Had he put styrofoam or cardboard corners on wrapped it up in shipping wrapping just to prevent damage to the case ( which I'm guessing he doesn't care much about in the first place), it's not a half bad idea, in the sense the shipping company sees its a guitar and perhaps are less likely to throw it around.
What a great show you made out of restoring that Ovation back to working. I believe Ace played an Ovation in a band called Molimo prior to KISS. Great Dimarzio DP100 sound. The first Dimarzio pick ups were handwound in G. Dimarzio back in his garage. He did one for Ace and one to Paul Stanley too. Rock on
Damn, that's a great sounding guitar. You did a beautiful job on it. I think Matthew is going to be happy with what you did. Sure looks like you were having a blast playing it. Should have at least another 50 years of life in it! Thanks
Hi Brad, the bridge has a bolt on the back end that goes through to a nut under the back plate. Someone must have decided to tighten the nut, which is incorrect, the nut should be backed off to allow the back of the bridge to raise up and allow easy access to the strings and intonation adjustment. Regards, Kent Kearney
I've had one of those Ovation GP's since the early 80's.My best friend's dad sold it to my dad who gave it to me for Christmas. Funny thing is Kyuss ended up becoming one of my favorite bands, and when I saw home video and photos of him he was playing the same guitar I had.
Man That Sound's Fantastic !!! The DiMarzio Super Distortion Is What I Used to Replaced My Original Small Humbucking Pickup in My 77 Les Paul Deluxe !!! Bought That Guitar Brand New Then Replaced It ( The Pickup ) 2 Year's Later !!! Your The Man !!! Excellent Work !!!
Sweet job dude. Reminds me what my step dad did for me 40 years ago. I got a old dobro strat copy for 3 bucks at a garage sell and we routed it for a dimarrzio super dis., then made a new pick guard. It was super cool. He passed earlier this year. R.I.p.
I was saving up for a 70s style Flying V - but wow now I want a Breadwinner! My guitar teacher told me about these when I was a kid back in the 80s - Steve Marriot from the Small Faces also played one I think.
Man that thing is screaming!!! No wonder he loves that pick-up. And great attention to detail in your work. Would love to have a guy of your integrity in my area! Well done sir!
Brad, I own a Deacon model that I bought new in the 70’s. I’m sorry to say now that I had the Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach made some modifications (at my request) that I regret today. I had the active electronics removed as well as the original pickups. I had the cavities refilled with mahogany blocks and installed 1 Carvin humbucker. It also had 1 volume and 1 tone control along with a mini toggle for coil splitting. Finally, the pick guard covered all the cavities and was also made of mahogany. I wish today I would have kept it stock but as you may recall 1 pickup guitars were the rage at that time. BTW-my bridge saddles are stock and are made of brass not the plastic type found on the Breadwinner. I still own the guitar and can only image what it would cost to be it back to it’s original condition. Enjoy your channel and it’s content. Chris
Great video as always Brad, I like the approach to just make it what the player wants. Really at the end of the day that is what matters, some like the stock stuff and the vintage parts, others just want it to play and sound their way. Thanks for not being like many other Guitar fanatics that tell you the instrument is ruined. We would not have half the sounds and tones we do today if not for the "ones" that modded their gear and played 'till they dropped. Joe Satriani, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix ALL had modded gear that they used along with the stock stuff.
Excellent work on the refurbishing and the shredding was off the charts. Don't mean to be nitpicky, but the ebony fretboard looked a little dry to me. Did you happen to condition it after the fretwork? Keep the amazing videos coming and thanks!!
Such a cool and unique guitar! Back in 1986 a very good friend of mine had a Breadwinner that his uncle had left to him. He traded it in for a Charvel Model 4!! I understood back then that the Charvel Model 4 fit the style of music we were playing back then, but I knew it was a mistake trading it in. Now, my buddy is kicking himself HARD for ever parting with it and wishes he had it now. Very very nice work Brad!
I remember Dr Hook playing these in one of their videos, I thought it looked strange away back then, I still do! I think they did a bass version too if anyone wants to clarify?
Awesome video! Ace is one of my faves and being from Canuckistan, seeing the dual Rush patches on the old Canadian dinner jacket was a highlight to be sure. Stay well!
Please tell me I’m not the only one who thought the owner was Mr Guitologist with a Wig and fake Stash... I liked this video, Ovations don’t get the love they deserve and you gave this one many more years of life👍🏼 I had a Viper with a Jackson humbucker wired directly to the output as my only (playable) guitar for years so I liked seeing this one get a spa day. Thank you for the great channel!
