Severe crack and extreme top deformation

[Justin]

Hello,

 

So I just received a guitar today that has some pretty bad problems. This is an Ovation guitar that the top split REALLY bad. It also has deformed ALOT. I have an idea of how I'm going to fix it, but I want some opinions on it before I get started. Please let me know how you would approach this, and maybe what problems I may run into during the process.

[Greg Mirken]

What is your assessment of the cause of the split?

[Justin]

Well, the customer used to live in Washington state and recently moved here to Utah. I believe that is just got dry too fast. It also didn't help that the customer had left it like this with full string tension for the last couple of months. So all that combined really did a number on it.

[FRANK]

Id send it to Ovation ...They are able to replace this top, and they also are able to re heat the Bowl to stretch it back into place ...more than likly I am guessing ,but it may also have damaged braces just a guess ... can you look inside to find out the extent of the full damage .there are affordable inspection camaras although I found 1 better in my home vidoe cam by removing the infer red lens to re assemble it drop in a led light through the sound hole and view every thing from the top side your assessment is critical to the full  repair and knowing is 90% of the battle .

[Chris Rochow]

Have you determined if any braces have come loose? Age of the guitar? Ovation will likely say that it was not kept properly humidified, not covered under warranty. I'd begin to humidify it ASAP. Place drafting tape over the crack too to retain all humidity. Get the spruce material ready to begin making a spline.
After a few weeks of humidification, check the soundboard. Closing up any yet? can any loose braces be re-glued yet? If so, glue and clamp the brace(s), I'd also use 2 flat hard non-porous cauls to 'sandwich' the the curled area... usually a few rare earth magnetics would suffice.

[Mark Pollock]

That's a beaut. Is the top deforming more in that curve right now, due to you humidifying it again?(That is, is the curve due to the underneath of the top absorbing moisture much more quickly than the top of the top, due to the finish on the top?)

 

I would humidify it for a month, then another month, and see what is happening. Some of that stuff may straighten out a bit when the humidity is resolved and stabilized.

 

No matter what, a lot of patience is the key at this point.

[Mike Kolb]

My only comment is this:  if you determine the guitar needs to be re-topped, send it back to Ovation for the work. I made the mistake last year of agreeing to re-top an Ovation for a customer after the factory quoted him around $500+ for the work. ...it turned-out OK but I lost my ass on the job!  

Their bonding adhesives are terrible to remove. Regluing the new top to the composite body was a nightmare (I ended-up using marine epoxy and hard silicone) but the biggest challenge was dealing with goofy shape of the bowl. It's no easy task trying to clamp or go-bar anything with no flat sides!  Arrggh. Just the thought of having to do it again gives me the creeps. 

A couple of years ago, somebody in this forum (might've been FF) gave the excellent advice of putting as much distance between themselves and Ovations as possible. Good advice. Send it back to the goofballs who made it.