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Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | It seems like I've read a lot of posts about the faces of peoples ovations cracking, splitting, bridges lifting, etc. People are sending their Ovations back to the Mothership. What's the deal? Why are there 100 year old Martins and Gibsons where this doesn't happen, but 10 year old Ovations have this problem?
I have to say, I have a 10 year old Ovation that's hung on my wall the whole time...I've never even taken it in for an "adjustment". The action is great, no indication of neck problems, it's like brand new. (Of course, now this is the kiss of death....it'll probably spontaniously combust in the next day or two)
I have a 32 year old Takamine that I've never done anything to and it's just fine as well.
Am I just lucky or what? |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | The problem isn't so much 10 year old ovations, but more like 25 year old. For a period they seemed to use a very thick cyano type or polyester finish. Looked beautiful but was brittle as hell when the wood under it swells or shrinks. It's the way it is/was.
Other brands have their own warts. I've seen an extremely high number of Gibsons requiring neck resets - some new right out of the box! Martins have been known to have issues with pulled bridges. In the brand scheme of things Ovations how up better than most but they are certainly not immune.
Toby |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | The reason a 100 year old Martin is cool is cuz it is rare!
If all of the Martins were that good, they would all still be here... right?
You will also notice that there are alot of 35 and 40 year-old Ovations around.
I am sure 10 year-old Martins have problems...
But we don't talk about it here cuz we talk about Ovations.
You hear about cracks and bridge lifts because people ask about problems...
I might mention that my 35+ year old 1621 Artist has a coupla finish cracks, but it is still a great guitar that works just fine.
Here's a question...
How come when an old Gibson has finish cracks, it is called "crazing"? It is considered 'patina' and is desirable... But when an Ovation gets a finish crack it is a Crack and considered a Flaw? |
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Posts: 335
Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | "But when an Ovation gets a crack it is a Crack and considered a Flaw?" Because OMA, its an Ovation and they don't get no respect! (But you knew that, right?)
I so glad I found a place where I see O's getting praised instead hazed.
Anita |
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Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I've only had one Ovation, in 36 years of owning and playing them, develop finish cracks it was to al at the time, 35 year old Legend. My niece took it up to live in the extreme cold in northern CA and when it came back, it had the cracks.
None of the rest of mine have them. Oh, and the old Legend no longer has them. In fact it no longer has the same top or bowl. And I don't expect any problems with the rebuilt guitar...... |
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Posts: 194
Location: Huntington Beach | I have a 31 year old 1617 with no finish or wood cracks on the face. A few finish cracks at headstock neck intersection. It was born in CT, grew up in Ohio, traveled throughout the Midwest in summer and winter, moved to CA, vacationed in HI, went camping in the mountains and the desert and its none the worse. |
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Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | Dave speaks the truth. The older ones had a much thicker finish which would tend to develop cracks. I can tell you, you haven't lived till your sitting in your office with an Ovation next to you on a stand, hear a deafening TWANG... and look to see a new crack where there wasn't one a second ago. Great stuff. :rolleyes: |
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Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | Lots of opinions on this matter, and a lot of threads in the archives. I've had several dozen Ovations and seen cracks on many, older and newer. I believe it is an issue more common with Ovations for some reason that goes beyond environmental conditions that can affect any guitar finish.
FWIW, Gibsons are notorious for cracked necks and headstock breaks. It's easier to play a guitar with a cracked finish ... |
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Posts: 494
Location: Location Location Location | No cracks here either. 72-77 Degrees, 45-55% humiditity. Humidifier in the dry winter, dehumidifier in the humid summer. Extremes either way and you're playing Russian roulette. |
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Posts: 3969
| All of my current Ovations are from the same era, when they used the really thick finish. None have finish cracks. My old 1615 that went to TOPDOGJIM did have a "typical" finish crack, but it came that way from the pawnshop where I found it. Who knows how it was treated before. |
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Posts: 489
| I bought a new Gibson SJ, my first "good" guitar that started to show finish crazing almost as I was leaving the store. The store wouldn't do anything about it and I was too young and dumb to push it beyond that. But it was a cosmetic thing and I did enjoy the guitar for years. Wish I hadn't sold it. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Yes, the older polyester finish was prone to cracks. Wood moves with heat and humidity. Fiberglass doesn't. So the top tends to move against the rigid bowl and cracks can happen. The solution is to keep it humidified in winter, dehumidified in summer.
As far a bridges lifting, that can and does happen to any brand. Lately here at the shop, I have had a rash of Ibanez' come in with lifting bridges. But it is common on lots of guitars. sometimes people put heavy strings on and tune too high. Sometimes (And I hate this) I have had people come in with classical guitars that they have put steel strings on! But once again, proper care of your guitar can prevent this from happening in MOST cases. |
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Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | I don't consider them flaws they add character and it would be a really 'old' O for me if it didn't have character.
