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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
| Hi all. I just found a pretty nice Ovation acoustic bass (which I've been wanting for quite a while). As close as I can tell from the catalogues, it is from 1999 or maybe 2000, Korean-built. Interesting, at least to me, is that the bowl is not black, but a dark brown. Anyway, it has a small spot in the lower bout where the previous owner said that it got dropped on a screw head and it has pushed or cratered a small area in the Lyrachord body. I can see, from the inside of the bass, that this area has been pushed in, but I can see no light through it. It doesn't appear to be a true puncture.
Is there a reasonable way to repair this, maybe fill it with epoxy and then sand it down?
Or should I leave it as is and chalk it up to mojo?
My main concern is that the crater doesn't further deteriorate and break apart, leaving a hold in the Lyrachord body. Any advice as to what to do with this?
PS - I don't see a way to upload a picture here and I don't have any picture hosting services.
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | well.....
I would leave it
but if you like messing with fiberglass you can probably repair it
as for pictures
contact miles aka Mr. ovation |
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
| Thanks, Alpep. I spent some more time examining the damage this morning. The damage is "air-tight", meaning that though I can see evidence of it inside the bass, I cannot blow any air into the crater and have it come out on the inside of the bass. I don't really think I want to mess with fiberglass, especially as, though this is a nice quality bass, it is not a collector's item and not worth a whole lot of time and expense to repair.
I tried pushing it out and it really didn't move much. I suspect all the fibers in the fiberglass are holding it pretty much in place. So I think I will just epoxy it on the inside to prevent it from moving further and call it "good". I'll try to paint the damage a bit *if* I can get a decent match. |
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
| Well, here is my semi-finished patch job on the crater in my Ovation bass. I sealed it on the inside and used epoxy on the outside, sanding it to the contour of the body. I need to do a bit better color match (this dark brown is a pain) and maybe texture it a bit, but, overall, I'm happy with the results. It is air-tight and I don't think the damage will go any further. How anyone could damage one of these Lyrachord bodies is beyond me. The top (spruce) is flawless. |
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | excellent!!!! |
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Joined:
April 2017
Posts: 40
| Being a perfectionist, I spent a little more time and effort yesterday to match this crazy dark brown color and then applied the paint with a sea sponge. This gave it the "speckled" look that the rest of the Lyrachord body has. You have to look really close now to see that a repair has been done.
Is it worth all the work? To me, it is. Granted, it's not Hartford made, it's Korean. But I'll tell ya, this old bass sounds and plays awesome. I love the shape and width of the neck. It shines plugged in. But it also has a lot of presence unamped, for just picking up and playing a tune or figuring out a bass run. The spruce top doesn't have a mark on it. Some guitars (and this IS a guitar -- tuned low) just feel good. You get attached rather quickly. I can't wait to pick her up. I don't want to set her down. Does it get any better than that?  |
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Hi!...and Lyrachord Question