I have the limited model, when first researching and calling people (before internet & cell phones) I called a shop in NYC, they offered me more for the case than the guitar..not many folks could afford both..anyway, kept it and carried it to shows and had guitar players sign it (Lonnie Mack, John Mayall, Buddy Guy to just name a few) Now it’s a wall hanger..Thanks for the video, enjoyable...
I love that music room. I like having a room that feels away from the world to play and listen to music. I've never seen another Ovation Breadwinner like Ace's before. Very cool.
Damn, Brad, tearing it up. I had an old 80s model Super Distortion pickup that I sold a few years ago to fund another project that never even panned out,.. been kicking myself in the ass for that ever since.
Love that jean jacket , just got my son his 1st for Christmas and coincidentally his name is Geddy-Lee (yes I'm into Rush). So when I saw the dual Rush patches and the 2112 it brought a smile to my face. We're working on getting his patched up (currently has some cool pins on the pockets), I'll have to come back to this and leave a picture once it's coming along better. Will definitely show him this video when he gets off school, I'm positive he will get a kick out of your jacket. Again coincidentally he's wearing a Rush shirt today (probably the only 4th grader with one)... anyhow I'm done gushing over the jacket....for now
Glad you covered this. I have an early, all original Deacon (same as the one shown at 6:56 when you say “transparent finish options”) and the pickups sound so different than that Dimarzio (which sounded sweet, btw). There are issues with the bridge/saddle design and so on, as you noted, but all in all it is a cool (and very heavy/solid) axe with a gorgeous neck/board and balanced feel. Would love to see you inspect and possibly overhaul/mod one of these stock Deacons someday. Heck, I’d probably send you mine if needed. Thanks again and take care, Brother B. Your videos have brought me lots of enjoyment and inspired me to finally get my gear in good working order. Aloha from O’ahu. Rock on, D
A great video Brad. I bought one of these a few years ago from a vintage guitar dealer in Rhode Island ,Empire Guitars . From the serial number mine is made somewhere between 72 and 75 . Mine however is in excellent condition and all original. The only problem is it didn’t come with the original Ovation hard shell case and they are even harder to find than the guitars ihemselves !!! Thanks for an informative video .🙏🤟🤪👽🙋♂️
Beautiful demonstration and outro to the video. Brad you were on fire with that guitar. You should think about finding one for yourself. I think it brought something out in you.
Still have and play my first guitar. An Ovation Preacher Deluxe 1282 Natural. Honduran Mahogany one piece body three piece neck, 24 fret, ebony fretboard, 50 watt built in preamp, splitable mini humbucker's, three way switch, phase shift switch, gold hardware, abalone inlays, Schaller Deluxe tuners. It is a very nice playing and sounding guitar. TY for the vid.
I saw Roy Clark playing a 12 string Breadwinner Deacon in Branson in the 90s. Sounded great, but then again it was Roy Clark playing it. Thanks for the look-see!
Great episode man ! Very cool of Matthew to send this gem over for an overhaul. Had a good laugh about the bottle opener on the neck of his old guitar! ♥ This Ovation is a very interesting guitar, and the Kiss shred on the end blew my freakin socks away ! Best vid 2021, and how You gonna top this i duno. Best wishes ♥
I think that original pickup is like 18k...the Deacons are like that. You did a very nice job on the pickguard. I'm working on something now and have been afraid to go at the bevel freehand. Do you have a lot of experience with that or did you just dive in? How beefy a file did you use?
I’ve made several pickguards in this way. I could use power tools I guess, but I’m used to the hand work. It’s a pretty coarse file I used. You can also step down the file size and sand to finish.
Brad, watching your value-added ideas come to life in a blur at your hands was educational recreation; and thanks for that honkin finale of waaay cool lickity-pickin. I feel certain Matthew is thrilled by the renewed set-up, and those well leveled, crowned and polished frets. You enhanced his beloved Ovation to be a real Breadwinner... Kudos, my Shredding Sensei!
It looked like he was in the 70’s to me too - maybe time-travel is actually a thing 🤔A guitar un-unboxing video is certainly a different concept (l doubt it’ll catch on) 🤣
I was drooling over that Ovation catalog when I was like 17. If they reissued this thing, I'm sure a lot of old geezers like me, who finally have the dough now, would jump on it.
Brad, can you (or anyone else here) give a link to whoever sells those pale green plastic nut drivers that you use for pots, etc.,? I tried to find them before but struck out with my searching.
Fun fact : ovation acoustic guitars were once made by kaman aircraft in moosup ct. ( a few towns from where i lived) they made military helicopters in the same factory they made the guitars in .lol Always found it kinda odd. I remember if you knew someone who worked there you could get a good deal on a ovation acoustic.
