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Location: Virginia | I'd like to lower the action a little is this something a TOTAL NOOB needs to try OR should I take her in and have it done at my local Ovation shop ... I'm thinkin' tha latter :) |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Hey Show-- There is a whole lot of encouragement on this thread. Search for this topic in General Posting (under search, at the top of the page). Also, just search for "adjusting the action" and you will get 300 hits.
You may find something more specific to your model. Happy Reading. I haven't messed with my truss rod, and I don't intend to. And I wouldn't recommend it.
Also, Keep Playing, but not to the point of agony. Your fingers will toughen up.
Topic: "4861; Adjusting the action" |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Or, just stick your fingers in a bowl of ice 'till their numb, dry 'em off, and keep playing! |
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Location: Alberta, Canada | Near the bottom of the "general Post" page is a thread called "Shim Removal". It may help you.
Dave |
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Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Pick Till They Bleed., Then Pick Some More. 
Lately on my steel 6 string I've been using D'Addario EJ26 Custom Light .011-.052.
You might want to try extra lights .010-.047 gauge. |
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Posts: 815
Location: Colorado | I went from extra lights to lights (0.012s) and my callouses have really come around in the last two weeks. But I have been playing every day over the last three weeks, probably an hour each day.
BTW, lights on mine sound SO much better than the extra lights did. And my fingers are adjusting. |
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Location: ms | I also found the custom lights to be a good fit. |
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September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Unless your action is way too high, Id try a lighter set of strings first.
Ovations come with 12-53 (lights)
Try some D'addario EJ26's or any "custom light" for that matter. otherwise known as 11's
You could go down even further to 10's, but thats pretty thin for an acoustic and the sound will be pretty thin. |
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January 2007
Posts: 47
Location: Virginia | The actions not real high but I would like to lower it some.This bein' my first acoustic I'm not really use to the higher set up and my finger tips are stingin' some from it. I did change the strings on it ...I took the originals off ( less then a week wear ) and I put a set of Martin Marquis M1100's on it. |
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Posts: 122
Location: Tucson, AZ | ...to "toughen up" your finger tips, try soaking them in: (A) formaldehyde (caution: poisonous, so don't put "fingers in mouth"!!!) or (B) hydrogen-peroxide (not poisonous).
...it isn't "instantaneous" but it'll help "get you there" much much sooner by literally "killing" the outer layer (epidermis) of skin on your fingertips. |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Just keep playing. You get used to it in several ways. First, your fingers do toughen up. But even then, your calluses will peel occassionally and you'll be back to tender skin. You get used to it. It's not life threatening and within a few days your fingers are tough again.
My calluses peel every couple of weeks. It's no big deal. |
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Location: NJ | I agree w/Moody.
SuckItUp . . . |
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Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Lean in to the pain....or have another beer. ('course, that's my approximate answer for everything....doesn't work for most Americans living outside Portland though. No beer.) |
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Location: Upper Left USA | The best part is if you play a lot you no longer have fingerprints to give yourself away!
Often a difficult action is the result of the nut not being right. New Ovations aren't at issue because of the tolerances the meet.
To see if the nut needs adjusting try playing with a capo. There shouldn't be a difference on a well set up guitar. |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | am i the only moron who went from not picking up a guitar in 5yrs to playing agian and going straight to 13's???
its not a hard task to lower the action. i prefer to not take shims out unless i cant get it low enough with the tr. jason |
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December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "am i the only moron who went from not picking up a guitar in 5yrs to playing agian and going straight to 13's??"
Do you really want an answer?? 13's???? I don't think I have played a guitar with anything more than 12's in my life and rarely go past 10's. |
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Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | miles, this may sound exremly strange but the lights hurt my fingers more that the mediums did...go figure. i just like the feel and the tone i get out of them...there allways has to be a odd duck in every crowd..lol jason |
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Posts: 54
Location: Taiwan | I am absolutely new to guitar altogether.
I bought a brand new Balladeer LX with 12's on it.
I was nervous about doing it, but lowered the action by removing some shims - thanks to encouragement from people here. It was absolutely a piece of cake and it made a HUGE difference in playability for me. |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by johnny cash 83:
there allways has to be a odd duck in every crowd..lol jason There are a lot of us around here.
I think it is a prerequisite for membership.
:D
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | Shot(ski?),
They ship the guitars new with a full compliment of shims installed. Nearly every new owner gets the pleasure of figuring out the adjustability of the Ovations. Well engineered and well made!
Welcome to the Club! |
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July 2002
Posts: 1900
| I've adjusted the action on most every Ovation I've owned, never had a problem. Just followed the original factory instructions from 'day one'. Tweek the truss rod, change shims and thickness here and there, no big deal, didn't take a rocket scientist...I always thought O's were known for reliability in that respect... |
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Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Miles, I use 10's on an electric, but 13's (medium gauge) on acoustics. Give them a try. They'll really drive the top on your Adamii..... |
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September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Something I tell beginners to do is to press and hold your fingers on the strings, making a chord. Then see where the indentations are and smear a little super glue (IMPORTANT: very quickly) on your finger tips. It will give you some instant callouses. (: |
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Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | And wait until the super glue dries before you try to play, unless you know a bunch of songs with only one chord. |
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September 2006
Posts: 713
Location: Alberta, Canada | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
And wait until the super glue dries before you try to play, unless you know a bunch of songs with only one chord. :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D |
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My fingers hurt ...
