Mortys - 5-18-2016 at 05:49 AM
Limited edition for Oriental Instruments
Can't wait to get my hands on this one 
https://orientalinstruments.com/oriental-instruments/instruments/ite...
Thank you for looking!
Jody Stecher - 5-18-2016 at 09:29 AM
Some questions please.
How can razor-thin braces do any bracing? surely they would shatter.
Why is hide glue use with torrified wood (which my computer spell checker keeps trying to change to "terrified wood"…. ! ) ? As there is no
moisture in torrified wood, I wonder how strong the bond can be.
Why is a guitar type bridge with saddle being used? Doesn't that move the sound away from oud-ness and towards guitar-like sound?
Why would an oud player want a modified soft V shaped neck?
Mortys - 5-18-2016 at 10:48 AM
Dear jody,
Thank u first for your interest!
Razor thin braces is more about the top of the brace and not the whole width of it.
hide glue / torrefied wood bond is strong as it already been proven. Mohammadi Bros also used the same top with hide glue and the oud sounds and looks
absolutely awesome, steady and strong. Of course luthier's art of how to use the glue with torrefied wood should not be forgotten.
Bridge shape does not have any effect on the sound color of any instrument. His role is to transfer the string vibration to the soundboard.
It is the luthier's opinion which kind of bridge cut or look works best and does the job effortlessly.
So no i do not think, the classic style guitar brings out a guitar like sound out of this beauty.
I have listened to this oud through skype and sounded absolutely great! Soon it will be in stock and i will upload a decent soundfile.
Thank you again and all the best
Mortys - 5-18-2016 at 10:53 AM
O i forgot to anwser the last question 
Modified V shaped neck makes the grip and play very easy. So playability is just great.
Why would an oud player Not having a modified v shaped neck? , just joking.
Thanks again Dear Jody
Microber - 5-18-2016 at 11:20 AM
What is a 'modified V shaped neck' ?
Mortys - 5-18-2016 at 11:29 AM
Dear Microber,
When i have the oud in stock, i will post some detailed picture.
But for now you can just google v-shape guitar neck to get an idea.
All the best
Jody Stecher - 5-18-2016 at 05:35 PM
Dear Mortys,
Thanks for your replies. I look forward to hearing the sound files!
I have more questions. What is the depth of the bowl please? And what is the maximum width across the soundboard?
About the bridge: According to what I have seen, bridge mass and bridge material has an effect on the sound. The shape itself it not a concern. This
bridge appears to have a lot of mass. I have played good sounding ouds with big *and* small bridges. But never one with a saddle.
Brian Prunka - 5-18-2016 at 06:37 PM
Beautiful work. I have to agree with Jody about the guitar bridge. There's no way that saddle doesn't affect the sound and feel, between the break
angle and the more perpendicular transfer of energy. It's almost certainly a more efficient design and louder, but I think part of the traditional
oud sound is that it's not perfectly efficient. I'm sure some people will like the change, though.
The "arm rest" would bother me also, as it would be in my way. I wonder if it's removable? It looks like it may be.
Don't worry though, I don't have any money so I'm not your target customer.
Really nice and creative work, though.
majnuunNavid - 5-18-2016 at 08:21 PM
Most modern Barbats and these new Persian Ouds like these are using uniquely designed bridges. As you can see below, the strings are tied on
completely differently. Stings are easier to put on, but how does it affect the sound?
If a guitar saddle and a floating bridge had a baby, it might look like that.
Mortys - 5-18-2016 at 10:59 PM
Dear Jody & Brian,
Thank you for your questions.
Well in first case i meant generally about the shape and look of a bridge. In detail , of course every inch of any part of an acoustic instrument have
an effect on the sound and also the bridge mass and the rest of related matters.
But this is the art of the luthier to take this issues into account to get the best sound out of an instrument, right?
Building ouds with a saddle is nothing new, as Mohammadi bros doing this like ages and their instruments prove to be one of the best out there, if not
the best! You can see in the pic that navid ( Thank you Navid bytheway) posted.
Body depth is 17cm
Max width is 36cm
Removing the armrest is no issue but it's not replaceable any more. Design is a matter of taste (like actually everything in life Brian), some like,
some don't.
Brian Prunka - 5-19-2016 at 06:20 AM
Well, each culture has its own aesthetic preference regarding sound. Persian, Turkish, Iraqi, etc. I have no doubt that you are correct that this
bridge design is preferred by some.
Design is not merely a matter of taste, but of functionality. If you designed a shirt with one arm, it would be great for a guy with one arm but
others may not like for reasons having nothing to do with "taste".
Mortys - 5-19-2016 at 07:39 AM
That's right Brian. It is all a matter of how you look at it.
Maybe it is all an illusion
majnuunNavid - 5-19-2016 at 10:27 PM
The only other Oud that has a guitar-like saddle is the MultiOud. I don't really know if a Guitar-like saddle would produce a more Guitar-like sound.
But I'll say this...
When I bought my first Barbat (with a Mohamadi-style bridge like I posted) my mom was sitting in the front of the SUV, and I showed it to her by
opening the case and strumming the open strings... and she said..
"THAT's not Oud, THAT's a GUITAR"...
I was quite pissed off...
What does my mom know about Ouds anyway??
sebastian - 5-24-2016 at 12:24 PM
Hallo!
In the mid- and noth europe world, they like to standarize their instruments, they did it centuries before with the violin family, they set standard
with the piano one or two hundred years ago, they have their standarized orchestras, etc.
The guitar, as a classical guitar, is fixed to a standard since a hundred years?
This became a kind of poornes to our culture and it was really necessary, that our culture view and ear spread over oceans and continents atfer the
war, to renew and rebuild our musical language ...
To come closer to this topic here, I like, that there is a lot of trying and exploring, as well as looking for tradition and saving hundreds of years
old culture, in oud building, I mean, it's the best way, it could be.
I like to hear and see and feel very differend kind of ouds, I like to hear very old arabic style as well as some new experiments and instrumental
connections.
(I am very sad, I'm not able to play the chiaconna for violin of j.s.bach on oud ... I'm sure, that would sound great!)
I'm sure, you can build poor an fantastic instruments with all the kind of bridges, that are mentioned here, each with a special colour.
(By the way, I'm often astonished, how differend my own oud sounds in differend rooms, situations and personal feelings.)
Excuse me for a to long post!