[scott58]

Besides my Dean I have an Esteban master Class. It's really not that great (for several reasons). But I did learn alot from this Estebsn package and I am glad i bought it. The whole experience has been great. I don't really want to just through it in the closet and forget about it. Tomorrow I'm going to have Martin strings put on it (SP #11's) and have the guy check it out. They tell me the bridge cab be lowered, but i'm not sure if that would be worth the cost ($75) and the electronics never did work but i'm not even going to mess with that I just use it as an acoustic anyway. Any other trick to make a cheap guitar better? It really doesn't have a bad sound either if it can just be made a bit more playable. Strings for sure. Anything else you guys can recommend is appreciated.

[eddiez152]

When you string it, try to keep some extra lights on it. What did it come with when you got it ?

[scott58]

Not real sure what's on it. they are bigger then a buddies SP 11's, but i don't have calipers to varify.

[allthumbs]

Use it as a slide guitar.

[fly135]

If by lowering the bridge they mean shaving the saddle or removing a shim then try doing it yourself. You should be able to get another saddle cheap if you cut it too much.

[JessThrasher]

I like the idea of modifying guitars. Go for it!

[scott58]

Took it in a little while ago. They're going to adjust the neck, shave the bridge and change the strings. If this works out cool I may get the electrics fixed later.

While in the store I start looking around and pull an Ovation Custom Legend 1769 off the shelf. My oh My!! That guitar is going to be a christmas present to myself!! I never even plugged it in. The sound unplugged was just amazing.

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by scott58

Took it in a little while ago. They're going to adjust the neck, shave the bridge and change the strings. If this works out cool I may get the electrics fixed later.

While in the store I start looking around and pull an Ovation Custom Legend 1769 off the shelf. My oh My!! That guitar is going to be a christmas present to myself!! I never even plugged it in. The sound unplugged was just amazing.

Hi, I've got an electro acoustic that I got cheap but don't play much, the action is too high for me, the neck is straight. Would it be ok to shave the nut and saddle down to get the same action as my other guitars, should the string indents on the nut be quite shallow on this guitar they're quite shallow but on my Yamaha Acoustic they're a bit deeper could you recommend the best strings for an electro Acoustic the ones I have on now are quite heavy.

Cheers

Chris

[scott58]

I'm to new at this to recommend anything. I made my choices based on what i've read here and other forums. Alot of people like the Martin SP #11's., but others may be just as good. I'll let you know when I get the guitar back if I made the right decision.

[starsailor]

Originally Posted by fly135

If by lowering the bridge they mean shaving the saddle or removing a shim then try doing it yourself. You should be able to get another saddle cheap if you cut it too much.

Hello fly135, I'm a complete novice in regards to modifying saddles and nuts, in my previous post I described the problem with my electro acoustic, could you give me a basic idea of the best tools to use or can I just use a modelling knife and standard sandpaper or for example.
Thanks to scott58 for replying to my post I think I'll try a set of Martin 11s, good luck with your guitar and hope you get your Christmas present.

Cheers

Chris

[scott58]

Just got the Esteban Master Class back. The improvement is incredible. The Martin Sp 11's are great on it. Having the neck straightened and the action lowered was exactly what it needed. It had pretty good sound quality to begin with, but now its awesome. No string buzz anywhere whatsoever. Good positive feel from the strings now when changing chords (I like the way Martins feel under my fingers). The body is a bit bigger and it has a deeper tone then my Dean V-Wing. Not quite the quality of that guitar, but it's miles ahead of where it was. I'm glad I put the extra money in it. In the long run it saved me hundreds on a different one and it now rivals guitars in the $250 to $300 range. Sweet!

[fly135]

Scott, it's great when you get your guitar spot on.

Starsailor, sorry I missed your post earlier. Just pop the saddle out of the bridge and rub it on some sandpaper to shave it down. If you go too far you will need to get another saddle so you may want to scout that out first. Or just do a little at a time. The truss rod adjustment interacts with the string height so if you strings start buzzing as you lower them, that's another consideration.

[Chris C]

Hi,

Great to hear that you got such an improvement and now have another good guitar. Excellent story.

Not really relevant now, but if I had a really crummy guitar that wasn't worth fixing I'd use bits of it to custom make a practice tool that I could leave in the car. Handy for those times when I'm waiting around for something and can just work on fingering. It shouldn't be too hard to make a small modified solid 'body' that would hold a bridge, and feel about right, yet still fit easily in the lap when sitting in a car seat.

Trouble is, whenever I think I have a crummy guitar that would suit, I let someone else play it. Miraculously, the guitar must know what this 'test' means and they suddenly decide to sound good! Funny that....

I have a friend who owns the local music shop and he says that the biggest fault with most guitars is "the knob that holds them..." Whatever can he mean? I checked the strap knobs on mine, and they all look fine???

Cheers,

Chris

[fly135]

"I have a friend who owns the local music shop and he says that the biggest fault with most guitars is "the knob that holds them..." Whatever can he mean?"

He must be referring to the loose nut behind the fretboard.

[Chris C]

Originally Posted by fly135

He must be referring to the loose nut behind the fretboard.

That's the strength of it. He's just not quite as polite as you are.