Mike's Oud Forums

New Strings- Break-In Period?

Wali Fard - 8-1-2013 at 08:33 AM

Hi Friends,

Do new strings require some "break-in" time before they sound good and warm?

I changed the strings on my Fathi Amin oud to Pyramids, as soon as it arrived from Cairo. From the get-go, I noticed a rather metallic twang and zippering sound- particularly on CFAD.

Recently, I purchased a beautiful oud with a very old soundboard from a member, here. Despite the old strings on this oud, it sounded warm, syrupy, and soulful. It was tuned "Egyptian style", with 5 course. I bought some Aquila strings (light tension set, for classical CFADGC tuning) and installed them last night.

I'm noticing a similar metallic twang, now!

Is this something that mellows out over time, or should I be purchasing different strings?

Thanks!

WF

SamirCanada - 8-1-2013 at 11:27 AM

In my experience, yes you can expect a bit of metalic sound the first few days but it goes away after the strings settle a bit.

check this out:

http://www.oudstrings.com/index.php?route=cms/article&path=1&am...