|
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Hi Guys,
I'm new here. My first post and now my first Ovation guitar. I just picked up a nice Ovation DS768 longneck. What a beauty. I've very impressed with it. I'm a bass player and have been gassing for a baritone. I've played Fender electric baritones in the past, but this acoustic is a new animal for me.
What are my string options for this beast? I want to be able to play in that range between a guitar and bass. It has John Pearse lights on it now and frankly, they just don't have the low end I was looking for.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | D'Addario EJ18 ("Heavy" 14-59). |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| So, the D'Addario EJ18 can be tuned down an octave?
I did try tuning the Pearse strings down to B and the guitar sounds much more in line with what I expected. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Check your PM's (PrivateMessages). |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | What Cliff said.
You can really get creative and put some 72 cables on but unless you want to really get down below that B2B range I would stick with the EJ18s. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The guitar was designed to be tuned D to D. You can put the strings Cliff mentioned and go C to C, that works. I always found B to B a bit low what what the hell do I know, I just used to run a gas station. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Thanks Cliff and Stephen. Interesting experiments that I just might try. I hear ya Beal, I tried the D to D tuning and it's OK, but I have lower aspirations for this guitar. One step down ain't much in my view. I am liking the B to B thus far. That might just work for me.
It's hell being a bassist and hearing everything through that filter. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 1562
Location: Indiana | Tuning a longneck to B may cause a ripple in the space/time continuum. Proceed with caution. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by Jonmark Stone:
Tuning a longneck to B may cause a ripple in the space/time continuum. Proceed with caution. Whew, you scared me! I was afraid you were gonna say it would cause a ripple in the spruce top! Time-space I can handle since I can't do anything about it, or infinity, for that matter! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The only problem you're going to run into is the thickness of the bass string that will fit through the bridge. You could probably runa 62-16 set. Matt Smith has had some 72 strings made and they get too fat with the wrap at the ball end to fit into the bridge properly. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | But they do make great tow cables... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by PsychoBunny:
But they do make great tow cables... Good point Beal, I'll check that out.
I've been playing it tuned down to B and I'm liking the low growl it's putting out. Gonna mess with it more today. "B" might be the way to go for me! The strings aren't too floppy either, just loose enough for some nice bending and an easy low tension when fretting. I'm just not happy with the tone when tuned to D.
As for tow cables, you ought to see the 105's on some of my basses!
Here's one I just finished building a couple months ago..........
I'm working on a design similar to this for a semi-hollow electric baritone using a 30" neck and Fender Bass VI strings. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| I'll post some pictures of the longneck later today! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by Beal:
The only problem you're going to run into is the thickness of the bass string that will fit through the bridge. You could probably runa 62-16 set. Matt Smith has had some 72 strings made and they get too fat with the wrap at the ball end to fit into the bridge properly. Thanks, I might give the 62-16 set a try. I'm not anxious to enlarge the bridge channels at this stage! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Here she is!!! Except for one very small ding on the top, she looks brand new.
 |
|
| |
|
Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I used to have one just like that. Nice guitar. Enjoy it. FWIW, I also found it sounded best strung B to B. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by stonebobbo:
I used to have one just like that. Nice guitar. Enjoy it. FWIW, I also found it sounded best strung B to B. Yeah, it's a beauty and it does sound so good. I agree, B to B works well on this guitar. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Unique bass ya built there! Great job... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I can't wait to try one of those longnecks. For me, B2B with a capo at the 2nd fret would work great for my vocal range and to bring the action down a bit. How are these things for fingerpicking with those heavy strings? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| Originally posted by dark bar:
I can't wait to try one of those longnecks. For me, B2B with a capo at the 2nd fret would work great for my vocal range and to bring the action down a bit. How are these things for fingerpicking with those heavy strings? Beal - bring your 2080D...(and don't forget the 75) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by 2ifbyC:
Unique bass ya built there! Great job... Thanks, it's a Ric 4005 tribute. Can't afford a vintage one, so I did something for myself. I'm a hobby builder, just do them for my own edification and use. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by dark bar:
I can't wait to try one of those longnecks. For me, B2B with a capo at the 2nd fret would work great for my vocal range and to bring the action down a bit. How are these things for fingerpicking with those heavy strings? The string set on there now isn't a heavy set (I need to get my calipers out and measure them tonight). They look like regular medium gauge guitar strings to me. I might put a heavy set on tonight or tomorrow. I'll report on it if I do. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| I measured the strings and they are a 56-14 set, so nothing beefy really. I might move up to a 62-16 like Beal suggested just to hear and feel the difference. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| OK, I've been looking at baritone strings and while I know some of them (68 or higher) might require that I enlarge the bridge channel to accommodate that size, I wouldn't be adverse to doing something like that. I have the tools and have done crazier things.
