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October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | For my daughter's 16th birthday I want to rebuild a Breadwinner or Deacon. I would like it to be in nearly-new condition when finished. She loves the white Breadwinners, and I like the maple necks. So, it would be a refinished gloss white body with a NOS white pickguard, modern pups, and a nice maple neck.
Do the Viper necks fit on the Breadwinner/Deacon seamlessly?
How expensive is it to have a neck refretted?
Can a new Ovation logo be purchased from the factory if the neck needs refinishing? Will the factory refinish just a neck?
Were any of the original pickups the same dimensions as modern humbuckers? i.e. will new pups fit the original pickguards?
Are the nylon bridge saddles satisfactory or are the metal ones worth the extra effort and expense?
Are there any dumb questions that should be asked when purchasing a neck?
What I'm thinking is getting something like This Breadwinner , refinishing it, and installing the neck from something like this Viper . Then put the rosewood neck on the Viper and sell it off.
Does a Breadwinner/Deacon fit in a Viper case? |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | If you take a neck off a perfectly good Viper without trying to get me to buy the Viper from you, I'm going to be pissed. I hope you can find just the neck for a decent price. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | Well if you look at that viper in the link, it doesn't qualify as a "perfectly good Viper". So I'm safe from your wrath for now! If there's a FrankenViper resulting from this project it'll go up for grabs here first. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 1374
| re: pickups... tv jones or gretsch filtertrons or mini humbuckers are a close fit without too much dremel work.
if Mwoody hasn't started assembly on anything for me yet or chosen other parts for the creation, he has a deluxe neck that's been shaved and sculpted a little.. and would be perfect for a teen girl's hands. It's a NOS neck that I got from Miles... that Brett thinned down a bit and shaved off the binding edge.. needs to be re-fretted tho.
nice Abalone and ebony on a 2 piece mahogany 24 fretter for a PD. MOP inlaid O logo on walnut headplate .
Glenn |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | You have to get the math on the neck just right when refitting. Your local luthier could tell you if it could be done and for how much.
I don't know about getting a logo from the factory, but since it's in maple you can make your own black one real easy with a decal. See my gallery for pics.
Are there any dumb questions that should be asked when purchasing a neck? No there are no dumb questions. The things to consider are, fret wire size, neck thickness, scale length, number of frets, size of tuning machine holes, materials, neck width, how the truss rod works etc |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | Be sure to check out the necks that Miles has for sale, you might be able to get one of those rather than having to buy a whole Viper. That's what I did, but I went with a Preacher Delux neck. MWoody did all the work for me, chat with him and he'll let you know all the possibilities. He can also set you up with pick guard, trc, etc.
I don't think modern humbuckers fit the vintage guards.
Here's Miles' eBay Store |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 1112
Location: NW Washington State | Miles and Woody are The Men when it comes to this sort of thing, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't comment.
I found that a UKII neck heel was a bit too wide for a Viper body. I'd guess that a Viper neck heel might leave a gap when mounted on a Breadwinner.
Why not have the white Breadwinner refinished by the factory? That would keep a nice guitar in original condition and it would be really pretty in gleaming white.
Changing bridges is easy. The last couple on eBay went for about $55 for a plastic/brass and $80 for a chrome one.
If the original pickguard won't work and you don't want a wood(y) pickguard, Chandler and others can custom make one with appropriate pickup cutouts.
-Steve W. |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | 
I believe Mwoody bought some Logos from Ovation.
Pickup size for Viper/Preacher/Breaderwinner/Deacon are unique. Some others can be used, TV Jones are a little wider. Minihumbuckers are smaller by about 1/16" all the way around.
The last full re-fret I had done cost $180.00, but California seems to run high for guitar repairs.
Cases for the Deacon/Breadwinner are unique.
If your daughter has small hands she'll probably prefer the early model Breadwinner neck. It's slightly smaller than later necks. |
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June 2007
Posts: 3084
Location: Brisbane Australia | Could you get it refinished at the factory?
I didn't know that.
I assumed that just applied to the acoustics. |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | After looking at the pics above, I would definately just get that one either refinished, or just professionally touched up. A pro touch-up and you wouldn't know the difference.
Those original toroidal pickups or whatever they are called and the best sounding pickups with the onboard pre-amp. I'm pretty sure I have a Breadwinner case.
The Viper/Preacher/Breadwinner necks are interchangeable, but the scale of the Viper is different. The bridge has enough room to compensate. I do have some necks in the eBay store as pointed out.. and another 30+ in a box. :) |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | Miles, would any of those 30 necks be NOS or in nearly-new condition?
I must say that the white one on eBay is in better condition than I had expected to buy for refinishing. Part of the idea was to go cheap and put some labor into it. Another part of the idea was to give her something unique that I had put together for her, like a gloss white finish with just a hint of pink in it, modern pups, and the maple fretboard.
I may still make a run at that auction and then just have the paint touched up. That guitar looks too nice to really mess with. |
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Joined:
July 2005
Posts: 3408
Location: GA USA | I've always wanted a Deacon or Breadwinner with a maple fretboard. To me, it just makes a great looking guitar look even better. Good luck! |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Everything that Miles said - yup!
Get the one you want in lieu of building one! Unless you are willing to buff, shape, refit, remanufacture, etc. (which some can and do - or die trying) you are economically better off purchasing what you want in that condition.
ANY Ovation sent to the Factory will receive intense professional attention from the people that:
A) Know and understand the beast they are grooming.
B) If they don't know there are at least a dozen that they can ask.
C) Have all of the correct equipment and parts to Git-R-done.
D) They work fast and frugal.
Also I want to point out that the term NOS or New Old Stock usually means that the part is not 100% ready to use. Necks will have "Shelf-wear", excess glue, unpolished frets, minor repair needs, etc.
I happen to enjoy the chase for parts, the challenge of learning the art and the happy dance that follows beating out the other BFLG Members on Ebay. :D
That, and I need a life... |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | BTW,
"if Mwoody hasn't started assembly on anything for me yet or chosen other parts for the creation"
Glenn sent me a humungous assortment of parts and curios and I said I would send him something in return. I am working on two projects to see what I want to do on his project. It will be a semi-solid with some eclectic but functional applications. Just wanted to toss in an appetizer... |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | Thanks for all the input. I'm making a try for the white Breadwinner on eBay. I discussed the different ideas and options with my daughter, and she is very taken with the idea of the intact vintage guitar with original pickups and electronics. My original idea was to make something for her, and we may still go that way if the auction goes too high. |
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Neck and pup questions for project Breadwinner
