Reda Aouad - 2-14-2009 at 09:15 AM
Can someone please summarize the differences between fixed and floating bridges? What would be the effect on the quality of the oud's sound? The
effect on the soundboard? On the strings? When and how to choose a floating bridge oud? I tend to a more bassy or mellow sound.. does that mean that I
should not get a floating bridge oud?
I appreciate your help since I'm thinking of buying a new oud soon from Fadi Matta. So your feedback will be of high importance for me.
Thanks 
katakofka - 2-14-2009 at 10:46 AM
Hi Reda
Since you're thinking about a Oud from fadi I suggest to call him and talk to him directly. He made both fixed and floating bridge ouds.
Best
Souheil
Reda Aouad - 2-14-2009 at 10:53 AM
I will surely contact him soon
But as we say in Arabic "ma 7ada bi2oul 3an zayteto 3ekrin". I just want to take players' feedback and not makers'. And it's not about Fadi's ouds
quality which is unquestionable. It's only to compare fixed and floating bridges from a point of view of professional players.
Thanks anyway.
katakofka - 2-14-2009 at 11:14 AM
esma3 ya reda
This is what Alioud said "I also decided to change to a floating bridge since, physically speaking, it provides the best acoustics and the least
energy dissipation".
This is what I believe too.
bottom line every one has his or her preferences. Fadi Matta also prefers the floating bridge.
I got back to the Oud playing after almost 10 years of disruption when I saw Nasser shamma playing his floating bridge oud. I found that in a well
made floating bridge oud good accoustic quality as compared to fixed bridge. Probably the best fixed bridge ouds are made by Master Faruk with his
double sandwich soundboard.
I am eager to know what would be the results of a double sandwich a floating bridge oud ! not sure if anyone has done that so far.
Alioud - 2-14-2009 at 11:48 AM
Hi Reda,
Well.. there is no clear answer to your question. Both systems have their own "feel". A floating bridge tends to produce more crisp sound, while a
fixed bridge produces more mellow sounds usually associated with traditional playing. From a physical point of view.. I have no doubt that a floating
bridge causes less energy dissipation than a fixed bridge, yet that does not translate to louder sound. Because of better transmission of vibration
and more efficiency, a floating bridge should be more responsive to subtle changes in playing as long as the action of oud is low enough which not a
problem at all in Fadi Matta's adjustable action necks.
The bases in fixed bridge tend to be more pronounced due to long wavelength that is trasmitted better by the large surface are of the fixed bridge.
But, there are 5 more things in a floating bridge that can mellow the sound, produce better bases and even make the oud sound more like a fixed
bridge:
1- The length of the bridge. Most makers will make bridges around 15 cm long.. If you extend the bridge to 50% of the soundboard width or even 65%,
that should give you better bases, better sustain and a far better echo in the oud. But, you loose some crispiness. I tend to make my bridges 50% of
the width of the soundboard. Shorter bridges also cause more sinking and more stress cracks to the soundboard. Longer ones distribute the pressure on
larger surface area.
2- The thickness of the bridge. The thicker the bridge, the better base response because of better transmission of long wavelength vibrations. The
thinner the crispier and clearer the sound.. but anything less than 4 mm, is likely to cause stress cracks in the soundboard particularly if the oud
has a Cedar soundboard which is less stiff than spruce. My bridges are 4.5 mm at the base side and taper to 3 mm at the trebles side.. this produce
the exact sound quality I am looking for.
3- The height of the bridge. The higher the bridge, the more pressure and the more acute the breaking angle of the strings... Acute angles and high
pressure kill the soundboard vibration.
4- Bone on top of the bridge. Any joint will cause a significant dissipation of energy. Bone on top of the bridge generally produce clarity and
crispiness, but your bases, sustain, and echo might suffer.
5- Wood type.. Some woods are bad conductors of vibration like ebony for example. I hate ebony floating bridges. The best woods I found are: Indian
rosewood, Madgascar rosewood, Padauk (my personal favourite material for floating bridges) and Spruce on a cedar soundboard (clarity improved but less
sustain). Stay away from ebony, walnut, and the lighter hardwoods like maple, ash, cherry, peach.. etc.
So.. to conclude.. I love floating bridges, and they can be made to sound just like a fixed bridge but at the end of the day, it all depends on your
personal preference. If you are buying an Oud from Fadi, go ahead and ask for a floating bridge. Fadi makes excellent floating bridge ouds.
congratulations in advance.
Reda Aouad - 2-14-2009 at 01:11 PM
Ali, Thank you so much for the valuable information That was a great answer to a
question I always thought about.. but never thought about such details.. Thank you again I'm very greateful
I will surely be discussing those issues with Fadi.
katakofka - 2-14-2009 at 01:39 PM
Ali...have you ever tried the monex soundboard on a floating bridge?
Alioud - 2-14-2009 at 01:42 PM
3 things you should also be ready to talk about with Fadi, the number of sound holes, the depth of the bowel and the string length.
To give you a quick guide.. One hole, better bases (boom boom sound ). 3 holes,
more hollow metallic sound, which is typical of Iraqi ouds for example.
Fadi makes 3 bowel depths, 18, 18.5 and 19 cm. His knowledge is great here and you just need to ask him about the differences.
The string length has lots of issues... and Fadi will definitely ask you questions about it. He does not make 57 cms. He will tell you about 58.5, 60,
61.5 and 62. If you are into Naseer Shamma stuff, 57 cm is the length to ask for. Unfortunatley Fadi's bowel are a bit long and 57 cm would not be the
best string length for his bowels.
Good luck.
Alioud - 2-14-2009 at 01:49 PM
Hi Souheil,
Actually no.. I bought the material and my vacuum joiner is ready and I am planning to make one .. But I am still busy with the lattice and the Kasha
model experimentation.
Once I am done with the Kasha at least.. I will try the Double Soundboard with Nomex. It is simple and there is nothing unusual about sticking 2
boards with nomex in between. The Kasha on the other hand is very complex that's why it is consuming my time.
I am also thinking about trying the Double soundboard (Cedar Top and Spruce Bottom) without Nomex in Between. I saw some guitars and it sounds
interesting.. You get a mix of both qualities of wood... At the moment I tried Sinker Redwood which is truly a hybrid between Cedar and Spruce..
Amazing wood but quite expensive, but still cheaper than 2 master grade spruce and cedar.
katakofka - 2-14-2009 at 01:55 PM
Thanks Ali
Please keep us update about your work. tahaniina ya doc
Reda Aouad - 2-14-2009 at 01:58 PM
Thanks Ali..
In fact.. I don't like at all the sound of Naseer's oud.. it's more like a guitar.. and has lot of metallic sound on the bass strings.. which I hate..
I would definitely go for a more traditional sound. As for the bowl.. I guess deeper bowl would give a more bassy sound right? And for the sound
holes.. a 3-hole oud looks better.. but I think I will try them both at his workshop if available..
Thank you again