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September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Just got a 1771LX a few months ago. I've read a few posts that suggest going with "light" strings such as the D'add EXP16's. So, Im wondering what strings a 1771LX comes with from the factory. Are they already "lights"?
Also, does anyone have any setup tips that will enhance playability for a complete newbie. 'Cause I'll tell you, those 4 finger and Barre chords are pure torture. Which is alos the reason I'm asking about the strings....
..Oh, and another thing. Anyone have any tips on making barres easier? |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | i know some of the other members will dissagree with me on this but here it goes...if you have to use lights i would recomend exixers. the coated wound strings dont chew your fingers up as bad as others..just my little bit of info. as far as factory strings i think they uses d'addario's or adamas strings..but i could be wrong..if im wrong some one slap me..lol jason |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | The D'Addarios it came with should have been lights, 53 to 12s. Do a search for "shim" and you should find some posts on how to take one or 2 out. If you bought it new, the manual should tell you how to measure the string height and adjust it for light, medium or heavy playing.
Try fingertip pushups for the barre chords if taking the shims out doesn't help. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | The only way to make barre chords easier is to practice them. Which is probably why I've never played a barre chord..... |
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December 2004
Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | Another option is to go with Savares 1610MF strings. These are actually classical guitar strings and are low tension. They don't chew up your fingers and are easier to barre. You should be able to get them at Guitar Center.
Man, I am starting to sound like Fred. I gotta get out more. |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | you could also start with 11's to toughen up the fingertips and build up the stamina to hold a series of barre chords. They won't last as long, or sound as good, but it's an easy way in.
After you've toughened the tips and grasped the grip, move up to 12's
If it's REALLY painfull, you may need to get a luthier (or knowledgeable friend) to have a look at the setup. A low action makes any guitar easier to play. |
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April 2006
Posts: 848
Location: Munich, Germany | Hi Yak,
well, there are different theories:
Some say, you have to start with lights - no pain, no gain.
The more it hurts, the faster you will get used to it.
I am a member of the other fraction: If it hurts from the beginning, you can lose your will for learning very easily - and stop practising. Why should it hurt more than it has to. Even in the beginning the most important thing should be fun to play - not pain. Let them call you a wussy for using 10's - who cares. The main thing is to improve your playing, and the less it hurts, the more fun it will give you.
If I were you, I would take out one shim, and restring your guitar with Elixir Polywebs - 10's, so called extra lights.
They do not sound that bad that some will say, and with their silky feeling they are very easy to play.
Maybe you should check if the truss rod should be adjusted after restringing: Press the Bass E-string on the first and the 12th fret down and check the clearance of the string on the 5th fret. There should be only a very thin gap.
To get the right setup you probably have to tighten the truss rod a little bit.
Then you should have a guitar that's playability should be very easy. Okay, maybe there will be a little buzz while hard strumming, but for practizing Barré Chords and difficult chords it should be perfect.
If you get used to it, go to Custom Lights, then you can go back to Lights.
Just my advice, but that is how i did it. Today I have strung all my guitars with different gauges, for different playing styles. But with learning it that way, Barré Chords are no problem, even with mediums.
I think your guitar came with Adamas Lights, and in my opinion these strings are not that easy to play for a beginner.
Best regards, Kurt |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | What surprises me is that guitars out the factory seem to be set up so high. I think it could hurt sales as those that don't know that a shim is the only issue, pass by a hard to play guitar. Why not set up medium height and put an extra shim in the case for those that want to go higher. I recently acquired another brand that I thought had rediculously high action for an expensive guitar. They did include in the case another bridge which I sanded down to get it right. I would think the factory would want to present a easier to play model out of the box.
Steve |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Hi there YAK...Your guitar is probably strung with D`adario EXP 11 80/20 bronze 12-53 Light (see Ovation website " we like 12-53 " )..about setting up a guitar..this is how I do it..I`ll keep it simple :) allways : Neck - Nut - Saddle ( in that order )
#1 press down Low E string with right-hand pinky at 14th fret,hold
#2 press down Low E string with Left-hand at 1st fret,hold
#3 check string/fret distance at 7th fret,should be around 1/2 mm
If you`re still with me and dare to go further..
