I found this sad guitar on Reverb.com. Everything seems to be in good shape except the top and bridge.

I'll be working on this guitar in tandem with my brother's 1528 Ultra.

This will be getting a torrefied Sitka spruce top and braces. I played this guitar before taking the neck and top off and it sounded pretty good. So, I'll probably be duplicating the K-brace pattern. It's like a simplified A-brace pattern.

From the looks of all the screws, I'd gather this guitar had a problem with a lifting bridge.

Neck is off.

As is the top.

I love the use of the wing-nuts. Hey! In an emergency, you use what you got!

Cleaned up the lining so the body is ready to have the top joined.

Next job is to start jointing the top and making the braces.

I was able to joint the top in preparation for joining and rough cut the braces.

I'm planning to join the tops for all four guitars at the same time so that I can take them down to the sanders and have them all thickness sanded together.

While each top is drying I'll be cutting out the braces.

Got the top outline rough cut, sound hole cut, bridge alignment pin holes drilled and braces glued.

I'll let this dry until tomorrow afternoon, then pull it out of the gobar deck and start working on the 1778T(orrefied)

Top is being glued.

Yes, that's the 1778T next to it.

I got to a stopping point because I didn't want to use the bankers box any more to route the binding/purfling channels.

It worked well in a pinch, but truth be told it's kind of a pain because it doesn't really hold the guitar securely.

So, I made a crude copy of a fixture used by the MS that I've seen in numerous factory tour videos. Theirs is a lot slicker as it uses vacuum to hold the bowl into place.

But, mine will work pretty well. It secures the bowl into place which will make working on these guitars a lot easier.

The vise is a drill-press vise clamped to the stack of plywood which is in turn, secured to the 3/4" plywood base.

The risers are adjustable, tilting furniture feet.

Here's the 1612 clamped into the fixture.

For guitars like this one which has the removable neck I'm using a 2x2 that I've installed IKEA furniture clamps. The IKEA cap screws go through the Ovation neck mounting holes to clamp the 2x2 to the bowl.

I originally made this to paint the bowls, but it also works great for this fixture. The 2x2 is clamped into the drill press vise.

The feet are adjusted as necessary so the bowl is evenly supported.

Now, routing the binding/purfling will be a lot easier. It will also make gluing the binding and purfling a lot easier, too.

Back to work on this one.

I'd routed the purfling/binding grooves when I was working on all four guitars at once. (1117, 1528, this one, 1778(T)orrified). I'm glad I did because it made binding this guitar much easier.

Fitting the center seam of the purfling/binding.

Once the center seam is lined up with the center seam of the top, I use a few strips of tape to 'tack' the purfling/binding all the way up to the top of the body, then trim the excess.

I use an acid brush to spread the glue inside the grooves and between the layers of purfling/binding. I use an Xacto knife (LL) to trim the brush. (LR) The brush comes with long bristles, but the long bristles just drag across the glue instead of pushing it down into the joint where it needs to be. The shorter bristles make it easier to brush/push the glue between the layers. With this job, more glue is better.

Now, I start gluing the purfling and binding starting at the top and working my way to the bottom. I work a few inches at a time. In the pic below, I'm all done with the bass bout and ready to start gluing the treble bout.

Treble bout is done. Now, set the guitar aside for 12 hours to let the glue dry.

Glue is dry. Removed the tape to see the raw binding job.

Purfling/binding is scraped down. At this point, the top is ready for final bridge alignment check in preparation for masking and finishing.

Top is masked and ready for sealer/base coat of polyu.

Meanwhile, back to the neck. Old frets were removed, fret board leveled and new frets installed. I'll let the glue dry until tomorrow afternoon, then trim, dress, level and crown the frets.

Basically, you use fret trimmer and a file to get the fret close to the wood, but you have to use them with care so you don't damage the wood.

Dan

I got the first couple of coats of clear on the top.

Here's a pic showing the coloration and grain of the top. Lots of silking and character.

As near as I can tell from the sales brochures on OvationTribute.com, the K-5 brace pattern was mainly used in the 80s. It was used on the Custom Balladeers and Ultras for that time period.

Sometime in the early 90s, the Ultras were phased out and the Balladeers went back to a modified version of the original X-braces. Not the Ovation Modified-X, but a modified version of the original Ovation X-braces used in the 1960s.

