Mike's Oud Forums

what strings best for arabic do tuning on 58,5cm oud??

rast - 11-26-2021 at 12:07 AM

what strings best for arabic do tuning on 58,5cm oud??

norumba - 11-26-2021 at 01:52 PM

I have devised a number of custom sets for Arabic tuning at 58,5 -- they are so popular im sold out of many verisons, but check them here...
https://oudstrings.com/collections/custom-sets

dusepo - 11-28-2021 at 01:07 PM

Here's the diameters I use as standard for C tuning on a 58.5 scale length in mm. Bare in mind that every oud player and luthier has their own preference, these are just mine, but may be helpful to give you a starting point in experimenting to find the sound and tension you like.

c': 0.6
g: 0.7
d: 0.63W
A: 0.78W
G: 0.81W *
C: 1.05W

Some notes:
* I usually tune this course to G and only occasionally tune to F. If you prefer to tune to F usually, go a bit heavier.
W = Wound

I usually mix and match to get the gauges I like. The closest full set I've found to this is a brand called 'Gold', but Pyramids are also pretty close and sound good. Most of the Pyramid sets are designed for longer scale lengths of 60-62cm, so by using them you won't risk damaging the instrument by having the tension too high at least, since it'll be lower at 58.5 at the same pitches, so perhaps also a good starting point.