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1978-9 Ovation Magnum II repairs

B

BillyJackDavis

Nov 6, 2018
42
38
#1
Hello all,
I bought this new in 1978or9 and rarely used it. I mainly played guitar and bought it for a little home studio I had put together. Besides a small chip in the body near the bottom strap button, a broken pickguard and a very gummed up EQ it’s held up very well. I plan on making these few repairs myself and after reading the “1974 Ovation I Restoration” post by Barbaric.Eric, I think it would be a good idea to get some input here. He did an awesome job on that instrument! It's a great read too.
I bought a new pickguard with all the detail which was quite expensive but I wasn’t about to take up engraving. The trussrod bell I can handle.
I have some F5 spray is on its way for the EQ. If F5 doesn’t work I’ll be continuing my slide potentiometer search online. Even though the EQ has 3 control caps there are actually 6 separate slide pots coupled together.
The part of the body that chipped is actually quite small and does not involve any working parts or mounting. It was at a very thin part under the bridge cutout. I wish I had the little piece that came off but its ancient history. Any suggestions on repairing that chip would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Magnum (1).jpg Magnum (2).jpg Magnum (3).jpg Magnum (5).jpg OvationMagnumfront.jpg
 
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#5
"phangtonpower, post: 21977207, member: 132065"]I personally don't think the EQ is worth it. You'll have a hard time finding parts and I found nothing special about it that a modern outboard EQ can'tdo. Plus there are more options with modern EQ's. That's why I converted to a I. If I had to do it all over again, I would do a jazz style VVT. I don't like how VVTT interact.[/QUOTE]

Thanks Phangtonpower. Yours looks great by the way. Ever since I saw your post, that option is always in the back of my mind. I know that you depend on yours so it must function in a very particular way. Because you don't see them so often I'd like to give the original form/function my best effort. Thanks for the input : )
 
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#6
Another option I saw someone use in a bass (not a Magnum) was taking the guts of one of these and stuffing it under the pickguard:
vzzhzshaooo6skj9hojy.jpg

Might actually be useful...
 
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#7
BillyJackDavis said:
"phangtonpower, post: 21977207, member: 132065"]I personally don't think the EQ is worth it. You'll have a hard time finding parts and I found nothing special about it that a modern outboard EQ can'tdo. Plus there are more options with modern EQ's. That's why I converted to a I. If I had to do it all over again, I would do a jazz style VVT. I don't like how VVTT interact.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phangtonpower. Yours looks great by the way. Ever since I saw your post, that option is always in the back of my mind. I know that you depend on yours so it must function in a very particular way. Because you don't see them so often I'd like to give the original form/function my best effort. Thanks for the input : )[/QUOTE]
I still have my original EQ. It ain't leaving :p
 
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#8
phangtonpower said:
Thanks Phangtonpower. Yours looks great by the way. Ever since I saw your post, that option is always in the back of my mind. I know that you depend on yours so it must function in a very particular way. Because you don't see them so often I'd like to give the original form/function my best effort. Thanks for the input : )
Click to expand...
I still have my original EQ. It ain't leaving :p[/QUOTE]
I'll sell you a $70+ pickguard if things don't work out.
 
#9
BillyJackDavis said:
"phangtonpower, post: 21977207, member: 132065"]I personally don't think the EQ is worth it. You'll have a hard time finding parts and I found nothing special about it that a modern outboard EQ can'tdo. Plus there are more options with modern EQ's. That's why I converted to a I. If I had to do it all over again, I would do a jazz style VVT. I don't like how VVTT interact.
Click to expand...
BillyJackDavis said:
I still have my original EQ. It ain't leaving :p
Click to expand...
I'll sell you a $70+ pickguard if things don't work out.[/QUOTE]
Hahaha....I think the after market pick guards are actually better made, but I'm happy with it as I.

For me the biggest pain I found with the bass was how the pickups were out of phase with each other when both selected. Good luck on yours.
 
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#13
BillyJackDavis said:
View attachment 3219305
Click to expand...

