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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | A while back, I made a stupid mistake by filing the bottom of the saddle to lower the action on my balladeer. As I previously mentioned, the action was low alright, and played like a dream. However, the saddle was filed to the point that it was no longer making contact with the undersaddle pickup. As a result, the guitar cannot be amplified.
Now that I have a new saddle, I still want to keep the action as comfortably low as it is right now. However, I do not want to repeat the same mistake, hence the question in the subject above.
I will file the bottom only up to a certain extent that there will still be "teeth" to make contact with the pickup. Afterwards, can the top be filed to lower the action further?
Gil |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The trick is to make sure the bottom is flat so you have full contact. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3651
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | A few words: Belt sander, bench-type, fine grit, LIGHT pressure. Should produce a dead-flat bottom. "Break" the bottom edge with 600 Wet-or-dry paper. Go slow, or have several extra saddle blanks! A good set of feeler gauges, and a digital caliper helps a lot, too. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Don't confuse the Ovation Thinline with an aftermarket under-saddle type. As Bill said, with these type of pickups the saddle slot and base of the saddle must be absolutely flat or you'll have string-balance problems. Pickups which have the piezo elements & saddle in a single unit are different and have their own particular quirks. I'd avoid making any alterations to the Ovation CP100 Thinline pickups unless you know exactly what you are doing. The correct way to make action adjustments with this type of pickup if all the shims have been removed is to have the saddle-slot routed deeper, otherwise you can find yourself in exactly the situation you are in. While it's possible to make adjustments the way you suggest a better approach would be to keep the new saddle intact have a tech install the entire assembly by routing the slot to the correct depth to give you the action you want. |
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Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 3651
Location: Pacific Northwest Inland Empire | YIKES!! You're right as usual, Paul. I forgot about the construction of the Thinline pickups. Unless you have a milling machine to make a new saddle (with slots on the bottom), you probably are better off routing the sadddle slot in the bridge. Either prospect needs precision and competence. Find a good technician for the job, and get plenty of references, attesting to their skills. |
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March 2003
Posts: 555
Location: Wooster, Ohio | When I got my Doubleneck it needed to have the action improved. It has two CP100,s. I took it to a very good guitar shop in Akron and they filed the tops down keeping the curvature. It works perfectly. I could not have done this myself. So I would find someone near you that does set ups for a living. It is worth the money, it made my doubleneck very playable.
Steve |
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Joined:
July 2004
Posts: 812
Location: Hicksville, NY | Thanks for all the input! Your advice and recommendations were exactly what I needed to make it happen. Those thin-line pickups were far more complex than I had anticipated. After seeing those gel-like substance under the saddle, I thought that I really messed up! The saddle was a modified TUSQ PQ 9600-00, which was purchased through a special order. It's not the perfect match from the original one that I ruined, but it's the closest thing to it. To make a long story short, I realized this time, I was not as daring as I used to be that I end up taking it to a profesisonal to finish what I started (or should I say repair what I destroyed! :rolleyes: ). In the end, the results were absolutely amazing! It's so nice to hear my balladeer amplied again, and filling my living room with that rich and bright "Ovation tone."
Thanks again for all the advice, thoughts and recommendations.
Peace!
Gil |
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If I can't file at the bottom, the top perhaps?
