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August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | I was wondering how some of you have your acoustics set up for best playability. My acoustics all have a slick 3/32" action at the 12th fret (which I read somewhere is a standard "low action" setup), but I'm curious about what the action should be at the nut. I've never seen anything published about action at the nut. I normally use D'Addario XL's, and I've never been ecstatic about the action on the first couple of frets on any of my guitars. I had a luthier cut down the nut of my Balladeer, which improved it somewhat, but I still feel like it should play easier. I get above the 4th fret and it's actually easier to play than it is on the first 3 frets. I remember reading somewhere that the action on the 1st fret should be the same as the action on the 2nd fret is with a capo on the 1st fret. Seems like that would be really slick, but also hard to do. Any thoughts? |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | It needs to be just a skosh higher than the height of the first fret, therefore it will change over time and over model. |
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February 2006
Posts: 140
| Tune low and use a capo? |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Originally posted by matrix:
Tune low and use a capo? Right on. I usually tune to Eb or D and capo. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 286
Location: North Idaho | Low nut height is key for my using 10-47 strings. Frets.com has the a decent page on Adjusting Nut Height . I set the clearance between the first fret and string to as low as .003 in when string pressed at the third fret. In my experience, Ovations are factory set better than most brands--just not as close as some of us who get anal over nut setup. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | Want to work on my guitars, Tim? The action on my 1537 is incredible, but I get a little fret buzz on the low E if I hit it hard. I figured it was the lighter gauge strings. They are 10s or 11s and I have 12s on the rest. Maybe the nut height has been lowered, too. If you get fret buzz after taking out shims, you can always put one back and use lighter strings. Not so simple if you cut the nut too low. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 286
Location: North Idaho | You bring up a good point, Mark. Always have nut blanks on hand when you start filing down string grooves as once in a while...
Recently, we had a thread on eNuts. If you go to their website, the instructions mention mixing up a whoops paste using filing dust. I will try that the next time I get to carried away. If that works well, a lot of time could be saved by not having to cut out a new nut. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | Matrix and Mike--
I've considered the tuning down and capoing at the 1st fret scenario. I use a capo a lot anyway, and since I do a lot of rhythm and fingerpicking, the fret markers aren't a big issue-- nothing I couldn't adjust to. Just tuning down to Eb makes it easier to play for starters, even without a capo. I've just kind of resisted it as a sign of conceding to age-- kind of like an aging major league baseball player choking up on the bat to pick up some bat speed! There's a local guy named Fred Steffen who's always tuned down and capoed, going on 35 years now. Said he liked the playability.
Mike-- when you tune down to "D," do you have any buzzing issues? What gauge strings do you use? And didn't Ovation once make a "longneck" guitar that was designed to be tuned to "D" with a capo at the 2nd fret? |
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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 1900
| I have a '92 1767 and always keep it tuned down a step to D. The neck is straight, I use light guage strings and whether I use a capo or not it doesn't buzz anywhere. I am assuming it is a factory setup. I have never removed the bridge/saddle to see if there are any shims underneath. At the moment I am using a custom set of SIT strings, with xtra-lite on the bass strings (EAD). They are not as boomy/muddy sounding and the overall response is very even. When I use a capo at the 2nd fret it is easier to play but I lose volume. The DS-768/778 is the longscale Elite model, so lighter guage strings might have more of a tendency to buzz. Perhaps a set of Rhorbacher Titanium Medium guage strings would provide enough tension not to buzz, maybe not. I have found with experimentation I can find the ideal gauge strings for most any setup. |
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ACTION AT THE SADDLE, ACTION AT THE NUT?
