Surface crack on Ovation Legend

Hello Semi-acoustic,

  As another Ovation player, and sometimes antiques refinisher....  (don't ask, it's my wife's business) I would try to contact the good old boys at Ovation Technical, and with the serial number of the instrument (from the tag on the inside of the body) they could likely confirm whether or not the finish is laquer.

  If laquer was used, a spot repair to the finish might be effected with good results.  Other finishes could require stripping and refinishing especially urethanes.  If you know a good Luthier in your area, he might also be a source of information on how a repair might be done, and most will gladly give you a ballpark estimate.  Earlier instruments would likely have nitrocellulose laquer rubbed into them, but in the time frame of your vintage, acrylic laquers, enamels , and urethanes started coming into wide use. Although the "lighter" finishes tended to be preferred on acoustic instruments to preserve the "acoustic" properties of the wood itself. 

  Do your research and ask questions... experimentation can result in a mess!

  I almost forgot the other part of your question....   Humidify if your average relative humidity in your area is much below 50%, store in whatever position you want, that should not make a difference.  If you have large differences in humidity and or temperature to contend with...  a case softens the shock of those changes.  Chances are that the crack you have was a result of a rapid increase in moisture content in the wood.  The finish is not as flexible as the wood can swell in a given time frame, and I think that's why you have that darn crack!

Take Care;  Doug

Hello semiacoustic,

  Although Ovations are a great brand of guitar, they are synonymous for finishing issues, such as the one you're experiencing. It's the combination of wood and polyurethane-ish alloy that the back of the guitar is made from. Wood expands and constricts, the back of the guitar does not. That's the scientific explanation for the finishing issues. It's called the  Coeffient Of Expansion. (COE)

   There's one thing that you can do to prevent this from happening and pretty much one thing only; climate control. Consistent humidity and temperature control. However, you can only cater so much to the needs of something before it becomes more trouble that it is worth??!!!....

      I would suggest first that you apply some clear finger nail polish directly to and around the crack . More times than not the nail polish 'freezes' the splitting process and most likely you'll be the only person who notices the blemish in yer finish. This is a starting point. I would, if it were my guitar, do this first and take further action later, if needed...............

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L

Any Ovation with a few miles up has these. Mine's a 29-year-old 1615 12-string. You can always feel around inside to see if the cracks are in the wood.

Are you aware of www.ovationfanclub.com ? Great resource, answers every possible Ovation question.

mine built in 1982 has several cracks in the finish but she has been a great friend for all these years and i don't mine if she shows her age a little.
i hope she is ok with me showing my age .

rr