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Posts: 8
| Hi
I have seen a few FRG on ebay with the label "Factory Reconditioned Guitar" label above the Ovation Label ?
Is the FRG label a sticker that can be removed or is it painted onto the bowl ?
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | If I wasn't such a trusting soul, I'd be wondrin' about the motivation behind that question... |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | It can be taken off, but I understand it's very hard to do it without leaving a mark. I bought a 1777LX that had the FRG sticker removed, it was very obvious. The seller told me he removed it not because he wanted to deceive anyone, but because it was just right THERE in the soundhole. He also told me that once he started he wound up having to sand it off.
I don't know what adhesive they use but it must be very persistent. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Naptha takes the stickers right off. |
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Location: closely held secret | Trust you to know something like that. I was trying to discourage him... |
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Posts: 3969
| won't matter, they're stamped "USED" on the back of the headstock, too |
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Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Originally posted by g8r:
won't matter, they're stamped "USED" on the back of the headstock, too not always. I had an FRG LX with no markings/stamps whatsoever. |
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Location: closely held secret | Same with my Legend. Other than the sticker (or in this case, the sanded spot where it was) you would never have known. |
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Location: NJ | nothing stamped USED ever comes that way from the factory
please stop that rumor |
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Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | I removed one from my first '97 Collectors because it was so obvious. I think I peeled off what I could then used GooGone to get rid of the rest. There was no "used" stamp on the back of that guitar for some reason. As I remember it, they found out that a bunch of the Switchjacks were defective and they changed them out after the guitars were made but before they were shipped. I would NOT have felt compelled to designate them as FRG's if it was me making the decision.
John <>{ |
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Location: Sunshine State, Australia | My '05ES only had the sticker. (Had)
Rumor stopped! |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | The guitar is only FRG when you buy it new from a dealer. If you're buying it 2nd hand from a previous owner it is USED.
Dave |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Besides, FRG stands for FullyReGenerated, doesn't it? |
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June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | one of my elites was an FRG, could never tell why it was designated as one.
i also removed the sticker, didn't like staring at it through the soundholes.
I keep the sticker in the guitar case. It came off easily with hardly any residue.
my sample GCS771LX I bought from Al has a "2" on the back of the headstock. (not an FRG, but branded to prevent dealers from selling them as new). |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | so...
Who stamped the "2" on it? |
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June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | ovation, i believe...
at the factory.
Al?, can you confirm? |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I've never had an FRG, but I have had 2nds that were fine.
If it was reconditioned at the Factory it should be just as good as any other Ovation.
That just shows the Honesty at the factory...
They didn't have to tell you that there WAS a problem.
But there was a problem and they Fixed it!
Once it is Your Guitar, I guess you could do what you want with it.
Take the sticker off, and remove that seal of past indiscretions...
If you were to sell it later on in it's life...
Let your conscience be your guide.  |
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October 2005
Posts: 4065
Location: Utah | My '07C has the FRG sticker down away from direct view through the holes. I didn't see it at first look, just the regular label.
If someone is looking that closely to see the sticker inside a guitar, they are welcome to see what it says. The average audience member isn't going to even notice that there is a sticker in there. So, I see no reason to remove an FRG sticker. |
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October 2004
Posts: 8
| Hi
I have no suspicious motive, it is just that there are some really nice FRG for sale on ebay , at like 60 % below the street price...I just wanted to know if I could remove the sticker so I could in time forget it was a factory 2nd ? |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I really did mean to imply any ulterior motives... ;)
My real point being that if "The Factory" Refurbished it, It's Gotta Be Good! |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4065
Location: Utah | Originally posted by direstrats:
Hi
I have no suspicious motive, it is just that there are some really nice FRG for sale on ebay , at like 60 % below the street price...I just wanted to know if I could remove the sticker so I could in time forget it was a factory 2nd ? It isn't a factory 2nd. A factory 2nd is a unit with some defect that is sold with that defect. The FRG is a unit that didn't make it past final inspections for some reason and was reworked to meet spec. According to those in the know, a very very small percentage of FRG were returned from the outside world, most are discovered at the factory before they make it out.
The refurb brings them up to normal standards.
There is also a strong suspicion that the factory will sometimes designate perfectly good guitars as FRG so that they can sell them ultra cheap just to move them out. The current 2007BCS collector's edition is a good candidate for that theory, though nobody knows for sure.
The only downside to FRG is that when you buy it new it will only have a 5 yr factory warranty, vs lifetime for non-FRG. A used guitar has no factory warranty, whether it is FRG or not.
Before you buy, be sure to check out Al at LostArtVintage. He's one of the sponsors here and well known for spectacular deals. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | the ovation factory will stamp a "2" on a second.
the USED stamp is done by an independent clearing house that buys all the instruments that various manufacturers reject. they sand off the s/n and stamp used so they can be no doubt that they will ever go back to the original factory for any type of warranty service.
In some cases these guitars are very good deals in others they are wrecks that are rebuilt and thorwn on the market for a fraction of the list price.
you get what you pay for.
caveat emptor.
sometimes I feel like I am a fool giving out all this information for free when it is obvious that the lowest price leads most in purchasing. sometimes I think you need to get burned and then realize the value of a good vendor. |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I can vouch that the factory honor the 5 year warranty without any quibbles.
I just got my '05ES FRG collectors back from the mothership this morning after some warranty repairs which had nothing to do with the FRG status.
From what I found out from the factory, my particular guitar was FRG'd due to some cosmetic flaw.
Damned if I can find it. |
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FRG sticker ???
