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Location: Tennessee | Arrived home tonight from a trip to Charlotte and (ugh) El Segundo to find my eBay Josh White in a box waiting for me. In a word ... nice! The guitar is well played but overall in pretty decent shape, especially for a guitar that's nearly 40 years old. The MOP diamonds and dots are very nice, as is the inlaid rosette that does not show any signs of shrinkage. A ding on the soundboard that doesn't go to the wood, a few little dings on the headstock, and a couple of minor abrasions around the binding. Two fairly small lacquer cracks coming off the bridge at 45 degrees ... one is 1 inch and the other maybe 1/2 inch. The previous owner had it strung with nylon strings, and said it had "medium" action ... if this is medium I can't imagine what low would be to this guy. Definitely does not need a neck reset! The guitar had a fair amount of grime on it everywhere, especially the fretboard. I've given a good cleaning, but it'll take a couple of more before I'll call it done.
I have a couple of questions ... after many years of being strung nylon, should I worry about going back to steel? The bridge seems very solid. Also, since this is my first shiny bowl, can I use Formula 65 for polishing the bowl, or should I use something else? As far a cleaning the fretboard, is there any harm in using some 000 steel wool? The fretboard looks like ebony to me ... is this right? It appears to have a bone saddle ... is this original?
My thought when I bought it was that it would need to go back to the factory, now I'm not so sure. The sound was pretty amazing with the ancient nylon strings ... surprising loud -- I can't wait to get it strung with some good steels strings and listen to it ring out. I'll post pics once I get a change to take some. All in all, I'm one very happy boy. |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Sounds great. I wouldn't worry about using 000 steel wool, it won't harm the board or anything on it. Amasing that it sounds that good with nylons on it. I would fumble with the bridge an bracing , just to see if it is all solid before putting steel strings on, but I wouldn't hesitate to put them on if everything feels secure.
Enjoy it. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Maybe try light strings first.
And tune it to E-flat for a while.
Overcautious? Maybe. |
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Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | Congrats on a great guitar!
Steel wool is fine for the fretboard. As for cleaning the shiny bowl, any guitar polish will do just fine. I'd say, since the guitar was designed to acomodate steel strings, it's PROBABLY okay, but I'd heed the above advice from Jeff W. and Brad, just to be safe. I'd take it to a trusted repair person and have them check it out first. |
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Posts: 5327
Location: Cicero, NY | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Maybe try light strings first.
And tune it to E-flat for a while.
Overcautious? Maybe. And that's best accomplished by stringing the low E with the G, no, the B, no...DAMN! I never get that right! How's it go again, Brad? :p |
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Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | A guy makes an honest mistake, ADMITS to it, and never gets to live it down....SHHHHEEESSSSHHHH!
My approach would be to put a new set of light strings (.012"-.053") on it, slowly tune 'em to EADGBE, and see what pops. Better to know NOW than later.....if something breaks now, it would break later as well. Why put off the inevitable?
Roger |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Congratulations, and enjoy it. I'd try Xtra lite strings at first, you might even decide that you like them and stay with them. Other than that Roger has a real good point. |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Thanks for the input, all. The steel wool worked like a charm, and several coats of lemon oil has brought the fretboard back into beautiful condition. I strung the JW with Adamas 1818 lights and it tuned up to standard tuning perfectly ... no pops, creaks, groans. Action landed exactly where I like it ... no truss rod tweak required. I'll let it self-adjust over the next few days and see where it shakes out. But the playability is excellent, and even though it's a wide neck, my fingers seem to fall right into place ... maybe because I've been playing the 12 string more lately. And the sound is excellent ... loud but not harsh. I like to let new strings on Ovations season a few days to let the brightness mellow, so I'll post more in a few days.
In the meantime, I've posted a few pictures in my gallery under Ovations. Make sure you check out the tuning keys. And a teaser ...
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Location: SoCal | Oh boy..... am I envious (oddly, more over this than the Porsche...). |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Once you get used to that neck you'll be ruint forever and start switching all your guitars over to that wide f/b. |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Thanks Paul, but you may want to rethink ...
W-2 ... oh, great. Probably the same way the Hamer wiped out my relationship with the strat ... |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Yeah, something like that.....
It happened to me too. |
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Location: Cicero, NY | Same here.
'Course it was a Snickers over a Milky Way... |
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Location: SoCal | Bob, the C4S is a great car.... but the JW is much much cooler. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Both have nice round backs. |
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Location: SoCal | Not meaning to put down the Porsche, because I know Bob apprecaites for the excellent car that it is, but it takes somebody really in the know to get a JW, understand what it is and enjoy playing it. The circle of people who understand a Josh White is much much smaller than the circle of people who love C4S's. Hence, much cooler. |
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Posts: 6192
Location: Phoenix AZ | I agree 100% percent.
No disrespect to Porsche, but there is something magical about running ones hands over that inlaid rosette and shinny bowl. 12 frets and a couple of big cutouts in the headstock. The engraved tuners and 5 point rosewood. Yes it lacks the smell of gasoline and rubber. But sexy none the less.
Porches are a dime a dozen (ok, a million a dozen), but to find a JW in excellent condition and to share its magic among that small circle of friends (I'm the self appointed president of the JW admiration club), now THAT is reall something special.
Dave |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | I'm sorry, but I'm not getting the whole Porsche/JoshWhite-thing . . .
. . . are you saying that guys who play Josh Whites have little dicks too??
:D |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | Cliff, for the record .... Ah, never mind.
Dave |
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Location: Orange County, California | esoteric.
adj : confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle;
Get lost Cliff!! :p :D :p |
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Location: SoCal | Clifford, why do you think I've never gotten a JW? |
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Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Bob,
You bring the C4S, I've got "The Road"....
25 turns, and 2000' of elevation change in 5.5 mi. Private. Paved. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Fred ... let's get that SoCal jam set-up sooner than later. How does next week sound? :)
Jeez Cliff, I thought we were going to keep my "little" secret just between the two of us. I shall, however, maintain decorum and keep the thong/stilettos incident private. :eek:
I am doubly blessed by having near-perfect, as Mom used to say, "inside" AND "outside" toys! |
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Oh boy, oh boy
