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December 2003
Posts: 846
Location: Canada | Maybe Al as authorized dealer would know the answer to this, but with discontinuation of US Ovation what will happen with warranties for already produced /sold items? Will they still be honored and where will repairs be done? E.g. I bought an LX about a year ago and am registered owner, what if the guitar falls apart next winter? |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | fender said they will maintain the same standards and quality of service.
I believe by law they are obligated to keep the warranty unless the company goes away.
that begs the question is usa ovation a different entity from import ovation? maybe it is on paper
I am not a lawyer but I play one on tv
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | "It's OK, I've played an airplane pilot several times."
For a limited time offer - send $1,500.99 to John B or Kim K and they will provide extended warrantee coverage indefinitely!
They may need to outsource to the BFLG for some tasks like painting by OMA, etc. but send your check today to Alpep and we'll take good care of you.
Then again, it will never be the same level of Customer Service known at the Mothership. Likely any repairs will need an authorization and be performed at local authorized facilities. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Hopefully, I will continue to care for my Ovation/Adamas/Hamer guitars sufficiently well enough that warranty repairs won't be necessary, but those fret wires won't last forever, and every once in awhile I need to replace a worn output jack. It was about things like this that I found John and Kim to be so good to us. |
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July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | as per the news, I was informed that all employees would be affected. I can only hope that the same peeps who built them can continue to service them... |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | Of course, from the FAQ's on the Ovation site:
What does a Limited Lifetime Warranty Policy really mean?
Our Limited Lifetime warranty policy means that for the first 2 years you own the product, KMC Music will cover all parts and labor for anything deemed defective. After that initial 2 year period, KMC Music will cover the parts for anything deemed defective as long as you own the product, but now the consumer is responsible for any labor charges incurred in the repair.
Please Note: All electronics, machine heads and strings are not covered under warranty.
This is a very limited warranty which was not a problem as we had a great Customer Service (Kim and John) that would work with us to make it right. Doubt if we will have that now or in the future. And, of course, the warranty was not transferable.
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October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | The problem is going to be getting the unique materials or structures replaced or repaired. No longer can a delaminated Adamas top be replaced if nobody has access to new carbon fiber tops or the expertise to assemble it to a bowl. |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | My post on this thread is why getting the inventory of parts from Fender are important.
Note that "After that initial 2 year period, KMC Music will cover the parts for anything deemed defective as long as you own the product, but now the consumer is responsible for any labor charges incurred in the repair." and "All electronics, machine heads and strings are not covered under warranty." At the least, most of the guitars that we have bought new were more than two years ago.
In any case, I doubt if there will be many warranty issues in the 1st two years from purchased. Also, probably not many made in the last two years.
As the labor after two years is the customer's responsibility, either some of the former employees may be able to set up a repair facility or there are a lot of repair facilities around the country who were Ovation warranty authorized or are qualified (they probably just don't have the parts).
By the way, 'parts' as to the warrany do not include electronics (pre-amps, etc.) and machine heads. These should also be collected. It would be sad if Fender just stored them in a warehouse or tossed them in a local dump.
As to the Adamas, FlySig brings up a problem if it is the Adams top...probably only recourse is to make it a wood top Adamas.
I was once told by Kim when I was considering buying several 1687's (prior to the reissues) that if the 2-knobber pre-amp went out, they didn't have inventory, and probably couldn't be repaired. When the reissues came out, as they re-engineered the pre-amp and now had inventory, myself and I am sure others bought several new pre-amps. That may help us but obtaining any inventory would be important. |
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July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Does the Mothership still do repairs? My 1767 Legend needs a bridge/bridge-bolts installed. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | oops.... to late. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | My guess is that it will go away. In the mean time they will throw words and band aids at problems. When there is no factory there is no place to send them for repair work. Maybe they will set up"authorized service centers" around the country but don't count on that. |
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what will happen to warranties?
