TR;

I find that to be strange--it seems like the neck should be totally locked in or not. If what you say is true, with the classical Journey, do you suppose using the higher saddle would then result in a low set up with an extreme lock down?

I wonder if anyone else has had your experience in fully tightening the neck?

I always tighten mine down to the max. I want a consistent stable, fixed position so that when adjusting action--the action will be the "same" each time, provided I tighten it down fully each time. It's a very strong piece of hardware and I have no worries that it would be possible to "over-tighten" it. I use all the strength I have and put pressure on the neck back and forth to see if it is possible to tighten it even further. I follow the same procedure each time. If it were not fully tight position each time--then I could not be upset if the action was slightly different each time. If fully tight--it's always the same for me.

If you do have it fully tight, and there is buzzing, then a different saddle is in order (maybe nut). Otherwise adjusting by loosening the nut will result in satisfaction only after guessing and readjusting until it plays like you want. But the locking mechanism wasn't designed to be a tool to adjust the action with.

It's actually a rare event for me to need to take it apart for travel. Most of it's time is spent in the neck on, tightened on position. I leave it that way and it seems to be eternally stable.

I didn't buy it just for travel. The ergonomics were a HUGE draw for me--especially the added Manzer wedge, the one thing Emerald does not do as standard.

But I will say that when travel is needed, the quick take down and packing of the Journey is a very big added bonus for me.

[BTW, the Manzer wedge is how it's commonly referred to. But some time ago, a thread on AGF dedicated to the wedge shape had a chain of posts showing clearly that this design existed loooong before Manzer began to use it. True for guitars and other instruments as well. So the name Manzer is commonly connected and used with the wedge shape today, but did not begin with her.]

AC;

Thank you, once again, for weighing in.

It looks like I've sold the Kremona to a forum member. If the sale goes through then I will probably be scratching the Journey itch.

I'm not sure I want the duel source active pickup, but I do like having volume and eq control at the guitar. If the guitar is balanced then all I really need (want) is volume control.

I have a volume control cord but I need to see if it works with a passive pickup. I'm thinking that if I start with the cord control at its lowest possible setting while the amp is set at a high volume I might be able to control the volume at the instrument. Hummmm????

chugging along.....................

Journey OC660M
 

I tighten it. It’s stable.
But I don’t use all my strength to tighten it to the max as AC does.
If I did mine would be unplayable. It may be a factor of mine not being optimally set up or perhaps needing the taller bridge.

Just sharing my experience as limited as it may be- I’ve only played/assembled/ owned one of these.

All experiences matter. That's part of what makes this such a great forum: I have yet to handle a Journey OC660M but I've been able to get information from way beyond my local reach.

Dear EvanB and TRose,

I remember some health issue with EvanB. Hope you are well recovered by now. Anyhow, I do have both OF and OC660, but I am relatively new to musical instrument world... So please take my observations and opinions with a large grain of salt.

The bodies of both have the same demensions but OC's bridge has been moved closer to the bottom with fewer frets to accomodate the full scale. Some of their wood versions are the same way. So it feels just like OF with wider and lighter neck. When I take my dog out late at night for a walk, I strap on my Journey and walk for an hour or so. OC660 is very comfortable where as OF660 starts to bug my trap muscles due to its heavy neck after a while.

For sound comparison, I have recorded OC660, OF660, Cordoba Cadette, Yamaha CG102 1/2 size and La Mancha 1/2 size a while ago. I am not at the level to provide any enjoyment when listening but I hope they will give you a rough sketch of how they compare in sound.

In my opinion, OC sounds very mellow, pleasant, dense, and quiet. Plugged in with just the SBT, it sounds very nice through Loudbox Mini. Not so, with my THR30iiA: unlike OF660, you could barely hear the amplified sound. So I installed their internal mike hoping an output boost from the active pre-amp. Well, first unit had issues but Journey staff and James had excellent customer sevice and sent me another unit which works like a charm and sounds more... airy?! (Btw, Journey's customet service system is well organized and you will not feel like you fell through the crack. Emails are faster than their web site dialog box.)

