Since the bowl is SMC that was molded at 350 degrees, you can use a heat gun to soften the epoxy holding the neck in place.

When it gets to about 170 degrees, you can start to wiggle the neck. It is a dovetail neck that's been glued into the socket in the bowl.

If you look at the Patch's Parlor Build... thread you can see what you're dealing with.

Ovation actually went smaller for the 50th CL.

I haven't taken these out, but they look like 10-24 socket head screws.

"Cool work" indeed Oldvation! Thanks for the detailed documentation. You're getting such great help and encouragement from the heavy hitters at the OFC, I've just been enjoying your project. I love your bolt drilling jig and the tenon joint protector. The jigs I used were far more archaic than yours, though. I've been through five Celebrity bolt-on conversions to date; and they provide great stability and ease of maintenance.

My first conversion was for a CC-247, and I used two M6 steel bolts which are very close to the .25" bolts you used.

Like you, I found this configuration to be overkill; so for my next conversion, a CS-249, I used two M4 (about .14") Allen bolts (like Dan's 50th CL) that worked just as well to secure the neck.

They were a bit lighter and believe it or not, the difference in balance is slight but noticable. It could be that Ovation used the .25" bolts back in the day, just because they were cheaper and more readily available. At least for my locality in Japan, the M4 allen wrench bolts and inserts were expensive specialty products twenty years ago, and unfinished M6 bolts/inserts were much easier to find. By the way, one M4 bolt/insert combination has plenty of holding power for super shallow conversions. It looks like you still have a ways to go; but with all the help you're getting at the OFC, you definitely can't go wrong. Thanks for sharing. I know what you mean when you say, "What FUN!" Carry-on, carry-on...