#4 If bigger or smaller than that,adjust trussrod ,insert key ( wrench ) and turn 1/5 - 1/4 NO MORE !!( Clockwise = Tighten = Lower...CounterClockwise = Loosening = Higher) If not enough Then wait 3 days and repeat (This way You will not damage anything )
Still with me ? :)
#5 Now the Nut,press down Low E at 3rd fret ,check distance string/fret at 1st fret ( it should be a tad higher than distance string/fret at 2nd fret , around 0,2 mm )If not,then see a Luthier,for it involves Filing/sanding/checking the Nut, Not something for Novices :)
Are You still there...
#6 Now the Saddle , if strings are High off the FretBoard , Remove Saddle ..there are "Shims" thin pieces of plastic (in the Bridge ),remove and leave 1 in , mount Saddle,restring and try ,if FretBuzz occurs ( rattling sound caused by strings hitting frets ) remove saddle,put in 1 more Shim,mount Saddle , restring , try ..
You see , with 1 shim in , action is very Low , for ease of playing ,but if You strum hard , then 2 shims may be necessary :)
Hope this helps :)
Vic |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 54
Location: Taiwan | Yo Yak - (that wouldn't be for the airplane or kayaking would it?)
We have a couple things in common. I too am new to guitar at about 8 weeks into it now. I too bought a balladeer LX and have had it now for a couple of weeks. I too am struggling with the playability.
I was using a borrowed classical and beginning to feel comfortable and confident. I have found my new balladeer to be a bit frustrating and painful. My fingertips are just now getting to where I can practice a reasonable length of time and while I may muster an occasional barred "G," chances for a clear "F" are slim to none. I'm also struggling with the narrower nut width, as compared to the classical - lots of buzzing going on, even with the action where it is at.
Unfortunately, I don't have any advice for you. I'd like to lower the action, but being new to guitars, I find the above advice a bit intimidating. I don't want to mess up my new geetar.
Therefore, if you decide to monkey around with yours and you are happy with the results, please post the results here. Perhaps you'll boost my confidence and I'll make some adjustments.
If I grow impatient and decide to mess with mine, I'll do the same. I'm getting an instructor this week and maybe he can help me with some adjustments
Good luck and enjoy your new guitar. Mine is black and beautiful. I hope the red one is just as nice - never saw one in person.
SiD |
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Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | SiD - don't be afraid, especially with removing shims from underneath the saddle. Ovation makes these instruments to be adjusted to suit individual players. Be bold - it is VERY hard to mess something up!
I would try removing at least one shim from under the saddle first to lower the action and make the barre chords easier to play. It is VERY easy to do. The reason I would go for the shims first is that the LX neck system is very stable and adjusted properly at the factory. Unless you have some VERY wild swings in temperature and humidity, the neck relief (adjusted via the truss rod) is probably fine. Also, as Steve mentioned above, for some reason Ovation sets the action high at the factory, I guess to allow for even the harshest players to strum the crap out of the guitar and not get string buzzes. Most of the rest of us don't play quite that hard.
Anyway, the first time you remove the saddle to get at the shims, you should remove the strings. Once the strings are out of the way, just lift the saddle assembly up out of the bridge - it should lift out easily. You'll see the shims laying in the slot - they are loose and just lift out. Usually there are 2-3 of them, sometimes of differing thicknesses. Remove a one or two shims, restring, and see how the action is. If you are getting some buzzing, put one back in. Piece of cake!
If you work up the courage to give this a try, let us know how things work out! |
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September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Since Im removing the strings anyway to get to the saddle. Should I just go to 11's at that point. Maybe the Elixir Polyweb or Nanowebs? .. or D'ad EXP's?
Whats the difference between the Poly and Nano Elixirs?
