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Location: ms | I,m sorry to say this is the only weakness i,ve found on ovations,but its a major one! Its keep me from buying many guitars.Its a sad feeling to open a case an see those cracks creeping down from the saddle.My own 1992 collectors has this ,with the top and action rising higher.But as someone here posted,the back and sides don't give but the top does! |
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Location: ms | Is this the same as a plumbers crack? :) |
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Location: closely held secret | No. Plumbers cracks are, sadly, non-repairable.
No, Jeff, not even with duct tape. The sweat, you know. |
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Location: ms | I guess i`m stuck with mine,drives the women wild.! |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | soon, there's not going to be any one on the side of the line we all started from...
It was the hair-in-the-duct-tape image that did me in. Thanks A LOT :( |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | When were you and Cliff ever on the other side of the line? I guess I didn't go that far back in the archives. I let this thread come back after I crossed the line, but some people can't leave it there. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Mark,
You can never go home again...once you cross the event horizon, you can't escape the gravity of the darkside... |
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Location: Cicero, NY | ...ain't that the truth... |
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| You sup with these people you need a loooooong spoon. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | not long enough....
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Location: Cicero, NY | Originally posted by schroeder:
You sup with these people you need a loooooong spoon. What's sup? |
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Location: Cicero, NY | And tell Uri Geller to knock it off already! |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | never let him play your guitar.
(he made a Matrix look like a SalvadorDali) |
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Location: Wooster, Ohio | Does top splitting happen more often on Ovation guitars. I have never seen this on mine, but did see one person I know have both a Taylor and a Martin split. Is it the enviroment the guitar finds itself in or the guitar?
Steve |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | on quality guitars with well seasoned wood, cracks, if not caused by trauma, are almost always caused by radical climatic conditions. If properly stored/kept tops should not split. If not, tops will crack no matter who the maker.... |
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Location: ms | It seems to be fairly common on Taylors. I've seen them often on Elderly Instruments web site with seam cracks. |
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Location: WILMINGTON, DE | My Balladeer has a crack or two, ok, three or four... caused by being frozen and then not allowed to acclimate. So I was told by the original owner. I have had the cracked guitar for 30 yrs and never even thought of repairing it. Now you've opened a can of worms. I guess I need to check inside to make sure the braces aren't cracked. Actually I was thinking about that crack today. Wondering if I should have it looked at. |
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Location: Hayes, Virginia | If the crack is too close to the brace to put a wood cleat on to stabilize the crack. You may be able to use a cloth reinforcement patch. After splinting / gluing the crack, take a strip of thin tight woven strip of linen or cotton impregnated with glue (hot hide ideally) and place it so it spans the cracked area. This will help keep the crack from opening up again but isn’t anywhere as strong as wood cleats. It is used to fix highly curved sides of instruments that you cant use cleats on. I don’t know what it would do to the tone of the instrument if you used it on the top. Frets.com has a good description of the technique.
If you just got the cracked instrument, make sure that you let the guitar acclimate to your local climate. If the crack was caused by drying out from too dry air or heat it is best to let the wood re-hydrate before attempting any repair. Of course if the instrument is monetarily/sentimentally valuable repairs are best left to a professional. |
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Location: Hicksville, NY | Originally posted by 45flint:
Does top splitting happen more often on Ovation guitars. Is it the enviroment the guitar finds itself in or the guitar? Although I have not seen an Ovation top split (yet), I have seen my share of cracks. I had been informed that Ovation tops are known to crack and split, especially between the bridge plate and the tail block. Changes in the humidity, temperature and the environment are common causes of it. While the composite roundbacks are virtually bulletproof to environmental factors, the solid wood top unfortunately is not. As a result, I am not taking any chances, and use a fairly inexpensive humidifier. They cost around $10 to $15.00. I was using Dampits for a while, but recently switched to the one that suspends between the 3rd and 4th strings made by Planet Waves. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | yes I do think you see a lot more lacquer cracked tops on Ovations than other guitars. Particularly the 70's era models. This is my own theory why:
1. Ovation guitars are thought of as "bulletproof" because of the plastic back. And because of this, owners don't treat them with the care that you should for a quality wood instrument. The Martin owners manual has 5 fucking pages of warnings about humidity! Ovation owners treat their guitars like a piece of sporting goods equipment.
2. The bowl and the top expand and contract at drastically different rates and this puts stress on the whole thing. And eventually "pop" there goes a lacquer crack.
3. Ovation (in the 70's and 80's) used a very think poly lacquer finish. Very beautiful, very durable to pick parks, etc. But does not give at all when the wood underneith expands or contracts.
Ovation has done a lot over the past years to eliminate this problem and as far as I know on most 90's and newer instruments lacquer cracking is a non issue.
Dave |
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Location: Upper Left USA | I agree it was an "era" issue.
One more thing to add is that they are not "Lacquer cracks" since it is a Poly finish and not lacquer.
Lacquer can be added to and repaired or blended fairly easily. It is also a lot softer than Poly.
Once the damage is in a Poly finish it is there to stay. Poly over Poly still leaves a visible separation point. |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Hmmmmm, guilty as charged on all counts Standingovation! Now I gotta go look-see if there's any damage to my favourite guitar.
Other than all (3?) the little dings on the front, 107 layers of three different kinds of glue on the side from set lists, and that little chip on the headstock that always makes me mad when I remember how it got there.......... |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | My 1718 just developed a complete split of the wood where the two halves of the top meet from below the bridge to the botton of the guitar.
I'm going to send it to the factory for repair. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | I agree with Dave's RCA (Root Cause Analysis)
and will add this:
Arguments made about relative expansion rates apply, not only, to Ovation backs but, to all guitars.
Wooden guitars are built with differing woods, with differing qualities. Those different woods expand and contract at different rates. The components of wooden guitars are constructed in precarious opposition to allow for both movement and stability. If you expose those differing woods and wood structures to significant environmental differences they will crack. Period...*SEE WITKO #1 |
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The Ovation Crack?
