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Location: LewistownPA | I use your basic guitar polish on the wood bodies of my guitars and lemon oil on the fretboards but what's good to use for the back of the neck;both finished and unfinished? Also what should be used on a maple neck/fretboard? |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Maple syrup?
Sorry! Try a search for the "linseed oil" string about 2 weeks ago. They covered all of your questions... and a little bit more. :cool: |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | On a glossy neck, I'd think the guitar polish would be fine. On a matte neck, I've been using MinWax furniture wax and it seems to be OK. If you go to Ovation's website and download the owner's manual, they have recommendations on these subjects there.
Roger
1976 Applause AA14-4 6-String
1981 Ovation 1118-1 Glen Campbell 12-string
2001 Adamas 1598-MERB Melissa Etheridge 12-String
2003 Celebrity CC01 Spruce Top 6-String |
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Location: LewistownPA | Well ,I did read the thread about linseed oil (and did a search) but that was about the fret board,not the back of the neck. I currently own 4 guitars. Two have finished necks (A Taylor 814ce and a DeArmond T 400).I always thought that using guitar polish on the neck was a no no...but maybe I confused that with the fret board? I also have a recently aquired Viper (very nice NOS,not the older solid body type) and a Fender Jimmie Vaughan strat. The Viper of course has the "unfinished" neck (for lack of a better term) and it looks dry to me. The strat has a maple neck/fret board and I have no idea what,if anything to use on it.
OK,just downloaded and printed the manual from Ovation website. I guess the Viper neck is a "Hand Rubbed Urethane Oil Neck" and should be waxed once a month. Recommeded waxes are "Trewax", "Lundmark's Clear Paste wax", and "Butcher's Bowling Alley Paste Wax"....any other brand name suggestion's? |
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Location: Madison, Wisconsin | Do a search for wax. It seems like I remember a few comments about using a good quality paste wax on the back of the neck a few times a year but I don't remember what brands people were recomending. |
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Location: Wooster, Ohio | I have used Trewax on my 1993 Collectors which has the urethane finish. Works well and was available at my local hardware store. Only downside I have seen is that it can get into the open grain and will appear white. Not a problem on the back of the neck because your hand I assume takes it off. Can be seen on the peg head etc. where I use it too. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | The wax is good or for the "wood feel" necks. If they have finish I always use lemon pledge although they say it has abrasives in it. I've not seen any problem. I've also found that 80 grit sand paper works well on Taylor necks but you have to rub really hard. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | You don't have to rub hard at all if you use a belt sander with your 80 grit. |
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Location: LewistownPA | Ok,Ok I know there are lots of Taylor haters here but we have to agree to disagree on that one...it's a sweet guiatar although I do prefer the Viper plugged in and I've got some at least minor GAS for another Ovation.. |
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Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | A rasp works even better & is faster as well. |
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Location: High, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado | I just use a combination of lemon oil and trewax... I oil every string change and wax at least once a year... So far so good...
Dale |
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Location: LewistownPA | Sounds like a good way to go Dale,thanks. As for you jokesters, maybe you should use the rasp and sandpaper to clean your ears. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Play4fun
The best equipment for proper ear maintenance is that procedure that is shown in full page newspaper ads where they have headlines that it might be wax, but I sure wouldn't reccommend that wax for a guitar neck. Has anybody here any experience with that kind of wax, or are we drifting off the subject here? I guess you would apply hot oil to the ears and then drain it on the guitar neck, might work, I sure wouldn't reccommend it. The whole idea seems repugnant to me, so why did you suggest it in a very serious thread on guitar maintenance?
;) |
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Location: LewistownPA | Bailey
Based on that responce ,I guess it would take more than a good ear cleaning to open your hearing and your mind. I wonder if they still preform lobotomies?
It's not that I don't have a sence of humor but I do find it a ridiculous,narrow minded notion there are no other good guitars beside Ovation. I have no desire to become a defender of Taylor guitars on this forum...all I will say is that I've had mine for over 2 years now ,it sounds even better now with playing time on it and I'm happy with it.If you don't like them ,don't buy them but don't ridicule me for owning one.
