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September 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Pretoria, South Africa | Hi, everyone. I've been "lurking" around here for several months, and it's a lot of fun to read all the friendly "abuse" and banter flying around here.
I've been an Ovation fan since 1987, when I bought a Celebrity CC01 (I think). Been playing it all this time, until I got a Balladeer LX in August. I was seriously impressed with the upgrade!
However! I recently started noticing some extraordinary fret wear on the LX, and I've only been playing it for less than 3 months! I probably play no more than 1 hour per day in total, and I never saw fret wear on my Celebrity in 10 years.
How long are frets supposed to last? 10 years sounds about right for my playing frequency? I've only changed strings once, to D'Addario Extra Lights, so the only strings that the guitar has had on are the Lights that were fitted at the factory and the EL set that's on there now. Is it possible that a "bad batch" of fret wire was used on my LX?
At the rate the frets are going, I may have to replace them before the end of the year! I imagine they are covered under the Ovation warranty?
I really hope you guys can give me some advice! Thanks. |
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January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I would contact customer service right away. There should not be any noticable fret wear on a 3 month old guitar no matter how much you're playing it. I have a legend LX that is about 6 months old and has no sign of fret wear, and I play the guitar nearly every day for at least an hour and have played several 3 - 4 hour gigs with it.
I have a Martin that's pushing ten years old and there is some fret wear on that one, but it's not causing any problems, so I'm leaving it alone for now. A friend of mine has a 30 year old Martin that has only needed a fret job once.
Did you inspect the frets when you bought the guitar? Is it possible that someone screwed around with the frets before you bought it? Just a thought. Good luck. |
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September 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Pretoria, South Africa | John, I'm pretty sure the frets were brand new. I think I would have noticed the wear if it was that bad when I got the guitar. But the more scary reason is that it's been getting worse since I noticed it! I'll try and get a good photo and post it.
Would you know about warranty coverage on this? |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Fretware is from how often you play, they types of frets you have, the kind of strings you use and your personal body chemistry. Maybe one of those has changed? Maybe there are a different alloy fret on the aLeX model? |
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April 2004
Posts: 71
Location: Charlotte NC | My 1771 LX is 7 months old, I play about an hour a day, and 2-3 hrs on weekends. It's as good as new. |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Do you play a lot with a capo?
If so, what kind?
Does it fit properly? |
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September 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Pretoria, South Africa | "Fretware" ... now THERE's a new marketing term! Kind of in the vein of "hardware", "software", etc. Sorry, W-2, I know by now that spelling is not one of your priorities. :-)
How often I play has not changed. I can't answer for the type of alloy used in the LX frets. Certainly my body chemistry hasn't changed (how would you do that??? :-), and I've been using D'Addario strings for a decade. So no variables other than the guitar have changed.
I don't play with a capo AT ALL. I have one in my case, but it sorta feels like cheating ... :-)
My theory is that there is something wrong with the frets fitted to my LX. I don't know if this is possible.
Any word on whether these are included in the warranty? Surely wear at this rate HAS to be covered?
Thanks for all the input so far! |
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January 2004
Posts: 1225
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | Is the problem on one particular fret or is it on several frets? If one or two of the frets were slightly higher than the rest, that could cause them to wear out faster. If that were the case, the frets can be easily leveled. I would contact customer service and ask them. Ovation's customer service people are very good. If there is a defect in the guitar, I'm sure that they will fix it. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . . my body chemistry hasn't changed (how would you do that??? :-) . . ."
Come up and spend a weekend with me . . .
. . . I've managed to make a career of it . . |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | [QUOTE Certainly my body chemistry hasn't changed (how would you do that??? :-), [/QB]
You really don't want me to get into that do you? |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Al;
With THIS kind of "timing",
you and I should put a band together!
LOL!! |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Izak,
Unless you took a file or a hammer to it, I don't think it is anything you did. Contact the seller.
My bit of reckless speculation is that some fret material missed the heat treat process that hardens it up. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | Originally posted by cliff:
Al;
With THIS kind of "timing",
you and I should put a band together!
LOL!!
I am available |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Yeah, but that guitar you've got is . . .
