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Joined:
March 2014
Posts: 10
| Hi, everyone!
I just traded an old electric for a Celebrity cc045 12'er. The action is a little high - are there shims under the saddle of this Korean Ovation? If so, I'm gonna try to lower it a hair that way.
Secondly, does anyone know the size of the Allen wrench needed to adjust the truss?
Thanks very much!
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Joined:
July 2010
Posts: 83
Location: Urbana, IL | I'd be surprised to find shims under that type of saddle. I've never ran into like that before. |
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May 2008
Posts: 1556
Location: Indiana | I've seen shims under thinline pu's. Worth a look. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I have seen shims under a thinline saddle, also.
It is just that if the action is high, they have probably already been removed.
Look next time you change the strings.
The truss-rod should take a 3/16" Allen Wrench.
But remember, the truss-rod only adjust "relief" around the 7th Fret.
It should not be used to try to change the string height at the 12th Fret.
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | It would be better to check before the new strings go on. If there are shims in there you would start by removing them all. If it buzzes when you bring it back into tune, you'll want to loosen the strings and add one shim back. If it STILL buzzes, add yet another shim. The thing is, the more times you loosen and retighten the strings, the greater the chance of breaking them. Why waste a new set of strings that way?
So just loosen the strings a LOT, then grab the saddle with a pair of pliers and pull it out. If there are shims, slide a toothpick in there and pop them out. Once you have it where you want it, THEN put some new strings on.
If there are no shims, you could try a lower saddle. If you don't have one, you could file the bottom of the existing saddle down and hope it doesn't buzz. If it does, add some shims. (I like to use the plastic from an old plastic "For Sale" sign. The small ones are thin, the large ones are thicker. Most of the gang here uses strips cut from an old credit card. Those are thicker still.)
If you don't want to do that, you can get a new saddle from a local music store. Make sure to either bring the old saddle with you or the whole guitar because saddles come in all different lengths and widths, as well as heights.) They're cheap - maybe a buck or three. |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6994
Location: Jet City | helpful tip when adding removing shims:
Use a capo at the 12th, Keyser style works best. Keep the strings taught on the tuner side and slack on the bridge side as you detune. You can loosen the strings quite a bit more without them unraveling on the tuner posts, and the slack stays where you need it. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | ??? my brain just exploded... |
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Joined:
March 2014
Posts: 10
| Thanks for all the info, everyone! The capo trick makes sense - good thinking |
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Joined:
March 2014
Posts: 10
| Yep - there was a shim under there. Took it out - nice low action now! Thanks, all! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13988
Location: Upper Left USA | Shims under the saddle - check!
Now to make sure there's no Clowns in the closet or Monsters under the bed... |
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March 2007
Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | and... how does it sound/play?
It is an Ovation 12-string so it can't be bad. |
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Joined:
March 2014
Posts: 10
| It sounds pretty good - not as full as my old Yamaha 12, kinda soft and even across the strings. It sounds pretty good plugged into my Fishman Loudbox performer pro, too. I will be taking it to band practice and plugging through the PA at gig volume next weekend - we'll see.
I want an Adamas 12 next  |
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Joined:
April 2008
Posts: 2985
Location: Sydney, Australia | big jilm - 2014-04-03 2:15 PM
I want an Adamas 12 next
Ooh yeah, the bug'll get ya! |
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Are there shims under the saddle of my Ovation Celebrity cc045 12 string?
