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March 2013
Posts: 10
| Yep, the pre-amp and built-in tuner on my CC057 Celebrity is not working. It's got fresh battery and everything. I've checked everything I know to...which is, the battery, the connections inside the shell, and the output jack. I did email Ovation about the problem, and they said to contact one of their service centers...but, the nearest one to me is over 100 miles away.
Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot an OP-20 at home, or am I just stuck sending it to a certified service center? |
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Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | LU, it sounds like you've checked the obvious stuff. From the description of the problem it is a power problem not a pickup problem. Nothing lights up, right?
What is your warranty situation? You can dig into things but I would not want to invalidate the warranty.
Do you have another guitar you could swap parts from? I doubt it is the pickup but if you could plug a different pickup into it and tap on the saddles to see if there is a signal it would rule out the saddle/pickup/plug assembly.
I am not familiar with how the battery plugs into the 20. Most battery clips have pretty flimsy wires and some kind of damage to those wires either at the battery end or where it attaches to the preamp is a pretty likely source of problems. If it is not a warranty issue I would dig into the battery wiring or even just replace the battery clip.
I presume your preamp turns on when you plug in a cord to the jack. There is a stereo jack or some kind of switch mechanism which makes a connection when you plug in. It is possible a metal tab is bent such that the connection is not made when you plug in.
When my OpPro Studio quit I opened it up after finding out the warranty was expired (purchased without a guitar, so there was only a 1 yr warranty). There isn't anything user replaceable inside. It is a totally modern circuit board. Aside from the big mechanical stuff like plugs and wires there isn't anything to really troubleshoot or repair. |
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Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Did it just stop working suddenly, or did it behave differently for a while and then stop, or has it ever worked?
Is the guitar covered under warranty? If not, call the service center and try to get a repair estimate.
You could always buy a replacement pre-amp on ebay or somewhere. But that won't fix the problem if it's the pickup. And visa versa, of course. But it opens the opportunity to get another pre-amp such as the OP-Pro or the iDea.
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Posts: 10
| I'm the third owner of this particular guitar. I didn't get any sort of paperwork or anything with it, and what I've read on Ovation's website is that the warranties apply only to the original owner.
When I turn it on using the power button, the power LED just blinks at me, so it's definitely getting power...the same happens when I plug something into the jack. When I do plug something into the jack (an amp or some headphones) you can definitely hear some sort of static, but then nothing comes out when you strike a note. |
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Posts: 4025
Location: Utah | Did this preamp ever work properly for you? When it failed did it do anything like make noises first or did it just go quiet?
Ok it could be something in the signal in path (pickup, wire, plug prior to the preamp) or something in the signal out path (plug, wire, jack after the preamp). Or, it could be something within the electronic module itself though the static seems to indicate the amplifier output is working (there could still be a problem inside the preamp module input circuitry). The strategy is to isolate each part of the system and see if you can find what is working and what is not.
Most electronic failures are either mechanical or electrical overstress. Mechanical failures are broken wires, corroded contacts, bent contacts, worn out pots, etc. Electrical overstress is either some kind of zap or a defect in the original electronics. It is difficult to zap an Ovation preamp unless you start experimenting with it by swapping guitars (thus putting it in an incompatible can) or plugging into odd amps (not likely). A good static shock could kill the electronics.
The first thing to do is plug it in with a new battery (or tongue test your existing battery to be sure it is good) and a known good cord. Then reach inside and wiggle the wires from the pickup to the preamp while strumming once in a while. Unplug and then plug in that wire. Rub a pencil eraser on the plug to get off any tarnish before you plug it back in. Slowly bend the wire and push/pull it especially where it joins the pickup and where it joins the preamp. What you're looking for is a place where the wire is broken internally. By slowly flexing it you might make a temporary contact.
Now do the same thing from the preamp to the output jack.
I believe the pickup plug is slightly smaller than an iPod earbud plug. You should be able to find an adapter which is female to male to go from that smaller size to the iPod size. Then you can plug your pickup into any small amplifier which takes that miniplug as an aux in. If the pickup works you should get sound out of the amp.
And conversely you can plug something into the output of the preamp can to see if there is a signal out. This will identify if the problem is in the wiring between the can and the output jack on your guitar.
Take the preamp out of the can and look carefully at the copper tabs on the module and inside the can. Mechanical damage or tarnish might be the culprit.
I believe your can is the same shape as the modern OpPro/Op30/Studio/VIP/iDea. So you can easily replace or upgrade your preamp. But be aware that the internal connectors are not the same. If you look inside the bottom of the can after removing the preamp you'll probably see 7 copper tabs. The Op30 has this configuration. Beyond that model, the OpPro, Studio, VIP, and iDea all have 8 copper tabs. Plus the iDea has an additional aux in but it doesn't conflict afaik with any other models. You should not mix the 7 connector with the 8 connector. If you get another preamp be sure to get the can with it. When you buy a new one it comes with the can, but if you buy a used preamp be sure you get a can with it or get preamp compatible with your current can.
Edited by FlySig 2013-03-09 9:25 AM
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Is the under-saddle bridge pickup plugged into the can?
When looking into the sound hole, looking at the back of the can...
There should be two wires plugged into the can from the rear.
One to the output jack, one to the bridge pickup.
Are they both secure?
Does the tuner work?
Also, on an OP-30 preamp, the output is silenced when the tuner is activated.
