Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...
bogielocks
Posted 2016-08-18 1:25 AM (#528269)
Subject: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
April 2015
Posts: 6

Greetings all!

Rick from Boston here. I have just purchased a stripped Ovation Breadwinner off of Reverb. It's a very early model with single coils, and the jack plate off the pick guard.

Besides being stripped of color, it has a broken midrange toggle switch and a chunk out of the headstock wings. I'm not sure if I'm going to get the headstock fixed. I'm thinking since the paint is gone, I may go a custom color and a bit of a relic job to give the chunk a reason why it's missing.. I've used a guy on Reverb who does A1 relic jobs.

Anyone know where I may purchase a two-way toggle and a logo label? One last question, any ideas what the cost would be to fix the headstock..?

Cheers!

Rick



Edited by bogielocks 2016-08-18 1:30 AM
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numbfingers
Posted 2016-08-22 2:14 PM (#528344 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: RE: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1118

Location: NW Washington State
double post.

Edited by numbfingers 2016-08-22 2:17 PM
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numbfingers
Posted 2016-08-22 2:15 PM (#528345 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: RE: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1118

Location: NW Washington State
Rick-

I noticed nobody had replied- sometimes I think we have too many sections relative to the traffic.

Alpep or Mr. Ovation who replied in your other thread should have the switch. Yours looks original- are you sure it's the problem? Be careful when soldering the switch, the traces on the circuit board can't take too much heat.

I don't know if anyone other than the factory has decals.

I think someone in the Bottom Feeder's Luthiery Guild (subforum near the bottom) has repaired a headstock "ear" in the past.

I wouldn't "relic" an original pickguard if it's still in good shape. Maybe some one here has a naturally beat-up one if that's what you go for.

I see a refin Breadwinner on Reverb now for $600 that might be good for beating up as a "relic".

There was a Breadwinner posted here recently that had a nice hippie paint job. Seemed to fit with the guitar.

-Steve W.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-08-22 3:56 PM (#528347 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
As to fixing the Headstock... There is a thread somewhere about that.
Basically, you level the break...
Attach a matching piece of wood...
And sand it into shape.
Or you buy another neck on eBay.
And (as I said in the Welcome Center) there are decals on eBay
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bogielocks
Posted 2016-08-22 6:32 PM (#528348 - in reply to #528347)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
April 2015
Posts: 6

Thanks Arthur!! I cut and pasted the message from the welcome center. I've looked at the decals, just deciding on a color once I start the project.
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bogielocks
Posted 2016-08-22 6:39 PM (#528349 - in reply to #528345)
Subject: RE: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
April 2015
Posts: 6

Hey Steve,

Thanks for your comments. If I do go with the relic route, it will be a light relic due to the hardware looks too good to mess them up. I've looked at doing a Fender Sea Foam Green nitro with a liitle buckle rash, arm wear, and using the wing break as the highlight. Just my way of thinking.

I'm still waiting for the guitar to arrive to take a look at the switch..

Cheers!

Rick
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numbfingers
Posted 2016-08-22 8:03 PM (#528352 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1118

Location: NW Washington State
Rick-

I think a seafoam or surf green would look great- I've thought of one like that if I ever had a custom paint job done.

I didn't notice OMA's post on the decals. He is famous here for his refinishing work. A black decal might show up better than the gold.

If you need preamp info, there are links to the schematics here: http://www.ovationfanclub.com/megabbs/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=32...

-Steve W.

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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-08-22 9:03 PM (#528353 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
Careful Rick...

Paint ONE guitar (twice) and your branded for life.
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FlySig
Posted 2016-08-22 10:43 PM (#528354 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4044

Location: Utah
It's your guitar so refinish it however it makes you happy.

Having said that, I would fix the broken ear on the headstock. If the factory does this repair currently, I would remove the neck and ship just that to them for the repair. Expect 3 to 6 months repair time if their current schedule is anything like it was in the past when I had them do major repairs on an Adamas.

The factory may have a replacement switch for you, too.

If it were me, I'd not do the relic thing. That is a personal opinion. Either real relic or none at all. I would have it refinished by someone who knows what they are doing, or do it yourself after lots of research and some practice on scrap wood or cheap pawn shop guitars. My opinion is there is no need to stick to original factory colors, but I would be sure to have it done nicely rather than cheaply.
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bogielocks
Posted 2016-08-23 8:27 PM (#528361 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
April 2015
Posts: 6

Hey Fly thanks for your reply...

