my cheap but decent oud (a gift from a friend) is suffering from what I can only describe as "finger pits".Now I get almost constant buzzing on some
fingerings.Could I fill in the depressions and what substance could I use that would be strong enough to not wear away as I play?Zulu - 10-11-2010 at 01:59 PM
Buzzing can result from a number of problems...do a search for "string buzzing".
As for your "finger pits"...
You can use a product called TRU-OIL to build up coats on the neck and then sand/buff down to a smooth finish.
When I had similar problems with my oud in Turkey, the luthier just glued a thin layer of wood on the fingerboard. In order to do that, they increased
the height of the strings on the fingerboard then glued the piece. After the modification, the oud looks like this one http://bavlyexport.en.ec21.com/Egyptian_Oud--3064536_3076450.html
You can see the darker piece on the fingerboard extending until the big cage.fernandraynaud - 10-12-2010 at 04:47 AM
It depends on how deep the pits are, and whether the action is high or low. If the action is high, and the pits are deep, you can solve both problems
at once: lower the action by raising the fingerboard with an additional fingerboard layer. If the action doesn't need lowering, and the pits are
relatively shallow, then filling by coating the whole fingerboard can work. I assume we're talking about the pits that the strings wear in the
fingerboard.
The problem with oil-wipe-on-varnishes like "Tung Oil" or Tru Oil is that a thick layer tends not to harden well, so although it would have protected
against the "erosion" in the first place, it's not a great filler after the fact. In my experience it only works on shallow pits.
There's a treatment that's used on fretless basses, and (perhaps) surprisingly that's cyanoacrylate, or "super glue". It bonds well to wood and
hardens to a strong acrylic plastic that can be sanded and buffed, like epoxy. The gel type cyanoacrylate is applied and leveled with a playing card,
smoothed, then accelerator is sprayed on to harden it immediately. Then the coating is sanded, and another coat applied, etc. The final coat can be
sanded and polished to a glassy surface, to give the longest sustain, or left a little rougher for a more "woody" timbre. There was a great series of
photos showing the steps on a bass neck, but they seem to have vanished. Many fretless basses have had fingerboards coated with epoxy or
cyanoacrylate, but on the oud it's a new thing. If it doesn't work out for you for whatever reason, a thin layer of wood could always be glued on top,
as a more traditional repair.
An intermediate technique I have read of is to mix sawdust and cyanoacrylate and use that as a filler in your "pits", then sand and level. The pits
have to be deepened or scored so the mix sticks to the surface. There was some discussion of this technique on the Forum. It's perhaps easier to get a
level surface by coating than by patch filling. In any case it takes care and tools to achieve a perfectly level fingerboard.
SamirCanada - 10-12-2010 at 04:47 AM
if an appropriate type of solid wood was used to make the fingerboard (ebony, rosewood) then you actually dont want any finish on it.
Its the finish that wears and groves in typically while the wood underneath is not affected. fernandraynaud - 10-12-2010 at 04:58 AM
Samir, yes, but the types of varnish that are typically used are decorative and not thick enough to wear grooves in. They just peel. If that's all
that's going on, that varnish can and should be scraped/dissolved and removed. But if he has real grooves, the wood was likely softer than good ebony
or rosewood, and coating with a strong substance does help to prevent wear. At this point he can't very well just ignore it, and has to either glue on
a fingerboard layer, fill the grooves or coat the whole fingerboard with something that can do the filling as well as the coating.
Of course if the fingerboard is thick enough, simply leveling it down enough to eliminate the grooves is the best option. After that, unless the wood
is a good ebony or rosewood, I would coat it to prevent a repeat grooving. My Sukar Model 1 has a relatively soft fingerboard, and it's holding up
marvelously with the coating I applied over a year ago. Not a bit of wear to the wood, though it's time to refresh the coating.
if an appropriate type of solid wood was used to make the fingerboard (ebony, rosewood) then you actually dont want any finish on it.
Its the finish that wears and groves in typically while the wood underneath is not affected.
Really? I wish someone had told that to the 3 ouds I've owned with plain high quality Rosewood fingerboards!
I've given up on them, It's ebony from now on! fernandraynaud - 10-12-2010 at 05:33 AM
Yeah, and there's ebony, and then there's ebony. There's an ebony fingerboard
I'm watching and that I'm probably going to coat after all.
cloudy - 10-12-2010 at 09:42 AM
thank s to all who replied,I will keep you informed later.(I'm new to the use of computer so it could take some time)
There's an ebony fingerboard
I'm watching and that I'm probably going to coat after all.