Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | I have been missing in action for a while, so please let me know what you mean by "Project" Viper. What type of work have you or others done to it? I have been wanting a solidbody O for a while, but due to the lack of a job right now money is tight. What price range are you looking for?
chuckbadger@yahoo.com |
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Chuck-
Welcome back! :)
When I bought the Viper, it was advertised as having a few minor scratches. I specifically asked the seller about any other issues and he/she denied there being any. When the guitar arrived, it was evident that the sellers definition of minor scratches was significantly more forgiving than mine.
The pickup rings were tarnished and corroded, the strings were rusted to the saddles, there was green buildup on the frets, there are nicks and dings in the front, edges and one goodly sized ding on the back of the neck. In addition the case smelled....old.
I stripped everything down to the body and neck (I did not detach the neck from the body...don't want to lose that glue soaked piece of the New Hartford evening paper, eh?) and completely cleaned everything. I used Flitz on the metal parts, including the frets, which worked fantastic. I completely disassembled the bridge (this is the bridge with the plastic cover and metal saddles) and cleaned/degunked those parts. Everything was degreased/degunked and then polished. I reassembled the parts, installed some pure nickle 10s and gave it a setup. The action is a hair higher than on my other guitars, but I haven't had a chance to go back through the setup and lower it. Things have been...interesting around here.
This is definitely not a mint condition collectors item. It's a full-on, mojo risin' players guitar. The maple cap on the fretboard has an interesting wave pattern to the grain, but that's beside the point. You can get a fantastic range of sounds out of the Viper's (and presumably the other O solids), but you can read the archives for more info on that.
So, it wasn't a project for me in the way that a certain other someone completely stripped his and refinished it (which turned out extremely nice!). I'm not that capable...just a project of disassembly, cleaning, reassembly and setup/play.
For an idea of their current value, check completed auctions on eBay or the For Sale section here. I paid out $220 for it plus shipping, in the unplayable condition it was in...but I don't expect to be compensated for my time/effort (I really had fun doing it and it was educational for me). |
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Going once, going twice, going on fleaBay in the morning.
To those who emailed..thanks for the interest, best of luck in your pursuit of the next O (isn't there always a 'next' one?)! |
Ovation Viper 1271 Solid Body
