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Location: Maryland | I recently acquired a 1984 Ovation Collectors Series and although I love playing it, I would like to adjust the action a hair lower. Does anyone know a source of information for adjusting Ovation guitars?
Thanks. |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | Just an idea, check under the saddle to see if there are any shims.
Bradley |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | i got allot of help lowering the action on my 1982-8 here on this site. there are a couple of threads here you should check. first is about 12 string action and the other is about shallow bowls. determine if the neck is straight first and then, as bradley suggested, loosen the strings and remove the bridge/pickup to see if there are any shims. mine had three. i first took out all 3 shims i gave the truss rod about 1/8 of a turn and that made the neck straight per cwk's post under 12 string ht. i restrung and the action was too low so i put one shim back in and it was perfect except for the high e which had a buzz around the 12th fret. with a good straight edge and playing each fret on high e i was able to determine which fret was high. i was prepared to dress that fret, but gave it a couple of taps with a wooden file handle to be sure it was seated all the way first and that removed the problem. i have played and gigged with that guitar around 15 hours since and it very fast and clean sounding. the collectors series i've seen are really nice guitars. see ovation for an ovation post about my 1982-8. good luck. russ
[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | 1. Check the neck to make sure it's not warped. If it is get a big allen wrench and adjust that inside the bowl.
2. Check under the saddle for shims. Each shim is 1/32 and it will lower the action by 1/64 |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | my shims mic at.029 and look like micarta or another phenolic resin impregnated cloth. that brought up another question. this was back in the old days of my first guitar, a king george, one of those fine pawn shop specials that was lovingly made in less than an hour in the orient, and sold new for $29. i was only playing in the first positions when i bought it and when i got brave and moved up the neck, the b and e strings played the same note from the 8th fret on, so i put a piece of the tooth pick i was chewing on (a motown bad ass rebel statement of the early 60's) under one end of the plastic insert in the bridge and i had a whole bunch of new high notes. the guitar lost some of the sound it had before which was damn little to begin with. i think i could build a better sounding guitar out of cardboard.
so now the question---- it seems only logical that there should have been 100% contact and that certain shim stock material is preferred for sound transfer and to keep the little pizeos pizzing better. any comments? |
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Location: Maryland | Thanks to you all for the info. I guess I'm sort of scared to mess around with that saddle. Don't want to mess it up.
Thanks again |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | it is really very easy and if you remove the shims, you can replace them easily if you don't get the desired results. there are two plastic pins on either end of the pickup that you can push with your finger from inside the guitar to help remove the pickup. once you've done this once all fear will be quelled. next to changing strings, this is probably the easiest adjustment, and can have a profound effect on playability. the only risk you run is maybe breaking a string from repeated loosening and retightening while adjusting, so dont put those new elixirs on till you are satisfied with the action.
i just did this and a truss rod tweak on my 1982 collectors series,which looks very much like yours, i think, and it turned out great. russ
[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: WPB, FL | Hi,
My question is along the same lines. I visited "Frets.com", a marvelous site with interesting info. From there I learned that the neck on my 12 string may need resetting. This test method was the straight edge on the neck making contact on a point below the bridge.
Assuming I am running down the right path, what should I expect to pay a shop for such a repair?
I didn't pay much for the guitar but it has a gorgeous sound that I really enjoy. I am a novice guitar player in the very incipient learning stages. So advice will certainly aid my judgment. Thanks
Harold :( |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | harold, that depends i there is a bow in the neck or not. do the test cwk2 reccommends in the topic 12 string action to see if the neck is straight. what you need could be an adjustment rather than a reset which is far more complicated. also check for shims under the pickup. sometimes the top will warp and the bridge might be lifting which can also affect the action. i,ve had good results with the truss rod and shims route. |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | What kind of tool is needed for the truss rod adjustment on an Ovation with the rod on the inside of the bowl? Someone said its a tool I have to get from Ovation, but another posting said to use a large allen wrench.
If it is a tool from Ovation, how much is it?
