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Joined:
April 2012
Posts: 2
| Hi there,
A month ago I purchased a basically brand new 1995 Folklore. I wanted the older model with the cutaway rather than the newer one because the older model has a much nicer, 'warmer' color to the top. The newer models just look so incredibly sterile with that washed out look to them. Reminds me of the look of those Norman guitars from Quebec from years ago. Very well made guitars but not pretty to look at.
Anyway, to be able to play this guitar I had to take it to arguably Vancouvers (BC) best repair/luthier (Nicole Alosinac) to have it adjusted. Here's what I find very odd with this guitar that I had to have altered and would like to know why Ovation made this model (and I assume the original non-cutaway/amplified & later versions) this way. I know it was originally called the Josh White model and made to his specs but when they redesigned it moving the neck attachment higher up the neck and added the cutaway and electronics, why didn't they make the changes I had to to make it comfortable to play???....by fingerstyle guitarists.
This model was designed for fingerstyle playing as seen in it's original ads for this model (and the twin Country Artist) with a nice wider neck at the nut and a slightly flatter fingerboard. The problem is, the nut isn't cut properly to allow fretting with your thumb....the low E string is too far inboard to be comfortably grabbed. The high E string is in the proper location but I had to have a new nut installed, moving the low E string closer to the neck's edge and then evenly spacing the strings accordingly. Another issue I have is that the edges of the frets are chamfered at too shallow an angle - in other words, the chamfer begins too far inboard for moving the low E string closer to the edge without fear it will get pulled over the side of the neck. She measured this angle and it's much shallower than is standard. I found the frets to be too high as well and had to have them dressed so the action is now considerably lower than the factory setup and helped the issue of the poorly chamfered edges as it moved the start of the chamfer closer to the edge. Along with the new nut cutouts being lower and removing the shim under the saddle, she's given this guitar the proper setup for smooth, easy fingerstyle playing.
Have these issues been brought up before by other fingerstyle players? I can't believe this style of player could comfortably play this guitar as constructed by the factory. For some stupid reason; and I say that with the proliferation of fingerstyle playing over the past 20 years, the guitar industry has established 1 11/16" as the standard for neck width which any fingerstyle player with tell you isn't comfortable enough to allow fretting that requires open strings to ring through during playing and not be muted because the fretting fingers can't help but touch them.
A good judge of my style of setup can be seen at the Chet Atkins conventions in Nashville. I took another acoustic guitar there years ago that I had set up the way I just had done with this Folklore. It also had a wider neck, very low action and extra light Flattop D'Addario strings. I had it played by, save for Chet himself, all the top players there at the time and without exception they had nothing but admiration for the playability of that guitar, with Bob Saxton using it on stage during his teaching session and Jim Nichols playing some sweet jazz with it during some of the ongoing jam sessions.
Is there a forum topic that deals with the Folklore and/or fingerstyle playing? I wouldn't mind chatting there if there is.
Thanks for your time. I look forward to any info you can give to my questions above.
Cheers,
Dave
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Hi Dave,
As this is a pretty specific question about a specific guitar, I'm going to move this into the General Forums area and upgrade your access so you can post there as well. I'll do this as soon as you respond to this post.
While not a finger style player, I will say that one of the goals of Ovation guitars neck profiles is to be a little less extreme. Fat necks aren't as fat as others, and narrow necks aren't as narrow as some others. In other words, for many of us, they are just right  |
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Joined:
April 2012
Posts: 2
| Hi guys,
Thanks for answering my email and putting it over to general discussions. It would be interesting to hear from other Folklore/Country Artist owners to se why they chose that model.
Cheers,
Dave |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | windsordave - 2012-04-15 4:19 PM
Have these issues been brought up before by other fingerstyle players? I can't believe this style of player could comfortably play this guitar as constructed by the factory. For some stupid reason; and I say that with the proliferation of fingerstyle playing over the past 20 years, the guitar industry has established 1 11/16" as the standard for neck width which any fingerstyle player with tell you isn't comfortable enough to allow fretting that requires open strings to ring through during playing and not be muted because the fretting fingers can't help but touch them.
Not really sure why this paragraph is in your post. Didn't you say your guitar HAS the wider nut? Or are you just mad that ALL guitars aren't made with wider nuts?
It sounds like you bought a pre-owned guitar that you needed set up to your very own specifications, so you had to spend a little extra time and $ getting it "your way." Could have happened if you had bought a Santa Cruz, McPherson, Olsen, Collings, whatever. A great fingerstyle guitar usually STARTS around $5000 and goes up quickly from there. I'm betting you have a LOT less invested in the Folklore. Be happy. |
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Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer | windsordave - "...but when they redesigned it moving the neck attachment higher up the neck and added the cutaway and electronics, why didn't they make the changes I had to to make it comfortable to play???....by fingerstyle guitarists." hmm... guess they must've accidentally forgot to get your input before the redesign. Sorry Dave, but ya did kinda leave the door WIDE open for that one. It seems that the ideal fingerstyle guitar is much like any other style guitar... a matter of specific personal preference(s). Here's an interesting (and lengthy) article from Acoustic Guitar that begins with... "Ask five players what makes a great fingerstyle guitar and you will probably get five different answers." http://www.acguitar.com/article/default.aspx?articleid=24041 At least you like the color. Welcome Dave and... Post Some Pics!!! |
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Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I've got the old style folklore from the early 70's, virtually identical to the Josh White model. I bought it because I wanted to start playing finger pickin' bluesy stuff like Josh White and, more recently, Eric Bibb.
I havent made a successful transition to the wider fingerboard yet simply because I haven't spent enough time on it. Maybe this is because I also haven't taken the time to set it up for ME. The action is a little high so I haven't had the desire to pick it up as often as I should.
I almost put it up for sale a few months ago because it was just being a decoration, but when I played it 'one more time' the tone blew me away and I decided she's a keeper. It's in mint condition and one day, it will become my 'go to' guitar when I make the wholehearted effort to play it daily.
But the real reason I bought it?.....
It's got the foil label inside.
Edited by muzza 2012-04-17 5:58 PM
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April 2012
Posts: 37
Location: Raleigh, NC | Anybody know where I can get a custom set-up done on my left hand? I would like to have all the digits lengthened 7/64". This would make me a better fingerstyle player. My fingers have been short and stubby since my dad got me a Gianini Classical with a 2" nut in 1964....Dang I am getting Vintage, but reckon i'll keep playin. |
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April 2010
Posts: 823
Location: sitting at my computer | Hey Matt, I think these stretched a couple of my digits when I was a kid!  
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April 2012
Posts: 37
Location: Raleigh, NC | SOBeach
One of the first things I bought that was made in China. Years later it was Tsing Tao Beer. Didn't do much good - neither of them.... Now everthing is coming from China - including some decent guitars. |
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November 2008
Posts: 400
Location: Northwest Arkansas | I have every guitar I own setup by my luthier. I guess being a regular customer, his rates are considerably lower for me. What I'm trying to say is almost every guitar needs some tweaking to suit it's owner. Some tweaking more severe than others. If it plays like you want it to. That's all that matters. |
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Folklore 6774, s/n 487226
