Every so often your guitar needs a tune-up. It can be as simple as buffing your frets or a wax job while changing your strings. Reminds me of that Mott the Hoople song, "Man, that's your instrument! I felt so ashamed!" Anyway, we all have different skill levels when it comes to working on our guitars. The more complicated work should be left to a qualified luthier. Not all luthiers are qualified. Me? I'm not a luthier. I'm CRAZY!
I bought my Ovation in 1974. It's a Custom Balladeer model 1112 and I'm the original owner. In those days they came with a lifetime guarantee as Ovation guitars were relatively new to the market and they needed help from people like Glen Campbell and others to promote them. I remember people saying Ovation guitars were "toys" and "real" guitars are made of wood. That kind of stuff. Let's face it. All guitars have their own sound and personality. You can hear it and you can feel it. That's why GOD made so many different guitars in so many different styles for so many different players. I think I read that in the Old Testatment.
My Ovation has met many people over the years. It performed for the passengers in the First Class Lounge of a 747 on a commercial flight from O'Hare to LAX. There were people dancing in the street as I sang solo in a bar for free beer on Bourbon Street. When we played the 4th of July on the Santa Monica Pier, mounted cops were called to disperse the crowd. There were so many people they thought the pier might collapse. We've been on ski trips to Mammoth , campfires on the Colorado, countless parties, weddings, gigs, recording sessions and the list goes on. Makes my head hurt just thinking about all the beer. My Ovation has been a great companion and a friend. It's the guitar I reach for when I write. It's also a Chick Magnet. Don't believe me? Ask my wife. I can't get her to leave!
In an effort to document the historical legacy of my Ovation during it's makeover and for no other reason except to have a little fun, I'll be updating this adventure with photos and progress notes. Who knows how many more people my Ovation will meet. Remember, I'm not a luthier so I can't take responsibility if you mess up your guitar by reading this. I've always worked on my own guitars but never any re-finishing stuff . In fact, I've worked on just about everyones guitar I know and then some. My guitar buds would have me work on their guitar buds guitar. Did that make sense? Kinda like three guitar buds on a blind date and two don't know Jack from Adam. Let's get started!
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