One difference that could be a deal-breaker is the nylon strings may not be a good match for a detachable neck. I have broken a high E string twice trying to put the neck in place. Now, I always loosen my strings quite a bit beforehand. The worst part is it takes a while for the strings to settle down. In other words, don't expect to play in tune right away. Unless I am getting on a plane, I do not break my OC660 down.

OC660 is not for everyone, but for me, having access to nylon no matter where I go gives me more play time and is a huge plus. I have taken my OF660 three times for months at a time to Korea and left a THR5A with a buddy of mine. Next time I go, I am planning on taking my OC660 and see how it fares compared to OF660.

Sorry for a lengthy post, I tried my best to make up for the lack of quality with volume. I hope this helps. Also, I got a n awesome deal on mine. If interested, I will find out if it is still available.

Gitaman

Gitaman;

Good to hear from you and thank you for the report. You mention sound tracks for various instruments, are they on this forum somewhere?

To answer my own question regarding volume control at the guitar with a passive pickup: I hooked the EDM Speed Cable to my Emerald 10 with a K&K passive pickup and my Roland Mobile Cube to see if the cable would work with a passive system. I slide the cable control to its lowest level and the amp to its highest level and found that I could, indeed, control my volume at the guitar.

Your observation regarding the airy sound from the active duel source makes me wonder if I should just get the duel source. But I don't like having a bunch of electronic stuff inside a guitar and believe that it diminishes the acoustic sound. Mathematicians write formulas with the mantra to pursue what is sufficient and what is necessary--the SBT may be the way I go.

My health has much improved and I am alive and back to enjoying this forum and the exploration of carbon fiber guitars.

Hope this finds you well and in good spirits.

Hooray, there is nothing that precedes good health, I am happy for you. In regards to pickups, if I had enough volume with the existing passive pickup, I would have preferred simplicity. But now, it is nice to have control over volume and tone.

Here is a copy of where I posted some samples:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gitaman View Post
I cannot figure out SoundCloud and the only way I could think of is to provide the link below. If it works, I will put up Yamaha CGS102A version to compare with.


Spire Studio Project (67).m4a - SoundCloud - Listen to Spire Studio Project (67).m4a by h2o on #SoundCloud

https://soundcloud.com/user-57265003...project-67-m4a
Call me crazy- the OC660 sounded punchy and powerful against the Yamaha. It sounds great!


Hmmm, it did not come out the way I envisioned. Let me try it one more time...

It is under Journey Roadtrip nylon by none other than EvanB.


https://soundcloud.com/user-57265003...project-67-m4a

EvanB,

I just tried the soundcloud and somehow I could not access my files. I have a copy on my cell, I can only upload it by creating a new thread. If you are still interested, please send me your email address and I will send it to you.

Btw, I am still following you on your pursuit of CF nylon and feel that CF could do much better with nylon.

Gitaman

Gitaman;

You are not alone--I was not allowed access, either.

I've been amazed at how successful cf is with steel string guitars and how poorly it does in projecting nylon sound. At one time I suggested the use of sound posts, as used in violins, to help enhance volume.

I may take you up on sending my email in order to hear the Journey compared to a Yamaha. thank you for the offer.

EvanB,

I don't know if you visit the Bay area often, but you are more than welcome to take it with you for a few weeks. I have a Cadette as a backup mylon. Just a suggestion.

Gitaman

Thank you Gitaman. But I am not doing any travel at the moment, other than in my small village and on the global net.

Have you had a visit with Blackbird Joe?

I am about to place an order for a classical Journey with a white top. I am checking out the price with and without the duel source active pickup system. I want an active system but I do not need a duel source system and I do not like body bags.

What I'd like is a battery box at the butt of the guitar and volume and tone control wheels at the sound hole. I will be asking James if and he and Rob would consider the electronic system I would like. The materials would cost less than the duel source system and there would be very little extra labor involved in cutting the hole for the battery box.

Emerald Guitars made a lot of advances by allowing players to customize. Alistair got to play around with a variety of possibilities some of which became popular options in his current Build Your Own program. James and Rob have been been very exploratory and hopefully will consider what I'd like to see in my Journey.

That’s great to hear, Evan. I hope you get it just as you would like.
Please let us know your thoughts once you have the guitar in hand.
Best,
Tom