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My "New" Tornado…

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standing
Posted 2011-01-13 1:39 AM (#357616)
Subject: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1454

Location: Texas
I'd been keeping an eye out for a nice Storm series O for quite a while when I stumbled on this one just in time for SWMBO to get it for me for Christmas, and I finally put it down long enough to take a few photos…



It's in immaculate condition for it's age… it appears to have been in a closet most of the time for the last 40 years. It's all original, right down to the bridge cover. ;) This is one of the later ones with the "longer" neck.



I don't know for certain if it's an original Ovation case, but it looks pretty close to those that I have seen in photos. Regardless, it does appears to be an original case that was purchased with this guitar. It was extremely dusty and worn on the outside, but inside the case and guitar look almost brand-new.



It plays perfectly, and I'm very happy with the sound, which is surprisingly versatile; I can tweak it to a tastefully jangly vibe or go smooth and jazzy… it's exactly what I was looking for.

The neck pup's output seems just a little weak to me. It's got a very nice tone, but it just doesn't have the volume I'd expect compared to the bridge pup, (it's still simple enough to tweak the balance as needed.) I suspect that's a result of the neck (and bridge) having been moved in the final years of production (compared to earlier versions) so that the pickup is not in the optimal position (closer to the base of the neck.) That's just my guess, does anyone know?

There is a little bit of oxidation on the blades of the neck pup, too. I doubt that effects the sound, but I'd like to clean it up. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to use to clean it?

The only other thing I might want to do to it is adjust (or remove) the pick-guard. It's pretty high and comes closer to the high E-string than I'd prefer, and it's not as simple to adjust as some other semi-hollow bodies. I haven't even attempted to remove it yet, but it looks like it's screwed (and hopefully not glued) into two small blocks of wood. I can probably save those (since they're original) and make substitutes that better position the pg. Anyone have any experience with that, or have the same situation with the pick-guard on a Tornado?

Anyway, other than those tiny little quibbles, I am really pleased with it and I was especially delighted to find one with absolutely no finish checking or other damage… it's a sweet old guitar and I'm one happy OFC'er…
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2011-01-13 1:51 AM (#357617 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7231

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
You might want to check the wiring. On many they used mini-jacks to plug the pickups into modules that have the vol and tone controls. It may just be a a little contact cleaner, or just unplugging and plugging them back in.

Nice guitar.
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cholloway
Posted 2011-01-13 2:22 AM (#357618 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 2791

Location: Atlanta, GA.
Beautiful guitar.
I'm jealous.
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Nick B.
Posted 2011-01-13 9:18 AM (#357619 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2009
Posts: 686

Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch
Holy cow that's a pretty guitar. I never wanted an Ovation electric until now. Congratulations!
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Charlie Ramon
Posted 2011-01-13 10:54 AM (#357620 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
August 2004
Posts: 709

Location: Germany
Wonderful guitar, congrats!

I use Simichrome Polish for tarnished or dirty metal parts of my guitar, regardless if it's chrome or gold hardware. The result is always brilliant!

Karl
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Koenig Kurt
Posted 2011-01-13 11:10 AM (#357621 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 848

Location: Munich, Germany
Congrats!

These are wonderful guitars - and show up sometimes in great conditions. If they show up.

With your posting I realise that mine has a non original pick-guard:

KLICK!

So this has to be fixed by my side.

Best regards,
Kurt
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Captain Lovehandles
Posted 2011-01-13 11:43 AM (#357622 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3410

Location: GA USA
Beautiful, I'm jealous.
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RNickels
Posted 2011-01-13 1:37 PM (#357623 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
May 2009
Posts: 364

Location: Bellevue, Washington
Wish mine was in half as good of shape as that! Great find!!!
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stonebobbo
Posted 2011-01-13 2:40 PM (#357624 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307

Location: Tennessee
Very nice!
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Damon67
Posted 2011-01-13 2:41 PM (#357625 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6995

Location: Jet City
Gorgeous. Is there any checking on the finish? Even has the saddle cover, very nice indeed!
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slothead
Posted 2011-01-13 2:49 PM (#357626 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 147