I agree with you on the relic'ing but I'm looking at it this way. I was able to purchase the 73 Breadwinner for just over $400, with really nice looking parts with all their chrome. To have the headstock repaired or maybe find a neck, you're adding about $300 to the project. Then have it painted, another $300 for a guitar that is no longer original. Restoration cost will exceed the value of the guitar.

Going the relic'ing route, that wing that's been broken off becomes part of the backstory of this 40 year plus guitar. New teenager with his new guitar playing rock star, hits the ceiling, breaking a chunk of that new little toy. The only reason I say that, I did the same thing at 15 with my new Silvertone Les Paul playing Ace Frehley.

So to work that broken headstock into a lite relic process I think would work better than a full restoration. No matter what I do, she still won't be original since the first paint job was stripped. The guy that I'll use for the relic work (Dax & Co.)will run me $200 with the waterslide decal applied to the headstock. He does fantastic work that's on par with the custom shops.

In the end, it's all about the sound. Plus, it's a 73 who wouldn't want to keep that!
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MWoody
Posted 2016-08-23 8:35 PM (#528362 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987

Location: Upper Left USA
Arthur,
I understand your pain.

Seafoam... yes!
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seesquare
Posted 2016-08-23 10:53 PM (#528363 - in reply to #528362)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3612

Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire
Just play the critter, 'til your fingers bleed. We are ALL relic jobs, really......
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FlySig
Posted 2016-08-24 11:52 AM (#528372 - in reply to #528361)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...



Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4044

Location: Utah
bogielocks - 2016-08-23 7:27 PM

Hey Fly thanks for your reply...

I agree with you on the relic'ing but I'm looking at it this way. I was able to purchase the 73 Breadwinner for just over $400, with really nice looking parts with all their chrome. To have the headstock repaired or maybe find a neck, you're adding about $300 to the project. Then have it painted, another $300 for a guitar that is no longer original. Restoration cost will exceed the value of the guitar.

Going the relic'ing route, that wing that's been broken off becomes part of the backstory of this 40 year plus guitar. New teenager with his new guitar playing rock star, hits the ceiling, breaking a chunk of that new little toy. The only reason I say that, I did the same thing at 15 with my new Silvertone Les Paul playing Ace Frehley.

So to work that broken headstock into a lite relic process I think would work better than a full restoration. No matter what I do, she still won't be original since the first paint job was stripped. The guy that I'll use for the relic work (Dax & Co.)will run me $200 with the waterslide decal applied to the headstock. He does fantastic work that's on par with the custom shops.

In the end, it's all about the sound. Plus, it's a 73 who wouldn't want to keep that!


Those are all good reasons. I chose to refinish a gun stock on a WWII rifle using a product that snobby gun collectors really hate. But it meets my needs and I like it. And I out shoot them with that rifle at vintage rifle matches!

As far as spending more to refurbish it than it is worth, to me that is not relevant usually. Guitars (and guns) are not investments as much as we like to pretend we'll get our money out of them. I would suggest that anything you do to this guitar will likely not pay off for you. So then it is a matter of what would make it fun for you to look at it and to play it, and perhaps to play out in public with it. The relic job sounds like just the ticket for you.
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SOBeach
Posted 2016-08-26 5:37 PM (#528438 - in reply to #528349)
Subject: RE: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
April 2010
Posts: 823

Location: sitting at my computer

bogielocks - I've looked at doing a Fender Sea Foam Green nitro with a liitle buckle rash, arm wear, and using the wing break as the highlight. Just my way of thinking.

hmm, relic'd Sea Foam Green...  go for it!     Keep the dinged-wing headstock.

 

Old Man Arthur - ... Paint ONE guitar (twice) and your branded for life.

well yeah ...but it was ballad worthy though! 

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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2016-08-27 9:02 AM (#528447 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
Also... a wood work person could splice a piece of wood into that wing and you'd never know the difference, especially if you paint it.
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BCam
Posted 2016-08-27 10:33 AM (#528453 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
October 2014
Posts: 270

Or, you could make a metal cap for it, like the Lee Marvin's villain character's nose in Cat Ballou. Now that would add some character to a relic.
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seesquare
Posted 2016-08-28 7:46 PM (#528483 - in reply to #528269)
Subject: Re: Newbie with a Breadwinner restoration project...


Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3612

Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire
Might make it a little sharp, though. oh, sorry.......
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