NGD - OM-120, with a twist

[tailsawaggin]

Sold the Taylor yesterday.

In a not-so-distant past life I was a soccer referee. Started with AYSO, then as time went by and I got better, took on more competitive youth games, adult rec leagues, and finally high school. I got in the game too late in life to go after college or pro levels, but I did get to officiate league championship and state tournament elimination matches. It was a lot of fun and I met a lot of good people.

One of those people is a Facebook friend, and when his nine year old son who's been playing for six months saw my ad ten minutes after I posted it, I got a message. We set up an appointment for him to come and play, and I thought this might be fun -- I've been playing for about 15 months, he's been taking lessons for about six, and maybe we can show each other some things.

Well, he showed me some things, and I had nothing at all to show him. Kid's better than I am in all measures other than rhythmic consistency.

So, I did what anyone would do. I got his teacher's name and number. First lesson is this coming Tuesday.

The GS Mini is exactly what he wanted and it's a great fit for him. I hope he loves it as much as I did, and I hope he goes far with it.

 

[Rayk]

A thought popped up my head , go figure . Lol
So I'm not clear on where the prototype was actually made but if California I'm wondering what the finish is ? Nitro or poly ? ��

Oh let me add it was mentioned it was hard to play strings being hard. I didn't read a the threads but if you haven't tried put a capo on the first fret see that makes it better ? I need to try that as well as it looks as if the nut is a bit high .

 

[tailsawaggin]

Hey Ray, it's a poly finish and it's almost certainly MIC. I never did make that call, but the differences between this one and the current version are a satin neck, different headstock inlays, and who knows what else on the inside.

As for the strings, yeah, I feel like they're just a little stiff for my liking. I'd rather not tune down and capo, and I have some D'Addario NBs lying around, so I'll put them on when these strings have got to go.

 

[tailsawaggin]

Now she has a shield. Defense +6 versus slash damage, +2 against piercing attacks.

 

[Rayk]

She's pretty , no the capo is just to see if easier to once you put it on the first fret no tuning down .
My strings feel hard as well and the nut height looks pretty high.
I'll try to get measurements tomorrow .
What I will say is my finger board is as level as one could ask for , mind blown ! Lol

 

[tailsawaggin]

lol yeah, I wonder about neck relief since I'm in tune at open and twelve, and sharp at 5 and 7 . . . just don't have a tool that can measure .006 inches.

 

[Rayk]

lol yeah, I wonder about neck relief since I'm in tune at open and twelve, and sharp at 5 and 7 . . . just don't have a tool that can measure .006 inches.

Um .006 ? Is the relief ? I don't like relief but I guess .006 might be ok . Lol

 

[Cougar]

...So, I did what anyone would do. I got his teacher's name and number. First lesson is this coming Tuesday....

Well done! There's certainly lots to learn, so might as well speed up the input.

 

[Rayk]

lol @adorshki, good stuff.

So just some follow-up on the instrument itself, I'm really digging it. Since I got it, at least until tonight, it's been the only member of the stable I've taken out of the barn. I think this is my "do everything" six-string that I've been looking for -- it's easier to play and sounds better than my GS Mini, and it's easier to play and has 90% of the sound of the D-125 . . . the dreadnought has a big, beautiful bass that just rings for days, and the OM-120 does lack that . . . and the D-125-12 is a whole other animal. It kind of stands by itself.

The difference between a 1 3/4" neck and 1 11/16" doesn't sound like much, but I'm finding that for me, a wider neck is just easier to play. As a beginner every bit of help . . . helps . . . and I'll take all the help I can get! She needs some softer strings still, but she feels like the right path.

Tails , I mentioned mine felt a little hard on the fingers as well . I checked the action and it's within specs but room for adjustment.
String height at 2th fret .080 Low E and same at high E .
Nut height looks like I can drop it a bit but I left for now .
I dropped the high E 2mm changed strings to Elixer Nano Weds which I use a lot and it's much easier on the fingers .
Thought I'd share oh and have new pins pins coming those plastic ones I have are garbage.

 

[tailsawaggin]

Nice! I'm getting closer to the string change as well. Last night I had to crank and crank and crank on the G to get it in tune. Once in it stayed that way, but that hasn't been normal behavior for it.

I'm going to wait a bit before making any setup changes. I'm so green that my issues are almost certainly related more to technique than equipment.

 

[Rayk]

Nice! I'm getting closer to the string change as well. Last night I had to crank and crank and crank on the G to get it in tune. Once in it stayed that way, but that hasn't been normal behavior for it.

I'm going to wait a bit before making any setup changes. I'm so green that my issues are almost certainly related more to technique than equipment.

I hear ya , if need help give us a shout out !