How to Restore an Ovation Guitar
A major part of the restoration process for an Ovation guitar involves carefully cleaning its different parts. The cleaning process itself, with the right product, repairs the small scratches and blemishes that a guitar suffers from years of use. Charles Kamen began producing Ovation vintage guitars in 1966. The blues-folk singer Josh White was the first major performer to endorse Ovation guitars; a number of players have been associated with Ovation guitars since then, such as Glen Campbell, Cat Stevens and Charlie Byrd.
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Things You'll Need
- Phillips screwdriver
- Micro-fiber cleaning cloth
- Liquid cleaner/guitar paste/polish/ buffing compound
- Blue painter's tape
- #0000 steel wool
- Micro-mesh polishing cloth
- Fretboard polish and oil
- Wood glue
- Wood filler
- Clamps
Instructions
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1
Remove the strings from the guitar. Loosen the guitar tuners on the headstock. Pull the strings out of the tuning pegs and remove the strings from the guitar.
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Remove the guitar tuners from the headstock. The tuners are secured to the headstock with Phillips screws on the backside of the headstock. Loosen and remove the tuners with a Phillips screwdriver. Place the tuners and screws in a container.
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3
Wipe the guitar with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. The goal is to remove loose dust, dirt and debris. Clean the headstock, the guitar neck and the fretboard with the cloth as well.
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Carefully inspect the finish of the guitar to determine the best restoration approach. Dull guitar finishes and nicked finishes can be restored by cleaning the guitar with a spray cleaner, a cleaning paste or a buffing compound.
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Cover the fretboard and the bridge with blue painter's tape. The tape protects the bare wood of the fretboard and bridge when you are working on the finish of the guitar.
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Spray liquid cleaner on the guitar. Clean the finish with a micro-fiber cleaning cloth. Work with the grain of the wood and avoid excessive rubbing. Continue cleaning with the cloth until all of the dirt and grime are removed. Use guitar polish to remove more serious grime and very fine scratches. Apply the polish to the cleaning cloth and not directly to the guitar. Use a buffing compound on deeper scratches.
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Clean the frets on the guitar with #0000 steel wool or a micro-mesh polishing cloth. Dirt, grime and debris build up on the frets. Start at the top of the fretboard and carefully clean the fret with steel wool or the micro-mesh cloth. Repeat the cleaning process with all the frets. Cleaning the frets not only improves the appearance of the guitar; it makes the frets easier to play and improves the sound quality.
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Clean and oil the fretboard. Fretboard polish and oils are available at acoustic guitar stores. Cleaning and oiling the fretboard prevents it from drying out and cracking.
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Repair more serious cracks and damage with wood filler and glue. Repairing cracks in an acoustic guitar is a labor intensive process. The repair depends on the extent of the damage and where the crack is located on the guitar. The headstock of an acoustic guitar is one of the more likely places where cracks occur. Repairing the crack involves gluing the crack with wood glue, clamping the damaged area in place while the glue dries, sanding the repairs and touching up the finish. Gouges and large nicks in the guitar can be repaired with wood filler. Sand the area around the gouge. Fill the gouge with a wood filler product. Sand the repaired area with sandpaper until it is even and smooth with the surrounding area. Touch up the finish.
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Clean the polish the guitar tuners with metal polish and a micro-fiber cloth. Metal polish is available at hardware stores and home supply stores. Read the directions on the polish for tips about silver-plated, chrome-plated and gold-plated hardware. Spray the polish on the tuners; clean and buff them with the cloth until a shiny appearance is restored. Another option is to replace the tuners with new ones. A variety of tuners are available from acoustic music stores, music equipment magazines and online sites. Put the cleaners or the new tuners back on the headstock of the guitar.
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