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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 255
| Some things that may happen over time due to climate change , abuse, and vibration.
1. Fret ware.
2. Nut ware and height. Can cause premature fret ware if too low
3. Pickup saddle ware or collapse. Mainly Piezo OP^-intunation may change a bit. Check pickup wire post for play. May cause humming or popping.
4. Rosette and Epaulet bond- may cause rattle or buzz or break.
5. Fingerboard over top bond.Check for deep voids or lifting.Not to be mistaken for floating fingerboards on Elites that are bonded. . May cause fret buzz or top damage.
6. Top stability- caving in or rippling. Rippling can become a crack soon. Not to be mistaken with brace impressions. They are not a problem. Some top sink is normal but gussets may loosen on the{A} fan brace patterns. Very repairable if caught. Top sink on 1621 and 1627 models as well as Very old first run X brace guitars is normal unfortunately.
7. check jack nut tightness and jack for corrosion.
8. check bridge bond and check for voids or lifting- If void is visible take a piece of paper and see how deep it goes. If deep, detune imediately and have repaired before it tears the top apart..
9. Older truss rod necks- check on back of neck behind nut for finish cracks. Especially slotted headstock 12 strings.
10. Check seam around bowl under binding for split or delamination.
11. Go inside guitar and check if electronics and or battery boxes are loose. may cause rattle. Not including OP 30-50
12. tighten machine heads and buttons.
13. Most important check and tighten neck bolt if need be. The cause of many issues.
1. Low neck angle high action
2. loose fingerboard to top bond from added stress
3.fingerboard hump and fret buzz at the body
4.Adamas top delamination and all the above
5.If loose fingerboard due to loose neck bolt can cause top to sink and or braces to delaminate from top. { Adamas especially and all the above}.
Dove tail necks are harder to check sometimes.
These are just symptoms and not the norm so dont be worried. Just giving a heads up. Many of these can be taken care of by you. For explanation on how to take care of simple issues feel free.
It is also good to tap on the top in multiple locations to check for loose braces. it will rattle, Or you can go in side and gently check around. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Very interesting stuff. I was happy to see that "brace impressions" are normal. I can see where all the braces are on my new Elite 12. I can feel 'em too if I rub my hand across them. Most people probably wouldn't be able to feel them but after 34 years of finishing bondo I can feel a very small hump or dip. (Painters hate it when you give 'em wavy bondo work.)
Thanks for the info!
Nils |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Hey Luth, great post. I was intrigued by your comments on the older X-braces and maybe you have some insight on this.... I have a '68 Deluxe Balladeer which has an X-brace, right? Mine has no tone bars. It has the 2 main cross-struts which form the "X" and nothing else. The top has a crack, repaired a long time ago, it's absolutely flat & the guitar sounds great, but I was surprised by the simplicity of the bracing pattern. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 255
| Great to hear that it is nice and flat. Having so little bracing is the reason but more importantly the way the braces were made. Some were made with the wood grain going the wrong way. Collapse :eek: I am not possitive if all are that way. The wood grain should be verticle or perpendicular to the top. Not horizontal . |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 69
Location: UK | Nothing like injecting a wave of paranoia into the group :-)
Been thoroughly over my Adamas and it seems sound.
However, it raises an important question. Can one expect a competent luthier to know all this - or does one have to rely on finding a luthier who is familiar with Ovations?
BL |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 255
| Sorry for the paranoia. Didint mean it that way. Its the same with any guitar really . Think of it as maintenance on a car or it goes back to the shop. A car that isnt maintained will be more expensive to fix. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | luthier 444 how is the new pickup?
just for your own reference.
ware as in warehouse
wear as in use. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 255
| Thanks Al . My grammar and spelling sucks. The new pickup is about the same but doesnt collapse like the old one. High neck angle usually caused that. The separate saddles on the old pickup were less attached to each other. Not a common thing but as for sound that is preference. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | didn't you just buy a new pickup truck?
or was that a mirage I was parked next to last week? |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 255
| OOOOY I give up. No more Amstel light for me.
Yes Silverado SS replaces my GMC Typhoon. I love it but not as quick as the Ty. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | no wonder you cannot spell and have no clue what I am talking about. Amstel light will make ME hallucinate. |
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Ovation check list
