with carbon and glass laminates (i know that from glider building in which i was involved years ago).
That's a very special Christmas for you my friend. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | It takes a while to get the humidity up. If you can, you might want to put a hygrometer in the case to get a base reading, and then through in a little humidifier if needed. Damn, what a bummer. |
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Posts: 3611
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | How much would one of those little gurgling, table-top fountains add to the relative humidity?
If you added an aquarium heater, you could probably regulate the levels, somewhat.
Just a thought..... |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | A table top fountain would add something, but how much, who knows.
I guess what you'd have to do is go about a week without a humidifier, check your hygrometer, then put on the table top fountain for a few days. The difference would be what it adds. Do I want to be bothered with that? Nah. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Jerome, I had too many guitars to keep humidified in cases. One reason I keep them out of the cases is so that I can keep them all in the same room with the humidifier. It gets very dry here in the winter. I have a humidifier that keeps the room at 46%. The rest of the house gets down to about 20% in the winter, so I don't leave the guitars in the rest of the house. I was thinking about bringing one of the Adamas up to the family room, thinking that they wouldn't be affected by the lack of humidity, but now I'll just leave them in the room with the humidifier. You might try a room humidifier. Mine was around $40. |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | Mark,
Same condition in the house here in Virginia. The music room humidifier stays around 42-46%. I leave the door open so that some of it spills out to the bedrooms. Only downside to refilling it every day but if it keeps the kids fine, I don't mind :D
Maybe next year, I'll look at adding a humidifier unit to the central heating unit. I got a 5 gallon unit for about $75.
Jerome,
Sorry my friend...but the mothership can make it right again!
Tim |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I thought about the same thing, Tim, but I wasn't sure I wanted the higher humidity in the rest of the house. Mine's only a couple gallons, but I only have to fill it every couple days, unless it gets really cold and the heat is on all the time.
I moved here, where the humidity rarely gets above 30, from Iowa, where it was humid most of the time and brought my Matrix. I left it out for 30 years and it never even got a finish crack. I've been lucky, I guess. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Jerome,
I've just read this and I am so sorry to hear of this happening...I am sure it will be remedied by the mother ship, but it is a shock, I have no doubt: 1978, Lincoln Nebraska hotel room, I was in a hurry to leave and dropped my 1969 Martin D-28 Brazilian on the sofa from a height of about 8 inches: it bounced about two inches and the G tuner struck the end table. The guitar opened up as if a knife had sliced it: through the heel, neck block and halfway down both sides...I was in shock: I immediately cut the strings, and called Martin. They were on strike...suggested Don Teeter in Okla. City. He fixed it for $45. That would never happen today! Jerome, the factory will make it new!
Merry Christmas anyway! There's a song in there somewhere.... |
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Location: paris , france | Hi , Jerome, sorry to hear your news, but will you be able to send it out of france , have the repairs done and recieve it back again without a hassle with the customs guys ?.... anyway , have a happy chrismas today, and think about the problems tomorrow!!.....Jim |
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Posts: 709
Location: Germany | Jerome, first of all I wish you a Merry Christmas! Hope you feel better now after the shock with the UTE.
I use a humidifier with a built-in humidistat which keeps the humidity constant at the level you like to have. I keep the music room at 50% humidity and 20 centigrade (68 degress F). Currently the humidifier works very hard.
Shipping to the mothership and back is no problem, I've already done that. You don't have to pay customs duties for the value of the guitar itself but for the amount you payed for the repair. In case of warranty you only have to pay duties for the USPS shipping fee (crazy but that are the rules, at least in Germany). Before you ship it, keep the guitar for (let's say) two weeks in a 50% humidity environment.
Karl |
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March 2004
Posts: 1388
Location: Paris/France | Thanks guys for you messages!!!
Karl, do you know where I can buy such an humidifier and is it expensive??
Maybe someone can make a suggestion for other models???
I'm decided to buy one very fast.
Thanks
J :) |
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Posts: 709
Location: Germany | Jerome, I bought mine at Klimalex Internet Shop in Germany. It´s not a bargain but don´t forget what it costs to repair a damaged guitar. They also have lower priced humidifiers on their site. I´m sure the honeywell equipment is also available in France, otherwise don´t hesitate to contact me. No problem for me to procure one for you.
Karl |
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A Very Bad Joke Before Xmas...