Jonathan - 3-18-2005 at 09:05 AM
Can anybody please explain why an oud with lower string action always is a bit quieter? I have read this before, and it seems to be true, but I can't
seem to figure out why it is.
Elie Riachi - 3-18-2005 at 06:06 PM
If lowering action is achieved by low profile bridge, then there would be less tourque to drive the soundboard. But my theory is that you do not have
to sacrifice volume for lower action or the reverse, you can have your kenafa and eat it too (yum yum) 
. Action could be lowered by building up the fingerboard.
Dr. Oud - 3-19-2005 at 07:36 AM
The sound wave is damped by the fingerboard, so the closer you get, the less amplitude produced by the string over the fingerboard area. A lower
bridge would have an effect on the torque, but so would tuning the oud to a higher pitch. Ultimately it is the face density, thickness and bracing
structure that determines volume, as the string height needs to be fairly low to allow effortless playing. If you want to trade off speed for volume,
you can adjust the height at the bridge by positioning the loops near the top edge of the bridge for volume or near the face for speed. You can expect
a change of about 1 mm at the neck/body joint.
Elie Riachi - 3-19-2005 at 09:40 AM
But Doc, if the string is so close to fingerboard that its movement is dampend, wouldn't it start buzzing?
I thought of lowering the action on my el-cheapo tourist khaliffeh, but I found out that there is a mountain between the sound hole and body-neck
joint. In this case the simple solution of shaving off the base of the bridge won't work. The other solution would be to build up the neck closer to
the string by gluing a a properly tapered figerboard on top of the old one. I decided to take my good buddy's advice (a woodworker and instrument
maker) and just leave this oud for what it is or has become. How would you lower the action in such a case?
Dr. Oud - 3-19-2005 at 02:17 PM
I was referring to the soundwave produced by the string vibrating being damped by the fingerboard. You can notice a difference in volume before the
string's too close and buzzing. My Ivory oud has rather high action, but I like the sound it makes, so I use it for slow songs.
I recently corrected a high action by adding a fingeboard on top of the old flush one, extending it to the top of the big hole. It had no effect on
the sound, in fact it improved (well I did remove a brace too close to the bridge). The new fingerboard corrects the raised action of the years of
tension, and can be made very flat all the way to the hole. It's a new oud now (made in 1979).
Your Khaliffeh's mountain is caused by a flat face twisting around the main brace, raising the face above the sound hole. This can be remedied by
removing the edge in the area of the hump, ungluing the ends of the braces and trimming the top of the rib down to lower the face into the classic
concave shape. The relief only needs to be about 1/8 to 3/16 inch (3-5mm) to be effective. The braces are then reglued and the edge replaced. The
extra distance from the strings to the face will also improve the volume.