Lately I've seen quite a few older Arabic ouds that have irregular tops. Typically there is some dipping in front of the bridge and on one side or
both sides of the large sound hole, a rise or bump in the top. The bracing on these ouds is still intact as far as I can see. Is there anything that
can be done to correct this or is it something that cannot be reversed?
I know tis effect from acoustic guitars. Mostly to the effect that a guitar built for nylon strings was equipped wth steel strings. Higher tension on
the bridge was no good for the top. In my opinion this is irreversible except you give the instrument a new top.