Can I restring with the same old factory strings? |
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April 2006
Posts: 848
Location: Munich, Germany | Depends on you.
If the lights are too painful, try 11's. Or go down to 10's, what was my advice. Especially in the beginning it should be as easy as possible.
Polys have more of a silky feeling, while the Nanos have more of a phosphor bronze sound. Polys are, for a beginner, more easy to play.
If you want to go with the factory strings, you don't have to remove them completely. Just lose them, until you can lift the saddle.
Best regards, Kurt |
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March 2002
Posts: 15664
Location: SoCal | Go with lights. They will give you the best combination of tone and playability. You're fingers will toughen up pretty fast -- within a couple of weeks. Just understand that there's a learning curve and know that it will get easier. Everybody here started the exact same way..... |
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December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | I'm surprised that nobody suggested tuning the guitar down to E flat. It makes the guitar much easier to play and works well with light gauge strings. |
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September 2006
Posts: 54
Location: Taiwan | Worshipleader talked me into it.
I took a stab at a quick easy fix. I loosened all the strings but didn't remove them, pulled out the saddle, grabbed the top shim (forgot to check how many were there or if they varied in thickness) and slapped the whole thing back together as quickly as possible. (Can you tell I wasn't comfortable with this whole idea. Give a bicycle to rebuild.)
The procedure took 15 minutes tops and the onboard tuner was a significant help.
Wow. I can't believe I played this thing for two weeks the way it was. The difference is immediately obvious. I have to agree with 45flint here - ship the guitars easy to play and let those with ham fists put in another shim if they need it. I may take another one out or see if one is a bit thicker than the one I removed.
Yak - regardless of what you decide to do with the strings, take out a shim and see what you think. I don't have a clue about guitars and I did it in 15 minutes and noticed a big difference.
Thanks for the advice - all.
SiD |
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March 2005
Posts: 12754
Location: Boise, Idaho | I just happened to be reading an owner's manual last night and Ovation stressed how they set up for medium playing style. It's so easy to take out a shim that I'm sure Ovation is doing it the right way. If they shipped all the guitars without shims, it would be a big hassle from both buyers and sellers to get shims and install them. Medium action with light strings probably suits the most people. Not all of us have gentle hands and I don't see too many others who play fingerstyle, where a lighter touch is appreciated. |
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April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Tuning Eb...how could I forget...dum..dum..( banging head against wall ) :confused: :rolleyes:
Vic |
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June 2004
Posts: 580
Location: NW NJ | Originally posted by Shot in the Dark:
Worshipleader talked me into it. Glad I could help - see, it wasn't so bad! |
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September 2006
Posts: 54
Location: Taiwan | Took another one out.
Wasn't so nervous this time and noted that my balladeer lx came with three shims inserted - two orange and one white. The orange ones are about twice as thick as the white one. I left one orange one in and it's playing nicely with just a touch of buzz if I get aggressive.
The manual mentions nothing of the differing thicknesses of the shims.
I guess I see the point of setting up for a "medium playing style," but if that's the case, why are all the shims it's shipped with already inserted? Set up for medium playing style would suggest the need to ship with some shims inserted and some shims included, but not inserted.
Regardless - it's a piece of cake to slap them in and out, but surely there are new balladeer owners out there with no knowledge of this site or the easy adjustability of their new guitar.
Yak - I hope you have (or are soon to make) some adjustments and increase your happiness with the new guitar.
Sid |
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September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Well...
I took out one orangeish/yellowish shim tonight. There were 3 orange shims in from the factory. Now having 2 shims Im not sure if I like the action that low. The high E is pretty low on the board and I have to be a lot more accurate with my fret placement in order to prevent buzz. It feels quite a bit softer and lower, but it seems like finger control is going to be more of an issue. Its a mixed bag at this point. Im not sure I like it any better or worse.
BTW. like said earlier. You gotta love that on board tuner.. :-) |
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Factory Strings on 1771LX.... and setup tips.
