Mike's Oud Forums

Wound g3? Any suggestions?

Mehran - 3-14-2013 at 11:32 AM

Currently tune F CC DD gg cc ff on a 60cm fixed bridge oud.

I use pyramid lute nylons for the g3 course (PYNR 850), but it feels a bit chunky and dull in this tuning.

Anyone tried a wound course for this? Would a wound g3 course be quite fragile or brittle?

I was thinking of just getting some wound pyramid PY 906 strings, however I saw a whole pyramid orange set (http://music-strings.de/index.php?a=7799&lang=eng) with wound g3. Anyone tried these strings?

Many thanks

ameer - 3-14-2013 at 12:07 PM

I have no experience with it but I've heard Charbel Rohana and Bassam Bishara both use wound Gs and sound good. I would just get the thinnest wound string available and start from there. It shouldn't be too far off.

Brian Prunka - 3-14-2013 at 01:56 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Mehran  

I was thinking of just getting some wound pyramid PY 906 strings, however I saw a whole pyramid orange set (http://music-strings.de/index.php?a=7799&lang=eng) with wound g3. Anyone tried these strings?


I believe the title is a misprint, if you read the text it says that the wound 3rd is dd.
Pyramid 906 should yield about 36N @ 60cm tuned to g, so that could work. The next 3 lighter strings are the 1015AL (aluminum), 906M (Brass) and 1014AL (aluminum).

Brian Prunka - 3-14-2013 at 01:58 PM

According to Pyramid's data, you could even use the 809 or 909 for your high c' course! Curious what an all-metal strung oud would sound like . . . those thin strings get pretty expensive, though.

Mehran - 3-15-2013 at 02:58 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Brian Prunka  


The next 3 lighter strings are the 1015AL (aluminum), 906M (Brass) and 1014AL (aluminum).


Aluminium? Brass? C'est quoi?

Apart from having an odd coloured course in the middle, I presume the brass string would be the same gauge as the normal wound 906?

What's the deal/verdict on aluminium strings? I've never really heard anything about them .

Aye, an all-metal string oud would be expensive, which leads me to think that I should stop being neurotic and just play!!! First-world oud problems.

Brian Prunka - 3-15-2013 at 07:59 AM

I believe that the core is still nylon multifilament, as the standard silvered copper are. My assumption is that brass and aluminum are lighter and can be tuned higher at the same gauge.
When I said "all metal strung" I meant as opposed to part plain nylon and part metal-wound nylon, not as in the stings actually being entirely metal (which I doubt would be a good idea).

The strings are expensive because they use such small wire/windings and require more technical precision.

I've never tried the aluminum strings, either. The standard Pyramid Yellow set is brass-wound.

Pyramid's number system is inscrutable, I wouldn't make any assumptions about gauge based on the numbers. For instance, 1116 is between 1016 and 1017 . . .