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March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I played mine last night and it still sounds great. The $245 purchase price in 1977 equates to $786.75 today. Not a cheap guitar and we were really poor then. It doesn't sound or play as good as my others, but plays at least as easily as the Collector's and Balladeer and has better bass than either of them.
I'd play it like it is, Buck. The finish must be hard as a rock or mine wouldn't look as good as it does after 28 years. Put a new rosette on it and leave the cracks for character. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Buck,
If you do a search, you'll find that some people here have used stew mac glue to stablize the cracks. You don't want to do anything else unless you send it to the factory. It's not worth it. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | I don't think stucco is a good idea, however, Cliffs' suggestion has crossed my mind. Never heard of stew mac glue, I'll check it out. Right now, Marks' comment about slapping on a rosette and leave it be seems reasonable. Good news is, after putting fresh strings on the cut down saddle, the old guitar sounds very, very good. The headstock had a serious gouge at the top. I filed it down, sanded it, used a mild abrasive compound, and buffed it back to sheen. You can't even tell it was doctored. I love plastic. Dave, did you find that rosette? |
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Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | You got a great sounding guitar. Even if you hadn't got it for a song. Pun intended. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Yea Mark, nobody wanted it, and I really did not think it was an Ovation either. Figured it was a cheepo asian knockoff. It does sound better than expected, and it's loud. I'm wondering why no one ever set it up right. The saddle was sticking way out of the bridge. I took off close to 1/4" off the bottom so you can imagine how high the strings were. I removed the single shim before working the saddle, sanded until it ended up with a slight buzz. Then I put the shim back in and lost the buzz. I figure The action is as low as it can be, which was my aim. After a couple of fixes, other than the cracks, I can't find a thing wrong with it. Looking at the neck, you'd think it was not played. That's not suprising considering the action was so high. Where is the serial # located on these guitars? I can't find one and I'm curious how old it is. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Thanks an4340, for the glue link. They have everything for fixing guitars. Fair pricing too. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | the finish is polyester, first coat and every coat. Solid bodies and acoustics. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Any idea why it cracks so badly? Many Ovations, wonderful instruments, have this problem. I'd rather have less gloss and greater durability. The finish is, perhaps, too brittle because of it's extreme hardness. |
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Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | They have improved over the years but early on was thicker. |
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December 2004
Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | Originally posted by MWoody:
To augment Dave's post i would just like to add the following sounds:
"Phwoo-up"
"Phwapp-p-p-p" Does it also say "Parkay"? |
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Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | The binding does resemble tupperware. Is that what keeps the tone so fresh? |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | it was a brittle finish. Later they put more urethane into it so it was a 70 poly/30 urethane mix. What they use now is sooooo much better. |
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Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | Buck,
I've never had the saddle out of mine, but it has a nice low action. Next time I change strings, I may pull it out just to see if there are any shims in there. At least I don't have to worry about screwing up the pickup, like I admitted in the other thread.
The serial number is inside at the base of the neck, just like all the others. If yours isn't in there, somebody must have taken it out.
I'm amazed mine has never cracked, especially since it has spent most of its life in a really dry climate. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | I've worked the saddle, and or bridge, on every acoustic guitar I've ever had. If your action is good already it might have been setup right at the factory. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Sometimes a guitar is good to go, but more often than not it needs some tweaking. I think that sometimes a guitar gets sold because it won't play right, and the owner does not know how to fix it, or is not even aware that it can be made to play better. Most guitars can be improved with minimum effort, and a little know how. The Matrix I bought was barely playable. No doubt that's why it was sold for peanuts. It took about two hours to correct it.
Since I found this forum, I've purchased three more Ovations. Where does it end? |
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March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm way ahead of you. 6 more Ovations and one Kaman "Monterey". And I'd have a lot more if my wife would quit spending money on things like new carpet and college tuition. I do have to admit to being a bit extravagant, but there are lots worse examples on this board. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | If you just want to refill the finish cracks, pour in the Superglue, and buff them level. That original finish is hard, and thick. I refurbished an old "O" someone had scratched the name of their band into, on the right lower bout. I sanded off the befouling calligraphy, and still had finish left!
There is some two-part epoxy paint you can get from Sherwin-Williams; surf over to their website and search under floor finishes. That's as close as I've found to the original factory finish. You still will have lots of sanding and buffing to do, though. As for saving the raised edge on the Matrix- good luck. I can't see how you could do a thorough stripping operation, without losing the binding. I converted an old Matrix into a resonator-style, but replaced the top to do it. |
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Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Here's a note Tony Calman sent me last year, about finish repairs, ostensibly at The MotherShip:
"They use a water-based glue to fill, gradually building it up, then sand smooth (maybe building it up and sanding several times), then buffing. Finish is pretty thick so a little sanding should not be a problem...not sure ? 1200, 2400 ? Course for a real crack, I would assume that a little CyA (super glueA) would work...don't worry, CyA solvent will take super glue off of the finish easily and not even affect the gloss."
Once again, good luck! |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Thanks for the tips. Is there any way to clean the dirt out of the cracks? The finish is not very dark and I suppose grime has been accumulating for the last twenty years, or more. The cracks have darkened from dirt and have become blackish lines. I'm kind of afraid of sealing in the dirt at this stage. I hate to think about taking the top off, and since the binding is in good shape I might try to get the dirt out, and then seal with glue, and buff. All these suggestions, in this thread, are beneficial to myself and others. These ideas are helping me determine my course of action, and others with similar finish problems are gaining valuable information. I thank all the contributors for their knowledge regarding finishes and remedies. The questions and answers found herein are important to the owners of vintage instruments. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Unfortunatly the top cracks in the matrix are in the veneer, not just the clear. They are not through the ply, so the top is functional. At this point, paint is probably the only option because sanding won't help. I super glued the cracks. For now, I'll just close my eyes and play it. Everything is tight and fully operational. The guitar sounds like a balladeer, a good one. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | As Jack Nicholson's character in "As Good As It Gets" queried, "What if this IS as good as it gets?". The song is just as sweet to the blind man, isn't it? |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Sure is. Well, I'm not blind, so I can't be absolutely sure, but my guess is yes. The old guitar sounds better than it looks, no doubt about it. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | I'm learning to accept wrinkles, too. o^o |
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March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Chris, I just sent you an email, but it kicked back saying you were out of the office. |
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November 2002
Posts: 3603
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | Paul, you must have used my office e-mail. I was on vacation the past week. I'm assuming the intended message (USMC/ACLU) got through on my residence email, though.
Thanks! |
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Refinishing
