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Location: Maine | I've been happily learning to play for the last year and a half on my Legend 1867, which I bought new when I decided to get serious about the guitar. I probably average 3-5 hours a week on the guitar, and that varies a bit. A few weeks ago I opened my case to find that the bridge had completely lifted off the face of the guitar, taking a chunk of cherry burst of the same dimensions with it. Seeing that patch of bare wood made me sick to my stomach.
Anyway, I immediately ran down to a local dealer (I bought my guitar online from Music123) who used to sell ovations but doesn't any more. He said he could fix it, as he has done quite a few like this because Ovations have the bridge glued to the finish, which makes them weak in this area. He made the repairs, which to the eye look very good. However, it made me wonder - is this something that happens a lot with Ovations? This type of problem on a $900 guitar that doesn't get heavy use seems strange to me. Have any of you had this happen?
Thanks in advance!
Steve |
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Posts: 7251
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Excuse my ignorance still on the Acoustic models, but wouldn't a Legend still be under the factory warrantee if you bought it new? |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Just an observation. I've learned that overtime, on all acoustic guitars, there will be a lifting of the saddle due to the string tension. How much of a lift depends. As for the strings to actually pull the saddle off seems like it should only happen to some ancient guitar where the whole thing is totally dried out. So you gotta keep your guitar away from the radiator and out of the sun. On my korean import, the saddle also has two nuts inside the guitar which hold the saddle on, so you'll want to check those occassionally. Just feel inside with your fingertips. If it happens again, and you've kept it in a safe place in your house, I'd just say you have a bum guitar and move on.
Good luck. |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Also, if you get another guitar, go to a local shop. Go to a bunch of them and try the guitar before you buy it. While you might get a better price from the warehouse places, you get to build a relationship with someone who can help you down the road.
Good luck. |
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Location: Maine | According to the guy who worked on it, this is not a warrantee-able item with Ovation. I didn't call them to check first (stupid me - I was distraught), and took his word for it.
As for trying out guitars first - believe me, I spent all kinds of time trying different models. I have 3 local dealers who all carry different brands. The only Ovation dealer had a very weak inventory, and had to order whatever I wanted. I gave him my best on-line price to see if he could come close, but it was no contest, especially when you add in no sales tax and free shipping. I agree with supporting local businesses, but not to the tune of paying $200-$300 more for an item. If I pay that much for a relationship, my wife will get very suspicious.
Steve |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I know. We all do the best we can. I hope the repair works. |
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June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I'm not expert in this area of discussion, but I'll throw in my two picks worth.
You wrote "the only Ovation dealer had a very weak inventory, and had to order whatever I wanted." Seems to be a common problem and will depend on where you live. I try the best I can to support my local shops but if they do not have what I need, what option do I have? If your local shop is charging 20-25% more than you paid online AND they would have to order it for you, I would say you did the right thing. I feel bad for the "small guys", but somehow they will have to adapt their business models to survive in these cyber-times. But if you did NOT buy a product at your LGS (local guitar shop), do not expect him to bend over backwards to help you out in case of problems.
As far as the lifting bridge, this is absolutely NOT normal. I can't speak for the factory, but if anything like this happens in the future call them FIRST. The only way the bridge should pull completely off the guitar is if 1) it was never glued properly in the first place or 2) it has been subjected to some severe storage conditions. Like very low or very high humidity.
Dave |
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June 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | Is "Mr. O" and "Mr. Ovation" the same person? Probably not since they are answering each others questions - but just like I said to myself yesterday - you NEVER know.
Dave (and Dave)
P.S. Didn't Fonzie used to refer to Mrs. Cunningham as "Mrs. C." ??? |
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Location: Scotland | If you are the original owner, the guitar will be covered by the lifetime warranty. |
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Posts: 5
Location: Maine | [Standingovation] - No we are different guys. I started learning at the same time as a friend of mine. He plays a Taylor, which I named Mr. T, so naturally mine became Mr. O.
[Paul Templeman] - Probably not now that I've had repair work done on it, though. I really should have contacted the company first. |
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Location: NJ | So, . . . . . was this guy an Authorized Ovation Service Rep.? . . . and did he CHARGE you? |
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Posts: 970
Location: Atlanta,Ga. | Mr. O, The one thing that stands out to me after reading your first post is that the dealer who told you that Ovation glues the bridge directly to the finish did not tell you the truth.I have been to the factory and seen where they place the bridge in place(unglued)on the finished top and with a pencil draw an outline of the bridge.They then remove the bridge and take a dremil type tool and sand the finish down to bare wood.Then they glue the bridge down and clamp it.So, i dont think he told you the truth about the bridge..Im sure many other members here saw the bridge install process while at the factory tour...I dont think they ever directly glue the bridge to the finish...I personally have over 60 ovations and have never had one with a lifting bridge...I also think that since you bought the guitar new ,it is still under warranty... |
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Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I think Sam is correct. As far as I know the bridge is actually recessed ever so slightly. Just a thought, but is it possible that the mailorder dealer didn't actually sell you a factory new guitar. Maybe a repaired one or a second? Dave |
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Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Sam is right that is the way the bridges are attached.
I have seen some ovations with bridge pulls but if the guitar was under warranty you should have called the service department and had it repaired for free. if the shop is an authorized ovation service then they would bill ovation for the repair |
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Posts: 3667
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I repaired a CC268 with a bridge that had it's "rear-end" sheared off from the tension and poor storage. A testament to how well those bridges are glued down! I routed out the broken part, and sure enough; it was glued directly to the spruce, not to the finish material. |
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Posts: 5
Location: Maine | [Cliff] I'm not sure, to be honest. He does all the repair work for my local shop that used to be and ovation dealer. I didn't ask for his credentials - I just showed him the guitar, and asked if he could fix it. He indicated that he has done several in the past, and that it was not an ovation warantee-able item.
Yes, he did charge me - $75. To be fair, you really can't tell it has been repaired to look at it, and it still seems to sound ok. Being relatively new to the whole guitar thing (1 1/2 years or so), this is my first experience with repair work. |
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Posts: 5
Location: Maine | [alpep] Does Ovation have a list of authorized service centers on their web page? Or do you suppose that they would tell me if they were billed for the repair work for my guitar? |
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Posts: 7251
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | As a rule of thumb, call Ovation Customer service first for a repair. They have seen it all and can guide you best. If it is under warantee, and you have a choice, I'd let the factory repair it before anyone else. Especially when the person doing the repair (although they have done many before) has no idea what he is talking about. |
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Is this normal?
