Mike's Oud Forums

Problem with strings striking against finger board!

AD - 12-28-2006 at 07:13 PM

I hope any of you oud lovers out there have any suggestions on this problem::( I have a Yaroub M. Fadel oud (Bashir style). The action is not low, but not too high either. It just feels comfortable enough. But I always have to pluck the strings very gently; otherwise the strings vibrate at such a high amplitude that they keep slapping against the wood of the fingerboard. They do so even when they are vibrating freely without using the left hand fingers. This is mostly noticeable on the lower tuned four strings. I tune it to FADGcf, and the tension in the strings is above average. Lowering the tension makes the problem worse, and I did not notice anything different about my oud since I bought it; except that the action is slightly higher now. I don't remember having this problem when I first got the oud. This makes me even more confused since the strings are now further away from the wood than before..

INFAMOUD - 12-28-2006 at 08:39 PM

Are your Strings made to be tuned to FADGCF.??.My Brother has a Fadel Oud and nothing worked out for the Oud except for Custom Strings...Mostly for the Iraqi Ouds the Pyramid Lute Customs are the way to go..

AD - 12-29-2006 at 05:23 PM

that's exactly what I'm using. I use custom-made Pyramid strings 1032, 1019, 1013, 10075, and 0.68, and 0.52 gut strings. They sound great too. But this problem takes the joy out of playing...

Dr. Oud - 12-30-2006 at 11:45 AM

The neck may be warped so that it is cupped at the midpoint with the neck joint higher than the center section. You can test this by holding down a string at the first position and at the neck joint and sighting at the side of the neck toward a light or window. If you see light underneath the string at the midpoint, the neck is cupped or warped. If the fingerboard is thick enopugh you can correct it by sanding it flat using a flat sanding block that is as long as the neck. The strings and top nut need to be removed, then use 100-150 grit to work the neck down, and finish it with 220 grit, then 0000 steel wool. Finally apply a drop of oilive or other vegetable or fruit oil on the fingerboard, spread it around and wipe off the excess. Take care to not get any oil on the face.
If the fingerboard is not thick enough it will need to be removed to correct the neck underneath.

AD - 12-31-2006 at 04:47 PM

Thnak you! I tried it; there was light only underneath the thick F string. But I think I found the problem now:bounce:. I noticed that the area of and around the bridge has sunk about 3 mm below the level of the rest of the face. That explains why the strings are now almost parallel to the face (i.e., they don't get much further away from the face as they proceed from the neck joint toward the top of the bridge). That's why the strings are vibrating too close to the face and finger board near the neck-face joint. This, I expect, is a nasty problem to fix. It's really too bad; It's such a magnificently beautiful sounding oud:(

Dr. Oud - 1-1-2007 at 02:11 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AD
Thnak you! I tried it; there was light only underneath the thick F string. But I think I found the problem now:bounce:. I noticed that the area of and around the bridge has sunk about 3 mm below the level of the rest of the face. That explains why the strings are now almost parallel to the face (i.e., they don't get much further away from the face as they proceed from the neck joint toward the top of the bridge). That's why the strings are vibrating too close to the face and finger board near the neck-face joint. This, I expect, is a nasty problem to fix. It's really too bad; It's such a magnificently beautiful sounding oud:(

The condition you describe indicates that the main brace(s) forward and/or behind the bridge have loosened, split or delaminated. It is repairable by dropping the shamsiya (rose) and re-gluing the brace in with some deep throat clamps. If the oud has a great sound it would be well worth the trouble to fix it. If you need help tell me where you're located, I might know someone near by to fix your oud.