Huckster - 5-10-2004 at 08:32 AM
Hi everyone. I'd like to start by thanking Mike for all his top notch advice and encouragement whilst I
was in the process of buying my first oud. It's a pelisander rosewood oud made by Maurice Shehata, it arrived this afternoon, and I love it.
I'd just like your advice on tuning - have I got it right? I've tuned it as laid out on this photo, the 1st string being the highest note,
the 12th being the lowest.
Regards
Zulkarnain - 5-10-2004 at 08:42 AM
Hi
Congratulation on your new Oud!
I suggest that you check out the link below for a more proper guide on how to set up the strings on your new Oud:
http://website.lineone.net/~david.parfitt/stringing.html
Also check out http://website.lineone.net/~david.parfitt/tuning.html
David Parfitt is one of the active member here on this great oud forum!
Oud tuning
Huckster - 5-10-2004 at 09:53 AM
Thanks for the link - I see I've got it a bit wonky.
david - 5-10-2004 at 09:54 AM
Way to go! I'm sure you're going to love your new oud. By the
way where's the rest of it?
Oud tuning
Huckster - 5-10-2004 at 11:39 AM
Here it is. It's dark here in UK, might do a better pic tomorrow.
Oud tuning
Huckster - 5-10-2004 at 11:40 AM
Here it is. It's dark here in UK, might do a better pic tomorrow.
TruePharaoh21 - 5-10-2004 at 11:44 AM
Wow, man. She's beautiful. I hope you like it. I suggest that you get all of your strings untuned immediately, because if you leave them the way
they are for long enough, it'll have some effects in the future. Hope you enjoy your oud, and I hope we can hear it soon.
TP21
david - 5-10-2004 at 12:37 PM
Beautiful Definitely a one of a kind. Enjoy
chuckerbutty - 5-10-2004 at 12:52 PM
Yes, very pretty. Double sixth course?
Oud tuning
Huckster - 5-10-2004 at 01:01 PM
Yup - erm - double sixth course (as you will gather fairly soon I have absolutely no idea what I'm
talking about here). I've detuned it as suggested (thanks for the tip), will brave restringing it tomorrow. Next problem for me is going to
be working out how to hang this oud on my studio wall, all my guitar brackets are too shallow.
Mike - 5-10-2004 at 02:20 PM
Hey Huckster,
Congrats on the new oud! Looks lovely, and I bet sounds just as nice too. The oud is strung up correctly, you just put the wrong notes. David's
diagram should be helpful. No need to detune it. You have the additional f-strings instead of a single bass string. That is the difference on where
the strings are on the bridge. In other words, they are moved one up to place the f-strings on the bottom. There's no need to worry my man. Tune
that bad boy up and start playing. By the way, I don't recommend hanging the oud on any wall! 
Mabrouk!
Mike
TruePharaoh21 - 5-10-2004 at 02:56 PM
Hey man. I believe the way I string it is as follows...
1 3
2 4
7 5
8 6
9 11
10 12
I don't have the oud in front of me, but I believe that's the way it goes. The reason I told you to unstring it is because your first and
2nd were going all the way to the back, which seemed a bit foreign. I know that there are other ways to string it, one of which may be the one that
you had, but coming strictly from what I have seen, the way I have it is what I have seen oudists do.
I hope I haven't caused you too much trouble. If it was correct before, I apologize.
TP21
Mike - 5-10-2004 at 03:21 PM
This shouldn't be that confusing. Based on your photograph Huckster - and the strings you have on your oud - these should be the notes
corresponding to the pegs.
NUT
c - g
c - g
A - D
A - D
f - F (or G)
f - F (or G)
TP, when your oud was strung up this is what I did. Keep in mind that instead of having the f-strings like Huckster's oud, you have a single bass
on the last peg.
NUT
1 - 3
2 - 4
7 - 5
8 - 6
-- - 9
11 - 10
Jameel - 5-10-2004 at 06:46 PM
Huckster,
Congratulations. That is one of the nicest (actually, fanciest) Shehatas I have seen. VERY nice. How about posting some more detailed photos, or even
posting them on the file sharing page? I'd love to see some close-ups of the face.
SHEHATA OUD
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:41 AM
Here are some photos, but I don't feel I have done the oud justice, it has a lovely deep colour which doesn't come across.
For anyone curious, I bought the oud from Yehia at Nile Shop, and I can honestly say he was a delight to deal with. The service was impeccable :
first of all he had the oud I wanted, I never had to wait for a reply despite deluging him with e-mails, and the oud arrived in London only a day or
two after I ordered it, very well wrapped. Nice one, Yehia!
2 of 6
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:42 AM
3 of 6
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:43 AM
4 of 6
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:44 AM
5 of 6
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:45 AM
6 of 6
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 09:46 AM
This is my younger daughter, Matilda (7), who is not impressed with my oud rendition of Nine Inch Nails : "The Perfect Drug"
david - 5-11-2004 at 11:40 AM
Dude if you can play that on the oud I'd love to hear it
Jameel - 5-11-2004 at 12:49 PM
Huckster,
Thanks for the photos. Again, very nice. Now we await some sound files....
BTW, putting weight on the tip end of the peg box is probably not a great idea....
New Oud
spyrosc - 5-11-2004 at 05:09 PM
Man !
My heart stopped when I saw the lovely little girl leaning on the tip of the pegbox.
Beautiful picture though ! and a gorgeous oud ! Are the face decorations mostly painted on ?
Spyros C.
Huckster - 5-11-2004 at 11:23 PM
Don't fret! Oud not in jeopardy.
Spyrosc : The face decorations - I'm not sure, they look like inlay to me. If I can get a decent cu I'll post later.
Thanks for the tuning info, I'm now up up and away. I'll work on some sound files, but right now I'm at the stage of Mike's
'atam ushayran doulab' video so it may be some time...
As for displaying my oud or keeping it out of harm's way - what do people generally do? Are there floorstanding holders like there are for
guitar?
Oud maintenance
spyrosc - 5-12-2004 at 01:06 AM
Floor stands exist and they are fine (see picture gallery) but I would keep the oud in a case, especially where humidity and other wheather issues
exist, not to mention keeping it out of harm's way (as well as out of the way of small animals and children, or even jealous women as Dr. Oud
advises).
There are many good threads about oud maintenance in this forum and in the other excellent forums (oud cafe etc). Check them out.
Enjoy it in good health. It's a beauty.
chuckerbutty - 5-12-2004 at 01:45 AM
Very impressive indeed. Those inlays are very neatly done.
Do you have a hard case for the oud? If not, you could try asking Kingham (http://www.kingham.mtm.mcmail.com) to make you one - unfortunately they tend to be quite expensive, but they do a really good job protecting the
instrument. I would be wary of putting the oud on display because accidents tend to happen to the most valauble and fragile things in the house. I
once had a guitar fall out of a stand onto a hard floor for absolutely no reason - being a Telecaster and built like a tank it suffered no damage at
all, but if it had been an oud I would have been counting the pieces. Hanging it up on the wall isn't a terribly good idea either because walls
(especially in old buildings) tend to breathe, and you could end up with the oud face soaking up moisture.
Huckster - 5-12-2004 at 02:08 AM
Forgive me - I don't know where the picture gallery is.
chuckerbutty - 5-12-2004 at 02:51 AM
http://www.mikeouds.com/scores/index.php?cat=2