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Joined:
April 2013
Posts: 4
| Hello All! I am new to this site. I was sent here from the guys at Ovation themselves! My name is Mike. I am the original owner of a '72 Ovation Tornado with a tremolo tailpiece. Model K-1262 serial # A030. Over the years the tremelo has come to wear out. When I play it I can use the tremelo normally and it stays in tune. The issue is when I bump the swivel part (where the strings go through) with my hand it goes completely out of tune. Kind of difficult for me to explain. What I am looking to do most of all is replace the tremelo tailpiece with a stop tailpiece as I rarely use the tremelo anymore. I have been searching for a long time for a replacement tailpiece to no avail! Ovation even said the parts have not been around for decades! I am posting to see if anyone knows of one available or am I searching for something that I will never be able to find? My second question would be if not, has anyone ever had this issue before and is there some sort of fix for this? This guitar sounds awesome and plays better than most semi-hollow bodies I have ever picked up before! Any help or information would be more than greatly appreciated! Thanks all in advance!
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April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | Welcome. You'll get a better answer to this when you can post to the whole forum, as most people can't post in the Welcome Centre (some of our members can't help feeding trolls). Repost when a Moderator gives you full access. I know next to nothing about electrics. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7224
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Hi and Welcome.
So really all you are looking for is the tailpiece as the bridge I believe is the same on both the tremolo and non-tremolo models. (memory check please).. StewMac has them, but just measure the area on the edge as some are designed for thicker guitars, some thinner. If you search google images for Tornado's while you may not find an original tail, there are plenty that are very close and will be fine. As far as fixing what's currently going on... It may be the type of strings. If you have easy-to-bend, light strings, it's just not going to stay in tune. Also, you may have worn out the spring. Someone posted a source for springs a long time ago, but I don't recall where.
Shortly after you reply, you will be granted access to the main section. If it's me, I'll just move this thread there. If not, just re-post the question there and maybe some pictures of your guitar  We like pictures.. |
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Joined:
April 2013
Posts: 4
| Thanks so much for such a speedy reply. I just checked out Stew-Mac. Like other tailpieces I have found they only have 3-screw mount tailpieces and the Tornado has a 4-screw mount. I have thought about buying one and drilling holes in the tailpiece to make it fit as I am not going to put holes in the guitar. I really am looking to keep it as stock as possible. It's not the spring that is bad as it holds tune well when using the tremolo but goes out when you bump the swivel part. It seems to "shift" to the left or right when it's bumped. I will DEFINITELY be more than happy to post pics of the guitar when I am able to...this may help me describe the issue more specifically. Thank you again! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7224
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Hmmm I guess I'm not understanding the "bump" thing... and of course my first suggestion that I can't resist is that " It seems to "shift" to the left or right when it's bumped"... then don't bump it
Looking forward to solving this one.. this thread is in the main section now so you can attach photos and such. |
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Joined:
April 2013
Posts: 4
| ![](http://oi45.tinypic.com/rvltsp.jpg")
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7224
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I edited your picture code so it would show up and you can use it as an example.
THere is info in the FAQ on how to post pictures... but you need to get the actual url of the photo, not just the .php code from the site it's posted... hope this helps. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Wouldn't an Axxx serial number be from 1968? Maybe the guitar was in the store for awhile before you bought it.
If the guitar goes out of tune when you bump the tailpiece, perhaps there is too much play in the hinge where the tailpiece goes over the edge?
Wayne |
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Joined:
April 2013
Posts: 4
| Yeah I read the faq's on uploading images and used tinyurl to upload but was too tired and passed out before I completed getting them posted. i will give it another whirl when I get home from work later tonight. @Bluebird I know it was bought in 1973. As for the serial number thank you for the info and I will look into learning more about them. As for the loose tailpiece you are correct. Last night I took the tailpiece and bridge off to take pictures and illustrate what I was trying to explain. The clasp that goes over the edge and wraps around the lower part of the tailpiece has ALOT of play in it. The metal seems to be quite frail and when I tried to bend it just slightly to see what would happen I could hear the metal begin to crack. i did get it to tighten a bit and put it back together and restrung it but still when it is bumped it goes out...not as much but nevertheless it still went out. i have owned many guitars in my life but this is the only tremolo/bigsby I have ever had. Is this normal? I know that I should just try not to bump it but its pretty much impossible. Again, all the clasps the go over the edge of the body are 3-screw and this one is 4-screw. Any ideas? Again, thank everyone for all the feedback! And i hope to get pics posted by tomorrow for you all! |
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1972 Ovation Tornado (original owner)