I guess the one thing I'd like to know is how much string tension can the bridge handle? If I wanted to put a set of 68-14 or 70-12's on it and tune to E, as the set was designed to do, would the bridge hold up (or on!)?
I'd really like to learn more about the bridge capacity on the longnecks. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | don't go to E |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Originally posted by Beal:
don't go to E I had a feeling that wouldn't work. Thanks, I'll stick to B. I will probably go with some slightly heavier strings though and see how that sounds. Maybe the 58 or 62's. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 2487
| Yeah, I have an Adamas 1 version of these guitars and I think mine might be strong enough to handle it for periods of time....and I have taken it to E to see, but it makes me nervous as this was a $3,800 guitar...and besides it defeats the purpose. Since I know your curious I will help you out and perhaps save you the need to try it....
Only way to do it is with a set of 13's and then you don't get the same scale note changes as the lower frets are designed to be spaced for "D" tunings. I run 14's on mine at "D" all the time now and it sounds great, again there is a difference in the sound of these guitars as yours and mine are actually very different but you'll get what you want in "D" you can tune to "C" nicly too but I do not do a lot of work that low and at "D" you can always use a capo on the second fret and you have a standard guitar tuned to "E" and the strings are softer to play as the tension is less. Makes sense right...
Experimenting in the lower tunings like "C" & "B" and I even had mine down to an "A" with the 16's is really cool but after a while it no longer sounds good to me when it gets that low. So I have been staying with the 14's. This thing shakes and sustains twice as long as a normal guitar in "D" and there are actually a lot of songs written in this tuning.
Dave Mathews has some in "C", Gimmy Page has a bunch of early work that used to stump me because he had alternate tunings and these guitars do them so well, Neil Young had several songs, lots of odd tunings with CSN and when your with other guitars this thing adds such a different acoustic sound by using different chord arrangements because you have more flexibility in tuning you'll learn and love to leave it in "D" or "C" and leave it alone.
I would Agree with Beal here....believe me of any of us; he'd know..... ..and say,.,,; """NEVER""" EVER tune those strings all the way to an E on your elite wood top, I am pretty sure at that lenght between the nut and the bridge that guitar is not made to withstand that kind of tension and you'll have to reset the neck rod and eventually if not right away you'll begin to pull the bridge over and bow the top.
Enjoy this guitar far what it is. Use a capo if your in need of a second guitar for normal tunings. If you want a normally tuned guitar buy a normal guitar right.
Randy |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Well, I'm convinced. This will be the next guitar purchase for me. (Not YET, but I'm hoping soon.) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | If you're using 12-52 you can do E, but why??
13-56 0r the 14-59 set I'd say D or C although the 14 will do B without too much flap. The nice thing is that to do open tunings the 5,4, and 3rd strings actually go up in pitch. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2010
Posts: 15
| Thanks so much guys, this is so helpful! Remember, I'm a bass player and I'm trying to learn more about guitar playing, but wanted to do something different than just picking up my 6 string and strumming away.
I hadn't really considered open tuning either, but now I've got something else to play with tonight. |
|
| |
Ovation Longneck questions