antonis - 11-29-2010 at 02:03 PM
Hello everybody,
i just bought my first oud a couple of days ago and i think i'm in love! It's even better than i thought it would be. There is a slight porblem
though. I noticed today that in the middle hole, the "rossette" ? is not glued properly and that it moves. As a result, when i play a note, it
sometimes makes a weird noise. I am totally ignorant about this instrument and i dont know what to do. I am thinking about giving it back to the
company i bought it from and tell them to fix it but i am pretty sure they will keep it for ages. Is there any way that i can fix it by myself?
Sam - 11-30-2010 at 12:51 PM
use white glue for wood and glue it yourself.
antonis - 11-30-2010 at 01:19 PM
Thanks, but is it that simple? If i do it myself it will not affect the sound? How do i clean the old glue from the wood?
Dr. Oud - 12-1-2010 at 07:45 PM
I recommend using hide glue instead of white glue. The rose should be able to be removed to repair inside the oud, and white glue cannot be easily
cleaned once it cures. It can be softened with low heat, but the residue remains and will not bond again.
Hide glue can always be softened with warm water (not boiling, but hot tap water is fine) and re-glued with more hide glue if needed.You won't need to
clean off the old glue, just soften it with warm water. You can pull the rose up against the inside of the face by tying some coffee stir sticks to
the rose through holes near the edge. The sticks must span the hole. Then put some blocks under the sticks on top of the face to pull the rose up
snug.
antonis - 12-4-2010 at 04:59 PM
Thanks for your advice.
I have more questions though. In the surface of the instrument (i don't know how it is called, the side where it has no varnice), above the strings, i
can spot a big place where the wood looks like it is wet or like it is getting old (it is darker). I don't know why it looks like that. I just bought
it. I have thought that maybe it is the humidity, because i live in a place with plenty of that but i'm not sure. If anybody know please let me know.
Also does anybody know where i can find some slow, beginner level arabic sheet music to play? 
Thanks in advance and sorry for my English!