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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 11
Location: usa | i have a 1612 from 1978.
the saddle assembly is shot. when i removed it, the wires sort of popped off. they had been poorly resoldered in the past. i managed to resolder it so that it works, though it does not pick up the D and G strings sufficiently. the other strings are quite loud, and the D & G have a sort of shadowy sound. (i.e. they are coming through the amp, but very quietly compared to the others.)
the saddle covering is also broken off into pieces, which is probably either causing or exacerbating the problem.
that said, i am amazed that i even got it working at all. i had to jam the hot lead into the small hole (the little rivet was gone) and insert some solder. if those two strings worked, i could easily live with the crappy soldering job. this thing is amazingly simple to work on, if it worked!
thanks for any advice-- |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by wrv:
i am amazed that i even got it working at all.
So am I, and I'm even more amazed that you attempted it in the first place. If you have string-balance problems with these pickups it's usually down to bad piezo elements and it's pretty much unrepairable. Call customer service, buy a new pickup/saddle assembly and be done with it. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | 10-4 on what Paul said, Call customer service and get a new one. |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 11
Location: usa | what is interesting, is that the half assed repair not only worked but sounds pretty good.
another interesting twist is that when i insert a small shim shoving those saddles backward slightly it works fine. i do hate inelegant solutions however, so i will replace it.
still not bad for 200 bucks with case. i love it so much that i have already decided if i cannot get a replacement i will fill in the bridge and put a regular saddle in there. this thing sounds great acoustically.
any idea how much the new assembly will cost and if it is still available? i emailed ovation, but have not heard back yet.
thanks again! |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Direct replacements are available from Ovation |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 11
Location: usa | thanks again. it is on the way for 60 bucks US. |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 11
Location: usa | what amazing customer support. got the new pickup today at lightning speed. the guy at ovation even included a free truss rod nut and washer, cause i said my old one was chewed up.
the next new acoustic i buy will be an ovation. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | You'll hear that all over this board.
I have never personally seen a company anywhere, for any product, that would stand behind and go the extra mile for their customers the way Ovation Customer service does...nobody.
Wayne |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3664
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | What Wayne said.....truly wonderful people. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Agreed. Ovation service is the best there is, period!
/\/\/ |
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1612 tech help