Thanks,
Bradley
Also, the Ovation I've been trying to fix myself had the action very high. The neck seems to be bolted on, so I checked the bolt. It was very loose so I tightened it up. That brought the action down to where it is acceptable. Did that hurt anything?
Now I have to find some super glue to fix the finish.
Thx again |
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Location: WPB, FL | Thanks for the quick reply Musicamex, mine is the 12 string with the high action and a did ckw's checks.
My low E string is .020 at the mid point and treble string is 4.5/32" and bass 6/32" (interesting mathematical notation, but it works!) I don't fancy myself a pessimist but I would like to grow into this guitar, so I am not averse to spending some money if need be. On the other hand, I derive a great deal of satisfaction from doing things myself. My point is, that to borrow from Hippocrates, first do no harm. To the guitar that is. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | HEY BRADLEY, i use a 3/16 allen wrench with the long leg plugged into the socket head on the truss rod. then if you slip something like a nut driver (3/16) over the short leg you will have some leverage. i haven't seen the tool that ovation sells, but it couldn't be much different in principal. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | harold, it sounds like you need to tweak the truss rod first, and then check for shims under the pickup. i too derive much pleasure in fixing my own stuff. so far my guitar collection isn't that special that i am afraid to adjust them, and have even fixed a bridge that came off and fixed a cracked top. i have also helped a few friends lower their action with good results. treat yourself to action that is smooth and fast. i cant think of a single other reason that causes many beginning guitar players to become discouraged. even with 38 years worth of callouses bad action will turn my fingers to cube steak in a couple of sets. i also reccommend light gauge strings.
bradleys discovery of the loose bolt in this thread is interesting and will become part of my check in the future. none of this is rocket science and it is fun. it can make the bond between your guitar stronger---nurse it along like a good friend and it will treat you better too.
[ March 24, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Harold
You might consider using a slide with that action!
Actually it's pretty high but straightening the neck will lower the action some. It might only need a turn of the wrench and a shim pulled |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | You know, when I looked inside the guitar at the truss rod, I couldn't figure out what type of tool was needed because it didn't look familiar. Someone said it was a 3/16 allen so I tried it. The allen wrench fits but if you try to turn it, it just goes around and around and around.
In other words I think my guitar self repair project has come to an end - the truss rod is stripped out.
Bradley |
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Location: Scotland | Unlikely, most truss-rod nuts are made of a soft metal such as brass. This is so if there are any problems the threads on the nut will strip, rather than the rod itself. You then simply obtain a new nut. It's also possible that if attempts to adjust it have been made with the wrong size wrench that the nut has lost it's hexagonal profile and become round, making it extremely difficult to adjust. Get it to a shop, most problems such as these are easily repairable by a competent tech.
Paul |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | At times like this when the patient looks terminal, it's wise to take it to a guitar doctor and let them have the final say. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | that is interesting re the brass nut. it makes sense in a way, but i have never SEEN anything other than the conventional nuts under a plate on the head. i guess i didnt pay close enough attention on my old balladeer to notice it was brass. you have me curious about the socket head in the inside of the guitar body. i can't see these on my guitars. is that the head of the truss rod like a long cap screw, or a special brass nut. after hearing the comment about the possibly stripped head or nut i will use new found caution in the future. did you try a bigger allen wrench? maybe ovation used different sizes or some were metric. mine are 3/16" socket heads. i am a student of ovation guitars and far from having even one definative answer. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | the USA guitars will all have the same size. The imports are different, probably metric. I'm not sure if there are different sizes in the imports, depending on country of origin. |
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Location: puerto vallarta, mexico | you could push a piece of modeling clay against the head of that nut you think might be stripped to see what you are dealing with.
[ March 31, 2002: Message edited by: musicamex ] |
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Location: Zion, Illinois | I'm sure the previous owner stripped it out. I think I'll be better off sending the guitar to Ovation and letting them deal with it.
Thanks to everyone who replied.
Bradley |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Call John Budney or Kim Keller at the factory 860-379-7575. |
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Ovation Adjustments