Since Ovations do come with different necks I didn't feel my question was inappropriate for this forum. I'd still like to hear comments about maple necks as I do believe the older Vipers have them. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Ok. opinions are like a**holes and everybody's got one - so here's mine (opinion, that is). This is the OFC, not the PCFC (Politically Correct Fan Club). Truth is that many high end guitars, some not so high end, sound wonderful. I love the vast majority of the Martin and Taylor guitars I've played. In December my son bought a Taylor and it sounds wonderful - better than many (but not all) of my Ovations. I'm sure if you go to the Taylor Fan Club site you can read all about them and how god aweful shitty the plastic backed Ovations are. But on this board, most of us are very passionate about our Ovations - to the point of being extreme. And that leads us to having very closed minds about non-Ovations. And saying things that actually are not true (such as Taylor sucks, etc). Recently there has been a lot of buzz on this board about how great the new Ovation LX guitars sound. What's so great about them? What's great is that they sound like Taylors and Martins !!!! To each his own and peace between OFC brothers. Dave
PS - My son and I are no longer on speaking terms. Ha Ha. |
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Location: Huntington Beach, CA | Interesting discussion!
For gloss finish instruments (body, neck, peg head) you can use commercial polish like Dunlop 65 or wax. Neither product will penetrate the finish and both will protect and shine. I have found the polish is easier to apply.
For hand-rubbed oil finish, you can apply more oil but be careful to use a formula that is consistant with the original to avoid any adverse chemical interaction (although I think this is rare), or you can use wax as Ovation recommends. I have only tried Trewax and it works pretty good but darkened the wood on my S771 neck and peghead. Not a problem for me.
Still don't know what to use on urethane matte or satin finish tops. Ovation says to wipe clean with very damp cloth. I guess they think the original finish should last forever and adding a layer of protection might affect the resonance(?).
Would be nice if someone on this site would answer the above since I have 2 Ovations with satin finish that I would like to treat.
For maple, I would go by the finish (gloss, satin, hand-rubbed) as mentioned above.
As for Taylors, all I know about them is that they dress the fretboard at the neck joint after assembly. Many Ovations have humps in the fretboard at the neck joint but that is not a common complaint of Taylor owners. They're too rich for my blood and I really like the feel of the Ovations. Couldn't put my finger on it until just a few days ago. I like the way the vibrations pass through the back of my Ovations. It makes for very satisfying playing experience.
Hope this helps.
Don.
P.S. If the rasp doesn't work, you might try rubbing a little sterno on the neck, just before your next campfire. Sorry, I couldn't resist. |
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Location: Florida | Lol - we're not politically correct, as you say. So, if folks can't trash the competition here, good Lord, there can't really be a better place! |
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Location: LewistownPA | Maybe the point I'm trying to make is that variety is the spice of life. I like both O's and T's for different reasons. I don't "brand worship" either of them ,which is why I own 4 very different guitars from 4 different makers. I also buy and sell every now and then to keep things interesting. How boring would it be if all guitars were the same? Anyway thanks to all who have given sensible answers to my questions...for the rest..don't quit your day jobs! |
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Location: Florida | ***How boring would it be if all guitars were the same?***
Ya know its a line like that that makes me want to post "10 Reasons Your Guitar is Better than Your Girlfriend".
However, being a newbie, I'll refrain, so you won't think less of me (yet). |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I've said it before, I'll say it again.
Dunlop 65
All purpose stuff for cleaning the gunk and making it look pretty. |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Hey lighten up
Love Taylor, he repaired an old Washburn mandolin for me in San Diego, some time in the 70's. Did a good job, price was right, and even gave me a piece of rosewood to repair a missing piece that he didn't have time to fix. The reason an occasional remark poking fun at another brand will show up here is because some of us don't have enough to do in real life. My favorite non Ovation acoustic is my Yamaki, a Japanese Martin copy that I bought in the 70's for a good price so I can't be accused of total hate of anything wooden. If you were to plug in Taylor's name on this board you would find nothing but praise for his contribution to acoustic guitars and if he logged on he would probably flame old CWK2 in a polite way for preferring plastic over wood. Taylor had a shop in Old Town San Diego where he personally built some of the best acoustic folk/bluegrass guitars in that area in the 70s, about the time the Ovations were just catching on. I suspect there are many older folk players that have an early Taylor that would be worth some BIG bucks, not me though as they were expensive even back then and I was only able to afford a Jap copy of a Martin, one for me and one for my son who still has his Yamaki also, and both his and mine are still excellent sounding guitars. I still miss the folk/bluegrass contest/festivals that Old Town San Diego put on every year, and I think Taylor Music had a hand in every one. Stuart Duncan, now a Nashville star, was a 12 year old perennial winner as a fiddle player and I think has won a a CMA award as instrumental player of the year. I don't have any dislike of Mr. Taylor, but I've heard a lot of those old timers kid each other without going ballistic. We all headed for Borrego and 4 wheeled on the sand dunes if it started getting up tight.
