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Location: Georgia USA | Several months ago I found a beautiful 2778LX USA Elite Standard on this site and was fortunate enough to obtain it. Yesterday, I finally made a short road trip to my luthier's shop for a set up and some tweaking I wanted to make her more playable to my taste. When I arrived at the shop, four other players were already there and they were all in a jam session with one of the luthier's customs and three Martins. These ranged from 1957 O models to newer D35s. As the luthier began to work on my guitar (yes, he did the work while I waited!), another fellow player came in with a Guild to change strings but joined the jam for a bit.
The neck on my O was adjusted, a shim removed, the nut was filed on three string areas, etc., then new D'Addario 80/20 .12s were put on. He tuned it on the bench and handed it to me. I strummed it once and the jam session stopped immediately. I played it a bit and others were asking if they could try it (the loved the contoured back). Moments later, two of the other players were wanting to know what it would cost to get their own O!
I loved it. Great Saturday, great results on my gorgeous O, and new found appreciation for the O with some really good players. |
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Location: Thredbo, NSW, Australia | What a cool story! That would have been fun. |
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Location: Yokohama, Japan | Okay, okay... let me get this straight... a story about an O stealing the show over Martins written by "Taylorcrazy"? Is it just me, or has the world turned upside down? Sorry. Taylorcrazy, just couldn't resist, Lol!
Edited by arumako 2016-06-12 8:06 PM
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Location: Georgia USA | Hmm...yeah, that does need an explanation. In the mid-70s, I bought my first nice guitar and it was a brand, spanking new Ovation Legend. I played it for many years. The electric players loved it but some of my friends who played more acoustic had to become believers with hands on experience. Well, the top of the O split and I sent it back to the mother ship. While it was gone, I bought a Taylor and loved it. The Legend came back in beautiful shape and a friend wanted it badly and I made the mistake of selling it. I have since owned just about every brand of great acoustic including Martin, Gibson, Santa Cruz, Taylor, R Taylor, etc., etc., etc. All have come and gone but the R Taylor. So, on other sites, Taylorcrazy became my name and I kept it here. I never got over my Legend and decided last year that I'd find a "...great used Ovation for a great price.." Turned out to be much more difficult process than I had expected. I did, however, find my Elite Standard and have been in love from th.e first strum. It was very good before, but it is spectacular now.
All the guys at the jam were impressed with my O's looks, sound projection, playability, tone...and they didn't even hear it plugged it!!! Really good, used Os have crept up a bit in price and I believe that will continue once the new production models start to hit the streets. I haven't played a 50th Anniversary model yet, but I sure would love to. You know what? It feels really great to be home! BTW, thanks very much Patch for the info you provided during my search for my "new" O.
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Location: closely held secret |
People take their guitar to a luthier to get the strings changed? Isn't that like taking your car to the dealer to get the windshield washed?
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Waskel - 2016-06-12 9:08 PM People take their guitar to a luthier to get the strings changed? Isn't that like taking your car to the dealer to get the windshield washed? I have also heard of this strange phenomenon and wondered how they could "play" a guitar but not Be able to change their strings. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | If you can afford it, it might be worth it for a Pacemaker. 
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Location: Sydney, Australia | When you think about it, rich musicians pay roadies to tune their guitars. |
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Location: Canada | I have been taking my 1687 out to the acoustic jams lately, where there is a good diversity of instruments, including some very old and higher end Martins and custom built guitars and mandolins. But I inevitably get comments like "oh we haven't seen one of these in a very long time" and I think it fits in very well with the fiddles and others. |
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Location: Georgia USA | Sorry, double post.
Edited by Taylorcrazy 2016-06-13 5:16 PM
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Location: Georgia USA | Well, I didn't take my Ovation to my luthier for just a string change. He adjusted the truss rod, took out a shim, filed three of the nut slots, oiled the neck and bridge, ensured the neck bolts were tight, checked all the tuner nuts and screws (tightened a couple of each) and then changed the strings. All was part of the set up I took the guitar to him to perform. I stated in the original post that I took it to him for a set up and a few other tweaks. I will admit that I don't enjoy changing strings, but I do so since I cannot afford to pay someone to do so. Say, once my teenage son gets a little more proficient at string changes, I may really have my own roadie!!! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Actually Taylorcrazy, I believe Waskel and myself were referring to the other fellow in your story.....
Taylorcrazy - As the luthier began to work on my guitar (yes, he did the work while I waited!), another fellow player came in with a Guild to change strings but joined the jam for a bit. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I hope you have better luck getting your kids to do stuff for you than I did. I suggested that my adult daughters change strings on several of my guitars when they came to visit last Christmas. They came to visit, but decided they'd rather buy me stuff than change guitar strings. I still haven't changed the strings on all that need it. I'm too easily distracted.