I liked the original Super Distortion better than the Pro II I put in my Les Paul in the early 80s. I like the X2N in my parts caster even better. They made hot ass passive shit back then. Who needs active?
Hey John, If you really like that particular design, why not order a kit build and make one. You may even shop around and find an old one at a Good Will or pawn shop. Find a template of that design if you want an exact copy and build it.
Awesome job on that axe! Makes me want to get my Univox Hi-Flyer bass back up and running. Bought it for 10 bucks at a garage sale basically a basket case. Missing the tuners and part of the bridge but the electronics are all there......
This vid inspired me to drag my dead-stock black BW out of storage, complete with the official Ovation custom case that is considerably sturdier than the one in the video. I even still have the little booklet which the video shows a few excerpts from. Apparently, I bought the guitar on August 16, 1977, which was a great day for me, but a dark day for rock 'n roll. (Go ahead and Google it. I'll wait.) Anyways, a couple thoughts: Brad, you could probably have raised the back of that bridge even further. Mine has the screw almost flush with the adjustment nut, which gives plenty of clearance for strings and action screws. Speaking of bridges, I kind of wish mine had the nylon saddles rather than the later metal ones. I remember a lot of E strings snapping right there. Also, fyi for viewers, the Breadwinner bridge is in fact metal; the (very hard) black plastic is just a cover and actually makes for a comfy hand rest. Another point of ergonomics is regarding the funky shape. These guitars were incredibly comfortable to play sitting down as the big cutaway at the base sits perfectly on one's right thigh. I played that guitar for years back when I wasn't super picky about tone... I later realized that Ovation's aerospace-influenced active FET humbucking pickup design, um... sounds like shit, frankly. I've often thought about ripping it out and just going with something tried and true, but ultimately I'll probably just sell it, as is. Btw, Brad, I LOVE single pickup designs, so... Way to really make that thing killer!! Oh, one more story: I said my Breadwinner is dead-stock, but it is not quite mint. Literally, within a week of buying it back in '77 my cousin Randy dropped the thing on my grandparent's concrete basement floor, leaving a nice, dime-sized chip in the finish near the ass-end strap button. It still hurts.
I used to work in Bloomfield, CT where Kaman Aerospace is and used to see their helicopters being flown around. They’re unique in that they don’t use a tail rotor but rather has two top blades rotating opposite each other to counter each other’s torque. I always thought it was interesting that the guy who designed helicopters started a guitar company too. And yes, my last name is very similar but no relation. 😊
The Intro’s ❤️❤️❤️😎😎😎 Laid the Jam down!!! at the end. That guitar might sneak back to you to get some more of that action😜. Classic Super distortion sound. Brings back memories.
All jokes aside, Brad’s not all half bad, because damn, that is some astounding guitar soloing, at the videos end here, with almost a Randy Rhoads type of vibe. Brad really was sending it out, respectably at a very high level, he might have even levitated at one point? Before stalling back out, to flip the bird, before dropping back in, and nailing a sonic 720, right into a McTwist half pipe trick, on a vintage oddball Ovation Bread Winning solo run! Undeniably if Brad ever met the just right, specific type of comrade band mates, as this Ovation hipster from Utah has in part done, Brad too could quit his day job, to tour the world by playing guitar professionally, in some capacity...Bravo...8)
Having a CO2 laser cutter and more shaping and sanding tools that I care to admit to, I applaud your efforts to cut it out with a scrollsaw and correct and bevel the cut lines with hand files! it really is an old-school way of doing it. EDIT: Just my two cents worth, if the aluminum tape back adhesive is not conductive glue putting more will get you nowhere, as it acts as an insulator from one sheet to the next, I use a roll of copper tape with conducting adhesive which lets you make a bigger shielding plan.
Nice job! They make sanding bands you can install on your scroll saw, and you can even tilt the table to get a uniform bevel too! Unless you enjoy hand filing...Also that Al tape has insulating adhesive so you can lose conductivity between pieces unless you solder them together (the fancy 3M copper tape has conductive adhesive).
Man. One of those was hanging in a pawn shop right up the road from me for at least a couple years. Hell, this was about 25 years ago. But one day I had some extra cash so I decided to make them an offer. I drove up there with 125 bucks and the damn thing was gone. Obviously I was bummed. But they had a bunch of guitars piled in the corner and one of them was an Ovation Custom Legend. It looked like hell. The dude said he'd take 125 for it and he was right. And at that moment, I came up with with a question that would become my trademark question for any time I would get a really great deal on a guitar purchase, "Does it come with a case? I can't take it without a case". But I still have that old Ovation. And I still don't have that old Breadwinner.
