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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Well, the 40year old, shiny bowl with three planks arrived after more than a week in transit. This one has had a hard life. The top's sunk deeper than Kate Moss' cheekbones an' got more cracks in it than Don Rickles on a good night and the fretboard's gotta hump in it reminiscent of Quasimodo yet, it plays and sounds just fine.
Love the wide neck and slightly asymmetrical headstock...
I'll have to live with him for a while before I contemplate any restoration/repair. These old one sound so good I'm hesitant to do anything that might disturb the tone, but as this on has some pretty scary looking dips and cracks and it's obvious that the bridge has come off at least once before, it might be a good idea to just get it to a place that ensures it won't implode... tone won't matter then... |
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Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Jeff, you should see my '68 Balladeer 12: lots of TI (time in) but mine sounds so great that I doubt I will ever do anything except change strings on it. The shiny bowl is surprisingly clean and shiny compared to the top.
Congrats! |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Nice, but I'd watch it. If you can measure the dip do that and check it every month. If it grows then you got another decision to make. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | the dip will be easy to measure...
If it does need repair, I'd really want to keep it all original. I've become a REAL fan of these old shiny bowls.
I'd like to keep them alive and kicking |
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Location: Scotland | You know, I had one of these, a '68 and I loved it. It sounded great, played great and Kim put in a stealth pickup system so it plugged-in great too. Then I realised that even though it was the Ovation I always wanted from being a kid, I didn't play it, so it went to Germany, and Karl had the whole damn guitar rebuilt at the factory. And guess what? He got himself a better guitar. Jeff, don't get hung up on originality, those guys in Ct have learned a lot in 40-odd years. I'll bet the inlaid rosettes on the JW reissues don't look like a burn victim in 30 years. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | I agree and don't.
If you can keep it fine.
I've got an old JW, I think you saw it, and the top was dipped 1" and loads of cracks, unrepairable and unplayable. I had them put a new top on it with the inset rosette and it's great. Original bowl and neck with their original finish.
I think the key is that now they are so conscious of the thickness of the finish and the braces and all that contribute to the sound, more so that the past when these were made, that you often get a better sounding guitar with a remake.
TJ, I'd still leave that old Elite with just a repair though! |
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Location: South of most, North of few | Thanks Beal... |
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Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I saw that one after the work. I seem to remember it hanging next to a vintage Martin Koa double-O or maybe an O, and I much prefered the sound of the JW. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | avert your eyes if you must....
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Posts: 4413
| You could open a dry ski slope on the top.
That's what happens when you put those steel girder strings on guitars. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Hey!! . . that looks like my architect's scale!! . . . |
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Location: closely held secret | The "Sticky Bandit" strikes again. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | mebbe shoulda' used it t're-size the pictures . . . |
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Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Ok, but how does it play and sound? I doubt this is recent stuff happening...
Jeff, if it plays and doesn't change (like my Balladeer 12) then you might just leave it as is...of course, I'm sure mother would do a great job...
Nice guitar either way!
it plays and sounds just fine Sorry I just re-read your 1st post... |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by cliff:
mebbe shoulda' used it t're-size the pictures . . . I uploaded those pics @ 475k -1600x1200... thought they would fit this time.
and Thanks for the scale... next, I'll be needing a complete set of French Curves and a Koh-I-Noor Technigraph Lead Holder (w/ clip). |
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Location: NJ | "... next, I'll be needing a complete set of French Curves and a Koh-I-Noor Technigraph Lead Holder (w/ clip) . ."
Oh, . . . that's right.
y'CANT run AutoCAD on a raincoat.
(now THERE's a fookin' LYRIC!) |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | like you need AutoCad anyway these days... that's sooooo 20th century.... |
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Josh White in d' House
