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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | First... Here it is! :eek:
 
Also, The Koa Epi IS totally inlaid! :D
 
Now the Scare! First, the Sweetwater packing tape was undone, but that turned-out to not be a problem.
But what really scared me was that the finish was two-tone! It was shinier in some areas, and duller near the bass side...
But!... I took a damp cloth and wiped where it was dull, and nothing happened once I dried it...
So I wiped at the line where shiny and not so shiny meet... and it made the shinier area dull, like the other area. So I have decided that where it is dull, that is where the set-up person touched it.
Upon comparing to one of my other T's, the dull (matte) is what it eventually turns into. So far, I am satisfied!
And Thank You All for the opportunity to Gloat! :cool: |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | You are most welcomed! |
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Location: Tidal Mudflats of Virginia | Nice, need to get Woody to whip you up a matching Koa TRC |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | OMA ,
Mine had the same 'wet' look in the same area.
When I read the thread title I thought it was going to be about the lo E volume... :eek:
What's your serial #?
Congrats a nice deal! |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Aw Man, Iffy.... I haven't even plugged-it-in... Now I gotta check!
Works fine... I'm Happy now! 
Don't scare me like that! :eek: I'm old, y'know? |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Whoa, don't panic... Ya don't have to plug it in to have that E BOOM at ya.
BTW, I haven't plug mine in yet either... |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Oh! You mean acoustic... No Problem, it sounds just fine.
But I believe Randy/Lanakai expressed some dissatisfaction with the volume of his regular 2078T, but then he changed the strings.
I haven't side by side checked it with my 1778T, but since I have a contour 2058T, I have kinda gotten used to the difference...
Now I gotta side-by-side it with the other T, but not tonight. I'm just gonna enjoy it. |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | My bad. I should have said the lo/'bass' E string acoustically. That string's acoustic volume surpasses any 'O' I have.
If there is another 'O' or 'A' with that acoustic E volume, I'd like to know which ones! |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | iffy, every woven-topped adamas that i have played has that low E boom and so does my wood-topped 1537.
when i put medium strings (elixir phos/brnz nanos) on the 2078T it really came alive too. |
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Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | elixir phos/brnz nanos Daz de ticket!!!
Nice guitar Authur! Congrats! |
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Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by lanaki:
when i put medium strings (elixir phos/brnz nanos) on the 2078T it really came alive too. My man! Try the medium lights. On the FD14 they are just perfect!
OMA, (naw, from here on out, you're Artie to me), That Elite T with the Koa epaulets didn't look quite right to me at first, but the more I look at your pics, the more I'm starting to think that it's the cat's ass! It looks great and probably has the sound to go with it. Great gitter! |
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Location: Brighty in Blighty | Did I read there were only 10 of these? |
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Location: Warren,Pa. | 14. They got 4, then an additional 10 when the 4 got snatched up so fast.
Arthur...any temptation to have a pc of koa added to that 12 string?
John <>{ |
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Location: Brighty in Blighty | I wonder if there are likely yo be any more? |
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Location: NJ | . . not until Al orders more koa guitars. |
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Posts: 843
Location: CA | Got Sweetwater #10 (serial # 619372) yesterday and just tuned it up today. Unfortunately, can't do a direct comparo to 1778T as I had to sell that one to afford this one. Early impression is that it doesn't have the ring and jangle of the 1778, but as pointed out already, that may just be a string issue. The action is also higher out of the box — anyone checked whether these have shims or not? Hope so, as I'll be removing them. I did not notice the 'wet' look until reading this post, but in good light, yes, this one looks a tad shinier in the same areas, tho not as pronounced as OMArthur's. I'll just play it in dark places until that goes away. The contour bowl is a new one on me, literally and figuratively. Pretty comfy, and I can see that the deeper upper bout might indeed enforce those low-end notes. (1778 is a mid-bowl depth but excellent sound no matter what you're doing.) Craftsmanship seems A-1 as with all Ovations, although I was surprised by the plastic-y looking binding. Don't think the 1778 had any binding, at least that showed. Overall first impression is pretty positive, especially the 'look'. Never could get comfy with the industrial look of the 1778 (pewter finish). But the simple addition of the koa epaulet really makes the 2078 look right. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yes... The strings on mine are also pretty High!
