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March 2024
Posts: 18
Location: Germany | Hi forum, One question to everyone that I have in mind since some time: Would there be interest in repairing Ovation pre-amps? Or does that already exist (someone who is able to repair them)? Or do they not break often enough? Background to my question: I have an electronics background. I might be able to learn how to repair them, but I wonder if it is worth the effort. Also I personally never had a broken pre-amp, so maybe they just don't break?! Anyway, IF there is a need, I could try to jump in. Oh, maybe I mention how this came up (even though I personally never had this problem). I read more and more Ovation offers for older models that indicate no guarantee for the pre-amp since they might break and they are no more available as spare parts. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3646
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Talk with Steve McCormick @ RenOvation. He is doing some preamp repairs and probably knows about frequency of preamp repair requests. And, you're right, the secondary market for used and functioning Ovation preamps is drying up, pretty rapidly. Best of luck- I think there is a need, but how busy you may get, is another matter. |
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Joined:
March 2024
Posts: 18
Location: Germany | I do not need to get busy. It is really only to support people. I have a "normal" job and would do this in my spare time. Thanks for the hint to Steve McCormick. If he is already able to do the repairs, then probably there is no need for me to engage!? |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3646
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Steve is always sensitive to expediency. If he can't perform the repair in a timely fashion, he wants to refer the requests to someone who can. I think there's probably room for extra sets-of-hands in this scenario. Hans, you would represent a valuable resource, to-be-sure. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15674
Location: SoCal | Facebook, Ren-Ovation Nation....... |
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October 2005
Posts: 4065
Location: Utah | I expect a repair expert in Europe would be a good addition.
The newer preamps are surface mount components, which would make replacing things like the semiconductors more challenging. Older preamps are discreet and/or through/hole as far as I have seen.
None of the schematics look very complex, so it would be easy to signal trace to find the point of failure. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3646
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Well, FlySig, Sir, that schematic complexity issue depends on who's holding the yardstick. I struggled mightily to construct the SKM stacked-knob preamp for my 1528 recently. That is a really basic circuit with only volume ant tone controls. Throwing in equalizers and tuning features, XLR features, and backing tracks, uh.....beyond my paygrade certainly and cause to wave the white flag!
But, I agreed having known & available techs for electronics repairs is a capital idea. While we are discussing this particular issue, an allied conundrum may be who is able & available to rewind all those old proprietary electric guitar pickups? |
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Joined:
February 2013
Posts: 177
Location: near Cologne/Germany | Hello Hans, interesting subject. I‘ve been concerned about this for a long time while still playing live. I bought an old OP by the Former german OFC member bburg (who died last year), because he put some newer preamps in his older guitars. I used to know a guy who did the same with a one-knobber. Drilled a hole in the lyrachord and it worked Fine for him. But I Never had a problem. And These things lying around might not prevent them from failing… Actually I don‘t perform publically but am thinking of getting at least one of the actual preamps as spare for my 2007 DS778, which would be my choice if sometime I have to Plug in. I have no clue if those new preamps are as stable as the old ones obviously are… And I also plan to buy some pickups for spare. I did. this before when the Factory was closed and we all thought they were finished, but I put them in guitars which I sold in the meantime and only have the old ones left.One may put in a totally different preamp if there is no other way, at least easy to do with the center-hole Os, but the pickup is a problem then, at least for those of us with no skills on electronics… and there are just a few quality Os and A‘s with a thinline pickup, which would make an exchange easier… It is a matter of concern I think, as is a neck reset, those who can do it are few, and even fewer in Europe/ Germany….Just thought about buying an ordinary wooden guitar (Lakewood), but what the heck….my Os are awesome.Regards, Georg
Edited by red-twins 2025-06-19 5:14 AM
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Interest in repairing of pre-amps?