(I am not sure about the OP-20... But it probably works the same)
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Posts: 10
| FlySig - 2013-03-09 10:19 AM
Did this preamp ever work properly for you? When it failed did it do anything like make noises first or did it just go quiet?
Ok it could be something in the signal in path (pickup, wire, plug prior to the preamp) or something in the signal out path (plug, wire, jack after the preamp). Or, it could be something within the electronic module itself though the static seems to indicate the amplifier output is working (there could still be a problem inside the preamp module input circuitry). The strategy is to isolate each part of the system and see if you can find what is working and what is not.
-snip-
It's never actually worked for me, but the previous owner said that the last he knew, it worked. I've got no reason to not believe him; i mean, he's the best man at my wedding 
I'll definitely check a few of the things you listed though. Is an undersaddle pickup pretty easy to get ahold of? I've seen a few on Ebay and the like, but I'm honestly not sure if my local guitar shop can actually get them separately.
arthurseery - 2013-03-09 2:30 PM
Is the under-saddle bridge pickup plugged into the can?
When looking into the sound hole, looking at the back of the can...
There should be two wires plugged into the can from the rear.
One to the output jack, one to the bridge pickup.
Are they both secure?
Does the tuner work?
Also, on an OP-30 preamp, the output is silenced when the tuner is activated.
(I am not sure about the OP-20... But it probably works the same)
Yep, they're both plugged into the can and as secure as I can get 'em...not loose at all. The tuner doesn't work, which is what tipped me off originally.
Am I understanding that you just plug the guitar into an amp, and it should amplify? You don't need the preamp/tuner on at all? |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Am I understanding that you just plug the guitar into an amp, and it should amplify? You don't need the preamp/tuner on at all?
No, you do need the preamp/tuner.
Signal goes from the pickup, to the preamp, then out the output jack.
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Location: Utah | The LED blinks but the tuner doesn't come on and there is no signal from the strings. But there is some static.
You know I think this is probably bad news for the electronic module. There is juice getting to the output section of the electronics and that signal gets out to the jack you plug into your amp. The tuner doesn't seem to turn on. So it seems like an internal problem with the input part of the preamp.
But there is still a chance it is the pickup. If there is no signal from the pickup into the preamp then when you turn on the tuner it may display a blank because it has nothing to measure.
I think I would approach this sequentially. Depending on your $ situation and your preferences on which you want to replace first, I would replace both the pickup and the preamp. The pickup would be the lowest cost item. The preamp you have the freedom to put whichever module you want in there. So if you want to upgrade to say a Studio or an iDea or just a regular OpPro, now would be your chance to justify it.
Pickups and preamps can be purchased from Al. alpep at lostartvintage dot com. There's a reason everyone on this board pimps Al, he has great prices and service. Or you could put a want-to-buy ad in the forum here. Somebody is bound to have parts.
You could start another thread and see if anyone has a spare pickup or preamp (and matching can if needed) you could borrow to swap temporarily into your guitar to try to identify which part is bad. There might be another member here who lives close enough to you that you could get together to do the experiments. |
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Posts: 10
| FlySig - 2013-03-09 10:19 AM
I believe the pickup plug is slightly smaller than an iPod earbud plug. You should be able to find an adapter which is female to male to go from that smaller size to the iPod size. Then you can plug your pickup into any small amplifier which takes that miniplug as an aux in. If the pickup works you should get sound out of the amp.
And conversely you can plug something into the output of the preamp can to see if there is a signal out. This will identify if the problem is in the wiring between the can and the output jack on your guitar.
Do you know what size the pickup plug is? I found an adapter at RadioShack the other day that went from 3/32 to 1/8 (iPod size), and was hoping to use that to do what you had suggested, in daisy-chaining a rig to isolate the pickup itself.
FlySig - 2013-03-11 10:22 AM
The LED blinks but the tuner doesn't come on and there is no signal from the strings. But there is some static.
You know I think this is probably bad news for the electronic module. There is juice getting to the output section of the electronics and that signal gets out to the jack you plug into your amp. The tuner doesn't seem to turn on. So it seems like an internal problem with the input part of the preamp.
But there is still a chance it is the pickup. If there is no signal from the pickup into the preamp then when you turn on the tuner it may display a blank because it has nothing to measure.
I think I would approach this sequentially. Depending on your $ situation and your preferences on which you want to replace first, I would replace both the pickup and the preamp. The pickup would be the lowest cost item. The preamp you have the freedom to put whichever module you want in there. So if you want to upgrade to say a Studio or an iDea or just a regular OpPro, now would be your chance to justify it.
Pickups and preamps can be purchased from Al. alpep at lostartvintage dot com. There's a reason everyone on this board pimps Al, he has great prices and service. Or you could put a want-to-buy ad in the forum here. Somebody is bound to have parts.
You could start another thread and see if anyone has a spare pickup or preamp (and matching can if needed) you could borrow to swap temporarily into your guitar to try to identify which part is bad. There might be another member here who lives close enough to you that you could get together to do the experiments.
Would any old under-saddle pickup work, or does it have to be an Ovation brand? |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Little Ugly - 2013-03-20 7:20 AM
Would any old under-saddle pickup work, or does it have to be an Ovation brand?
I have used Artec under-saddle piezo pickups... They plug right into the OP-20 can.
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OP-20 isn't working
