billkilpatrick - 1-3-2004 at 03:50 PM
i have a new, inexpensive oud from syria that would probably benefit from a change of pegs. what are the pro's and con's of one type of
wood over another and how much should i expect to pay? living in italy, i'm intrigued by the idea of olive wood for pegs but i'd like to
hear what you have to say. thank you. sincerely - bill
Mike - 1-3-2004 at 07:15 PM
Hi Bill,
Try looking into ebony viola pegs. They are just about the right size. You might have to go to a violin maker and have them refit the holes, but I
think ebony is the best way to go.
Best of luck,
Mike
Dr. Oud - 1-4-2004 at 07:28 AM
The deciding issue is whether the peg is softer than the pegbox. If the peg shows a indentation and wiggles in the hole, it is probably too soft.
Ebony, being the hardest of woods will not be deformed by any pegbox material (except ebony). Your pegs may be ok and just need to be fitted better.
Cheap ouds often have soft pegs and poor workmanship.
Viola pegs cost $3-$5 USD, violin repair techs charge $25-$40 per hole to install them. The pegbox holes may have to be filled and redrilled depending
on the size of the original pegs. Viola pegs are usually larger in diameter than oud pegs and usually can be fitted without refilling. Try to find a
lute maker for a better price on installation. If you care to try it yourself, the reamer costs $80-$100 and get some instruction first, it's not
simply ream and push the peg in. Each peg must be fitted to it's own hole as no pegs are exactly the same size, even when produced by machines.
It's still wood, you know.
Richard
http://www.droud.com
pegs: which wood?
billkilpatrick - 1-4-2004 at 10:31 AM
thank you both for the advise. could i broaden it out a bit and ask about wood in general? which wood makes the best sounding oud? is it possible
to say? i would have thought that wood from an oil producing tree (olive or walnut) would create a leaden sounding instrument. yours in total
ignorance - bill
Ronny Andersson - 1-4-2004 at 03:09 PM
> i would have thought that wood from >an oil producing tree olive or walnut) >would
I remember some Iraqi makers telling me that olive wood for ribs was not a good choice.
tony - 1-7-2004 at 05:44 PM
I too got an inexpensive Oud with pegs that were too soft.
I got a set of 12 ebony viola pegs for $24.50 and a viola reamer for $23.95 from http://www.internationalluthiers.com. It took we about a half-hour to ream the holes and fit the pegs and my tuning has bee rock solid since.
Tony