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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | ‘Anyone here know if it’s possible to convert the Ovation Piezo style saddle to a traditional saddle without changing the bridge??? I’m wanting to convert an older CL to a standard saddle, so I can install a higher quality acoustic pickup/preamp system. Perhaps a drop in conversion piece? |
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Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6191
Location: Phoenix AZ | Yes, I have done this. Not personally, but I had a local repair shop do it.
1. They made a walnut "plug" that perfectly fit into the pickup opening and glued it into place.
2. Sanded the plug down to be flush with the top of the existing bridge
3. They routed a slot for a new saddle and then stained the plug to match the bridge as close as possible.
4. They then fabricated a new bone saddle that fit into the slot and that was it ... Done.
The whole deal cost me over $200. and in the end I could hear NO improvement in the unplugged sound of the guitar.
Not sure what kind of system you are looking at (I like the K&K Pure Western or Pure Mini) but I would recommend seeing what you can fit in there with the exist saddle/pickup in place and what kind of results you get before you start surgery.
Good luck |
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Joined:
July 2019
Posts: 98
Location: northern Georgia | While it wasn't on an Ovation I did something similar to my Gibson Chet Atkins CEC about 10 years ago. The normal pickup (made by Shadow in the UK, supposedly) is similar in size to the usual Ovation piezo pickup. The pickup in the CEC quit on me, and replacements were not to be had from Gibson, or at reasonable prices on eBay. I routed a 1/8" slot in a 1/4" thick piece of rosewood to fit a Baggs LB6C pickup, and then shaped the piece of rosewood to fit the existing wide slot in the bridge, similar to what Standingovation had done. Basically, the rosewood plug and pickup bridge simply dropped in where the original pickup was, without otherwise altering the wood parts of the guitar. It works well, but I did have to modify the built-in preamp a little to use the LB6C. For an Ovation pickup, since there is only one hot lead, you could probably use the Ovation preamp as is, assuming it provides enough amplification for the replacement pickup. If I were doing it for someone else, the cost would probably be close to what Standingovation paid. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I would like to install an LR Baggs Anthem system or the Fishman Ellipse Matrix Blend in a Custom Legend. The problem is the piezo difference. I still have to check if the A bracing will also be a problem.
Edited by bvince 2021-01-20 4:34 AM
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | ...I have been using the Op Pro Studio in my two other guitars for live performances with a sound mixer, but at high volumes I have problems with the piezo “quack” |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | ...I have been using the Op Pro Studio in my two other guitars for live performances with a sound mixer, but at high volumes I have problems with the piezo “quack”. That could just be me, not knowing how to adjust the settings to eliminate it though.
Edited by bvince 2021-01-20 4:37 AM
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Also looking at what it would cost for a new 12 string set of tuners and mop buttons(?) |
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Question on Saddle Conversion
