Posted 2010-05-08 1:17 PM (#372514) Subject: Fret or not to fret
Joined: March 2010 Posts: 30
Location: New York City
Greetings, Just want to know what the deal is with the size of the frets on an Ovation. Example - My Cust. 1981 Balladeer has GREAT action and the frets are very low with NO buzzing. My musican friend played it and fell in love with it. He bought a 1984 Cust. Balladeer and the frets were not the same as my 1981 Cust. Balladeer. I played it as well and I must say that there wasn't the same 'connection' with the neck. Do the fret sizes vary with the years or just the Ovation person putting the neck together at the time he makes it? Thanks for your input - Phil
Posted 2010-05-08 4:28 PM (#372515 - in reply to #372514) Subject: Re: Fret or not to fret
Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4044
Location: Utah
Great question, I'll be looking forward to an educated answer.
On the two older 70's solid body Ovations we own, the frets are lower and a bit flatter across the top. The newer acoustic Ovations and Adamases have what look to be medium frets with rounded tops.
Posted 2010-05-08 7:13 PM (#372517 - in reply to #372514) Subject: Re: Fret or not to fret
Joined: December 2008 Posts: 1453
Location: Texas
Originally posted by CanterburyStrings: I'm wondering if the older ones had the frets dressed at some point.
…or even a refret?
I'd take both guitars to a luthier and ask them to make the '84 play/feel like the '81. A good luthier should be able to accomplish that. It's also possible that a nut/bridge/neck adjustment could improve the '84 without modifiying the frets at all…
Posted 2010-05-08 9:50 PM (#372518 - in reply to #372514) Subject: Re: Fret or not to fret
Joined: October 2005 Posts: 4044
Location: Utah
I don't know for sure if they've been worked on, but the rest of the guitar, especially Sara's Preacher Deluxe, is so minty fresh that it seems very unlikely that they've had a fret leveling done.
Posted 2010-05-09 12:34 AM (#372519 - in reply to #372514) Subject: Re: Fret or not to fret
Joined: March 2010 Posts: 30
Location: New York City
Greetings - The frets on my 1981 have not been dressed and they are PERFECT! Low and flat. The 1984 seems higher and more rounded. So my question is - does anybody know if Ovation changed the frets after a certain year??
Fret or not to fret