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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I'm am sure this has been covered but I am asking anyway for a quick hand.
Adamas 1881 that has about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of spacing between strings and 14 fret. Which way do I turn the truss rod with the guitar facing down (bowl up) to start making the proper adjustment.
THanks |
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Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Stephen:
You cannot fix 1/2 - 3/4" action with a truss rod adjustment. Sounds like you need to send the guitar to the factory for a neck re-set. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Any way.
Then go the other way if it was wrong!
Tightening, CW facing the nut, will tension the neck up, or toward the top.
Loosening, CCW, will allow the neck to relax back.
Very small increments produce large movements (shut up Cruster!).
Use a scale that measures in 1/64" and follow the Owner's Manual. |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | For future reference Stephen
Loosening by turning counter-clockwise---allows a backward bow to straighten by adding relief.
Tightening -clockwise-- removes relief..straightens a upward bow of the neck.
I agree with Jailhouse you'll never get that much out. Needs reset.
...but if you were making just a fine tune... you would want to remove relief by going clockwise. |
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Location: East Tennessee | Lefty loosee Righty tighty.
Hold down strings at the 1st and 12th or 13th fret check claearance at 5th fret. Too much clearance, tighten too little loosen. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Do search on truss rod adjustments grasshopper. You'll find the answer therein.
(But on a side note I can't believe your measuring it right.) The operative place to measure is at the 12th fret, from the top of the fretwire to the bottom of the low E string. The Ovation website has some tips on the factory settings. I did a review of the MEWP where I described how to adjust the action. I'd start there. Good luck |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | OK...finally got back home and measured (the first numbers were just a guess). It's about 1/4 inch at the 12fret and just a tad more at the 14th.
The guitar even tho 10 years old is close to mint. Could the neck have gotten out of wack in shipping? I can't believe that someone would have a guitar of this caliber and never fix the action/TR adjustment to make it playable.
The shipping box had a few dings and holes in it. If this could have happened in shipping I can file a claim to have the neck reset.
What's a neck reset cost and can it be done locally by a good luthier or does it NEED to be sent back to the mothership |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Stephen,
Send it back to the Mothership.... Noboby can do it better!! I'd guessamate a factory neck reset starting at $150 and going up depending on model and what else needs doing.
I had the factory reset my Legend 12 string (some claim the shallow bowls give neck reset problems due to a small heel surface) dress and level my frets,install an external battery holder and install pearloid tuner buttons,set everything back to factory specs for only $235 including return freight!!.....that was 2 yrs ago and it still plays like budda!...I wouldn't trust my O's repairs to anyone but da Mothership!
It's going to take more than a few dings and holes in the shipping box to cause a neck reset (Ovations are tuffer than that!!) I think your chances of getting the shipping carrier to pay for a neck reset are nil to nothing at all....but stranger things have happened :cool: |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Before sending it to the mothership, it might be better to bring it to your local guy, and have him check the nut and saddle heights. Did you try changing the saddle height? |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | Stephen:
You need to accurately determine the acion. Get a good quality steel ruler that has 1/32" increments. Measure the distance between the top of the fretwire and the botton of the low E string at the 12th fret. Factory spec is about 3/32". If the action is higher than that, check under the saddle to see how many shims are there. You can remove some or all of the shims and lower the action.
If the action is really 1/4" (8/32") you're going to need a neck re-set.
Truss rod adjustments are NOT for the purpose of making the action lower. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Yep, it is reading 7/32 at the 12th and 8/32 at the 14th.
At the price I paid for it, I can afford to have the neck reset if need be.
I emailed the guy and asked him if it was an issue before he shipped it to me. His reply was...that he never played past the 4th fret so he never noticed. (Then proceded to tell me to adjust the truss rod or remove the shims)
Maybe I am being scammed here but the guitar is in near mint condition except for the neck issue.
A return trip to the factory with "return as new" instructions would run under $250??? |
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Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Call or email Kim Keller at the factory....
....You'll probably have to send it in for a definite quote!
The guy I bought my Legend 12 from (I purchased it after it didn't sell on ebay) was very up-front about the guitar needing a neck reset....he said the action was high but in the "money frets" it was "tolerable" but anything past the 3rd fret you needed vise-grips...he adjusted the price accordingly!(even reduced the shipping,super nice guy) ;) with the price for the guitar and the factory visit...I'm still under what 1866 Legends are going for on fleabay!
If you can afford to add a neck reset to your purchase price and still feel you have a bargan, I'd say send it back to da factory.....when you get it back you'll probaly think they sent you a NEW guitar!! Those boys at the factory can "git-r-done!" :D |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | What would cause a guitar to require a neck reset?
What exactly does the factory do to "reset" a neck?
Thanks |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | Stephen:
Good questions. Given the way O's are constructed, and Adamas in particular, it would seem that the bodies are not as prone to bending as with an all wood guitar. However, something happened to the body or top of your guitar and the neck no longer properly lines up with the top. The factory will remove the neck and make the necessary adjustments to properly re-align it with the top/body of the guitar. Once that is done the guitar will play like new with the great low action that O's are famous for. |
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Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Here's a good article on neck re-sets:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/Gear/advice/neckresets.shtml |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Bro' before making a federal case, did you check the shims under the saddle? |
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Location: Carle Place, NY | Originally posted by an4340:
Bro' before making a federal case, did you check the shims under the saddle? Removing one shim lowers the action by about 1/64". Usually there are at most 3 shims under the saddle. There's nothing wrong with checking out the shims, but 7/32" action will need a neck re-set. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | It might be more than 1/64 th. The factory sends out (sometimes) shims of different thicknesses and there can be up to 4 shims. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Good thought an4340 but that was the first thing I checked. One shim in and I took that out still leaving the measurements close to what I said before. Plays great as a laptop slide guitar! :D
My local luthier builds guitars that sell in the $5-10K range so I may carry it over to him to get his thoughts. If he says he can fix it, I know it will be done right but he will also be quick to tell me to send it to the mothership if they can do a better job. He charges about $150 and does a set up and fret polishing at the same time.
Mitchrx....great link to the site! Thanks! |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Well, it looks like you need a reset. Good luck. |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Skinny Baby,
I have been watching this post closely. I have read your previous posts on guitar maintanence issues and have always learned something.
Stephen,
See the first page of this thread |
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Truss Rod adjustment
