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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | I took my 1537 to the local "Guitar Doctor" to have him work on the setup. I like low action even if it means the guitar is not quite as loud. Originally, the action was what I'd describe as medium so perhaps I was too greedy by wanting to lower it.
The 1537s have a floating finger board that overlays the sound board. When I took the guitar in to the Doctor, there was about 1/8 inch (3 mm)gap between the Finger Board and the Sound Board. But when I got it back, there is no gap and I have several frets that buzz like crazy. This guy has since closed up his small guitar shop so I decided to try to work on it myself a little to see if I can make improvements.
When I insert an allen wrench into the Truss Rod Bolt Head inside the guitar body, I find this:
If I turn the wrench clockwise, it turns with some resistance and it seems to bow the neck forward (away from the player). But if I turn it CCW (which is the adjustment I think I need to make), the bolt turns with little to no resistance and it appears the neck does not move at all.
Any suggestions? Is it actually worth sending a guitar to Mother for a set up?
Thanks.
Jim |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | I don't know if it's worth sending a guitar to CT for a setup, but sending a 25 year old 1537 to the factory just to have it gone thru in general is not a bad idea. With a possible stripped nut, it may be a great idea..... |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Truss rod adjustments should be done very gradually, about 1/8-1/4 turn maximum at a time. Let the neck rest for a day before doing another adjustment, again only 1/8-1/4 turn. It sounds like the "Doctor" overtightened the truss rod. Back off the screw (CCW) 1/4 turn at a time, with a days rest in between, and the neck should come back to its original position. After that slowly tighten the rod (CW) until the relief is correct. I trust that you know how to check the relief. If not, read This |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 888
Location: Louisville, OH 44641 | Thanks a bunch Mitchrx. I did'n realize you needed to wait a day for results. Do you need to loosen the strings prior to making truss rod adjustments?
Finally, thanks for the article. It even has pictures for people like me.
I'll see how this goes and then decide whether or not to send it to Mother.
Jim |
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Joined:
October 2006
Posts: 5576
Location: big island | you should not loosen the strings, jim. make the adjustment and then re-tune to pitch right away. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Originally posted by lanaki:
you should not loosen the strings, jim. make the adjustment and then re-tune to pitch right away. That's very important. The truss rod is designed to resist the pull of the strings. The guitar has to be in tune/pitch to get a correct adjustment of the rod. Also, on Ovations it's necessary to have the action set to about where you want it before adjusting the truss rod. Truss rod adjustments will have an effect on the action though. Therefore, if the truss rod is way off the mark, you may first have to adjust the rod, then set the action (remove/add shims), then re-adjust the rod. Since that will require removing the strings, I usually adjust the truss rod and play the guitar until it needs new strings. When I change the strings, I set the action if it's off, and then re-adjust the rod. |
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Help with a 1537 Truss Rod Adjustment
