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Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | The only on line manual I can find for this guitar (http://www.ovationtribute.com/Catalogues/Applause%20Owner%27s%20manual/Applause%20Owner%27s%20Manual.html) says that the fingerboard, neck brace and peghead brace are all one piece. However my fretboard really looks like wood. Did some models have a wood fretboard, even just a veneer, or does the Al fretboard really look that much like wood. Also what's a peghead brace, and a neck brace? Again, the manual doesn't mention a truss rod but mine does have one (or at least there is an allen bolt head acessible via the )soundhole |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | the original had aluminium. From 1982ish on they were wood when production moved to koreah. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | That sounds about right - got it in the mid 80's and it was fairly new. The label says 'made in USA though. The back of the neck itself is definitely a plastic type material which went over the aluminium neck |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Is the fretboard black? The sides of my Matrix fretboard are clearly aluminum with black dots. |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | No, the sides of the fretboard are covered with a black binding - very smooth and almost continuous with the plasticky-looking back of the neck, with white dots on the side. The fretboard itself looks like that on many other guitars I've seen, either dark hardwood or hardwood stained dark. Also it's texture seems very woody or VERY good imitation of wood. There's no way to tell that there is any aluminium anywhere.
I'll take some photos and post them! |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | On the aluminum ones you can see on the side of the fretboard and the dots on the 3rd, 5th etc. frets that it is aluminum. There's no grain, either. At least that's the way it is on my Matrix. So yours must be wood. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Thanks Mark. Are there photos of yours online? |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | In my gallery, but no closeups of the Matrix neck. What's your headstock look like. Mine's black on the face, obviously plastic and bonded about half the thickness to the woodgrained urethane stuff that's the same as the back of the neck. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Headstock is all plastic woody-looking stuff. Neck and headstock seem to be all one piece. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | I saw good photos of a matrix on sale in the UK. Mine is definitely not like that! |
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Joined:
March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Posted some photos in my Gallery |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | That's an early Korean version with a conventional neck and fingerboard. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Label says 'Made in USA'! |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Then it must be a USA model. That's a new one on me, I can't recall ever seeing a USA-made Applause without an Ali/foam neck. |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Time I started my own database of obscure Applause/other 'budget' models. I bought mine used in 1988 - was quite new at the time. |
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AA-31 - Aluminium fretboard?