After today's laborious physics test I headed down to the university post office, because I noticed that Jameel's first oud had arrived from Jonathan.
It took a few minutes to adjust to a sound different from my Sukar but wow, it is amazing. Loud and bright are the best descriptions for its sound I
can come up with at the moment. The oddest part is that the oud's small size, grooved ribs, texture, and sound remind me a good deal of the very first
oud my uncle gave me when I was a year old or so; I ended up sitting on it and shattering the soundboard, but kids do what kids do.
Jonathan, thank you for an awesome buyer's experience, and Jameel, thank you for a straight up awesome sounding instrument. Here's a quick recording I
made with it.Aymara - 11-18-2009 at 01:00 PM
Congratulations to your beast
Though it's impossible to get a feeling for the oud's sound quality with a 40kBit MP3, your playing is great ameer - 11-18-2009 at 01:09 PM
Saying someone is a beast is another way of saying someone is straight up awesome. Appologies to non-native English speakers.Aymara - 11-18-2009 at 01:20 PM
Saying someone is a beast is another way of saying someone is straight up awesome.
Yes, and your new oud is awesome too, so why not call it a beast then itself? ... I thought ameer - 11-18-2009 at 01:29 PM
You're right, it is quite a beast. Just making sure there was no confusion on anybody's part; it's somewhat hard to detect on the internet.Aymara - 11-18-2009 at 01:40 PM
... and a beauty. I bet you'll have much fun playing it.
Quote:
Just making sure there was no confusion on anybody's part
Shure ... I think this "flowery phrase" isn't so uncommon, because often fast cars are called beasts too.Jameel - 11-18-2009 at 05:56 PM
Ameer, Very cool! I like your playing. Very traditional. The oud has really changed since I built it back in 2002. Really warmed and mellowed.
Congratulations, you got a decent oud for a very good price. )Sazi - 11-18-2009 at 07:07 PM
Sounds very inspiring, I think all involved have done well here, congratulations! ameer - 11-19-2009 at 08:23 AM
So it seems the oud buzzes on the wound courses in certain parts of the neck, most noticeably when playing a minor third from the open string. The
string buzzes against the neck close to where it meets the body, which makes me think that it's an issue of neck angle and/or bridge height. I've
swapped out the offending strings with no change, and I've even shimmed the nut quite a bit still without any result. Anyone got any ideas how
something like this could occur and how to fix it? Is it something that could happen during shipping?Dr. Oud - 11-19-2009 at 10:01 AM
check under the strings for grooves worn in the fingerboard. If the fingerboard is thick enough, you can sand it down to remove the grooves, but use a
long and flat sanding block to keep the neck flat. The block should be as long as the fingerboard itself. Or, they can be filled with the cold steel
epoxy or a mix of cyanoacrylate (crazy) glue and sawdust, but use the slow setting type and work fast. Jonathan - 11-19-2009 at 12:52 PM
There are no grooves on the fingerboard, so I really wouldn't recommend fooling with the fingerboard too much.
Are you sure its not coming from the strings themselves in the pegbox or at the bridge?
I never heard a buzz on this instrument, ever.
I also doubt that it has anything to do with neck angle--Take a look at the space between the strings and the neck at the neck/body junction--probably
about 2-3 mm, accross the board. ameer - 11-19-2009 at 02:28 PM
Here's a recording of the buzz.Jonathan - 11-19-2009 at 02:36 PM
Here's what I will tell you--
If you want to send the oud back to me, go for it. I will refund all of your money.
From what I hear, that buzz does not appear to have anything to do with the fingerboard. It sounds super high-pitched. My gut feeling is that it has
to do with the strings themselves--either at the nut, or at the peg box.
Again, I did not hear that on sending it out, and on listening to your initial recording, I do not hear it either.
However, the offer stands.ameer - 11-19-2009 at 02:46 PM
Don't get me wrong- you've been great about everything. I would definitely purchase another oud from you at the drop of a hat. I'm just trying to
maybe get to the bottom of this thing so I can keep it because it sounds awesome.
I will say though that I didn't notice it until a few hours after I first played it; it could've been the initial euphoria wearing off or it could've
developed at that point, I don't know. But if nobody can pin it down I'll send it back to you tomorrow; I'll pay the shipping.Jonathan - 11-19-2009 at 02:48 PM
Whatever you want--you decide. Or, if you prefer, I can send you some amount to have somebody look at the oud. It really doesn't matter to me. mrkmni - 11-19-2009 at 06:17 PM
I had this problem while ago...it could disappear by itself after playing some time...
Also, sometimes the strings at the bridge do some resonance...
otherwise underneath the the stringson the neck you need to smoothen the surface. finally if it is the noze does that, this is easy just grove it a
little bit. Sazi - 11-19-2009 at 07:07 PM
Try pulling up the loops under the strings where they tie onto the bridge, this raises the strings a little, see if it makes any difference...Hatem_Afandi - 11-20-2009 at 07:16 AM
I had some buzzing in one of my best instruments.
Using Jameel's lemon oil, I cleaned the fingerboard with the microfiber clothes he also sells. http://www.khalafoud.com/care.htm
It worked like magic!
The buzz was gone!
Maybe it is something as simple as that.Jonathan - 12-3-2009 at 02:45 PM
The oud is safely back in my hands. You may hear things that I don't, but I can't hear a single thing wrong with it. Crisp, clean tones. I'll post
a video shortly. Ronny Andersson - 12-3-2009 at 03:06 PM
I think it depends on playing technique more than it would be something wrong with the instruments. The buzz seems to be due to the risha and its
playing technique.ameer - 12-3-2009 at 03:41 PM
Eh, it could be that we just didn't match up. Great oud none the less.Jonathan - 12-3-2009 at 04:32 PM
All sounds good and I hear nothing unusual that do not belong to a good instrument.
I myself play on a lute made by Fawzy Munshed that having a great clean sound and my playing technique is also very clean. I can nevertheless get buzz
as an effect depending on the intonation.
)