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March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Everyone here probably knows by now that I am one of Ovation's biggest 'fans' when it comes to the use of new technology and innovation.
A little while ago I decided to give my MM68 mandolin a bit of a workout and on plugging it in found the battery was dead. Not a big deal... pop off the trapdoor, change the battery... no big deal, right?
Well, I have to say that the trap door on this model and the battery box setup has to be one of the LAMEST things I have ever seen.
First off, the trap door would not come off no matter what I did. After about five minutes fighting with it, I assumed the hole would have to be slightly ovalled to allow the arms to pivot out, but even knowing that, it still took forever to get it off. What was wrong with the way the trap door on the Adamas' worked? This setup SUCKS!! Plain and simple!!
Then there is the battery box itself... One look at it and I could hear some 'suit' saying 'cost cutting'... 'plastic'... 'cheap as you can make it, lads...'.
If these things came out of China, cost 150 bucks I could see it. But this is a mid-to-high end product. Seeing poorly thought out, crap materials and just generally 'un-Ovation like' construction depresses me....
I haven't even gotten around to changing the battery yet, so if anyone has a good suggestion about how to go about it without breaking the thing to pieces, please let me know...
:mad: :mad: :mad: |
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Joined:
March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Further...
Well, If I was pissed off before, I am now about five steps past that!!
Because the battery box door slides AWAY from the trap door hole, there is almost no way to get it off (not enough room for your hand inside and wires in the way...) without unscrewing it and dropping the battery box itself. This is sooooooo STUPID!!
Once you drop the box, it is almost impossible to line up the screw again to put it back. again very tight wires in the way, the incredibly stupid screw itself (with a lock washer from underneath, presumably so you can't take it out completely and loose it!!). This means there is no way to line up the holes AND THEN put the screw back in. Then there is the foam on the back of the battery box itself... which means you have to press it up from underneath to even have any hope of lining up the screw.
This setup is almost a GUARANTEE you will a) damage the wires... b) scratch the back trying to hold the mandolin AND the box AND the wires while trying to put it together... or just go completely ballistic trying to line up the screw holes again, which is near on impossible!!
What would have been wrong with putting the battery box ON THE TRAP DOOR itself!! Use longer wires (how much could that cost?) and if, heaven forbid the battery dies... you just pop off a considerabley better designed trapdoor and CHANGE IT!!
I guess by the mid 90's the design team had already begun to lose the plot or the desire to cut costs had begun to cloud their judgement.
Well, back to trying to get the box back in... probably a four hour job.... hmm, hmm, hmm |
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Joined:
March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Further on still...
It turns out what I thought was a lock washer was actually a rubber spacer put on before the top was installed presumably. This eventually wore out from endless attempts to lineup the screw with the hole and came right out through the hole allowing me to line up the screw holes by eye and then tighten it back down.
If anyone else here has to do this in future, save yourselves a ton of grief and just reach in through the hole and pull this rubber thing OFF first!!
Hope this helps... ;) |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Most people I know just velcro the battery to the inside of the trap door. |
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March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Sounds like a good idea.
Today was the first time I have ever had the trap door off and there is definitely some mods in 'Mandys' future... |
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Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Makes you almost want to nuke someone... |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | ehhhh
you slide the door open and the battery pops out?
that is what happens to all the rest of us |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I'own two MM68's and both get gigged constantly, and for some reason the Op24+ seems to be quite power hungry, so over the last 12 or so years I've done a lot of battery replacements, some in mid-gig. Now, the smaller body means it takes a little more patience and dexterity compared to a guitar, but I have never experienced the problems you describe. So, it's either cack-handedness, or a huge design flaw they should have addressed years ago. Guess which one my money is on? |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I've never had those problems with mine. I'm going with the former. |
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March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Well, everyone's situation might be different but this was complicated by the wires having no give whatsoever (ie. strung across the back of the mandolin like a vollyball net...) and further by having to spin the battery box around and then thread the box through these already-too-tight wires to get it out.
Does the door to your battery box open towards the hole, possibly? Is it possible mine was in 'backwards' (ie. facing away from the hole)?
I can't see how even someone with small hands could get their whole hand and most of their forearm into the mandolin to work the battery out with the door opening away (as mine is...) and NOT breaking those wires.