On a side-by-side comparison, my Low E is higher on the Sweetwater T than on my 12-string 2058T.
I have not looked under the saddle, but comparing it to the 2058T's it don't look like there are too many shims under there. The 12-string's saddle actually looks like it sets Higher in the bridge...
BTW- My serial number is XXX356... so there are some stray guitars in between. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Okay, my strings on this thing were a "bit" high...
I was gonna wait until I had to change the strings to see what I could do about it, but after reading Oddball's post, I got inspired... Realizing that I wasn't the only one, I took Action! :mad:
Yeah, There are shims underneath my Saddle... A bit TOO Much I think....
There were three Thick ones under mine! They are different colors, but as far as I can tell they are the same thickness... Each one is alittle more than 1/32 of an inch!
I removed two, left one in... Looks like this...
Sorry that I neglected to take "Before" photos...
ATTENTION- For those of you new to opening a Contour Bowl, put a piece of tape marking the manhole-cover's orientation before you remove it. [I did Not do that...] Unlike you old bowl, it only goes back one way, and trial and error ain't fun!
Here's the inside... Not much different from any other.
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Location: CA | OMA — You're braver than me, but thanks for the exploratory surgery. I hate to open up an otherwise healthy patient, but after my frettin' fingers stop bleeding, I'm definitely going to do as you and remove at least two shims. On the plus side, my left arm now looks like Popeye's. More spinach, please!
I'll try to take a 'before' pic to post, if my camera lens will go that wide. ha ha ha. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | OMA ,
Thanx for diving in! Yours looks a lot better after the shims removal. You've talked me into removing at least one shim and restringing with some phosphor/bronze light nanos.
Is it common for the portal covers being 'one way only'? My MOB and another 'O' (can't 'member which one) didn't make any diff...
I've been playing roundbacks enough that when I settled in with the contour 'T' if felt a little weird.  After a small adjustment, it really felt comfy. I like... |
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Location: CA | 2ifbyC,
The manhole alignment is necessary on the Sweetwater Ts specifically because they are contour backs. So the cover is kinda concave, rather than convex (or is it the other way around?) as it is on the roundbacks, plus it's asymmetrical. In other words, as OMA found out, it only goes on one way — at least one way where it fits flush. |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Oddball,
 DOH! Didn't even look that close... just been wearing it out... |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yeah... I learned the hard way, and I am hoping I got it back in right. I think so. But the tape trick sounds like it oughta work next time.
So Iffy and OB, one of y'all please remember to get "Before" AND "After" pics, Like I shoulda! |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
So Iffy and OB, one of y'all please remember to get "Before" AND "After" pics, Like I shoulda! OMA, are you saying you need pics or we do?
I think I'll go with two dots of 'blond' typo correction ink in the seam. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I would kinda like the before pics for my collection and for future reference, since I forgot to get mine and I ain't gonna put the shims back in just for a photo shoot.
Good idea with the dots, and almost permanent, sorta... |
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Posts: 843
Location: CA | Here are some photos and measurements. As received, the low E measured 6/32 off the fretboard at the last fret.
I also had three shims under my saddle, all the same color and thickness. Tried leaving all three out but got buzzing. So put one back in. Now the low E measures a tad over 4/32 at the same point on the fretboard. Doesn't sound like a lot but the action is very much improved.
Restrung with Elixir Nano lights (music shop out of mediums) and that helped a lot, too. Still not quite the jangle of the 1778T that it replaced, but am hoping it will 'wear in' to be at least as good. You may recall a post where I noted the 1778T started emitting a nice woody smell from the soundholes after 5-10 mins of playing. This new guitar just smells like paint. Plan to play it a lot to open up those wood pores a bit. |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | If you measure from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string, you now have have alittle bit more that 2/32" (1/16") so you cut the distance in HALF!
Yeah, 2/32" don't sound like much, but it definitely is a difference.
According to the Ovation Manual (page 9) that is about right.
