Vintage Ovation Sunken Top, Humidity Damage,Can It Be Fixed?

[maxlopez22]

Good evening fellow guitar lovers. I have come here in great dispair looking for some wisdom, help and knowledge.

I live in the far away country of Chile, in South America, and recently got a hold of my long time dream guitar, an Ovation 1117, which is a rare guitar to find in these parts of the world. I paid around $380 US dollars for this Ovation 1117 from 1979 with original case. The previous owner said that the top of the guitar was slightly separated from the body in the lower bout, but I figured it was fixable. I sent it to a local luthier to repair and he said the following:

-The guitar top has sunk slightly and the fretboard is separated from the top where it meets the body.
-There is a slight gap between the body and the neck.
-The ring around the guitar hole is also weird and it looks damaged by humidity.

He said the guitar had been (badly) repaired several times and that it would be a waste of money to fix it, as it would probably need a whole new top (and that would just be the beginning).

He also said that because of the different materials of the top and the back, these separations between the top, the body and the neck are common in these types of guitars, and even if he made a new top and fixed all the other problems it has, it wouldn’t last too long and it would eventually have similar problems, or at least I would need to keep the guitar in a controlled environment for ever.

Another detail, the guitar rests slightly tight in the case, as you need to apply some force in order to close the case all the way and secure it. Is this normal or is it because of the damage of the guitar?

I would like to know your opinion, would it really need a new top, is it worth fixing, is it true that Ovation guitars tend to have these problems? If I chose to spend the money, would it be the kind of guitar I can pass on to my kids, or as the luthier said, it would have its days numbered? Is it worth saving this guitar? If fixable, what would be the best way to do it?

Any help, word of wisdom and advice will be greatly appreciated!

Max

[redir]

Detailed pics would really help but I have certainly seen Ovations in this condition as you describe it before and would tend to think that your luthier is probably correct.

Anything can be fixed but it comes down to the cost ratio of what the guitar is worth over how much the repair cost is. I think a new top could be made for such a guitar but it would far outweigh the value of it.

Did the luthier mention anything about the inside of the guitar? Like if it has cracked braces or anything like that. If so that could be the cause of the sunken top and possibly fixed.

But in the end none of us here can see and handle the guitar, you took it to someone who did so it comes down to trust. Luthiers tend to turn down jobs for a reason. I'm sure he would love to fix it and get paid but it sounds like he's just being honest about it. IT could also be that he just doesn't want to be bothered with it, so you could get a second opinion.

[merlin666]

I encourage you to post at the Ovation Fan Club forum that also has a luthier section. Ovation was known for their superior warranty and repair service where you could send your guitar to the factory and get full rebuild for next to nothing. But now the factory is closed and only a small custom shop is operating and they probably have limited capacity. It might still be worthwhile to contact Ovation and ask if a rebuild is possible and the associated cost.

[srick]

Originally Posted by merlin666

I encourage you to post at the Ovation Fan Club forum that also has a luthier section. Ovation was known for their superior warranty and repair service where you could send your guitar to the factory and get full rebuild for next to nothing. But now the factory is closed and only a small custom shop is operating and they probably have limited capacity. It might still be worthwhile to contact Ovation and ask if a rebuild is possible and the associated cost.

Second that. The repair shop is located about a mile from the old factory and can give you the best advice.

[mirwa]

Ovations - people have a love hate relationship with them.

I dis-agree that if its repaired it will likely break again, the biggest issue i see with ovations is that the tops are just a little bit too light, I tend to upgrade the bracings when i am doing any top work or top replacements on them

As mentioned, photos, then an educated guess can be given

Steve