I did loan a guitar that needed new strings to Waskel for a week and it came back with new ones on it. That worked pretty slick, but I don't think he'd fall for it a second time. |
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Location: Georgia USA | Well, shoot, I completely missed that, Stephen28. Sorry guys. I STILL like the thought about my son becoming a string changing roadie for me!!!! Mark, maybe I'll better luck with my son since he is still in his early teens...AND he is wanting an Ovation of his own. Hmmm....I am certain we can work something out. |
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Location: Jet City | I know lots of folks that THINK they can change strings but would have been better served having someone else do it.
Cool story. Usually those wood box guys won't admit liking our plastic guitars (even if they secretly do) |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | I'm curious as to how you can screw up a string change?? |
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Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Glad you found what you were clearly looking for TC! Enjoy!  |
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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota | Damon67 - 2016-06-13 7:12 PM
Cool story. Usually those wood box guys won't admit liking our plastic guitars (even if they secretly do)
Very Cool!!! I love the shocked look on people's faces when they have this preconceived notion that Ovations suck, and then play one. It is like an awakening!! LOL!!!
And NerdyDave, you should have seen the bad string job on my 47-RI when it came, and from a Guitar Shop too! I was looking at that wondering how the devil you could screw that up so badly. I enjoy changing strings and oiling the fretboard and bridges, polishing the frets, it is very relaxing work. Polishing the face is Great, I see a new power tool in my future, and a trip out to StewMac's site!!! Thanks to Dr Savage, I now also enjoy changing tuning buttons, and customizing my guitars! LOL!!! Thank you Dan!!! I already have plans to trick out "Bear" (BearClaw Anniversary)! |
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Location: Always beautiful canyon country of Utah | Wish you had a pic Nancy. Worth a thousand words. But I guess I still have a lot to learn before departing this mortal coil!! I also enjoy changing strings, cleaning the face and the fretboard, and just giving the guitar a little love!! A token repayment for all the pleasure they give me! |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I used a B string for the high E once and when I figured out my error it was cut too short to fit where it was supposed to go. |
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Location: Jet City | nerdydave - 2016-06-13 9:27 PM I'm curious as to how you can screw up a string change?? Many do too many winds. I found this picture on the web from a guy complaining about his guitar always going out of tune... 
Too f'n many winds, and guess what? This is how Fender shipped it to him from the factory! More winds = won't stay in tune. This is a mild example. I've seen them tied at the end then wound (impossible to remove without cutting and usually string stabbing yourself) and quite often wound so many times that there's a second layer winding back up the peg. Here's mine. First wind goes over, and the rest go under the excess string coming out of the hole to grip it from pulling through... done! I'll add a bit more as I work my way down to the high E, but never more than a few winds. 
Edited by Damon67 2016-06-14 2:24 PM
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Location: GA USA | I know that's a pic to show how you wind a string, but it's a mighty pretty pic. |
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Location: NJ | I don;t know if too many windings actually makes a difference |
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Location: Colorado | I try to get 2 wraps then the third with the tuck through...never had an issues with too few or too many....I am with you OMA, a slotted head 12 stringer takes practice....Gotta love the guy who cuts the string prior to winding tho! |
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Location: Indiana | I keep my wraps as tidy as Damon. Lock the string under the first wind, then a couple more. It's worth noting that BB King notoriously wound the entire string length on Lucille.... worked pretty well for him. |
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Location: Jet City | I've heard that about BB too.
Where it counts most is with an electric, especially if you have a non-locking trem.
I've heard some people like to wind them to the bottom of the post to increase the break angle on the string, but that just seems like silliness to me. |
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Location: Colorado | If that would matter the most, then get a slotted head...I don't know ... I think it is the player more than anything. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | Captain Lovehandles - 2016-06-15 10:27 PM I know that's a pic to show how you wind a string, but it's a mighty pretty pic. Damon has a gift like that. How are you Jas? You don't seem to come here very often these days. |
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Location: Austin, Tx | I had the same experience the first week I owned my Patriot. '76 in Houston. Went down to a large park and saw a group of guys under a big tree playing away. They were GOOD! Two of them had matching Martin D35s. I was a kid of 16 so I kind of listened holding my Patriot like a whimp. Then they played some Neil Young I knew. I started in and played the lead and one of the guys actually could sing in falsetto like Neil so away we go. Now I was still intimidated. And I was kinda taking the quiet route not playing hard at all. After about 3 songs one of the Martin guys turned to me and asked if I could play lower. So I took out the softest pick I had and basically hardly strummed at all. That has happened a lot over the years. Good ole Deep Bowls....ha |
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My O stole the show at the Martin jam!