Looks like you had a lot of fun playing it at the end. A LOT of playing. Sounds great. Too bad it'll need more fret work when your done playing it. LoL.
I remember seeing these in the music stores when I was a teen, and as I recall, Glen Campbell used them onstage a great deal in the '70s. His tone was usually very clean, and these seemed to provide that in spades. Can't really picture 'Rock and Roll All Night' performed on one of these...at least, I couldn't until you started riffin', Brad; another job well done.
I had one back in the 70's and it was literally unplayable. I was young and knew little about guitar setup, but it was off the chart awful. Kept it for a week then traded it in for a Gibson Marauder lol
My first solid body electric back in early 70's. Changed to brass saddles but didn't stop me from trading for an acoustic...what a nightmare introduction to solid body guitars! But I was young without money.
Wow, seriously great job! I'm so glad I got the Guitologist to pimp out my Ovation Breadwinner! Thank you!
@Bogey hey, it made it right?!?
Keep on rocking Matthew!!!!
Thanks Matthew. My pleasure. Hope it gives you many more years of uninterrupted service.
@@TheGuitologist You can freakin shread by the way!
@@fuzzcityrecords432 Thanks brother. Started with my best attempt at Ace impression. I crash landed that attempt. :D
That thing sounds amazing! A lot of people think Ace played a Les Paul on the first Kiss album, but it's the Breadwinner. 🤘
No, he played a Les Paul in the Studio
I wonder if the dude just taped the case up when flying to Europe etc. Gotta love it.
I know I couldn't believe he just starts wrapping tape around the case, like WTH!!?? LOL! :-)
Evening, doc!! Much love to ya from SC! THANKS for turning me onto SX guitars!!
@@bigblueplanet1968 Hey there my friend. My pleasure! They make some totally groovy axes.
i use duct tape for mine,,, little bit tougher...
@@lonnieo4676 That was me..."Cellophane tape? WTH? Get this man some DUCT TAPE!"
I can't believe dude shipped that just in the case.... he must work at Guitar Center
Had he put styrofoam or cardboard corners on wrapped it up in shipping wrapping just to prevent damage to the case ( which I'm guessing he doesn't care much about in the first place), it's not a half bad idea, in the sense the shipping company sees its a guitar and perhaps are less likely to throw it around.
@@patprop74 "the shipping company sees its a guitar and perhaps are less likely to throw it around." I would not expect that to follow...
That bridge is George Washingtons' false teeth.
Washington didn't have false teeth. They were all real--he paid his slaves for them.
I absolutely love your to go kit of any file you need. Shaping the curves, getting rid of the lumps that was really therapeutic to watch!
Thanks Brad.
What a great show you made out of restoring that Ovation back to working. I believe Ace played an Ovation in a band called Molimo prior to KISS. Great Dimarzio DP100 sound. The first Dimarzio pick ups were handwound in G. Dimarzio back in his garage. He did one for Ace and one to Paul Stanley too. Rock on
Damn, that's a great sounding guitar. You did a beautiful job on it. I think Matthew is going to be happy with what you did. Sure looks like you were having a blast playing it. Should have at least another 50 years of life in it! Thanks
Damn! When I saw that guy at the first of the video I thought it was a 70’s commercial.
Hi Brad, the bridge has a bolt on the back end that goes through to a nut under the back plate. Someone must have decided to tighten the nut, which is incorrect, the nut should be backed off to allow the back of the bridge to raise up and allow easy access to the strings and intonation adjustment. Regards, Kent Kearney
Original there´s a little spring on the bolt between the nut and the wire, makrs the bridge fully adjustible.
I'm surprised Ovation hasn't liscensed these out for a modern version, same with the Ultra GP model that Josh Homme used.
Eastwood Guitars makes a clone of the Breadwinner, for a pretty reasonable price.
Companies are always backwards, take BOSS, 30 years later, they re-issue the HM-2, wasted time and money...
Eastwood makes copies of both I think
@@IanThatMetalBassist Absolutely right on that! But still around 1000 USD and more!
I've had one of those Ovation GP's since the early 80's.My best friend's dad sold it to my dad who gave it to me for Christmas. Funny thing is Kyuss ended up becoming one of my favorite bands, and when I saw home video and photos of him he was playing the same guitar I had.
I would give that toilet 10 more minutes, close the frickin door ! lol
Superb stuff at the end there Brad, great sound.
At least it doesn't clash with the color of the pick guard.
At least he has an inside toilet.
Who he hell ships a guitar like that? You're never so poor that you can't afford a cardboard box.
I might have to debate that fact...
I sure would have....at least
He actually thought the amount of tape he put on was overkill.
@@mikebell2112 Yeah, he did. Not the smartest person.
