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November 2009
Posts: 177
Location: Milford, MI | I am bored tonight and after checking out ebay all night, it came to me that one of the first things I look for is top cracks in Ovation's.
I know humidity plays a big part in surface cracks but, do Ovations crack more due to the fact that the back is not wood?
I love Ovation's and will be a fan for life. Just wondering? |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by tremor:
ue to the fact that the back is not wood?
I would say that and the relatively 'thick' finishes on the earlier 'O's. |
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November 2009
Posts: 177
Location: Milford, MI | Good point. Didn't think about the finish thickness. |
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Joined:
November 2009
Posts: 177
Location: Milford, MI | I got my first Ovation new in 1979 (wish I still had it) and I guess the finish was pretty thick now that I think about it. But it sure was pretty! |
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Posts: 806
Location: Seymour, Tennessee | I'm lucky I guess, my 68 DB doesn't have any cracks :) |
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March 2005
Posts: 2791
Location: Atlanta, GA. | Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
I would say that and the relatively 'thick' finishes on the earlier 'O's. I've heard that reasoning before but, wouldn't a thinner layer of hardened varnish tend to crack easier than a thick one?
I dunno.
I'm just sayin'. |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | It wasn't so much the thickness as the type of finish. In the early years it was polyester which was more brittle than the polyurethane used later. |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by CanterburyStrings:
the type of finish Ah ha... from one who should know!
Thanx Alison... ;) |
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September 2009
Posts: 2
Location: Canton, Connecticut | Just had my Ovation repaired which had a crack just below the bridge. It was repaired by Ovation at their factory in New Hartford. Mine could have been due to a cold night on the road one evening, many years ago. That crack never got worse so I decided to leave it alone. Today, my 1968 Glenn Campbell 12-string went back to it's place of birth for an overhaul. The Ovation crew did a fantastic job of getting this guitar back in shape. It's an A701 12-string. I thought it may have been due to the additional stresses from the 12 strings so I just de-tuned it to a "D" and left it there. It's been fine for me ever since. I just travel with a capo. I don't believe it has anything to do with the back being hard. I think that's just a myth about Ovations. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Coincidentally, I was just reading something that Guild put out on guitar maintenance. I think it was before Fender moved Guild to New Hartford. Anyway, it said cracks were caused by the wood expanding from cold to warm temperatures at a different rate than the finish. If that's the cause, squareback guitars would have more surfaces prone to cracking compared to Ovations. |
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Joined:
December 2009
Posts: 143
Location: Ontario Canada | Originally posted by Stephan Cheney:
Just had my Ovation repaired which had a crack just below the bridge. It was repaired by Ovation at their factory in New Hartford. Mine could have been due to a cold night on the road one evening, many years ago. That crack never got worse so I decided to leave it alone. Today, my 1968 Glenn Campbell 12-string went back to it's place of birth for an overhaul. The Ovation crew did a fantastic job of getting this guitar back in shape. It's an A701 12-string. I thought it may have been due to the additional stresses from the 12 strings so I just de-tuned it to a "D" and left it there. It's been fine for me ever since. I just travel with a capo. I don't believe it has anything to do with the back being hard. I think that's just a myth about Ovations. Thank you tremor for starting this thread.
Stephan, like yourself I have the same hairline crack in the finish below the bridge. It does not affect the tone or transmit any buzzes. Also it is not visible from the inside with a 7watt bulb and mirror. I also have dropped the EADGBE to DGCFAD and use the capo at the 2nd fret when playing in company.
Jim. |
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Question about cracks.