Bailey ;) |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Play4fun, Don't get wound up about this Taylor thing. Actually they make pretty good guitars(the current production), just a bit vanilla for my tastes (well very vanilla but that's another story). The older, more hand made ones are a different story. As far as being narrow minded Ovation only, I got over that many years ago. In fact 90% of my playing time is on either a National or Collings. These type forums are slanted towards the fanatics so those type of opinions will be prevelant. Somebody needs to be at the bottom of the barrel and it's just Taylors turn. Perhaps some of the reason they get slammed so much is because of the level of success in the market place? I know that's part of why I don't like them. I don't the value offered is equal to the market acceptance level. Obviously there are many that disagree with me. And anyway, what the hell should a retired gas station owner know about acoustic guitar design?? |
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Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Well...I have to admit to owning a Chinese copy of a Martin (Blueridge BR-160) that for the money ($439 new!) is a heck of an instrument. I keep it in my office so I always have something to play & don't worry about it getting dinged. |
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Location: NJ | I really tried to like Trailer guitars. I go to the local stores that have them and play every one hanging on the wall.
they are well built but they all all generic. The expensive ones sound like the cheap ones and they have no soul.
If you want to buy one go ahead no one is stopping you, but i feel that they are just not the biggest bang for the buck but the flavor of the month |
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Location: LewistownPA | Well ,I'm suprized that this thread has got this much attention,but since it has let me respond. The reason I got a little miffed is because I had asked what I thought was a rather innocous, generic question,dealing with neck finishes and care. Because I simply mentioned the "T" word ,I started getting more shit answers than the friendly advice I was seeking. I never asked for any opinions or comparisons or anything at all to do with brand names. I also mentioned that I own a Fender and a DeArmond ..nobody had anything to say about them. Now I know that it's mostly good nature kidding but if your going to throw a turd at me, I'm going to throw it back;not eat it for lunch. I guess it's just human nature that we all like to dish it out but none of us likes to take it.Please understand that I have no ill feelings toward any one here. You all have a right to say as you please ....and so do I.
Just one comment about the Taylors being vanilla. I can understand why you would think that if your experience with them is checking them out in music stores. As we all know,any decent wood guitar becomes better with playing time and I know mine has. Are they worth the price? Probably not,but time will tell that as well. |
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Location: NJ | Hey Fender acoustics suck and the dearmond guitars were discontinued because Fender could not sell them. |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Just thought I would throw in my cent and a half on the Taylor discussion here....I too think that Taylor 6-strings are very vanilla....very well made and pretty, but the sound is nothing special (yes, these are NEW guitars, good point). But the 12-strings are DIFFERENT. Every time I stop at GC (which I did tonight), I play one of the 355s they have around, and I am AWED. This $1200 guitar sounds really, really GOOD. Almost as good as my 1981-vintage Glen Campbell 12-string(the ME is a different sound).
If I didn't already have two good 12-strings, I would be interested in a 355.
Roger
1976 Applause AA14-4 6-String
1981 Ovation 1118-1 Glen Campbell 12-string
2001 Adamas 1598-MERB Melissa Etheridge 12-String
2003 Celebrity CC01 Spruce Top 6-String |
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Location: Scotland | Dave, If I wanted a Taylor or a Martin I'd buy one, but I don't. I own several non-Ovations which to my ear sound better than most (no, every) Taylor I've heard. I don't know what you were listening for, but the LX's at NAMM sounded nothing like any Martin or Taylor I've ever heard, and if they did frankly I would not consider owning one. I am not condemning Martin, Taylor or whatever brand, but I have very specific reasons for owning and playing Ovations, & when Martin & Taylor meet those needs I'll consider owning a few, but I woudn't hold your breath. There are countless guitars which will piss all over a Martin or Taylor, such as Bougeois, Collings, Santa Cruz, Olsen, Bown, Goodall, and I'd gladly own any of them, but I wouldn't trade one for any of my Ovations. Guitars, tonally-speaking are all just colours, but beige just doesn't do it for me.
