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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | Love this little guitar I got from ebay 2 wks ago! Changed strings right away( I think the originals were still on), had no neck relief so adjusted the truss rod. Next, I need to take the saddle down a bit. I'm used to taking out the saddle, putting it in the hobby vice,and filing and sanding; however, just barely visable where the saddle tucks into the bridge is some little metal something-or-other. Is this one of those saddles that has loose pickup pieces that fall all over the place when you try to remove the saddle? I'm not scared, just want to know what to expect. Also, are there any factory-installed shims that I can remove instead of filing the saddle? |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| Any factory installed shims can easily be removed; just turn the guitar over and they should fall out; i never heard of metal attached to the bottom of ovation saddles, perhaps this has something to do with signal amplification...
steve |
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December 2003
Posts: 13986
Location: Upper Left USA | BHB,
Take a look at the exploded view in the
Owner's Manual
Before exploding the saddle.
BTW - there is no such thing as extra pieces, even if I have a drawer full! ;) |
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April 2003
Posts: 2503
Location: Fayetteville, NC | Well That's good to hear! Now i know who to call if I need extra Parts! :D |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Filing the saddle on the CP100 thinline pickup is not recommended. If there are no shims & you need the action lower it's a better bet to have the saddle slot routed deeper. |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | I lowered my saddle as well when I got my 97. Mine had two shims. One was thick, one was thin. I took the thicker one out and it was perfect for me. They came out easily and I don't remember any metal etc. Be aware on the 97, you can get perfect fingering to the body fret, but on this guitar the fingerboard does fall away as it nears the soundhole. They are all that way.
Steve |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | Paul, do you know why they do not recommend filing the saddle on the thinline pickups? Are they concerned that it will not be level and get good contact all along the pickup? It seems to me the risk is greater in routing given there is only so much wood to wook with?
Thanks
Steve |
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May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Just wondering why you added relief to the neck? Necks commonly work fine with no relief, especially if the action is a little high at the bridge.
Wayne |
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February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | So as per the owners manual, I have the thin line. Looks like if i pull the saddle out, each little pickup will be sitting there loose. I can take things apart carefully. I just wonder if I'm giong to have difficulty balancing the sound afterwards. Oh and you do need a little relief in the neck because when a string is plucked, it vibrates along its length in a parabolic manner. This is my test: I stop a string at the 1st and 12th frets. There should be enough space between the string and the 6th fret to slip a businesscard without lifting the string. I'm sure there's a more accurate measurement,but a business card is always handy. John. <>{ |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | John you are right on for relief, but I cannot fiquire out what is going on under your saddle. When I took mine out I thought I had two shims and what look like to me a solid pickup underneath. Makes me want to take mine apart to see but that's not happening since I have it how I want it.
Steve |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Originally posted by 45flint:
Paul, do you know why they do not recommend filing the saddle on the thinline pickups? Are they concerned that it will not be level and get good contact all along the pickup? It seems to me the risk is greater in routing given there is only so much wood to wook with?
Thanks
Steve
Steve, with an standard undersaddle type pickup adjustments to the saddle height are usually made by removing material from the saddle base. With pickups such as the CP100, the Baggs LB6 & similar it's not possible to remove material from the base as the pickup elements are located there as an integral part of the saddle. Therefore you have 2 options; rout the saddle-slot a little deeper, or remove material from the top. The latter may seem like the simpler option but there are pitfalls, you must ensure that the camber is correct, and you also run the risk of upsetting the string-string balance. Personally I think its a better bet to deepen the slot. |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | I believe on the 97 the saddle was not part of the pickup system. I believe that the pickup was in the slot and the saddle sat on top of it.
Steve |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The 97 had a CP100 thinline pickup. Theres an exploded veiw of this pickup in the owners manuals which shows pretty clearly why it isn't practical to remove material from the base |
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February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | Paul(and everyone else), My '97 Collectors has the CP-100. I can see that if you take material off the top, there might not be enough material left to give it the strength it needs to remain rigid under the string preassure. Obviously, you can't take anything off the bottom. If there are shims underneath from the factory, I can remove one. I don't have THAT big a problem. Just want to get things as close to perfect as possible. John. <>{ |
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Tech Question - '97 Collectors