Granted, now that I know what I'm dealing with, the next battery change will be easier (through, definitely NOT easy). This is just a crappy design. On such a small instrument, why didn't they just put the battery box on the trap door itself as Dave suggested. That would have been my first inclination if I had been sitting at the design table... |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I don't remember putting a battery in the original design......... |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by Avatar4550:
This is just a crappy design. On such a small instrument, why didn't they just put the battery box on the trap door itself as Dave suggested. That would have been my first inclination if I had been sitting at the design table... Yeah, well you weren't sitting at the design table and hindsight is 20/20 so quit whining. There are a ton of crappy designs out there. There are '54 Goldtops where the neck set is so shallow that they are unplayable unless the strings are wrapped the wrong way around the tailpiece. Yet they go for telephone numbers.
Whine, whine.... yawn, yawn. Avatar, send me the blueprints of your next industry-shattering masterpiece for my approval and I'll tell you where you're going wrong. |
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March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Paul, I respect your opinion (as I do Beal's) and I wasn't just 'whining' for the sake of having a good winge.
Ovation has sold TONS of these mandolins (and dealers continue to sell more all the time). I am POSITIVE I am not the only one (it would go against the odds and human nature...) that has had problems with the battery box on this model.
Some here said exactly the same thing when I asked for help with my 12 string's battery box and everyone just took it as a given that I was an idiot and it should have been obvious... until Dave rightly pointed out that it was a rare version and even many of the seasoned veterans here hadn't seen this configuration before... and no, it wasn't obvious.
This being an open forum, by definition that means discussing things. The people that KNOW help those that don't and everyone learns something (hopefully). If even one person reads this thread and manages to change their battery without breaking the wires (or worse...), I will be happy.
So a question to the people here that have these mandolins... Does your battery box open towards the trap door? No? If not, when changing the battery do YOU have to remove the battery box and pull it out completely through the trap door to change the battery? I didn't measure it when I had the door off (should have...), but looking at it now I doubt there is enough room to pull the battery box door off with it facing the top of the mandolin with it still attached.
This means it HAS to come out! If it has to come out, you have to get it past the pickup and other wiring. I am REALLY careful when doing things like this and I was sh_tting myself pulling it through the wires it was that tight. I figured it was about 50/50 whether I would break them or not. Luckily it came out (and went back in...). Do I think it could have been designed a bit more practically? Yeah.
Sorry if it came across as whining... |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Here's how you change the battery. Remove the rear access door. Give the screw holding the battery box a half-turn and the entire box assembly can be removed. Slip off the metal cover, replace battery. Replace metal cover and secure battery box to the bowl with a half-turn of the screw. Replace access door. Takes less than 2 minutes. And the wires are plenty long enough on every example I've seen. |
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Posts: 57
Location: Jersey near NYC | If you have trouble balancing a screwdriver to turn the fastener, use a dime.
KK |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Aren't Canadian dimes thinner? |
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Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | And why do they call them "Mounties"? And does it have anything to do with Brokeback Mountain? |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Several years ago someone asked why Ovation didn't put in a battery access door from the outside earlier than they did and Beal replied, "Because we didn't think of it". I remember laughing that some things were so obvious in hindsight. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I remember laughing that some things were so obvious in hindsight. Like changing the battery on an Ovation for the first time. Everyone fumbles through their first one, especially when the battery box is on the inside. After you've mucked around, cussed and sworn, called the designer's mother unfaithful, and then finally got the whole mess back together, you realize how simple it really is. I've had my laughs. |
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Posts: 1565
Location: Indiana | Banjos and bagpipes don't need no stinking batteries... just sayin'. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Jonmark Stone sez:
Banjos and bagpipes don't need no stinking batteries... just sayin'. Neither did Guitars and Mandolins, originally. :p |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by Jonmark Stone:
Banjos and bagpipes don't need no stinking batteries... just sayin'. The only thing more annoying than banjos and bagpipes are LOUDER banjos and bagpipes. |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Jonmark Stone:
Banjos and bagpipes don't need no stinking batteries... just sayin'. Nor strings! |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Iff I had a banjo I would not want to amplify it. |
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MM68 Battery Change...