If you look at the 1994 US Catalog, you can see photos of the modified X-braces. These are pretty similar to what I used on my 1111-4.

I recall reading somewhere that the guitar top actually twists as it vibrates, so Charlie designed the quintad braces with this in mind.

The A-brace is, essentially, a quintad brace pattern for a center-hole guitar. But, it requires the reinforcements at the joint between the upper and lower side braces to spread the load from the upper bout to the lower one.

The K-5 brace substitutes the two-piece side A-braces for a single piece of wood on each side. Its profile is taller than the A-brace equivilant, which helps counteract the pulling force of the strings. But, it's construction is simplified and cost is lowered because it doesn't need the extra reinforcments.

Since the top is twisting as it vibrates, the extra height doesn't really affect how it sounds compared to an A-brace. But, it's easier and cheaper to produce.

Obviously, there was some aspect that Ovation didn't like about this brace pattern as it was pretty much dropped by the mid-1990s with the Balladeers going back to their origins, the X-brace.

Now, almost all Ovations are X-braced, even the Elites. The only exceptions are the Adamas, which use the quintad, and the Glen Campbell CLs, which use a VT11 brace pattern. (?)

Yep, it shouldn't be too long, now. I'm going to start the wet sanding/polishing and it should be ready to play by the end of the weekend. (Yay!)

It's been a while since my last post. I've taken a few pics along the way. The top and neck/head stock are done.

I've removed the bridge masking in preparation for gluing down the bridge.

Making sure the bridge fit is good.

Now, you may notice the dark section at the bottom of the saddle slot.

I can't remember where I got this bridge, but the floor of the saddle slot was routed unevenly. I made a simple jig to limit the router movement and proceeded to route the floor so it was more or less flat. The slot was also a little narrow, so I decided to widen it at the same time. In the process routed the floor down to about 1/32" and had a blow-out.

At this point, I decided to remove the floor altogether and replace it with a filler piece. I thought about using walnut, but decided to use a piece of rosewood, instead. I decided to use rosewood instead of the walnut so that the floor of the bridge would transmit the vibrations of the strings a little better.

Bridge footprint is masked.

Bridge is being glued into place.

Clamps removed. Neck aligned and bolted into place, fret board extension glued down.

Rosette glued into place.

Tomorrow, I'll make a new nut, install the hardware and string it up. I still need to touch up the bowl, but I can do that after I finish the rest of the guitar.

Nut is made. Tuners are installed and strings are on.

First impression is that it sounds every bit as good as it looks.

Nice clear tone from every string with lots of sustain. I like the K-5 brace pattern. It sounds a lot like an A-brace. I also like the rosewood mod to the bridge. I'm not sure how much it's helping, but it's definitely not hurting anything, sound-wise. I'll probably try it again the next time I use a walnut bridge.



I still need to touch up the bowl, which I'll probably start that job this afternoon.

"WOW"...as Arumako's jaw drops to the floor...awaiting full review and video with bated breath! Incredible work Dan!

Thanks, Ken, & Riccardo.

Here's the video I promised. It's just a few snippets of different songs I know.

Dan Savage - 1982 Ovation 1612-4 Rebuild... 

All done. I'll let the pics speak for themselves.

Thanks, Paul².

Well, I've been wanting to post a follow-up on this thread but have been delayed a bit. My son finished his freshman year in college and returned safely from the States with Dan's rebuilt 1612. Unfortunately, the airlines dropped the guitar from a pretty significant height scratching the case; but more importantly damaging the guitar. The tongue of the fingerboard popped off of the sound board along with a part of the rosette (first time I've had a problem with this particular airline). Fortunately, Dan bubble wrapped the neck and headstock very well, and the adhesive Dan used to secure the fret board to the top was providential (Hysol 0151) and let go. Had it not, the fret board or the sound board would have cracked. Had to get my insurance company involved. Of course, the airlines are saying they don't guarantee fragile baggage like guitars and there's no guarantee I'll get anything out of the claim, but it doesn't hurt to try...

