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April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | It came in tonight and thankfully survived the trip without damage. It came in what may be the original heavy duty soft case with very stiff arched top and red fur interior, something like Gibsons came with in the 60s but a little deeper of course. It has gross old nylon strings on it (incorrect) and the even older steel strings were wadded into the case pocket in Guild packages.
The top is three piece and crack free. The finish is crude in my opinion. It's like it was never buffed. There are numerous pick scratches but nothing that breached the finish. The shiny bowl is damage free with only minor scuffing. The label is intact and is a Patent Applied For Bloomifield label. The serial number is stamped into the headblock just like Jerome said it would be. The headblock comes to a point. I went inside with a mirror and I can say I have never seen this type of bracing. It has one single X which is reinforced with a small thin X shaped piece of wood. I'm not describing it well but I will be posting pics on my site at some point soon.
I found one tip of the headstock had broken off and has been nicely reglued, a fairly predictable repair unfortunately. In addition, it has a hairline crack that follows in line with the Kluson's screws. I repaired it tonight and I am also touching up the old 'ear' repair. I'm confident it will be nearly invisible.
The truss rod nut is strange. It has no 'hex' shape at all, but has a screwdriver slot in the top. I will probably have to make a special tool to adjust the rod, as the threaded part sticks out past the slot. Again, a pic will be on the site.
It has a lot of human touch. The finish on the neck has flaws all over the place and the Klusons left a deep footprint in the finish, almost like the finish hadn't cured before the tuners were installed. The Ovation and Balladeer decals have faded to the point of being invisible.
The back of the neck has a spot where it rested in the case and they reacted. There is a corresponding rough strip with a little bit of red fuzz stuck to it. I hope it will buff out.
The fingerboard is drier than toast. No cracks but it has a fine layer of... something.. on it. Not crud but almost like oxidation. The fretwork is horrible! There clearly was a learning curve in those early days. I'm hesitant to touch it because of maintaining originality but my GOD they are rough...
No clue about tone yet. I hope to string it up in the next few days. |
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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | So far so good! |
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March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I am so happy that this has found such a great home...it is obvious that you love it and it will have the attention it deserves...I sold my old shiny bowl 12 several years ago; it was so cool and a great piece of history...I know you feel the same about this...congrats again on such a great git! Enjoy!!! |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | A refret is definitely in order. I looked at it with fresh eyes this morning. I refuse to believe it left the factory that way. It looks like someone went nuts with a flat file. I will probably string it up tonight anyway, as I'm anxious to hear what it sounds like. I want to get that out of the way, then I can refret it at a more leisurely pace, not in a big rush to get it back together.
I think it's more than a three piece top too. I think I see seams in the center section. The seams really show inside (glue residue) so that will help determine. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Those frets could be original. On one of my older ones (I think 112, or something like that) the frets are almost "flat". Not worn, just overall veyr flat profiles. |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | Here's a quick pic. Note how flat they are and also how they've come unseated on the treble side.
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Before you restring: A few drops of fingerboard oil, a Scotch-Brite pad, and some elbow grease will do wonders for removing the oxidation and crud and let you see more clearly the condition of the frets. |
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November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by MusicMishka:
Before you restring: A few drops of fingerboard oil, a Scotch-Brite pad, and some elbow grease will do wonders for removing the oxidation and crud and let you see more clearly the condition of the frets. LOL! That's like telling your physician how to remove your appendix. Mike have you not seen any of ksdaddy's previous work? If/when Mother stops accepting strays, ksdaddy's the guy I'm sending my guitars to for any needed repairs. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Actually no Serge; I am pretty busy these days and don't follow things as close as I used to do...just try to help now and again...maybe somebody else may be able to use the info... |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I strung it up with D'Addario 12s the other night. The neck immediately bowed upwards. I loosened the strings and fashioned a truss rod tool from an old screwdriver. I can't say the truss rod is ineffective but it didn't do a whole lot either. The action is brutally high at this point. Everything else appears stable, not bulging or bellying of the top, no sinking in the upper bout, etc. The bulk of the bow seems to be in the neck joint area, which is likely outside the effective area of the truss rod.
I suspect the frets are sitting so loosely in the slots that they aren't giving any support. Refretting it with the compression method might fix this, or maybe the truss rod isn't working like it should, or a combination...
I've emailed John at the Mothership to get his input. If it needs to go to them, then so be it. This guitar needs to be fixed right. I have no reservations about refretting it myself but they know Ovations better than anyone alive, so I'll heed their advice.
What a tone monster though! One strum and the bowl just vibrates! |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | the finish is probably lacquer and it will have shrunk over the years.
The logo was silkscreened on and the gold dust that was mixed with the clear will have oxodized down to about nothing, hence being invisable.
Those look like the normal frets, just had the "tar" filed out of them.
Normal truss rod adjustment, that's the way they were back then.
May need to heat the bowl and rebend it, that is tricky! |
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August 2009
Posts: 1137
Location: Germany, where delicious wine is growing (Rheinh) | Hi Scott,
I'm really glad it is in your hands, because there it is in the right hands.
I've bought a 1114-4 a few days earlier, made in 1974 which has the same flat frets, terrible action and a bowed neck. I've dressed the frets and adjusted the neck, so it's playable again, but now it's nearly "fretless". In the next years it must be new fretted and refurbished professional.
I wish you a lot of fun with it and be happy, it's a piece of Ovation history.
Bernie |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 1565
Location: Indiana | Now we know why it had nylon strings on it.
I'm sure it's a pleasant diversion for you right now, Scott.
Best of luck. |
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Try silk and steel strings. I think they are lower tension. |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | I've come to the conclusion that the truss rod is pretty much useless. I emailed John B for suggestions and if they will take the job on, I will send it to them. One of my rules as a repair guy is to know when to back away from the bench. I've tackled some pretty scary stuff in my day but I'd rather let them work on this one.
I've heard of them simply replacing a neck or a bowl because it's the most efficient way to fix a problem. I'm hoping they will be able to replace the truss rod (and likely the fingerboard) while keeping the original neck in place. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | they used to replace one or the other years ago. Now they'll repair stuff if requested, if it's possible to repair it. |
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Preliminary report on #093
