The Roundback Mandolin & Mandocello
The first acoustic electric Roundback Mandolin and
Mandocello on the mar ket, the Ovation model MM68 and
MC868 afford the man do lin ist an easy answer for recording
or amplifying on stage.
We recommend Genz•Benz Acoustic Amplifi ers, which have
been designed to complement our pickup and preamp system,
for Mandolins, Guitars and Basses.
Maintenance and set up of the Mandolin is similar to that
of Roundback guitars. However, there are a few points you
should know.
Action Adjustment
Factory settings for the Mandolin are :
5/64" on the low G
4/64" on the treble E
Measurements are the distance between the bottom of the
string and the top of the 12th fret. You can adjust your action
settings by adding or removing shims. See details on shim
adjustments in the guitar section of this manual.
Strings
The Ovation Mandolin and Mandocello are strung in a non-
tra di tion al way, which makes restringing quicker and easier.
Our bridge design also contributes to a strong, clear sound,
both acous ti cal ly and acoustic electrically.
The stringing method requires that you use strings with ball-
ends. Ovation ships these instruments with the following
gauges of phos phor bronze strings.
MANDOLIN MANDOCELLO
(2) .038-G (2) .074-C
(2) .024-D (2) .048-G
(2) .016-A (2) .034-D
(2) .011-E (2) .022-A
Kaman Musical String also offer an Adamas Mandolin string
set num ber "8080" for Mandolin and "9090" for Mandocello,
which feature ball ends.
To Replace The Battery:
The battery on all OP30, OP40, OP50 and OP Pro preamps
is located behind the preamp module. Release the preamp
by pushing the button on the left side. Simply slide the cover
on the back in the direction of the arrow to gain access to
the battery.
Please do not discard batteries or electronic parts
into municipal waste stream. Dispose of all potentially
hazardous material properly.
The Adamas Top
The single feature that sets Adamas gui tars apart from other
Ovation Roundbacks and especially from the other acoustic
gui tars, is the top.
A guitar top should be strong, yet light
and resonant. It's the fl exibility of the top
that largely determines the sound output.
Even the best spruce tops have their
lim i ta tions. Too thick, and the tone is weak
and har mon i cal ly limited. Too thin, and the
top can warp and crack. The Adamas top
solves both of these problems.
Called a Fibronic soundboard, the Adamas top is built with
two .005" carbon-graphite outer layers with a .030" layer
of birch veneer in the center bonded together under high
tem per a ture.
Fans and braces have been developed spe cifi cal ly for the
Fibronic soundboard to achieve the design goal of ±3db
am pli tude response over the entire playing range of the
guitar.
Contributing to the thin, resonant top are the unique and highly
recognizable soundholes of the Adamas. By sub sti tut ing the
one large center hole of a traditionally designed guitar with the
symmetrical series of holes in the upper bout, the strength of
the top has been greatly increased and the sound dramatically
improved. The pattern and size of the holes were designed
to minimize feedback when playing at extremely high gain
or high volume conditions.
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