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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | I took my 1778LX to my local Luthier this morning for two reasons.
One is that it really chews up my fingers after a short time playing. Secondly, there is bad fret wear on the second fret under the "B" string, it has a grove. I bought it in February 2004 and have not used it a great deal, because it is hard on the fingers, while my Martin D28 is not, so that gets played and gigged.
The Luthier was surprised by the low action and said it was similar to a Les Paul (I've never played one, so I would not know). I like a low action and have removed all the shims, but the finger chewing keeps it in its case.
Any one else had this problem of fret wear and is it just me and are my fingers not up to it. I have been playing on and off for many years, but since buying the 1778 LX and D28, I have been playing accoustic a great deal more.
Piers
1778-LX-BCB
Martin D-28
Fender Telecaster USA
Fender Stratocaster 1970 re issue |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | I don't know what the problem could be.
-Ovation doesn't make the fret wire; it's made of the same material as all the other mfgrs.
-Ebony is just wood like on any other guitar.
-The strings have nothing to do with the guitar maker.
-The action is low.
Sounds like a case for Monk.
John <>{ |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Are you using the same strings on both guitars?? |
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June 2006
Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | move to elixer 12/53's |
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October 2005
Posts: 4047
Location: Utah | What guage strings are you using? If you're using mediums, try some lights. My string preference on the daughter's 1778 Elite T is the Martin Marquis Phosphor Bronze light. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | Flysig
I am using mainly Rotosound Country Gold Light 11's. I have also used D'Addario Lights 12 - 53, but they all still chew up my fingers.
I will try Elixer 12/53 - thanks Philmax.
Piers |
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Joined:
June 2006
Posts: 659
Location: Hiram, Georgia | Coated or un-coated the D's are way too noisy for me, Elixer phosphor bronze Nanoweb, hold up for a good month or so. Be sure to slick it all down with a high quality guitar polish like Dunlop 65. Makes it handle like a luxury sport sedan! |
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January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | There is a big difference in the type of fret wire that Martin uses (at least on mine), the frets are thinner and have a lower profile than the Ovation frets. Also, there are differences in the neck profile, and if you stand while playing, the angle of the guitar itself. |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Originally posted by Piers:
I have been playing on and off for many years, but since buying the 1778 LX and D28, I have been playing accoustic a great deal more. I can "safely" assume that you've been playing electric guitars, prior to your purchase of the two acoustics. If that's the case, then your fingers will need a lot of getting used to, since playing acoustic guitars tends to be a workout compared to electrics.
I doubt that strings play a factor in your dilemma, provided that you use the same brand and gauge for both guitars. Frets and neck profiles, however, can make the difference between what's playable and what's not.
Similar to your situation, I have a shallow bowl 1861 and a HD-28. Both guitars play great IMO, but the Ovation gets played and gigged more than the other. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | So here is the result from the visit to the Luthier. His report reads as follows:
Ovation Elite 1778 LX no 581241
String 1 (high e) now 0.25 mm at fret 7/8
String 1 at fret 12 was 1.30 now 1.40
String 6 was 0.25 at fret 7/8
String 6 at fret 12 was 1.70 now 2.10
Report: Check for problems. Neck FLAT. Action high at nut end, low at 12 fret. Frets level but very deeply grooved on frets 1,2,3 & 4.
Fingerboard and bridge extremly dry
Work done: Reset Neck Relief
Remove strings
Stone and crown frets to remove grooves.
Polish frets
Feed fingerboard and bridge
Polish body top
re-string/tune
re-check action
adjust action at bridge
adjust action at nut
check record set up
Test - all ok
Note: The instrument now plays easily, with a much softer feel. The notches in the frets are the most likley cause for the problem, as it was necessary to push strings into the groove to get a clean note. This has the same effect on playability as having the nut set too high. The action is now lower than normal for an accoustic instrument and only marginally higher that would be used on an electric. A lower action would rattle and much of the tonal quality would be lost.
Strings fitted ar D'Addario EJ 16 (12 - 53)
The action is 0.20 mm lower at the twelve fret that your D 28, with the same settings for neck relief and nut slot height.
So ends the report. The Luthier specialises in Martin's and Gibson's and was rather surprised by the 1778-LX in a very positive way.
So it's back and it is now playing so much better. I've been playing away for 45 minutes and no mangled fingers.
So I now have a playable guitar, but it concerns me about grooves in frets 1,2 3 and 4. Anyone else had this problem.
Piers |
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March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | My S771 has some pretty bad grooves in the frets but still plays damn good. I'm a little surprised that you have that much problem with your fingers because you've obviously played it long enough and hard enough to wear down the frets so I would think your fingers would be pretty tough by now.
I bought my S771 in early 2004 as well, but I do play it ALOT.
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November 2005
Posts: 1126
Location: Omaha, NE | Originally posted by Piers:
[From luthier's report]
Fingerboard and bridge extremly dry
...
Feed fingerboard and bridge Assuming a good result, then no problem. But the above comments are nonesense. Fingerboards do not need to be "fed". Maybe you like to oil them up to make them look nice, but wood does not get hungry. Assuming the overally humidification status of the guitar is ok, then the fingerboard is fine too. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Originally posted by Joyful Noise:
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March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | It looks more dramatic than it really is because I selected lighting for the picture to highlight the frets and it makes the wear on the rosewood look greater than it really is. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 120
Location: UK - Canterbury Kent | Joyful Noise - Wow that looks really bad, but lighting can do strange things. Mine had much worse grooves, but no wear to the fingerboard. You must play a great deal for that level of wear. Either way, mine is much easier to play now. On the next gig, I will give it a go and see how I get on. Three sets of 45 minutes each, makes it hard on the fingers for me anyway.
Omaha - Sorry, but I'm not a guitar technician, so I would not know if the wood needed/did not/does not need feeding. How come there are Lemon Oil products for fret board conditioning on the market. I have some Dr Stringfellows Lem-Oil on my desk, which I have used and that may answer my question. Nor did I have any idea in how to correct what was wrong, without messing up a decent guitar. When I don't know the answers, I find someone who does and pay him to do the work. |
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Joined:
March 2004
Posts: 629
Location: Houston, Texas | The fretboard on mine is a very nice, dark piece of rosewood, but it is fairly open grained and is probably a little soft because of that. My 30 year old strat has a rosewood fretboard also and the frets have considerably more wear but there is much less scalloping of the fretboard.
I have heard of fretboards drying out and splitting although I think this is a very rare occurance. The oil does help the appearance quite a bit, darkening it and making it less splotchy if its not uniform in color. |
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1778LX to the Luthier this morning