Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 04:53 AM
Hi oud friends,
I wanted to know if somebody has already put kürschner (arabic oud) strings on a sukar oud. I have bought a set of kürschner because I like the
sound and the thinness of these strings, but I haven't yet put them on my sukar oud because I'm afraid after someone told be they won't fit because
the oud is too long, and the sound will be bad and they will be a bit loose. So I'm waiting so as to maybe exchange the strings for an other set.
Does anybody can help me on that matter?
Thank you
Benjamin
Marina - 1-24-2008 at 07:28 AM
Benjamin!
Don't you have to practice oud and not spendimg your time on forums? I'll tell on you!
Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 07:55 AM
looooooooooooooool Marina!!!!
)
Yes you're right indeed for instance today I didn't practice already oud, but I'll start now until midnight.. So funny to "see" u again on Mike's
oud.. But on the other hand it's not a waste of time to go on Mike's oud forum so guys don't listen to Marina 
and go on coming to this forum -by the way Marina shouldn't you being practicing oud as well?
omazuz - 1-24-2008 at 09:41 AM
the kurschner r high quality strings and also has very long life.
from my short exprience (and almost every kind of strings that exist-but not on sukar oud) every oud has different sound and eny suggestion will be
only estimation- try it and then u will know if u like it- kurschner has loud and a bit metal sound.
dont be afraid
(i also dont think u will find it short)
Oud Freak - 1-24-2008 at 10:04 AM
Kurschner are indeed good strings as it is often heard. Benjamin, where did u get ur Kurschners from and I would be grateful if u scan the package and
post the pic, cos I know a person who got kurschner from Koweit without indications on it about a set number or characteristic, this means we don't
know if it is the turkish or the arabic set, but they worked ok on an arabic oud.
Regards,
OF
Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 01:53 PM
Hi oud freak here is the front picture of the package
Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 01:57 PM
and the back part, which notice that it is an arabic set, and give the type number
Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 02:02 PM
the last picture is a bit blur, here is what is written on the set enveloppe: ud (arab), fluorcarbon, silver pl. copper on Nylon, set 04102/6
I think this is a very good quality set, the problem is that with a Sukar oud a very good quality set can turn out to be a disaster, so if i put on my
oud and then I find out that it's better to put back my thick pyramid strings it would be a loss of time and of money cause I won't be able to return
or change the strings..
I got these strings from a oud shop in Tel Aviv, the guy which is very nice sent it to me through mail and I sent him the cheque then.
Benjamin
Benjamin - 1-24-2008 at 02:04 PM
PS: thank you Omazuz as well
Oud Freak - 1-25-2008 at 08:28 AM
Benjamin thanks a lot. The first pic is exactly identical with the set I saw with my friend. The second one where "ud arab" is written, seems not to
exist in his set.
Seems weird, but we'll check over this detail.
Many thanks,
OF
Benjamin - 1-30-2008 at 04:32 AM
Hey guys I put yesterday the kurshner strings on my sukar oud, and althought it seems to be good quality strings.. IT SUCKS!! The tension is low I
guess because of the stupid lengh of this f.. Sukar oud I'm really annoyed by this I don't have enough money to buy another oud, but I really want
because on this crappy sukar oud you hardly find good strings that suits! Kurschner strings are great on every normal-lengh oud but this one is too
long so it is not nice to play and the sound is just crappy I'm sorry to tell that but if somebody can tell me which good strings could work with an
acceptable tension on a sukar oud as I'll change my mind..
For now I'm just dreamin of having enough money to buy another oud, I'm sorry if what I wrote could be not nice to Mr. Sukar who makes nice ouds
maybe, but the one I have I'm not happy about it because I never find suitable strings (the last strings I had were pyramid strings, the tension was
ok, but it was very thick and ugly strings..)
And I'm angry coz it cost me money for these strings.. If somebody can give me an advice I would be happy..