CanterburyStrings, I bet you get some winners come in (people wise) god love 'em
Anita |
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Posts: 1453
Location: Texas | I hesitate to admit how inappropriately I have treated my Custom Balladeer, which I bought new over 30 years ago. It has moved with me through dry climates, humid climates, from high altitudes to nearly sea level. I have never owned a guitar humidifier. For many years it was stored in the cheap chip-board case that GC slipped me with my purchase because I was too naive to know the difference back then. I occasionally polished it and always wiped it off before putting it back in the case. It was played constantly some times, but there was also a very, very long period when it never came out of the case at all. I had the neck adjusted once in all that time…
It has been hanging on the wall for the last several years when it's not being played. I've finally started (re-started) to play again, yet even when I wasn't playing, it has always been my baby. It was a huge investment for me at the time I bought it, and it was my first acoustic guitar, (I learned to play on electrics.) I have always loved this guitar, despite being too ignorant to know how to take better care of it. It sounds better now than ever, and plays smoother and easier than any other acoustic brand that I've ever played. It has a few minor scrapes and scratches, nothing notable.
Now, I really hope that typing this doesn't effect my Karma, but my point of view is the opposite of some of this thread, I think Ovations are sturdy beasts compared to many of their all-wood counterparts. Not all that long ago, when I got the itch to play more and wanted to acquire a 12-string, I didn't even consider any other brand.
So, I guess there are two sides to every story. Not all old Ovations have problems, we just tend to hear about the problem ones here because people come here looking for solutions.
Anyway, I have no intention of ever parting with my trusty old Balladeer, it has aged much better than I have… |
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Posts: 840
Location: CA | My 1971 Ovation has been across the country, up and down the east and west coasts, around much of the Mediterranean on a boat, across the Atlantic, in the Caribbean and in Central America and it has no finish cracks yet. (The head was busted off the neck due to a cheap case and rough airline handling, but that's another story.)
Also, there is a 'used and new' acoustic guitar shop near where I work that has many Martins and a few Gibsons from the 30s-60s and most of them have finish cracks. One Martin looks like a dry lakebed from all the finish crazing. |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | I think subconciously I have a desire to keep my ovations in like new condition to somewhat ward off the negative comments that the guitars naturally receive. You know, plastic pieces if crap etc. Yes, they are not the best sounding guitars you'll hear but I go out of my way to make sure they at least look perfect. And lets face it, there's not much better looking than a mint shiny ovation!
But with wood box guitars it really doesn't bother me so much what they look like as long as they have the sound. I was doing some recent work on a guitar and I splintered off a good sized piece of the headstock facing. This is a 5k guitar. Sure I wasn't happy about it and will probably someday get it fixed. But it really doesn't bother me all that much because the darn guitar still sounds like a dream. In fact I think sometimes the worse they look, the better they sound!
The Fender Relics are a marketing bonanza. People pay 2k extra to get a guitar artifically beat to crap. Genius. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Okay, after all I've read, I stand corrected. Ovations are no better or worse than any other guitar from a cracking standpoint. That's a welcome relief, cause I LOVE my '99 and hope to play it til I'm 80. |
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Posts: 1553
Location: Indiana | Originally posted by Gallerinski:
People pay 2k extra to get a guitar artifically beat to crap. Genius. I am definitely not their intended market.
For what it's worth, I've been fortunate as well when it comes to O finish cracks. In 35 years, I've only had one guitar effected, and it was weather related. For many years, my wife and I moved seasonally between Vail Colorado and Hilton Head South Carolina. On our way to the Rockies one year, we got into a freak and dangerous winter storm in Kansas. One of those events where you could easily die trapped in your car.
We found the only hotel room left in Salina and the guitars were last on the evac list... after the pets. By the time I got round to the instruments, my 1613 top had cracked and split to bloody hell.
That's how I ended up with a 95 Folklore top on a 78 Classic... |
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Location: Brisbane Australia | Let's face it!!
A finish crack is not a mortal wound
AJ |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
You hear about cracks and bridge lifts because people ask about problems...
Has an 'objective' survey been done ? e.g. How old is your Ovation, does it have finish cracks, does it have through the top cracks, does it have bridge lift issues? Might allow us to hear about ones which don't have problems. |
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Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Rough estimate for me: have owned approx. 70 wood top ovation guitars and about 15 had lacquer cracks. Most were that were when I bought them, maybe 10. The other 5 or so cracked whilst in my possession. I've never had a bridge come off.
In theory I would think ovations would be inherently more prone to cracking due to the fact that the bowl and top expand/contract at different rates. Not a huge issue, just a small price you pay for playing ovations in contrast to the many advantages. |
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March 2009
Posts: 715
| Originally posted by AussieJames:
Let's face it!!
A finish crack is not a mortal wound
AJ +1
My 2 year old Walden has a finish crack at the heel. Cracks happen.
One thing I did hear about Ovations is that because of the plastic bowl and the way that they are constructed, they can withstand temperature changes that the wood boxes might not.
Michelle |
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Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by Gallerinski:
In theory I would think ovations would be inherently more prone to cracking due to the fact that the bowl and top expand/contract at different rates. I have no idea what the thermal expansion coefficients for lyracord or fiberglass versus wood might be, but the back & sides of all-wood guitars are rarely made from the same wood as the top. I would venture to say the differential expansion/contraction of the sides and tops of wood boxes wouldn't be much different from our plastic gits. The finish crack "problem" with older Ovations may be due more to the finish thickness. I've seen my share of wood boxes the same age with finish cracks. |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | What Toby said.
You can stabilize finish cracks with thin cyto glue. |
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February 2009
Posts: 335
Location: Reisterstown, Maryland | Originally posted by an4340:
What Toby said.
You can stabilize finish cracks with thin cyto glue. What's thin cyto glue?
Anita |
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What's with all this cracking?
