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May 2008
Posts: 17
Location: 92W 39N | Just a quick note to say hello! I just recently participated in the April Elite T sale, and bought two 2078T-5s from the local shop at the crazy discount price. Why two? One for fourths tunings, one for the so-called "crafty" tuning or New Standard Tuning (CGDAEG), which is mainly what I play.
I'm really blown away by how good the 2078 is for $600! Great tone, great neck, an action that suits me, and notes in tune all the way up the fretboard. Very cool.
Ovations are weird at first, because you don't hear as loud or convincing a tone when you play them, but out front they sound good.
Now, I'm thinking about an MM-68, too, which would be tuned like the middle four strings of the NST, but up an octave.
Thanks to all for creating a space for Ovation fans.
Cheers,
Otto |
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| Welcome. |
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Posts: 367
Location: Eaton, Indiana | Welcome! This sight can be very educational as well as a whole lot of fun. Hope you come to love Ovations as much as we do.
scott lamperd |
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Location: Vernon CT | Welcome Otto,
Enjoy the "O''S and this site. A lot of crazy but knowledgable people here. |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | aloha and welcome to the OFC, ofajen. congrats on your twin 2078's! i recently got one too. tell me more about this "new standard tuning". the 4th thru 6th strings are not a challenge but are you raising the 3rd (G) string to an A and then raising or lowering the 2nd (B) and 1st (E) strings? are you using normal gauge strings for these as that is quite a pitch change?
edit: just did a search and found some info. crimsonlake will be glad to know robert fripp had a hand in this aberration!
new standard tuning
i play in alternate ("hawaiian slack key") tunings but have never heard of NST before this. |
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Location: Jet City | Howdy Otto. I hope you're a Raider fan with a name like that. |
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January 2006
Posts: 2120
Location: Chicago | Welcome Otto. I am DELIGHTED to find a comrade who plays in fourths. I have used that tuning for decades exclusively (EADGCF: I had the good luck of growing up in the same neighborhood as Stanley Jordan who showed me the ropes). |
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Location: south east Michigan | Welcome Otto!
I don't know if you spent any time lurking before posting but we have always spoken very highly of the supposedly lowly EliteT.
There has been a recent buying frenzy around here. Including me.
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Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Originally posted by lanaki:
edit: just did a search and found some info. crimsonlake will be glad to know robert fripp had a hand in this aberration!
eehh??? Robert who? |
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Posts: 1132
Location: NW Washington State | Originally posted by dobro:
Welcome Otto. I am DELIGHTED to find a comrade who plays in fourths. I have used that tuning for decades exclusively (EADGCF: I had the good luck of growing up in the same neighborhood as Stanley Jordan who showed me the ropes). Isn't CGDAEG fifths, except a third on top?
Try a ten-string Chapman Stick, often tuned in fourths on one side and fifths on the other!
-Steve W. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Welcome Otto,
The Elite T is a great guitar. |
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Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Welcome OFAJEN !!
Interesting Concepts in Tunings :)
Vic
..Thank you Mr. Lanaki ... |
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Posts: 3969
| Welcome Otto. Nice grab on those Elite T's. |
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Posts: 17
Location: 92W 39N | Thanks for all the welcoming remarks! I appreciate the indulgence given to a newbie. Sorry, but I just found out about this forum today, and did no lurking before posting. Indeed, it was actually an accident that I discovered this site, and a happy one at that.
A factory rep happened to be in the local store when I stopped by to check out the Ovations. A few days before, a person involved with the Guitar Craft site had noted that many folks using the NST are quite happy with Ovations. That was what got me looking their way and checking out the current Ovation lineup. Then, about a day later, I noticed that the Elite T prices had plummeted, and I went to the local store and the factory rep was there and he helped lobby the local store to drop the price all the way down to $600, so I went ahead and bought two on the spot!
Originally posted by numbfingers:
Originally posted by dobro:
Welcome Otto. I am DELIGHTED to find a comrade who plays in fourths. I have used that tuning for decades exclusively (EADGCF: I had the good luck of growing up in the same neighborhood as Stanley Jordan who showed me the ropes). Isn't CGDAEG fifths, except a third on top?