PS: you're welcome OF ;-)
DaveH - 1-30-2008 at 06:03 AM
That's strange. You would have thought that if your oud has a longer string length the tensions would be higher at normal pitch. I don't have any
experience of Kurschner strings but if they're thinner I would have expected the problem to be the reverse - that you're risking breaking the highest
strings. Maybe you could post the string length and the pitch you're using and other members more knowledgeable than me can help. If you want more
tension, Aquila (http://www.aquilacorde.com/) do a higher tension set, with nylgut trebles. I use these on my reasonably long 60cm Ghadban and am very pleased with
them. If you really can't find a stock set that fits, you could order strings individually (more expensive). Both Aquila and Pyramid have string
calculators on their websites I think. You would need to know what kind of tension you're looking for but Mimmo at Aquila would probably be happy to
help as would Pyramid.
If the oud is good, it should be perfectly possible to find strings that fit (and despite your frustration it sounds like it is good, unless longer
string length just isn't your style). But overall if you have a longer string length it's likely that you're going to need thicker strings and you've
already said you didn't like the thickness of the pyramids. Without knowing too much about this, I'd suggest trying aquila as the nylgut does have a
very nice elastic feel and sound. Other people might be able to help you more though.
D
DaveH - 1-30-2008 at 06:09 AM
PS you could also ask Matthias Wagner who posts on here regularly. URL for the string calculator that the Aquila site refers you to:
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/u/wikla/mus/NewScalc/
SamirCanada - 1-30-2008 at 07:25 AM
by the way if the oud is too long it would make the tension to high.
you could lower the tuning by half a tone. try it and it will sound much better.
Iam like you I dont like really tight strings because they sound dead.
Its louder but to me its not as nice when they are so stiff.
if you really need to tune to 440 because your playing with other instruments that cant tune down then try Turkish strings tuned to arabic the tension
will be lower and your oud could sing a bit more.
like Labella or Daddario.
they are not so expensive.
also dont feel so bad about strings its the only way to find out what works for your oud.
Oud Freak - 1-30-2008 at 11:51 AM
Benjamin, Samir's advice is a correct one, though you shouldn't foucs only on Kurschner. When Mr. Sukkar and his team manufacture a oud, they string
it with strings that make it sound good. I think the Aquilas can possibly make a good job, and believe me, Ibrahim sukkar's workshop produces good,
solid and multifunctional instruments.
OF
Jassim - 1-31-2008 at 12:40 PM
dear sir
i think that your oud is iraqi style
you can try pyramid strings for lute its fit on iraqi style oud
http://saitenkatalog.de/shop1/advanced_search_result.php/keywords/P...
Benjamin - 1-31-2008 at 02:03 PM
Thank you all guys for your advice and your useful links. Indeed maybe I should try to order special strings, i did it once with special made pyramid
strings and it was ok, I guess I have no choice but to purchase special strings prepared for my oud. Thank you really for the useful links and for
your explanations, in the meanwhile I'll to get use to the strings and the tension, and maybe change the pitch a bit and later I could buy a new
set..
Greg - 1-31-2008 at 02:48 PM
Benjamin, what is the stringlength (nut to bridge) of your oud and what tuning do you use? Does your oud have a fixed or floating bridge?
If you detail that information, there are many people on the forums who can advise you on what brand and tension of strings to use.
Regards,
Greg
Benjamin - 2-1-2008 at 02:42 AM
Hi Greg, my string lengh is 62 cm, and I tune my oud in an arabic way: cgdAFC
Regards!
Greg - 2-1-2008 at 06:05 AM
Benjamin,
With a length of 62 cm and Arabic tuning CFADGC (low to high), your strings should not be low in tension, unless the Kurschner strings you have were
mislabeled and were actually meant for Turkish tuning.
Even if that is the case, they would have been designed for a 58.5 cm Turkish stringlength and should have sufficient tension at 62 cm (even with
Arabic tuning). Master Faruk Türünz says there is another factor to tension and that has to do with the vibration of the string caused by the
soundboard design. You can read what he has to say on this issue here: http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=2945#pid191...
Many people have had success with Aquila Nylgut "low tension" strings with Arabic tuning on instruments of your stringlength. But if you like high
tension, perhaps you should be using the normal tension CFADGC Aquila Nylguts. I once used them on a 60 cm Bashir style oud and found the tension was
a little high.
I know you are on a tight budget, but these strings are not expensive and can be ordered from Jameel, from these forums, or direct from Aquila in
Italy.
Regards,
Greg