Now you got me sniffing my guitars! Yeah, the new one smells like paint! :eek:
The 12-String does too. Maybe I should leave the manhole-covers off? |
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Posts: 843
Location: CA | Ha ha ha. I don't know. I honestly never noticed this on any other guitar previous to the 1778T — but then again, none of them had holes so close to my nose! But yes, it was a pronounced and pleasant smell. Kind of even got used to expecting it.
I think 'airing' out would probably help (we will serve no guitars before it's time . . . ), but I always kinda thought that the vibrations from just time playing it was probably the best way of loosening things up.
This situation makes me really appreciate (and miss) the 1778T, which really sounded terrific. It was used when I bought it, so everything was 'broken in' and it remains the best sounding guitar I ever owned. I just couldn't get use to the industrial look, so was hoping the Sweetwater would be a more or less equivalent sound and feel with a more attractive look. So far, I'm missing the 1778 even more. The Sweetwater guitar sounds okay, and looks very nice. But I'd forgotten how deep a deep bowl is. Even with the countour back, the top of this thing is DEEP, and therefore less comfortable for me than the perfect-size mid-bowl of the 1778T (and my beat-around shallow-bowl Legend). Oh well, I'll get used to it. |
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Posts: 843
Location: CA | FWIW, I based how I set the guitar up on the Kip Bradford download which I got off eBay some months ago. This differs slightly from the Ovation Manual in that he measures string height at the last fret, where the O Manual takes their numbers at the 12th fret — and as you say, they measure from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string (rather from the fretboard to bottom of string). I did take before-after measurements and photos at the 12th, as well. The 'before' measurement (from the top of 12th fret) was just a hair over 4/32; 'after' was a hair under 3/32. So it's not quite 2/32 lower there. (We're getting into 64ths, which is too much math for me.) According to the Kip download, I should also probably take up a tiny bit of truss rod tension to straighten the neck, so maybe that might pull string height down a bit more. Right now, the guitar is pretty comfortable to play, though. |
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Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | OMA, mine came two-tone as well, but it didn't dull where I touched the shiny stuff. I called Kim and he told me that the mothership would be glad to correct the two-tone sheen, OR I COULD DO IT! :o I asked him what I had to do and he told me that if I sent it in for a fix, they would rub down the top with 0000 steel wool to degloss the glossy stuff. Kim said "And you can do that too, Robbie. That way you don't have to ship it... and it is REAL easy... just be careful to only rub the black stuff, not the koa".
SO, since Kim Keller has NEVER lied to me, I took my trusty 0000 steel wool and started rubbing away on my new baby... yeah, it worked like a charm. Kim still has NEVER lied to me, and my Sweet T is just beautiful. :D |
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Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Robbie ,
Thanx for the update! I'll give it a try tonight. |
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Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | It IS real easy. Just buff the shiny part of the top to degloss it. You take no color off at all. Just rub it down with the steel wool - not too much pressure. Piece of cake :cool: |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Did ya use the 0000 dry? Or with just a little lubricant?
TIA |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Yo Robbie, that sounds like a real good (and simple) fix.
I have not done anything to mine since that little test with the damp rag.
Mine is alittle blotchy now, as some of the shine dissipates in random places.
I just looked at mine, and thought real hard...
Do I wanna buff this up and make it even? Or do I just wait?
No decision yet, but I ain't buffing it right now...
[If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.] |
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Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Buff it dry - no lube. Have a soft cloth handy to wipe it off and inspect your progress. Use firm, but not heavy pressure and buff away just like you were polishing a gloss finished guitar and stay off of the Koa. I guess you could mask the Koa, but I didn't, I was just careful and it turned out fine. Literally takes less than 5 minutes to do and the guitar is spectacular afterward.
I just couldn't stand the two-tone...er finish look. Made me crazy. I've done two of them now. Friend of mine also snagged one and his was two-finish as well. Looks to me like they reshot that edge for some reason and it didn't dry the same. I dunno, but his buffed up the same way. In five minutes or less, he was grinning like a Cheshire cat :D |
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Sweetwater T arrived - and scared me!