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June 2007
Posts: 67
Location: upstate ny | these arent ovation specefic...just a few questions.
1. is a humidifier necessary? If so, what is a reliable one to purchase?(I am getting a celbrity deluxe)
2. what is the benefits of different gauge strings??
thanks. and sorry for the stupid questions. |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Don't need a humidiofier in NY.
Switch to medium strings to be a true blewgrasser, otherwise stay with the lights. |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Guitars with a lot of wood, braces and glue should be kept in 30-60 % humidity. The less wood, braces, and glue your guitar is made of the less you have to worry about it. Dave |
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December 2004
Posts: 4394
Location: East Tennessee | Where in upstate N.Y.?
I didn't bother to answer your questions since the previous posts said it all. :cool: |
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June 2007
Posts: 67
Location: upstate ny | thanks for the answers.
im from schoharie...about 40 minutes from albany |
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October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | Just outside Syracuse here and, while I do pay a little attention (I little is all I have) to the humidity level, I've never had a problem with any guitar - wood or Ovation. Just go to Home Depot or Lowe's, get a $15 hygrometer and look at it every couple of days. You should be fine but that $15 will save you a world of worry.
On the strings, general rule is the heavier, the thicker the tone. The lighter, the easier to play. See cwk's post above. |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 67
Location: upstate ny | what is the best/your favorite brand of strings? As far as electric goes ive always stuck to elixers...are the acoustic elixers good??
thanks! |
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October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | You'll get a lot of different opinions on strings. The best plan of attack is to buy about 6 or so different brands and try each for a few weeks to see which you like best.
On my daughter's Ovation Elite T, the Martin Marquis Phosphor Bronze sound great.
I do not like the sound of 80/20 strings on any of my acoustics. They are far too "brassy" for my tastes. |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | d'addario EJ-16's. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Do a search for strings. You'll get pages of opinions. |
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January 2005
Posts: 640
Location: boulder | east coast huh, buy a humidity meter-as long as you are in the 40-65% range -you are ok. It is not that one percent is better then another, it is more you want to limit the swings in humidity( and temperature). remember the bowl is inert, the top is wood. So one contracts/expands while the other won't. In the summer the wood swells- in the winter (with the heat on) the wood shrinks.
I run a $40 humidifier with a % gauge in my "music" room. I fill it up once a week in summer and every two days in winter (In colorado).
Strings--real men use the heaviest gauge possible-I use medium lites -and really-just go to webstrings.com and buy them cheap. EXACTLY like car tires-most all the brand names are built at the same factory, with different names and prices put on later.(I might not be 100% correct-but I think I am). |
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July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Originally from outside of Syracuse [just like Weaser P] and now residing in the Long Island area, a humidifier is not needed in the summer time. In the late fall, when the heat begins to provide warmth in the home, a humidifier such as Dampit will get the job done. If you have a guitar with a center soundhole, the one that rests in between the D and G strings by Planet Waves will do just fine. Both the dampit and PWs gets filled about once a week. I stop using them between mid-April and Early May ... just have a feel for the environment as the outdoor temperatures get warmer. I have forced air heat, which dries up my home environment, so a humidifier is necessary.
See Weaser's and cwk's posts about strings. As far as brands are concerned, it's all just a matter of personal preference. I personally use D'addario EXP lights [12s], for I happen to be the type who change strings once every 2 1/2 - 4 months. I started on custom lights [11s] cos they're gentler on my fingers, and upgraded to 12s later.
My suggestion is to try different brands and types of strings, and see what best suits your taste and preference. Good luck. |
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Joined:
June 2007
Posts: 67
Location: upstate ny | wow. the strings on webstrings are incredibly cheap....so they sound good? have you compared them to other brands? that price seems too good to be true...but supposedly they supply a lot of pros...
hmm..I guess it cant hurt to try em out!
whats the difference between 80/20 and phospher?
thanks for all the opinions! |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Unless my ears are playing tricks on me, 80/20 strings sound better with my one and only Ovation, while phosphor bronze suits my Ms. |
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June 2007
Posts: 67
Location: upstate ny | maybe ill just try both... |
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September 2006
Posts: 347
Location: Reno, NV | Originally posted by unbrok3npp:
whats the difference between 80/20 and phospher?
Phosphor is warmer and more mellow than 80/20's. 80/20 are bright and "brassy".... lots of zing.
Color wise 80/20 is bright yellow like brass or gold. Phosphors look more like copper.
My favorites are:
1. Martin MSP4100 Phosphor Bronze 12-54.
2. D'addario EJ16 12-53
3. Dean Markley Alchemy LT 11-52
4. Martin Marquis 80/20 Light
Least Favorite:
1. DR Rare Light
2. D'addario EXP16
3. Elixir Nanoweb light |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Way back when I first visited here, I asked the "which strings" question.
You can do a search, you will get many answers...
But the most popular answer, and winner by consensus...
D'Addario EJ16 :cool: |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by Tupperware:
d'addario EJ-16's. !!!!16s!!!
What? Do you have thumbs for fingers!
Can you twist the tops off non-twist bottles?
Do you play bass? |
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March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | EJ-16's are a .012"-.053" light gauge set. |
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June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I've really gotten to like the Elixir med/lights (12-56) |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | As I always say the free strings are the best. I like Dean Markleys and Daddario's the best, if I must pay for them.
And I really don't care for coated strings, but if they're free I'll take them. |
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January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I recall a previous post with which I am now finding myself increasingly agreeing. I prefer whatever strings are free. I bought a dozen Adamas sets about a year ago and have used at least half of them. Now the pile of extra sets is at least two dozen strong, of several varieties, and I haven't purchased any of them (other than the remaining Adamas sets). They just seem to show up with other stuff (reunion, purchases from Al, freebies, etc). |
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April 2006
Posts: 1138
Location: CT | Yes, free is good. Or whatever is on sale. With a bunch of guitars to change, and no studio recording, most of the bronze wound strings sound close enough to each other to not justify dropping 15 bucks a set every couple of months for each guitar. I never even thought about humidity until I started on this board. In CT its warm & humid in the summer, cold and dry in the winter. Never used a humidifier, and none of my guitars has a problem. (my '84 CL :D )
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a couple random guitar questions...