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Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 2
Location: North Carolina | I’m brand new to the forum, but I just wanted to give praise to Ovation Customer Service.
Here’s why:
About 5 years ago, I broke one of the terminals off of the battery box of my Ultra Deluxe. It did not take me long to realize that none of the local guitar repair shops could help me out and repair it, so I called Ovation Customer Service to see if they would sell me a new battery box.
I don’t remember which technician I spoke with that day, but he told me “Yeah, we have them, give me your address and I’ll send you one – no charge.” Needless to say, I was very pleased.
Compare that to this:
A couple of years ago, I bought a Martin D-18 Andy Griffith. These guitars, as with 99.9% of Martins, come without strap buttons installed. Martin recommends that the local dealer install your strap buttons for you. Well, my local Martin dealer had very low grade, strap buttons that looked liked aluminum. I was not putting one of those on a $2600 guitar!
I knew that Martin put a very nice looking chrome button on their Steve Miller model. So to keep my Andy Griffith “all Martin” I called Martin Customer Service to see if they would send me a strap button. I was told pretty much that if it did not appear in their 1833 catalog, they would not sell it. I reminded the rep on the phone that I had just spent $2600 on one of their guitars, the least he could do is walk down the hall to a technicians table and pick me up a strap button and send it to me. Didn’t work, I still did not get a strap button from Martin.
I know a strap button is no big deal, but it’s just the principle:
I spend $500 on a Korean-made Ovation and get a free battery box; I spend over $2K on an American-made Martin and get nothing. Go figure.
I’d rather play my Ovation anyway – it sounds better. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Welcome. I've heard lots of these stories about how good the Ovation customer service is, so they must be true. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Welcome..You'll hear customer service storys like that all the time around here.
If you want a chance to meet some of these customer service people the Ovation FanClub Factory Tour / Jam session is less than two weeks away. Folks will be flying in from all over. You're not to far away. Are you in?? |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Ovation customer service is outstanding. :cool: :cool:
Kim Keller has helped me out on several occasions.
Just one more reasons to play Ovations. :D
BTW, Welcome StatlerBrosPHD!! :)
I always thought they were from Staunton VA. :confused: |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | there is no longer a martin factory customer service. you must go to authorized service centers.
I think that is very sad. I had an old martin mando fixed at the factory and mike longworth wrote me a letter about it. those were the days.. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 37
Location: Warwick, RI | Another nod to Kim. I stopped in for a truss rod cover, and he gave me the one I was looking for, as well as one other in case that one didn't work out. Very casual and real, no uptight corporate bulls**t. A small but telling gesture, methinks.
Ron |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | ...and John Budny
et al |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | Yup... Kim, John and the gang are the absolute best in the business, no doubt about it. |
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Joined:
May 2006
Posts: 2
Location: North Carolina | Thanks for the warm welcome. I've really learned a lot about Ovations, just browsing this site for one day.
Slipkid, I’d love to tour the Ovation Factory, but don’t know if I can make it this year; I've got a one-year-old here at home...
Gospel Guitar Guy, as far as I know the Statlers are still retired in Staunton, except for Jimmy Fortune. He launched a solo career and lives in Nashville. Man, I miss their music.
If fact it was the Statler Brothers that first introduced me to Ovation Guitars. I remember when I was a little boy back in the late 70's - early 80's, I loved the Statlers and I noticed that Lew Dewitt, the tenor, always played the coolest looking guitar with a round back. I vowed one day I would have one, however my first was an Applause, because I couldn't afford an Ovation. But a couple years later I did purchase myself a natural-colored Ultra, very similar to Lew's. Needless to say, I've loved Ovations ever since.
I never knew which specific model he played though. Here’s a picture I scanned of Don Reid playing it in 1982 after Lew retired. Jimmy Fortune, Lew's replacement is playing the mandolin. The pic is not great quality. Some of you experts tell me what model that is.
edit:Here's a link to the pic. I thought maybe the larger pic would give some detail.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-2/962977/statler1982a.jpg |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | how about shrinking that pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | really . . . |
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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| If you pan all the way to the right you can see downtown Toronto. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | slothead |
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March 2002
Posts: 15678
Location: SoCal | Country Artist.... |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Moody's right. Lew Played a Country Artist.
If I recall correctly on occasion he would play a 12 string Pacemaker. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 338
Location: Toronto | Originally posted by schroeder:
If you pan all the way to the right you can see downtown Toronto. yup - that's me waving in the background! |
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Ovation Customer Service vs Martin Customer Service