But what would he keep over his kids heads then if he used it for shipping.
Man That Sound's Fantastic !!! The DiMarzio Super Distortion Is What I Used to Replaced My Original Small Humbucking Pickup in My 77 Les Paul Deluxe !!! Bought That Guitar Brand New Then Replaced It ( The Pickup ) 2 Year's Later !!! Your The Man !!! Excellent Work !!!
Hey Matthew, I'm in West Jordan. I had a Ovation Magnum II bass for years. Sold it to my nephew and regretted it ever since. Keep on rockin!
Sweet job dude. Reminds me what my step dad did for me 40 years ago. I got a old dobro strat copy for 3 bucks at a garage sell and we routed it for a dimarrzio super dis., then made a new pick guard. It was super cool. He passed earlier this year. R.I.p.
Sounds like he was a good man.
I love that Brad is chillin in his pj's.
That would've been cool to have a neck pickup with the tonal possibilities. It sounds great
Amazing work Brad! And your guitar playing at the end was insane!
I believe I speak for everyone when I say AAAAAARRRRRGGHHHH! At that packaging.
Surprised it even got there!
That, to me, would be like handing the guitar to a random person on the street!
You shipped a guitar in the case? Ah... Really?
And he put the cash to pay for the work in there too so if it disappeared everything goes.
Man, I could listen to you play all day! Going to study that wonderful solo playing. 😊
I was saving up for a 70s style Flying V - but wow now I want a Breadwinner! My guitar teacher told me about these when I was a kid back in the 80s - Steve Marriot from the Small Faces also played one I think.
There at the end I was thinking...
Ok, now your just showing off!!!
Your way to smart to be able to play that good!
Keep on keepin on brother.
Man that thing is screaming!!! No wonder he loves that pick-up. And great attention to detail in your work. Would love to have a guy of your integrity in my area! Well done sir!
Brad, I own a Deacon model that I bought new in the 70’s. I’m sorry to say now that I had the Guitar Shoppe in Laguna Beach made some modifications (at my request) that I regret today.
I had the active electronics removed as well as the original pickups. I had the cavities refilled with mahogany blocks and installed 1 Carvin humbucker. It also had 1 volume and 1 tone control along with a mini toggle for coil splitting. Finally, the pick guard covered all the cavities and was also made of mahogany.
I wish today I would have kept it stock but as you may recall 1 pickup guitars were the rage at that time.
BTW-my bridge saddles are stock and are made of brass not the plastic type found on the Breadwinner.
I still own the guitar and can only image what it would cost to be it back to it’s original condition.
Enjoy your channel and it’s content.
Chris
Great video as always Brad, I like the approach to just make it what the player wants. Really at the end of the day that is what matters, some like the stock stuff and the vintage parts, others just want it to play and sound their way. Thanks for not being like many other Guitar fanatics that tell you the instrument is ruined. We would not have half the sounds and tones we do today if not for the "ones" that modded their gear and played 'till they dropped. Joe Satriani, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix ALL had modded gear that they used along with the stock stuff.
Damn you rippin on that ole Ovation at the outro. Nice job you done with the custom pickguard also.
"Not taking any chances with this thing, that's for daaamn sure" Then he flips & drops it down. Keith Partridge called & he wants it back.
5 criminals, rejected it in it's shipping tracking...
Excellent work on the refurbishing and the shredding was off the charts. Don't mean to be nitpicky, but the ebony fretboard looked a little dry to me. Did you happen to condition it after the fretwork? Keep the amazing videos coming and thanks!!
Such a cool and unique guitar! Back in 1986 a very good friend of mine had a Breadwinner that his uncle had left to him. He traded it in for a Charvel Model 4!! I understood back then that the Charvel Model 4 fit the style of music we were playing back then, but I knew it was a mistake trading it in. Now, my buddy is kicking himself HARD for ever parting with it and wishes he had it now. Very very nice work Brad!
I remember Dr Hook playing these in one of their videos, I thought it looked strange away back then, I still do! I think they did a bass version too if anyone wants to clarify?
40:44 - the toilet in the background just elevates the legendary status of this breadwinner even higher, Brad.
Damn fine jamming at the end, Brad. That pickup is heavy duty!
i love when you make longer electric guitar repair videos!
Awesome video! Ace is one of my faves and being from Canuckistan, seeing the dual Rush patches on the old Canadian dinner jacket was a highlight to be sure. Stay well!
it looks more correct with 1 pickup, and looks like brad enjoyed himself playing it at the end
Please tell me I’m not the only one who thought the owner was Mr Guitologist with a Wig and fake Stash... I liked this video, Ovations don’t get the love they deserve and you gave this one many more years of life👍🏼 I had a Viper with a Jackson humbucker wired directly to the output as my only (playable) guitar for years so I liked seeing this one get a spa day. Thank you for the great channel!
