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Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I was having a little trouble getting clear notes out of barre chords up at the 7th fret or so. Last night I took out the 2 shims that were in the OFC guitar, figuring that I'd put one back in if it buzzed or sounded flat.
Turned out great. Plays easier all the way up the neck with no buzzing anywhere and still has plenty of volume. I haven't banged on it with a pick yet and I'm not likely to do so, so I don't know if I'll get buzzing with a pick on the low E string.
Now it's not only my best sounding guitar, but it's also the easiest to play. |
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Posts: 5575
Location: big island | time to clear the wall then, mark. how much for your UTE? |
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Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Mark,that`s Good Advice from Randi,and at the same time why do n`t you get rid of that 1537,so that old thing does not take up precious space,wich you could use for a new set of automotive tools :)
Vic
..I like old things,it will have a good home with me.. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I still have more space on the walls and a few empty stands. If I had an Ovation that was too much like any other, I'd sell it. They're all different. The Ute is lots different from the OFC and is also an amazing player with the shims out. Easier to play open chords and a little more space for fingerstyle, but not quite as easy for barre chords. |
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Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Mark, that's interesting. Mine plays in tune all the way up the neck with no problems and no adjustment. |
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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I'm with Moody. Mine is just fine, althoguh when I swap out the strings for the first time, I'll also remove a shim and maybe two as I prefer lower action. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Mine sounded great and was in tune all the way up the neck. It's just when I played a barre chord at the 7th fret or higher and songs with a bunch of barre chords, my left hand was aching. Plus I had trouble squeezing hard enough to get all the notes to ring clearly on barre chords. Now a gentle touch is all that's required.
I've got to do a couple songs with barre chords for an anniversary celebration this weekend and was thinking about using another guitar, but now I won't have to. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Mark, when you only know 3 chords and never play above the 3rd fret, you don't have the problems you described..... |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | If y'go TOO low with the action on an acoustic, it's gonna' start to buzz when you "dig in" to it.
Work on those thumbs.
Give your wife a deep neck/shoulder massage.
When your thumbs start to ache - keep at it.
Do this a couple times a week, and you'll have thumbs like ViseGrips . . .
NoPain/NoGain. |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | All personal preference, but I like the set up of my OFC guitar perfectly as is. Dave |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Paul, I was going to say that. Cliff, I knew of your alternative, but once every 30 years I publicly play and sing Gordon Lightfoot's "Beautiful" for my wife, starting with a barred B chord and I didn't start practicing soon enough to build up the thumb strength. I've never had a strong left hand and it got worse when I shattered my left wrist a few years ago and lost some of the motion. I also quit playing guitar then and found out later I should have kept it up for physical therapy.
Taking out the shims was quicker and easier and I don't play anything that causes me to dig into it. The 1537 rattles on the low E, but the OFC doesn't. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15680
Location: SoCal | Learn to use capo's.... |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I know how to use capos, Paul, but you can't take off the capo when you go from the barre at the 7th fret to the barre at the second fret. I think Gord actually started higher, but I dropped it a step for vocal and playability reasons.
Cliff has the right answer. I should be able to get a clean barre chord up to the 12th fret or higher if I had a cutaway, but for finger picking the OFC with no shims, this will suit me fine. After this weekend I'll start doing grip exercises. Well, maybe after I lose some weight. Well, maybe after I straighten out my slice, or should I just focus on my short game? Oh, to hell with it. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . I know how to use capos, Paul, but you can't take off the capo when you go from the barre at the 7th fret to the barre at the second fret . ."
Yeah, but you CAN capo at the second fret and play it with all 1st postion chords . . . |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | btw;
how's those fires out there? everything ok? |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by cliff:
how's those fires out there? I hear Taylors are in short supply right now! |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | The fires are really bad. Over a million acres burned in Idaho as of several weeks ago and they just flared up pretty badly in the center part of the state. One of my coworkers has a cabin near Warm Lake that is in danger and the governer just ordered the evacuation of a little town near there. Nothing within a couple of miles of our cabin in McCall, but the smoke in the mornings would make you think the fires were next door.
I saw a satellite photo showing smoke extending for a hundred miles or more, clear over to Montana, where it's bad, too.
Maybe this will keep the Californians from buying up all the vacation property for awhile. |
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Shims out of the OFC guitar