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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 4
Location: New Jersey | Hello All,
This is my first post on this forum.
I have an Ovation Celebrity CC 057. I tried adjusting the truss rod on it & it is extremely tight in both directions, so naturally I am afraid to turn it.
Is this normal for Ovations or acoustics in general?
Am I just not applying enough pressure? |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | be very careful too much pressure and it will snap |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | How big of a wrench are you using? If you're using a standard sized 5mm allen wrench you don't have much leverage. The wrench that came with my 1858 is about 4 inches by 8 inches. Much larger than a regular allen wrench. FWIW.
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | zyx345
Welcome to the board, and you have asked a very good question.
1. You should be able to adjust your own truss rod, it doesn't take a lot of experience to do it.
2. The adjustments should be done a little at a time, maybe a quarter turn on the rod followed by flexing the neck to help it take effect. My friend Bill who owned Poway Music and always set up the guitars he sold, used to adjust the rod and give the neck a few karate chops with his hand to implement the set (the hand will not damage the neck and you generally will not hit it to hard to avoid breaking bones).
3. Most truss rods I have adjusted have been very stiff and hard to adjust and you need a long Allen wrench as has been mentioned. Again, make small adjustments and if you really want to do it right, measure the string height near the guitar body before and after each adjustment to see if it is working. If the string height doesn't change, there is probably something wrong with the truss rod and you might want to have an experienced guitar repair person look at it.
4. Don't try it when you are under the influence of mind altering substances, it is no fun to wake up the next day and find your action is buzzing and your neck looks like a roller coaster. This can sometimes be corrected I have been told by those who have experienced this travesty named Bailey.
Bailey |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| hey bailey, i have always adjusted my ovations with no problem; one thing, i do loosen string tension first and adjust about a quarter of a turn at a time while tapping/flexing the back of the neck between adjustments; i over-adjust the neck somewhat, tune to standard pitch, then back off the adjustment gradually until fret buzz is eliminated; tunes perfect at all the harmonics.
steve |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Steve
You got it right, these are our guitars and we should be able to adjust them if needed. But a little care and patience is needed. |
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Ovation Truss Rod?