I have the limited model, when first researching and calling people (before internet & cell phones) I called a shop in NYC, they offered me more for the case than the guitar..not many folks could afford both..anyway, kept it and carried it to shows and had guitar players sign it (Lonnie Mack, John Mayall, Buddy Guy to just name a few) Now it’s a wall hanger..Thanks for the video, enjoyable...
And I just realized the brand new pick guard I put on my strat has TWO layers of protective film!
Shocked me. Who knew?
I have a limited breadwinner. Almost sold it recently. The sound is really unique and definitely looks like one of a kind. Glad i kept it.
I love that music room. I like having a room that feels away from the world to play and listen to music. I've never seen another Ovation Breadwinner like Ace's before. Very cool.
Damn, Brad, tearing it up.
I had an old 80s model Super Distortion pickup that I sold a few years ago to fund another project that never even panned out,.. been kicking myself in the ass for that ever since.
Great Video Man! I'm always impressed when you start shredding!
Love that jean jacket , just got my son his 1st for Christmas and coincidentally his name is Geddy-Lee (yes I'm into Rush). So when I saw the dual Rush patches and the 2112 it brought a smile to my face. We're working on getting his patched up (currently has some cool pins on the pockets), I'll have to come back to this and leave a picture once it's coming along better. Will definitely show him this video when he gets off school, I'm positive he will get a kick out of your jacket. Again coincidentally he's wearing a Rush shirt today (probably the only 4th grader with one)... anyhow I'm done gushing over the jacket....for now
Glad you covered this. I have an early, all original Deacon (same as the one shown at 6:56 when you say “transparent finish options”) and the pickups sound so different than that Dimarzio (which sounded sweet, btw). There are issues with the bridge/saddle design and so on, as you noted, but all in all it is a cool (and very heavy/solid) axe with a gorgeous neck/board and balanced feel. Would love to see you inspect and possibly overhaul/mod one of these stock Deacons someday. Heck, I’d probably send you mine if needed. Thanks again and take care, Brother B. Your videos have brought me lots of enjoyment and inspired me to finally get my gear in good working order. Aloha from O’ahu. Rock on, D
A great video Brad. I bought one of these a few years ago from a vintage guitar dealer in Rhode Island ,Empire Guitars . From the serial number mine is made somewhere between 72 and 75 . Mine however is in excellent condition and all original. The only problem is it didn’t come with the original Ovation hard shell case and they are even harder to find than the guitars ihemselves !!! Thanks for an informative video .🙏🤟🤪👽🙋♂️
dude, that's gotta be the greatest volume knob ever!!!! top notch work all the way around brad! enjoy matthew!
Beautiful demonstration and outro to the video. Brad you were on fire with that guitar. You should think about finding one for yourself. I think it brought something out in you.
Still have and play my first guitar. An Ovation Preacher Deluxe 1282 Natural.
Honduran Mahogany one piece body three piece neck, 24 fret, ebony fretboard, 50 watt built in preamp, splitable mini humbucker's, three way switch, phase shift switch, gold hardware, abalone inlays, Schaller Deluxe tuners. It is a very nice playing and sounding guitar. TY for the vid.
The bridge is bolted down too far. Under the battery compartment, there is a nut... loosen that.
I saw Roy Clark playing a 12 string Breadwinner Deacon in Branson in the 90s. Sounded great, but then again it was Roy Clark playing it. Thanks for the look-see!
Totally loving the toilet in the background. Awesome
And.... a power tool people have forgotten about but is a must have for one off stuff like that pickguard, Brad has a SCROLL SAW!!!
Darn tootin.
Big fan here Brad. I mean I'm no slouch at wrenching on circuits, but dude, it like you and uncle Doug are the Teslas of tube guitar amps
Particularly enjoyed the shredfest at the end.
The talent was enough, but the swag was over the top!!
LOL!
And the toilet in the background! Americana!😂 Love ya Brad, glad you're back.
Great episode man ! Very cool of Matthew to send this gem over for an overhaul.
Had a good laugh about the bottle opener on the neck of his old guitar! ♥
This Ovation is a very interesting guitar, and the Kiss shred on the end blew my freakin socks away !
Best vid 2021, and how You gonna top this i duno. Best wishes ♥
I feel like this dream machine dude is straight from the 70s.
I think that original pickup is like 18k...the Deacons are like that. You did a very nice job on the pickguard. I'm working on something now and have been afraid to go at the bevel freehand. Do you have a lot of experience with that or did you just dive in? How beefy a file did you use?
