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October 2005
Posts: 26
Location: Dallas | I was wondering---are the custom shop models hand-made? It would not really bother me if they use CNC machines, but the guitar repair guy at the store I teach at says that Ovation no longer hand-builds their guitars, and I told him I thought they did. Now I'm thinking I may have been wrong. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Tell your guitar repair guy that he needs to go to the factory and be shown around. As in most modern guitar factories, there's a mixture of hand work and machine work. Stuff that has to be absolutely precise (neck and bridge prep and placement, routing for bridge and epaulets, etc) is done by machine -- and done better and more consistant than could be done by hand). Detail and finishing work is done by hand.
I've taken the OFC tour twice and am always amazed at how much work done is done by hand.
As to custom shop models, I would imagine that the same applies. Stuff that can be done by machines, probably is, while the work that makes them custom is probably done by hand. I would guess that it's the same at Taylor, Martin, Gibson, etc..... |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | From what we saw at the factory, other than the CNC machines (cutting and routing) pretty much everything else is done by hand. Just look through Phil's pictures of the Tour in his gallery. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 26
Location: Dallas | Waskel, I have searched and searched but have yet to find this gallery you speak of. |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 396
| Good point on the "Hand-Made" ideal. Some items you do want to be prepared by machine. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | jbucklin,
click on "member access" on the left side of this page. Then click on "click here to continue". Then "photo gallery", pop open the list and find "Phil Wong". Select "get albums", select "OFC Tour 2005". |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Many people arrive at this site in different ways. Click the "Ovation fan club" at the bottom of the page (between the brackets). This gives you the green panel on the left. Set this as your "favorite" or Bookmark view.
From there you can find MEMBER ACCESS and PHOTO GALLERY, etc.
It took me about six months to blunder on to this view that allows me to scan the latest posts quickly. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | If everything was done by hand, it seems like the cost of the instrument would be outlandish. The cnc machines can maintain extremely close tolerances, however, any cutting tool will leave ridges which have to be smoothed, and finished by humans. Craftsmanship is not progammable, yet. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Jbucklin...
Last June I attended the annual Ovation factory tour. On the way out, I stopped at the Martin factory and took their tour. Martin has a huge 12,000 square foot area dedicated to machinery. There was a lot of hands-on also. IMHO, as much, if not more "hands-on" work goes into an Ovation as does the fabled Martin.
You should think about attending the tour next year. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Whilst (love that word) looking at Slipkid's pics of "the other place" I noted the big conveyer line that buffs the guitars.
How @#%^&* impersonal can you get?
Personally I prefer the risk of sending a bowl and top sailing across the room like a Turtle in Mario Brothers! It adds so much! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Whilst (love that word, too;-) a great majority of the workstations at the Factory require "hands-on" work, the level of expertise and craftsmanship is very evident in the FINISHING Dept.
From watching these guys spray a perfect "burst" (which isn't easy t'do) to the way these guys buff the guitars - not only "by hand", but by "eye" and "feel".
These guys scrutinize the tops as they're buffing 'em out, and experience has brought them to the level to where they know just how much to "lean into" the buffing wheel in certain spots and "feather" it out . . .
These guys're good!! |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Waurika OK | Another word that is in the same catagory as Whilst, is Unbeknownst, as in:
Whilst I walked out on the stage with great aplomb, unbeknownst to me, my zipper was open. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Here's a CustomShop project that was in the works in the Engineering Dept. while we were at the SlotHead Reunion:
Louie was nice enough to lemme snap this pic (he even "shined" it for me :-) under the auspices that I NOT give out the name of the client, as he/she have not seen it yet (please don't ask, 'cuz I promised him, and WON'T tell).
This thing's gonna be f*&%#g SWEET when it's done! . . . . |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | So the six on top and the twelve on the bottom?
Or is one of them a Baritone? Excuse me, I think I need to be alone right now... |
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Question about Ovation's Custom Shop