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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 640
Location: boulder | Hey,
First, I hope I am not asking to many questions.
Second, I have been wondering for awhile exactly how the top woods are connected to the ovation bowls, which is why I have been excited to see the factory.
For example, are they connected to the bracing or the actual bowl and held in place by the binding? Are all of the usa made model's wood tops solid wood or are some venneer?
Lastly, does anyone have any opinions about the type of wood tops used and the tones they produce? Maybe what I am asking is what are peoples favorite woods for wood tops and why they feel that way. (even the adamas uses wood between their carbon layers, I wonder why they chose what they did?) thanks , peace mike |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 91
Location: Valparaiso, FL | Wondering here too, since I'm looking at a guitar with several cracks in the top wood. If it doesn't affect playability, I'll leave it that way, but if not I'm looking at a new top, so wonder what that would cost. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3651
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Like this hasn't been covered before. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, really. It boils down to cost/benefit equations. Many times the repair is more than the value of the guitar, especially when considering major surgery like soundboard replacement. Figure several hundred dollars, and several months, usually. Wrinkles, and cracks are character marks, in a way. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Industrial duct tape on the inside. holds the top down and sticks it to the bowl. It is not recommended for holding on braces. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 2178
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | fugot,
Actually after Bill left the factory their supply source of industrial duct tape dried up (I think Bill was getting kickback....) so they had to go to a more "standard" way of joining the tops (they could never reproduce the original "sound" of the ole duct tape tops but they got close)
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First off you had to glue a "rim" onto the bowl (like kerfing on a wood box guitar) so the top has something to stick to!
Gluing the rim
The "web" connector is cut away leaving just the rim.
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Next (I don't have a pic) a bead of super duper extra strengh (top secret) high bonding goop (not as strong as the duct tape but...) is spread on the rim and then the top is stuck to it and it's set aside to dry (cure) then....
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The top is then taken to a couple large router/shaper table where a trim bit/cutter cuts away the excess top and then cuts the rabbet for the binding!
Trimming the edge
More trimming
The second router/shaper is where the rabbet is cut!
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It'll all make sense if the make the tour this year but if you can't I hope this helps....
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Mike :cool: |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 640
Location: boulder | trboy,
Thanks for pictures, worth a thousand words.
I still wonder about wood tones and ovation bowls and if Adamas models would sound different if different woods were used in between carbon layers.
thanks again for info |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 338
Location: Omaha | Mike,
You would really benefit from picking up a copy of the book, History of Ovation (or something similar; look it up on Amazon; you can order it for around $20; well worth it).
As to different woods for the tops; yes, they DO affect the tone just as on standard all wood guitars. My #1 choice on acoustics will always be spruce; but others like cedar in some situations, and Ovation has used others, like maple, burled walnut and others (redwood?), but spruce is the most common.
ALL current USA Ovations have solid (spruce or other wood) tops, and I believe they always have, Bill or someone will correct me if I'm wrong...
...Celebrity have laminated tops, Adamas have the layered carbon/birch/carbon which you mentioned. I've never played an Adamas, so I can't comment on the tone. Evidently the birch was chosen after experimentation with a number of different woods/formulas.
The new Ovations with the lighter bowls/new X bracing sound very good; I kind of wish I would have waited until they were making them lefty before I ordered my L777 Legend, but we'll see what happens down the road... ;)
Hope some of this info is helpful; sorry it's taken so long for someone to specifically answer some of your questions. |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 640
Location: boulder | leftovertion,
Thanks for info. Since asking question, I have looked up many past posts and had my questiions answered. I have learned more in the past week about ovations then I can remember all at once. It's kind of funny how many people wonder (and post, as I did) about the same things. thanks again, mike |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | As a rule all US made have solid tops, except when the applesause and medallion/matrix were made here. Then there are the panelmasters C-Series which are all three ply (and mostly sounded good).
The type of wood in the adamas top doesn't make much difference. We did some with birch and some with spruce and played with the angle that the centre core is vs the top and back. The angle makes more of a difference than the wood (as I recall. Perhaps Nick Mackin has a different recollection) The difference, while noticable, was small, splitting hairs. The birch at 30degrees sounded best (2:00 to 8:00) |
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top wood questions