Nearly forgot: Dunlop 65 on finishes, Lemon oil very sparingly on bare wood. Linseed oil is too heavy & viscous. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Al, smoove as ever.
Please, don't ever change.... |
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Location: SoCal | I read thru this whole thread and was going to add something, but quite frankly, Temp said it all. |
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Location: NJ | OK I will elaborate...
The original Fender acoustics were made by the Harmony company. It is also rumoured (UK spelling for PT) that they also built the necks and when fender got backlogged would have them build necks for the regular line. Not a stretch Harmony was the biggest guitar maker in the world at one time and ghost built for many people. Although there were some good guitars out of that factory they were few and far between, I firmly believe that building an acoustic with an electric guitar neck joint is a mistake. They also had some sort of aluminum bar in the middle of the guitars that was some sort of tone enhancer. It didn't work. There are pics somewhere of eddie van halen using a strat body with a fender villager 12 string neck . Yes boys and girls they are interchangeable.
Fast foward Fender almost goes bankrupt in the 80's (cwk why didn't you buy them when you had a chance?) and they release a new line of acoustics. these guitars are all low quality inports made in korea china and indonesia. At one point if you bought a new USA fender they GAVE you an acoustic. I don't see Martin giving away D 18s.
DeArmond was the name of the company (actually deArmond-Rowe Industries of toledo Ohio they are still in business as I understand but have nothing to do with MI) When Fender got
guild they put out a line of guitars with the Dearmond name emulating many of the old solid body designs of guild from the sixties. I believe these are Chinese or korean made instruments These were basically designed to compete with the Epiphone line which has done very well for Givsong. The guitars although kinda cool did not go over and Fender had warehouses full of them and blew them out. Victor litz had a trailer load of them and sold them so fast and so cheap it made my head spin. Good bang for the buck but not my cup of tea.
This past namm I noticed that Fender has now released the Electromatic line. This is named after the old Gretsch guitars that they now distribute or own (depends on which rumour you want to believe) I laughed with Bob Benedetto (guitar builder now designing guild built benedetto guitars) that the electromatic line was a replacement for the dearmond line they dumped a couple of years ago. Funny how things come full circle.
I have yet to find the trailer guitar that speaks to me. I may never find it but I do keep trying. Personally I really don't see why they are the guitar du jour. What fascinates me is that bob can build a guitar from a shipping pallet and then say it sounds as good as any guitar on the line and that is considered a boon. I also have issue with the finger jointed peg head. yes I understand it takes less wood may be enviornmentally more sound BUT when I go to home depot to buy lumber if it is finger jointed it is CHEAPER because it is consider sub quality. I still wish some one could explain why you can charge more for a guitar built this way. I also think that there would be less of a vibrating mass between the strings and neck but ultimately I am in the minority.
Now I bet you wish I go back to answering these posts with my 4 line minimum rule!!!! |
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Location: LewistownPA | Hey alpep..
As for Fender acoustics I wouldn't know cause I've never had one. If you had read the entire thread you would have seen that the Fender I have is a Jimmie Vaughn strat with a mapel neck. That is why I was wondering if there was any thing different about care for the fret board and neck.
Your are quite right about the DeArmonds. They originally were pricey for Korean imports,but once Fender decided to liquidate them they became very good buys. Some of them are beginner cheapos but some of the better ones were and still are well worth the prices they sell for. They've developed their own cult following and there is a seperate forum for them within the Fender forums.(BTW they are all of course electric guitars and they have USA made DeArmond pickups.)
As for the Taylor thing,as I've already repeatedly said, when I started this thread ,in my mind it had nothing to do with brand names. It just boggles my mind as to why so many of you are so obsessive about trashing them. Does it really bother you that much for others to be happy with them? |
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Cleaning/Care Question