Happy new year 2006 to everyone!

I have a concern regarding my 30s Oahu acoustic (round neck). I have strung it with .014 gauge Asher strings, and the top is "bellying up". It is tuned in open D. The top was warped with .012 gauge strings as well, but possibly a bit less.

I think the warped top is a permanent feature of this old guitar, and hopefully it is stable like it is, but to make sure, I wanted to check here if anyone here has any wisdom to share on this subject?

Would it be advisable to string it with .013 gauge strings instead? (The thing is, I really like the heavier Asher strings!)

Or could dropping the tuning to D-flat or C be a good option, to be "on the safe side" with the .014 gauge strings?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

Many thanks!

I have had a few of those old Oahu's, the best sounding one has a very warped top...Don't know what came first the great sound or the warp, but it doesn't really matter. What I use on all old guitars and Weissenborn's are Newtone Aloha strings. I tune mine to open D with no problem.
The deal is these strings reach pitch with a lot less tension than any other strings. IMHO they are the only strings to use on delicate or old guitars. Oops, just notice you are in the UK, that's where they are made! Give Malcolm a call.
http://www.dwmee.34sp.com/mechanics.htm
Cheers, Ron

[This message was edited by Ron Bednar on 05 January 2006 at 03:59 PM.]

What type/gauge would you recommend? .013 to .056 Masterclass?

Thanks!

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

Any other opinions on strings for an old Oahu?

What is the general opinion on Newtone .015 vs. Asher .014?

This guitar is so much fun to play! It will keep me busy while saving up for a custom Weissenborn.

Cheers,

Steinar

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www.gregertsen.com

[This message was edited by Steinar Gregertsen on 06 January 2006 at 08:30 AM.]

I've tuned down my Oahu to low C to be on the safe side, still with the Asher strings. It sounds great and seems stable - even though the warped top always looks a bit worrying, I think (and hope) it will stay the way it is.

Great that your Weissenborn is ready soon - it would be great to see more pics and hear some soundclips when you get it!

Take care!

I'm fooling around with all sorts of things on the Oahu, trying to improve my skills. Mostly "rootsy" stuff at the moment. The low C tuning has a nice growl to it.

Fred

[This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 31 January 2006 at 06:23 AM.]

Cheers Ron

[This message was edited by Ron Bednar on 31 January 2006 at 10:00 AM.]

That seems very interesting. The problem is, my Oahu has an aluminium bridge, and the strings are attached to the bridge externally (they do not go through the top). Does this mean the bridge doctor can't be installed on my Oahu?

Cheers,

Fred

[This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 31 January 2006 at 04:05 PM.]

Thanks for the tip where I may buy Newtone Aloha strings in the land of oz. I think they would be a good thing for my new Weissenborn as well. Would you agree with that statement?

Cheers

I have the same bridge set up, strings on the outside. My idea (I have lot's of them and they don't always work) was to add a brass plate inside and attach it (bridge doctor of my own making)from the two bolts that hold the bridge in place. The brass plate would have a post coming down in the center to make a T shape under the bridge. From a hole in the bottom of the "T" I was planning to run a peice of small allthread back to the end block. At the conection at the bottom of the "T" I was planning to put two nuts to ajust the tension.

Exactly how warped is the top of your Oahu that you mentioned earlier in this thread? And how much is the bridge pulled up?

My Oahu is in the following state:

The (round) neck is slightly bent, and there is a small gap where the neck meets the body.

The top is anything but even. It's "bellying up" quite a bit between the bridge and the bottom of the guitar. The (aluminium) bridge itself is lifting from the top at the edges, but I think this is just an effect of the warped wood - the bridge is cast aluminium. The top is warped around the soundhole as well, sort of "folded" a bit.

On a normal guitar, all this would sound horrible, but this Oahu seems stable like this. It sounds GREAT! But I'm worried about the warping getting worse or the guitar breaking. It only cost $81, but it's not like I could just go the shop and get another one with the same tone, so I want to ensure that at least the state of the guitar does not deterioate any further.

Any further advice from fellow Oahu owners would be most appreciated!

I will contact the JLD people and see if they can help me - thanks for letting me know about that!

Cheers,

Fred

[This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 01 February 2006 at 02:01 AM.]

My Oahu sq neck seems to be in about the same condition as your round neck...dramatic wave from the sound hole back and wood bridge tilted forward and down with the sound hole itself warped. But the guitar sounds big, very full and rich. I've had several and this one has the biggest sound. I wonder what the BD will do to it? I'm going to try it on the next paycheck.

I am not familiar with Asher strings, but I do know some about Newtones. Newtone Alohas are made to come to pitch with less tension than regular strings. The core is round rather than hex shaped and they seem to gather less crud and oils from hands etc so they last longer. The difference in sound, and harmonic overtones is noticeable, especially on Weissenborns and the older wood guitars like the Oahus. They definately bring out that 'ethereal" Weiss sound. My Oahu is tuned to open D. I had Malcome make some custom sets of heavier gauge Alohas for my reso and I really liked the fuller, warmer sound and the angelic overtones, also tuned to open D. I gave a set to Pete Grant to try but Pete found the bass string kept drifting off about 12 cents or so and he couldn't keep it in tune, he gave them thumbs down. I later switched back to Pearses for the reso. I still have a pack of the heavier Alohas, if somebody wants to play around with them I'd be happy to drop it in the mail.
Cheers, Ron

[This message was edited by Ron Bednar on 01 February 2006 at 08:54 AM.]

On the subject of Newtone strings. The windings are loose on the round core so you can't cut them to length before fitting them. They don't respond well to being taken on and off when you are setting up a guitar either. Correctly fitted I've never had tuning problems with them.

Ron, I contacted the "bridge doctor" people - they got back to me at once, a very friendly guy. He hadn't come across an aluminium bridge like this before, but offered some advice and apologies that he couldn't offer a "pretty" solution. He also told me, that if a 70 year old instrument with a warped top was to "fly apart", it would probably have done so by now.

Bill, many thanks for your input! Interesting ideas. Unfortunately I haven't got the tools for such improvements to the guitar.

D Schubert - thanks for sharing your Oahu experience as well. It is reassuring to hear that everyone seems to have these warping issues with these great old guitars. Mine stays in tune in C, it has no cracks, and it sounds great. I'm less concerned about the warping now that I've heard your stories and tips for reinforcements should they be needed. Thanks!

I will for sure check out the Newtone strings.

Cheers,

Cheers,

Fred

[This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 17 February 2006 at 03:31 AM.]

Sorry to hear your back from vacation, I always go through bad withdrawls.

A small donation to the forum would be fine. These old instruments are just wonderful thing that pass through are hands,its nice to give them a second chance at a long life. If you want Im going to work up a bidge doctor for my Oahu. Im going to go with a V shape with tabs at the top that will fasten to the bridge nuts and a nut at the bottom to take a threaded rod to the end block. Don't get me wrong Im not a luthier,just a shipwright left over from the woodenboat building era that loves to ticker with old guitars.

If you would like to e-mail me your home address and possible a couple of pictures of the guitar top that would be great.

Good sailing to you too!