I’ve made several pickguards in this way. I could use power tools I guess, but I’m used to the hand work. It’s a pretty coarse file I used. You can also step down the file size and sand to finish.
That brass ring seems to add something very cool to an already super cool pickup.
Brad, watching your value-added ideas come to life in a blur at your hands was educational recreation; and thanks for that honkin finale of waaay cool lickity-pickin. I feel certain Matthew is thrilled by the renewed set-up, and those well leveled, crowned and polished frets. You enhanced his beloved Ovation to be a real Breadwinner... Kudos, my Shredding Sensei!
Thanks for watching, Tom. Glad you enjoyed it. Fun one to make.
The jigsaw arm was awesome
I LOVE Breadwinners. Such a great design, so cool. I'd love to have one someday.
Did this guy fall out the end of the seventies? And taping up a guitar case? Wow.
Haha I had to put my glasses on to check the film quality
It looked like he was in the 70’s to me too - maybe time-travel is actually a thing 🤔A guitar un-unboxing video is certainly a different concept (l doubt it’ll catch on) 🤣
Your amazing repair work, and rocking out on that guitar you repaired!!!!!!!!!!! Take care brother!!!!
I was drooling over that Ovation catalog when I was like 17. If they reissued this thing, I'm sure a lot of old geezers like me, who finally have the dough now, would jump on it.
That number ring around the volume knob is the coolest! And the fast playing too🤘😀🤘
Brad, can you (or anyone else here) give a link to whoever sells those pale green plastic nut drivers that you use for pots, etc.,? I tried to find them before but struck out with my searching.
I want one too!
I have the same saw. A rotary drum rasp in a drill press makes short work of making the bevel on a pickguard. Nice work.
Fantastic video. Glad the guy is happy! The fretwork you did was really good.
What song is playing in the background during the making of the pickguard? It sounds like Brad singing. Any more of this?
Asked myself the same question. Realy sounds like Johan, a Dutch band. 👍
Fun fact : ovation acoustic guitars were once made by kaman aircraft in moosup ct. ( a few towns from where i lived) they made military helicopters in the same factory they made the guitars in .lol
Always found it kinda odd. I remember if you knew someone who worked there you could get a good deal on a ovation acoustic.
I didn't expect that guitar to sound that good in the end. It sounds like something 20x more expensive than it's probably worth
great job, sounds really with that Dual Sound Dimarzio, cool back story. Cheers, Brad!
I liked the original Super Distortion better than the Pro II I put in my Les Paul in the early 80s. I like the X2N in my parts caster even better. They made hot ass passive shit back then. Who needs active?
Wow didn't think this guitar would sound that good
The old DiMarzio pickups from the 70's have the square tabs. FYI
I remember when these came out, strangely i Really like the design and still do to this day,, would quite like to own one actually JHB
Hey John, If you really like that particular design, why not order a kit build and make one. You may even shop around and find an old one at a Good Will or pawn shop. Find a template of that design if you want an exact copy and build it.
i love Ovation Breadwinners and Deacon guitars. i've been looking for one forever , but alas to no avail. so this video truy floats my boat
39:09 on is EPIC BRAD!!!! Nice , brother!!
Awesome job on that axe! Makes me want to get my Univox Hi-Flyer bass back up and running. Bought it for 10 bucks at a garage sale basically a basket case. Missing the tuners and part of the bridge but the electronics are all there......
Man I have one of these. My dad gave it to me but it's in pretty rough shape. Definitely need to get it repaired
I always wondered what happened to Uncle Rico.
Well, that was just fantastic! Thanks Brad.
cool show today. I had a pal with one of those guitars back in the 70's. His never sounded as good as yours. rock on.
This vid inspired me to drag my dead-stock black BW out of storage, complete with the official Ovation custom case that is considerably sturdier than the one in the video. I even still have the little booklet which the video shows a few excerpts from. Apparently, I bought the guitar on August 16, 1977, which was a great day for me, but a dark day for rock 'n roll. (Go ahead and Google it. I'll wait.) Anyways, a couple thoughts: Brad, you could probably have raised the back of that bridge even further. Mine has the screw almost flush with the adjustment nut, which gives plenty of clearance for strings and action screws. Speaking of bridges, I kind of wish mine had the nylon saddles rather than the later metal ones. I remember a lot of E strings snapping right there. Also, fyi for viewers, the Breadwinner bridge is in fact metal; the (very hard) black plastic is just a cover and actually makes for a comfy hand rest. Another point of ergonomics is regarding the funky shape. These guitars were incredibly comfortable to play sitting down as the big cutaway at the base sits perfectly on one's right thigh. I played that guitar for years back when I wasn't super picky about tone... I later realized that Ovation's aerospace-influenced active FET humbucking pickup design, um... sounds like shit, frankly. I've often thought about ripping it out and just going with something tried and true, but ultimately I'll probably just sell it, as is. Btw, Brad, I LOVE single pickup designs, so... Way to really make that thing killer!! Oh, one more story: I said my Breadwinner is dead-stock, but it is not quite mint. Literally, within a week of buying it back in '77 my cousin Randy dropped the thing on my grandparent's concrete basement floor, leaving a nice, dime-sized chip in the finish near the ass-end strap button. It still hurts.