After taking all the pictures needed for the claim, the insurance company gave me a go ahead to begin repairs on the 1612. Fortunately, the repairs were minor, but having a go at fixing the 1612 gave me a deeper appreciation for Dan's art. Of course, you all already know this, but the reconstruction of the 1612 is simply immaculate. To keep costs manageable (and pass the savings on to me), I think Dan used existing parts to the best of his ability. Here's a shot of the 1612-4 with my 1117-4.

Although I knew it in my head, I was surprised by the resemblance these two instruments have to each other. Sitka spruce top, ebony fret board (right down to the inlays), walnut bridge, rosette...but then, there are significant differences;

Bowl: 1117 - hand laid, 1612 molded
Neck: 1117 - 5 piece w/ binding & truss rod adjustment @ headstock, 1612 2 piece w/o binding & truss rod adjustment @ sound hole.
Saddle: 1117 - one piece, 1612 6 piece
Bracing: 1117 - VT-11, 1612 K-5
Pre-amp: 1117 - N/A, 1612 volume only (1st generation pre-amp)

A comparison of these two guitars are of great interest to me because my 1117-4 is a '73 vintage with the original sound board while the 1612 is '82, but with a new torrefied top. Check out the silking on both!

I finished my repairs a couple of days ago and re-strung both guitars with brand new Adamas 1818Es; and in just 3 days the 1612 has really opened up. To my great surprise, while maintaining the unmistakable O sound these guitars have completely different voices. Was planning a video comparison, but that's gonna have to wait until the weekend.

Suffice it to say, I am totally blown away by Dan's 1612. It's one of the easiest playing guitars that I have giving just the right resistance. The perfect neck angle allows the action at the 12th fret to be 2.2mm on the 6th string and a whopping 1.6mm on the 1st (I have it set a bit higher)...really tempted to try the 1919Es! The torrefied top really gives this guitar a great voice and the K-5 bracing (as you anticipated Dan) gives it the same kind of dynamic balance as the A-brace. Ovations always sound great through a PA, but I took my torrefied 1612 to a rehearsal, and the moment I strummed one chord...wow, the depth and clarity of this guitar's voice through a PA was something to behold...no exaggeration, everybody stopped what they were doing and jaws were dropping all around the room...

Hope to add a video here eventually; but for now, I'm in torrefication paradise. Thanks for the beautiful quality work Dan! I could not be more pleased! Arigato Gozaimasu!

Wow! What an epic story, Ken.

I'm so very glad to see that the guitar made it despite the mishandling by the airline. (United Breaks Guitars)

I'm also very glad that you were able to repair to a playable state again.

It should provide you with many years of enjoyment.

Dan

Okay, well this is not totally unrelated...so here's a shot using Google photo (same photos shared previously)...
The DSR1612-T4 and 1117-4...

and check out the silking on these.

Well, Google Photo seems to work...sheesh, Google is gonna own the world pretty soon!

The video (I hope it's visible?) does not do the guitar justice. It's been really hard putting this 1612 down. She really is amazing in every possible way!

So, as I was getting reacquainted with this beautiful instrument, I was inspired to write a short fingerstyle instrumental. You know they say a great instrument inspires writing. Results aside, I am definitely inspired! Just wanted to share the results here, as I think it's a better representation of the acoustic characteristic of this instrument, than anything I've posted before...

https://youtu.be/xYbtgmUwwmE

This beauty has worn 1919E medium gauge strings for the last year with absolutely no problems whatsoever! Earlier in the thread Dan mentioned, "It should provide you with many years of enjoyment." If she sounds this good now, can't even imagine what she'll sound like in 20 or 30 years. A treasure to keep for sure! I can definitely get accustomed to this!

I was asked to duplicate an earlier build of mine, the 1978 1617 Legend, seen below.

It was bought by a guy in New York who loves how it sounds so much that he wanted another one.

After he'd had it for a while he asked me how I managed to get the sound of a Martin HD-28 into an Ovation body. (he owns/plays a Martin HD-28, among others)

The major difference between that build and the new one is that for that one I used torrefied Sitka spruce for the top and braces. The new one is using torrefied Adirondack spruce to supercharge the sound.

I didn't start a thread because it would mostly be a duplicate of the older thread as there were no new ground being covered -- just a simple re-top.

The old top is off, body prepared, new top built and ready to be glued down this weekend.