. . . . just "wrong"!!! :D |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | Fretware, did someone say fretware?
www.fretware.com |
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March 2004
Posts: 201
Location: Vernon, CT | I have a new Balladeer LX and Legend LX. I've been playing them for several months and there is no sign of fret ware(great guitars). Forget the stuff about bio-crap and all the other silly stuff. Take it to the dealer and/or contact the Big O factory period. Something is wrong, it is a new guitar and under warranty. Play On!
John L.
Custom Legend 1779-USA
Legend LX 1777-LX
Balladeer 1771-LX
Std. Balladeer 1771
Tornado (1970)
Takamine 12 String
Martin D16GT
Fender Tele-
Fender Strat-
Fender P-Bass (1975) |
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January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | just gonna add....
Lack of cleanliness contributes to fretwear. Cleaning under the strings helps (it does!), as do clean hands. Any grit or grime on your fingers will help abrade the frets.
Ditto... if you "polish" those frets... be sure to really clean them well so you're not getting abrasive wear from that source too. |
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January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | Fretware, by that you mean slight depressions in the frets where the strings come in to contact with the frets. This should not happen with a guitar less than a year old or older. I can't imagine that happening, as Ovations (USA) use top quality materials. Contact Ovation.
I have a Vintage LX (Feb 2004) that I play everyday, no fretware here.
Tommy |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Originally posted by BruDev:
Fretware, did someone say fretware?
www.fretware.com
Thanks for the link. I just ordered a set of dots from them. For $12.50 I'll give 'em a shot. If I don't like 'em I'll take 'em back off.
/\/\/ |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | I suscept that you'll need to clean the fretboard thoroughly before applying them. |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | I got the dots today & put some on the 2002 tonight. I was wrong about when I ordered them, it was the 17th of last month, not the 3rd. The pix don't really do them justice, they actually look pretty damned nice! Easy to apply & they stick like nobodies business. You can still get 'em off if you want to though. I got one a tad off center & used the tip of my little pointy Case knife to pop it loose & move it. Didn't seem to hurt it any & it stuck back down fine. I can't feel 'em when I'm playing & you have to look REALLY close to tell they aren't inlaid. If I push the strings out of the way I can feel the edges with my fingertips but I can't feel them when I'm playing. All that remains to be seen is if they'll stay put. From what I've seen so far I think they will.
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September 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Pretoria, South Africa | Guys, I'd like to get back to the topic, if you don't mind. :-)
I have now contacted Ovation support, who have very politely told me that they are "sorry" about the problems with my guitar, but I'd have to send it for an "evaluation" before they can decide to repair it. Isn't this a bit funny? I need some assurance that it will be repaired before I arrange to ship the guitar to the States.
I've also contacted my dealer (bought over the Internet), and they are waiting for Ovation support to get back to them.
From what I've been reading on OFC, Ovation's support is great, but that's not my experience so far ... I've been waiting for almost a month since first contacting Ovation, and no resolution has been forthcoming.
I've even sent Ovation photos of the worn frets, but it hasn't made a difference.
Can anybody here refer me to someone in Ovation that I can discuss this with? |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 234
Location: Phoenix, AZ | Izak, I'm somewhat confused. Do you expect the Factory to tell you they'll give you another guitar or replace your frets without seeing your guitar? Doesn't anyone want to see a problem before committing to fix it? Now, the Ovation Factory has a long history of standing behind their products. You can either trust them to get you a guitar that meets all of their specifications or you can not trust them. If you trust them, you'll follow the lead of many who have relied on this trust, and been rewarded. If you don't trust the Factory, I don't know what anyone in the OFC can do for you.
A search of the Ovation web site shows one dealer in South Africa. If you bought your guitar from this dealer, they should help you. If you didn't buy from this dealer, then your recourse is with the Factory in the U.S. |
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January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Be assured Ovation will fix the problem. Fixed under warranty or not... well thats to be decided, but it will be fixed.
I'd REALLY love to see some pictures of the wear, and perhaps you can get some to Ovation via email as well? |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I'm interested to see how this turns out. Excessively worn frets on a brand new guitar is just an odd combination. I hope the place Izak bought it will do the right thing, even if they are not a direct dealer. But...something is odd. |
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Serious fret wear on 3-month old 1771LX
