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Location: CT | Am I going crazy? I know I am, but beside that, it seems to me that the new ebony boards are either a coarser grain wood, or not finish sanded the same way the old ones were. What's the deal? My older O's have really smooth surfaces, and when a conditioner is applied they literally shine like glass. On the newer ones they seem like they have a rougher matte finish. Look at the 2 necks below (sorry, but I don't know how to post a pic right in this window). Any ideas or info? Or should I expect the van to show up with the 2 orderlies dressed in white.
http://images.instrumentexchange.com/zoom-photo.asp?img=http://mi-i...
http://www.ovationtribute.com/Acoustic%20Series/Custom%20Legend/171... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Don't worry the beds are comfortable, the staff is really nice and every Tuesday is Jell-O night. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | I think the second guitar used to belong to me. So what you see is the results of my greasy fingers having conditioned the board ...
Seriously, you are correct. The newer ibony boards look more porus (sp) and rough. I think that's just the way they choose to make them these days.
Dave |
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Location: closely held secret | 
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Location: CT | Thanks, Waskel. How do you do that without showing a whole web address url? |
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Location: closely held secret | Click on "Full Reply Form" underneath the message box. Then you'll get a bunch of tools for posting URL's and images. Just put the cursor where you want it in the message, click on the 'image' box, paste in the address of the image. |
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Location: Australia | I agree with you about the ebony boards Brian.
As much as I love my new 1651, I immediately noticed the fingerboard. I almost thought it was rosewood. It was extremely dry and it had a coarser grain.
A couple of coats of fingerboard oil has made a world of difference. It seems to have settled down and looks and feels like ebony. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Wabbit does it best. :D
Nice pics. :) |
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Location: Scotland | The simple fact is that traditional woods, especially hardwoods, used in instrument making have been getting scarcer and consequently more expensive over the last 20 years. Unless you are prepared to pay premium prices you will not get premium grade woods. It's unbelievable now to see Deacon, Breadwinner and Preacher bodies made from single pieces of Honduran mahogany. Lumber of that width and quality is ludicrously expensive now. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Maybe everybody will start using resin impregnated Walnut soon! |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I've heard that pao ferro is a sustainable (pleantiful) wood, that combines the tone of rosewood with the feel of ebony. I ordered a neck from warmoth for my tele project , I'll give you report after about a month of playing. |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | Will lubricating the newer Ebony make it look and feel close to the old Ebony? I routinely oil the fingerboard every 4 months or so when I change my Elixer strings (LOL). Did you oil that fingerboard yet? John <>{ |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | An oiling will swell up the wood a little bit, closing up some of the coarsness. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Maybe they are using a lower grade of ebony in some models due to price or availibility.
Is there such a thing as AA or AAA ebony? |
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Location: Australia | Since I gave my new ebony board a couple of coats of Roche Thomas Fingerboard Oil it looks much blacker and the grain has closed up.
I think mine was just excessively dry.
....and yes there are different grades of ebony. |
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Location: CT | The neck in the pic is not mine, just a guitar on eBay, but mine looks just like it(except 12 string so a little wider and more noticeable). And no, I haven't oiled it yet, I'd like to try that. Can someone tell me where I can find some of the products mentioned? |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Nearly any music shop or online store will have these products...I use Meguiar\'s fretboard conditioner. |
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Location: Ct./ USA | Your observation has been noted and improvments will be implemented in my little corner of the Mothership.
10,9,8...gotta go |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Gotta love it when the mothership listens at the door. |
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Location: Munich, Germany | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Maybe they are using a lower grade of ebony in some models due to price or availibility.
Is there such a thing as AA or AAA ebony? The Ovation homepage says, that the Koa Collector's has a 'deluxe grade' ebony fingerboard. I can't tell anything that gives it a deluxe quality. It is definitely not smoother or better sanded than the fingerboard on my new 1651. The fingerboard of my 2005 Custom EliteLX is much better, with a much finer grain - but not as good and smooth than all my other guitar's ebony fingerboard.
Regards, Kurt |
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Location: south east Michigan | Maybe top quality ebony was more available in '95.
The fretboard on my AD-II looks pitch black and feels as hard as stone. |
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Location: Tennessee | When I did my basic maintenance on my 1651 Reissue last weekend, I noticed the same thing ... the ebony fretboard was not nearly as tight or smooth as my other ebony boards. The Josh White, CL12, and Viper all have fretboards that are so tight they are almost like a piece of stone. Not so with the Lennon ... but it is atill a great guitar. There is no difference in playing feel, but it is easy to see when oiling the board. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Cuirous, my 2003 MEWP has the best ebony I've ever seen, better than my 1976 CA. |
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What's with the new ebony fingerboards?