Don’t need to google it. I died that day.
Man, you've been doing some interesting stuff lately. Keep up the good work!
I used to work in Bloomfield, CT where Kaman Aerospace is and used to see their helicopters being flown around. They’re unique in that they don’t use a tail rotor but rather has two top blades rotating opposite each other to counter each other’s torque. I always thought it was interesting that the guy who designed helicopters started a guitar company too. And yes, my last name is very similar but no relation. 😊
Lmao i love the "play authentic" that was snuck in there
Brad, the content on your channel never disappoints!!!! Thank you this put a smile on my face!
The Intro’s ❤️❤️❤️😎😎😎 Laid the Jam down!!! at the end. That guitar might sneak back to you to get some more of that action😜. Classic Super distortion sound. Brings back memories.
Nice job! I liked the crapper in the background!!
All jokes aside, Brad’s not all half bad, because damn, that is some astounding guitar soloing, at the videos end here, with almost a Randy Rhoads type of vibe. Brad really was sending it out, respectably at a very high level, he might have even levitated at one point? Before stalling back out, to flip the bird, before dropping back in, and nailing a sonic 720, right into a McTwist half pipe trick, on a vintage oddball Ovation Bread Winning solo run! Undeniably if Brad ever met the just right, specific type of comrade band mates, as this Ovation hipster from Utah has in part done, Brad too could quit his day job, to tour the world by playing guitar professionally, in some capacity...Bravo...8)
haha, thanks Jodi. And just between you and me. I often levitate accidentally. Just don't always catch it on camera.
That volume knob looks like the old Radio Shack knobs.
It was. The new one was a vintage bakelite thing.
Loving the KISS you gave us at the end.
Having a CO2 laser cutter and more shaping and sanding tools that I care to admit to, I applaud your efforts to cut it out with a scrollsaw and correct and bevel the cut lines with hand files! it really is an old-school way of doing it. EDIT: Just my two cents worth, if the aluminum tape back adhesive is not conductive glue putting more will get you nowhere, as it acts as an insulator from one sheet to the next, I use a roll of copper tape with conducting adhesive which lets you make a bigger shielding plan.
Nice job! They make sanding bands you can install on your scroll saw, and you can even tilt the table to get a uniform bevel too! Unless you enjoy hand filing...Also that Al tape has insulating adhesive so you can lose conductivity between pieces unless you solder them together (the fancy 3M copper tape has conductive adhesive).
Robert Smith of The Cure used one too for a while. Especially when he played with the Banshees.
Man. One of those was hanging in a pawn shop right up the road from me for at least a couple years. Hell, this was about 25 years ago. But one day I had some extra cash so I decided to make them an offer. I drove up there with 125 bucks and the damn thing was gone. Obviously I was bummed. But they had a bunch of guitars piled in the corner and one of them was an Ovation Custom Legend. It looked like hell. The dude said he'd take 125 for it and he was right. And at that moment, I came up with with a question that would become my trademark question for any time I would get a really great deal on a guitar purchase, "Does it come with a case? I can't take it without a case".
But I still have that old Ovation. And I still don't have that old Breadwinner.
Looks like you had a lot of fun playing it at the end. A LOT of playing. Sounds great. Too bad it'll need more fret work when your done playing it. LoL.
I remember seeing these in the music stores when I was a teen, and as I recall, Glen Campbell used them onstage a great deal in the '70s. His tone was usually very clean, and these seemed to provide that in spades. Can't really picture 'Rock and Roll All Night' performed on one of these...at least, I couldn't until you started riffin', Brad; another job well done.
I had one back in the 70's and it was literally unplayable. I was young and knew little about guitar setup, but it was off the chart awful. Kept it for a week then traded it in for a Gibson Marauder lol
I have the Eastwood reissue. It's sweet nectar
My first solid body electric back in early 70's. Changed to brass saddles but didn't stop me from trading for an acoustic...what a nightmare introduction to solid body guitars! But I was young without money.
What amp are you playing through? Sounds really good. Is it the Marshall head and the 4-10 cabinet?
Nice playing!