You'll have to create a even void (removing more material to square-off the missing wood section) and glue in a tight-fitting piece of wood, shape the edge to match the body and finish that section to blend in. It can be done so it's barely noticeable if done correctly.
 
#14
JIO said:
You'll have to create a even void (removing more material to square-off the missing wood section) and glue in a tight-fitting piece of wood, shape the edge to match the body and finish that section to blend in. It can be done so it's barely noticeable if done correctly.
Click to expand...
Thanks JIO. I've seen some examples of that. What about a dowel shape?
 
#15
I was not confident about squaring the hole out so I went with rounding it out just enough.
I sanded out the smallest even radius I could in the body and made a rounded piece of mahogany with the grain running the same direction. It took a while to get it sanded down to size and sit flush. There will be a couple thin voids near the top but I think it's a nice fit.
vice.jpg
void.jpg
 
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#16
I took my time and even manufactured some tools (always my favorite part of any project).
hexsand.jpg hex w sand.jpg crack brush.jpg hack tool.jpg hack sandng.jpg hacksand.jpg
I might have a little inside corner to take care of still but I've sanded as best I could.
I'm looking for the best method for filling any voids and leveling the transitions. The original finish is quite thick which is obvious where I sanded it down.
There is also a small chip at what is the top transition in the photos.
Last.jpg
That is the only area that involves the brown part of the burst so I chose to leave it alone at this point. Perhaps the darker part could be extended slightly.
I am keeping in mind that I could easily screw up by forging ahead without advice.
EDGE.jpg
Yesterday I went to a shop to see how much they would charge to finish it off from this point. I know they are skilled craftsmen and deserve to be paid well for their services but I don't know if I want to invest $300 just for that part of the guitar. They were helpful and seemed to understand where I was coming from. I figured while I had their attention I'd dig for methods but they stayed a little vague.
If I can get enough advice on how to treat the new piece and bring everything to a smooth and level surface maybe I could afford to have a pro spray it.
I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!
 

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#18
Sorry @BillyJackDavis, that's definitely not my area of expertise. I was actually looking forward to hearing an expert chime in as well because I've got an Gibson G3 with holes near the bridge that need to be plugged, and once they're plugged I will be doing this exact same process.

Anyone able to chime in about flattening and finishing a repair without effecting the surrounding area?
 
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#20
BillyJackDavis said:
I took my time and even manufactured some tools (always my favorite part of any project).
View attachment 3222337 View attachment 3222330 View attachment 3222328 View attachment 3222331 View attachment 3222332 View attachment 3222336
I might have a little inside corner to take care of still but I've sanded as best I could.
I'm looking for the best method for filling any voids and leveling the transitions. The original finish is quite thick which is obvious where I sanded it down.
There is also a small chip at what is the top transition in the photos.
View attachment 3222344
That is the only area that involves the brown part of the burst so I chose to leave it alone at this point. Perhaps the darker part could be extended slightly.
I am keeping in mind that I could easily screw up by forging ahead without advice.
View attachment 3222343
Yesterday I went to a shop to see how much they would charge to finish it off from this point. I know they are skilled craftsmen and deserve to be paid well for their services but I don't know if I want to invest $300 just for that part of the guitar. They were helpful and seemed to understand where I was coming from. I figured while I had their attention I'd dig for methods but they stayed a little vague.
If I can get enough advice on how to treat the new piece and bring everything to a smooth and level surface maybe I could afford to have a pro spray it.
I would appreciate any advice. Thanks!
Click to expand...

One could spend more, but $300 is what an entire body costs to finish. Having said that, it's a lot of work to do seamless blending of any size on a vintage finish. To begin with, it looks like there will need to be further leveling (with epoxy?) to be physically make it seamless before any finish is applied. A finisher would then have to custom mix a tobacco colour that matches, prep and carefully spray it, and sand and polish it and the area around it. No DIY attempt is going to make it look as though it never happened and even if pro, it would take a serious level of expertise beyond just spraying a guitar. The plus is it's location - I'd be curious to see a pic with the bridge installed to see how visible it is.
 

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