Location: liverpool ,england
great find stunning guitar no wonder your happy!
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Rooster
Posted 2011-01-13 3:43 PM (#357627 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
November 2010
Posts: 125

Location: Derry NH
sweet!
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MusicMishka
Posted 2011-01-13 5:00 PM (#357628 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5567

Location: Blue Ridge Mountains
Nice Get! Congrats...
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standing
Posted 2011-01-14 3:28 AM (#357629 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1454

Location: Texas
Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
You might want to check the wiring. On many they used mini-jacks to plug the pickups into modules that have the vol and tone controls. It may just be a a little contact cleaner, or just unplugging and plugging them back in.

Nice guitar.
Thanks for the suggestions Miles. All of the connections are solidly soldered, no mini-jacks to be found. However, once I had it apart anyway, I thoroughly cleaned the contacts on the switch (which did have quite a bit of corrosion) and also cleaned out the pots with a little contact cleaner worked in with plenty of knob twists. Then I spent a lot of time fine-tuning the height of the the pups and the bridge. I'm happy to say that the pickups now have very similar output levels, and it sounds great!

Originally posted by Charlie Ramon:
Wonderful guitar, congrats!

I use Simichrome Polish for tarnished or dirty metal parts of my guitar, regardless if it's chrome or gold hardware. The result is always brilliant!

Karl
On closer inspection, the blade of the pickup is not tarnished, the chrome is actually worn off, and it's going to stay that way. But thanks for the suggestion, I have never heard of "Simichrome"… it sounds like a good thing to add my guitar-care toolbox.

Originally posted by Koenig Kurt:
Congrats!

These are wonderful guitars - and show up sometimes in great conditions. If they show up.

With your posting I realise that mine has a non original pick-guard:

KLICK!

So this has to be fixed by my side.

Best regards,
Kurt
Kurt, yours is an earlier model, and a beautiful one. I don't know if they always had "Ovation" etched into the PG, it's possible that might have been added later, so yours might actually be an original pick-guard. Someone here probably knows… Miles?

Originally posted by Damon67:
Gorgeous. Is there any checking on the finish? Even has the saddle cover, very nice indeed!
It has a few tiny dings and one small, <1/2", finish check hidden at the base of the bridge. I just found that when I took it apart tonight… Otherwise, it's in amazing condition, here's the back, it's flawless:



And yep, it even has the saddle cover, which comes off pretty effortlessly, so I can see how easy it would be to lose it.

I temporarily resolved the pickguard problem with two small wedges of wood to change the angle so it falls further below the high E string.

The bridge and saddle adjustments are, well, interesting, the system seems somewhat cheezy, but it may have been state-of-the-art back then… ;)

Anyway, thanks for all the congrats and advice… she's back together, all issues resolved, and I played her for a couple of hours tonight and enjoyed every minute of it… ;)
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2011-01-14 11:49 AM (#357630 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7231

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
standing... Don't forget the neck adjustment. On these it's under that "neck plate" which is in reality just a cover to get to the neck adjustment and neck screws.

Kurt.. Your the pick guard on yours does not look original, although it looks like it's made of material from that era. What sticks out for me besides the logo which I believe started with the very first ones, is that it covers the 3rd pickup adjustment screw. All of the ones I have seen are notched to get to that 3rd screw.
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CrimsonLake
Posted 2011-01-14 11:53 AM (#357631 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145

Location: Marlton, NJ
Mine has the logo, but no notches for the pup screw. It's also got different pickups. Both my neck and bridge pups are the same as Kurt's bridge pup.
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Damon67
Posted 2011-01-14 12:15 PM (#357632 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6995

Location: Jet City
Originally posted by CrimsonLake:
Both my neck and bridge pups are the same as Kurt's bridge pup.
Here's mine. It's an old one from '67. Serial number is 535

I'm pretty sure it's all original, right down to no wood blocks under the pickguard.

It sounds spectacular. The toggle seems backwards to me though.

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Koenig Kurt
Posted 2011-01-14 1:17 PM (#357633 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 848

Location: Munich, Germany
So this is very interesting!

