As near as I can tell from the sales brochures on OvationTribute.com, the K-5 brace pattern was mainly used in the 80s. It was used on the Custom Balladeers and Ultras for that time period.

Sometime in the early 90s, the Ultras were phased out and the Balladeers went back to a modified version of the original X-braces. Not the Ovation Modified-X, but a modified version of the original Ovation X-braces used in the 1960s.

If you look at the 1994 US Catalog, you can see photos of the modified X-braces. These are pretty similar to what I used on my 1111-4.

I recall reading somewhere that the guitar top actually twists as it vibrates, so Charlie designed the quintad braces with this in mind.

The A-brace is, essentially, a quintad brace pattern for a center-hole guitar. But, it requires the reinforcements at the joint between the upper and lower side braces to spread the load from the upper bout to the lower one.

The K-5 brace substitutes the two-piece side A-braces for a single piece of wood on each side. Its profile is taller than the A-brace equivilant, which helps counteract the pulling force of the strings. But, it's construction is simplified and cost is lowered because it doesn't need the extra reinforcments.

Since the top is twisting as it vibrates, the extra height doesn't really affect how it sounds compared to an A-brace. But, it's easier and cheaper to produce.

Obviously, there was some aspect that Ovation didn't like about this brace pattern as it was pretty much dropped by the mid-1990s with the Balladeers going back to their origins, the X-brace.

Now, almost all Ovations are X-braced, even the Elites. The only exceptions are the Adamas, which use the quintad, and the Glen Campbell CLs, which use a VT11 brace pattern. (?)

Yep, it shouldn't be too long, now. I'm going to start the wet sanding/polishing and it should be ready to play by the end of the weekend. (Yay!)

It's been a while since my last post. I've taken a few pics along the way. The top and neck/head stock are done.

I've removed the bridge masking in preparation for gluing down the bridge.

Making sure the bridge fit is good.

Now, you may notice the dark section at the bottom of the saddle slot.

I can't remember where I got this bridge, but the floor of the saddle slot was routed unevenly. I made a simple jig to limit the router movement and proceeded to route the floor so it was more or less flat. The slot was also a little narrow, so I decided to widen it at the same time. In the process routed the floor down to about 1/32" and had a blow-out.

At this point, I decided to remove the floor altogether and replace it with a filler piece. I thought about using walnut, but decided to use a piece of rosewood, instead. I decided to use rosewood instead of the walnut so that the floor of the bridge would transmit the vibrations of the strings a little better.

Bridge footprint is masked.

Bridge is being glued into place.

Clamps removed. Neck aligned and bolted into place, fret board extension glued down.

Rosette glued into place.

Tomorrow, I'll make a new nut, install the hardware and string it up. I still need to touch up the bowl, but I can do that after I finish the rest of the guitar.

Nut is made. Tuners are installed and strings are on.

First impression is that it sounds every bit as good as it looks.

Nice clear tone from every string with lots of sustain. I like the K-5 brace pattern. It sounds a lot like an A-brace. I also like the rosewood mod to the bridge. I'm not sure how much it's helping, but it's definitely not hurting anything, sound-wise. I'll probably try it again the next time I use a walnut bridge.



I still need to touch up the bowl, which I'll probably start that job this afternoon.

"WOW"...as Arumako's jaw drops to the floor...awaiting full review and video with bated breath! Incredible work Dan!

Thanks, Ken, & Riccardo.

Here's the video I promised. It's just a few snippets of different songs I know.

Dan Savage - 1982 Ovation 1612-4 Rebuild... 

All done. I'll let the pics speak for themselves.