Try a ten-string Chapman Stick, often tuned in fourths on one side and fifths on the other!
-Steve W.
The Crafty or New Standard Tuning is CGDAEG, which of course is the mandocello tuning of straight fifths plus a minor third on top. Typical acoustic string gauges are 11-13-22-32-47-58 (or 59). I've had reasonable success with my electric guitars in this tuning (where a 56 is adequate on the sixth string), but not generally been happy with the intonation on my acoustic, so I bought one Elite T for the sole purpose of having the setup optimized for the NST.
Right now the fourths tuning guitar plays in tune all the way up the fretboard, while the one with the NST strings goes sharp on the sixth string, noticeably so above the 7th fret. I'm going to have the nut slotted for the 58 and then see if I need to increase the string length with some kind of mod to the saddle.
BTW, John Pearse sells an 80/20 bronze set for NST. It's set #150. I'm going to suggest he consider a similar set of gauges in phosphor bronze.
Cheers,
Otto |
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Posts: 382
Location: USA | its not that they plummeted...its not quite the same elite t that was first issued...as far as i am aware...different neck...different op series
but still an awesome guitar and you cant beat that price.
Welcome and congrats on your O purchase |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | You guys are gonna get me in trouble. My wife is gonna wonder where I learned all these new positions and from whom. Up to this point in my life, all she's really known is my abilities in what's becoming known as "missionary" tuning. If I start playing with fourths and fifths, and especially a minor third, the frying pan is gonna come out ...
But welcome anyway Otto. |
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Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by ofajen:
so I went ahead and bought two on the spot! We have another member who has been known to do that. :D
We also have another member who doesn't keep them long enough to change the strings. :D :D |
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May 2008
Posts: 17
Location: 92W 39N | Originally posted by ofajen:
The Crafty or New Standard Tuning is CGDAEG, which of course is the mandocello tuning of straight fifths plus a minor third on top. Typical acoustic string gauges are 11-13-22-32-47-58 (or 59). I've had reasonable success with my electric guitars in this tuning (where a 56 is adequate on the sixth string), but not generally been happy with the intonation on my acoustic, so I bought one Elite T for the sole purpose of having the setup optimized for the NST.
Right now the fourths tuning guitar plays in tune all the way up the fretboard, while the one with the NST strings goes sharp on the sixth string, noticeably so above the 7th fret. I'm going to have the nut slotted for the 58 and then see if I need to increase the string length with some kind of mod to the saddle.
By way of update, I've had the nut slotted on the Elite T with the NST string gauges. The 5th string is a .047 and the 6th string is a .058. It's better up to about the 7th fret on the 6th string. Still going a bit sharp by the octave.
The string tension is still a bit low (roughly 19 pounds) which adds to the possibility of bending a note sharp if the fretting force is too great. I seem to be able to play most things and have it sound OK if I'm very careful about fretting right on the fret with the minimum necessary force.
The ideal string gauge for tuning to a low C would probably be about a .066. That would require a bit of work on the bridge, too, just to get that thick of a string threaded. The tension issues would go away, but string length might be more of a problem. For now, I'm just going to tune carefully and play.
Cheers,
Otto |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | 92W 39N is columbia, missouri or nearby. you are very number-oriented, ofajen. :cool: |
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May 2008
Posts: 17
Location: 92W 39N | Originally posted by lanaki:
92W 39N is columbia, missouri or nearby. you are very number-oriented, ofajen. :cool: I just listed my location by numbers for the fun of looking it up. Numbers are important in my music and my work, too, no doubt about it.
Cheers,
Otto |
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December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | Welcome ofajen, nice grab on the elites.
So you play crafty guitar and stick. What type of music do you play?
My wife is gonna wonder where I learned all these new positions and from whom. Bobbo, just tell here you learned them from some guys you met on the internet. |
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May 2008
Posts: 17
Location: 92W 39N | Originally posted by Designzilla:
Welcome ofajen, nice grab on the elites.
So you play crafty guitar and stick. What type of music do you play?
Ottomania, of course!
Cheers,
Otto |
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New member, new Ovation owner