And now I see for the first time that mine has both types of pickups, while all of yours seem to have an identical pair.

I can`t tell if mine left the factory that way or maybe later got customised/serviced, since I bought it about five years ago on the german bay from somebody who didn't know anything about it's history.

Best regards,
Kurt
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schroeder
Posted 2011-01-14 2:16 PM (#357634 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413

Amongst all those little differences I'll tell you what doesn't change - still the best sunbursts in the business. Gibsons don't come close.

Beautiful guitars.
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schroeder
Posted 2011-01-14 5:11 PM (#357635 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413

Did anybody ever put a wound third on one of those?

What did it sound like?
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David Van
Posted 2011-01-15 1:46 AM (#357636 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
September 2009
Posts: 144

Location: SW Washington
OMG that makes me want to shoot myself for ever getting rid of my Thunderhead! I wasn't into electrics then. Traded it in on a Takamine F400s twelve string and got $150 for it... yes that was LONG ago and I was clueless... Well, moreso than now...
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standing
Posted 2011-01-17 1:18 AM (#357637 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
December 2008
Posts: 1454

Location: Texas
Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
Don't forget the neck adjustment. On these it's under that "neck plate" which is in reality just a cover to get to the neck adjustment and neck screws.
Thanks Miles… I'm happy with the neck right now, but for future reference, does that adjust the neck/fretboard height relative (and parallel) to the guitar body?

There seem to be a lot a variations of these guitars, especially considering the short period of time that they were produced. I don't think I have ever seen photos of two Tornados that looked identical.

My Tornado seems to have all the same hardware (and longneck) as the Eclipse model, minus the bowl-paint but plus the etched pick guard. It has a standard selector switch, not the phase-selector mentioned on Miles' Storm Series page…

Damon, yours is still in great shape. That's minimal cracking compared to any I'd found until I lucked-upon mine. "No wood blocks under the pickguard"? Interesting, the two small black wooden blocks that raise my pickguard above the body look original. I can't think of any reason why someone would have added them afterwards, so I assume they are OEM? Plus, I wouldn't think that the pick guards were OEM'd flat on top of the guitar… were they?

Does anyone else have wooden "risers" supporting their pick guards?

It's a very interesting guitar.
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CrimsonLake
Posted 2011-01-17 2:01 AM (#357638 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
August 2006
Posts: 3145

Location: Marlton, NJ
I also have the two black wood blocks supporting my etched pickguard. Mine has a bigsby trem bar. No checking on mine either... I was very lucky to find this one. I put flatwound strings on it... very smooth.
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Mr. Ovation
Posted 2011-01-17 3:54 AM (#357639 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…


Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7231

Location: The Great Pacific Northwest
The Phase/Bypass switch was on the Thunderheads along with the pots being two volumes, a tone and a blend mostly. Most of the Tornado's and Eclipse I have seen were wired in the traditional manner. I actually prefer the standard wiring to that of the Thunderheads.

To my knowledge all of the pickguards on Tornado and Thunderhead models had the logo. Like in later models, they started the line with the logos on the pickguards and closer to the end of the runs... the started not including them.

Most all Storm series I have seen had the little "blocks" to raise the pickguard, and make it level. But they were just little blocks of wood and easily cracked. Plastic would have been a better choice I would think.

Damon, your pickguard does not look original to me either. It looks like the same person that made the other one made this one. While the material does look correct for the period, it seems very odd that they would cover the pickup adjustment. Although... anything is possible as we've learned over the years.
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Koenig Kurt
Posted 2011-01-17 8:33 AM (#357640 - in reply to #357616)
Subject: Re: My "New" Tornado…



Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 848

Location: Munich, Germany
If this would be a sign for a non-original part - this is what the non-logo-cover looks like underneath: No wooden blocks, but gum!




Referring to the oddness: Good point, Miles, but I think a neglectable one, if I look at my Slothead Reissues, for example, and the fact that you have to losen the D- and G-string to remove the TRC. Comfort seems not always to be the first thing in mind.

Best regards,
Kurt
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