Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'm awaiting delivery of my first oud, and have this question about strings.
I have done a lot of reading on here regarding the j95 strings by d'adarrio regarding stringing an arabic oud with them for the lower tuning. Although
opinions seem to be mixed. Some claiming they will outright destroy an arabic oud of over 60cm even when tuned to cfadgc (which is my intened
tuning). Some saying they are fine and are in common usage with arabic ouds.
My oud is 62cm. What's the definitive verdict on stringing an arabic oud of that length with d'adarrio j95 strings tuned to cfadgc?
Although opinions seem to be mixed. Some claiming they will outright destroy an arabic oud of over 60cm even when tuned to cfadgc (which is my
intened tuning)
Regarding About that, Actually on a longer scale oud. Example 62cm You will feel more tension on the strings.
Its okay to have C F A D g c tuning just don't tune it more Higher or the F A D g c f. Coz it may be a little difficult for your oud.
Nevertheless Try Daniel Mari Strings is Very Good!!
It does not stress a lot of tension on the oud. and its Just $7 1 Set
It depends Some People Like High Tension and heavy Strings.
For me I don't Like Using to High Tension. Easy for Technique and Doesn't damage the Oud In the Future.
Greetings From Dubai
PhilipAymara - 11-11-2009 at 11:54 AM
Hi Nick,
I wouldn't risk a turkish string set on a 62cm arabic oud. I had a similar question a few days ago and as it seems D'Addario have a too high tension
for scales above 60cm.
Maybe try Pyramid lute strings. They sound similar to D'Addario, but even better.NickD - 11-11-2009 at 03:58 PM
Thanks guys. I've ordered some Daniel Mari arabic strings for now. Don't want to take the risk of killing my oud, and besides which, I'd prefer a
lighter tension anyway. Perhaps I'll sell my j95's to my friend who plays turkish oud.
Thanks again!
NickBrian Prunka - 11-11-2009 at 07:55 PM
Yeah, I wouldn't put the D'addario on such a long scale oud. Don't know why, but they seem to have more tension than the Labella or Mari strings.
The best best for a long scale like that is to get custom lute strings from pyramid (maybe labella does them too?). However, it's pretty expensive.
They last a long time though, so spending $100 a year on strings doesn't seem too bad to me.fernandraynaud - 11-11-2009 at 10:06 PM
The only logical reason D'Addarios, which have about the same gauges as D.Maris, would give more tension is if the (wound) strings have more mass per
volume than e.g. Maris. That's possible. Different core, different windings, etc. Plain nylon is pretty much nylon, around 1 Kg per liter, so that's
not likely a variable.
For now the observation seems to be from several people that D"Addarios are heavier tension than Maris on the same oud. I have Maris on two 61.5cm
scale ouds and they feel medium-light, not super light. The tension calculates to around 3.34Kg. That's what I get on the high cc course at 0.025" in
plain nylon. So what would happen on a shorter scale oud? If the scale was 59cm, that same string would be 3.08Kg, not a huge difference.
But if on my 615mm ouds I tune that same string "Turkish" style, two half tones up to d, the tension jumps to 4.21Kg. How short a scale would it take
to keep it the same, to "even it out"? Quite a bit, down to 54.8cm.
So what is max? Arto himself says that nobody pushes a lute above 5 kg tension.
Can we derive by calculating backwards, and a lot of assumptions, including a sense that the tension is about even throughout, that the wound Maris
seem to act as if they averaged around 3000 kg/m^3 ? Arto says his calculations do not work for wound strings, but surely some approximation is
possible? Maybe more research first. In any case if someone will precisely weigh and accurately measure/mike some D'Addario wound strings, I will do
the same for Maris.
The best best for a long scale like that is to get custom lute strings from pyramid (maybe labella does them too?). However, it's pretty expensive.
They last a long time though, so spending $100 a year on strings doesn't seem too bad to me.
Wooo, 100$ ... that's much. I would recommend Kuerschner strings as an alternative, that if ordered directly by Mr. Kuerschner himself instead of a shop, will be designed especially for the
customer's oud and tuning. And this are high quality strings too, that even Faruk Turunz uses, as far as I know. And the price is about 35€ plus
shipping, which is inside Germany about 4.50€. But because Mr. Kuerschner ships as a big letter, the shipping costs to foreign countries shouldn't
be much higher.
But chances seem to be high, that Nick will like the ordered Mari strings, which have a very good reputation here in the forums.
For now the observation seems to be from several people that D"Addarios are heavier tension than Maris on the same oud.
Not really astonishing, because D'Addario are designed for turkish oud and Mari for arabic oud.fernandraynaud - 11-12-2009 at 03:30 AM
[Not really astonishing, because D'Addario are designed for turkish oud and Mari for arabic oud. ]
Chris, I think it's a little fuzzier than that. By the math, the exact same string set on a long Arabic, say 62cm, and a short Turkish, say 56cm, you
get exactly the same tension at their respective standard tunings, cc and dd. The gray area is covered by labeling and marketing. I have Mari Arabic
and Mari Turkish, and the gauges are nearly identical, they look the same, so until I weigh them, I will rather think they are the same. We have no
good direct way to measure tension, and to the touch, it's not easy to tell. I'll get a lab scale out when I get a chance, and weight some wound
strings, we'll see. Aymara - 11-12-2009 at 04:07 AM
By the math, the exact same string set on a long Arabic, say 62cm, and a short Turkish, say 56cm, you get exactly the same tension at their respective
standard tunings, cc and dd.
Regarding THIS table for D'Addario oud strings the tension rises with the scale length, when the tuning stays the same.NickD - 11-12-2009 at 06:24 AM
Thanks for all the replies guys, that is indeed interesting about the same/similar gauges of the D 95's and other strings. Seems a bit of a strange
paradox.... perhaps a placebo affect of sorts?
I'll try the Daniel Mari strings anyway seeing as i just ordered 2 pairs. Would love to see the results of a critical trial with sensative gauges etc
though!
On another note, My oud arrived today, but due to careless handlers who tranported it, it was damaged. cracked where the soundboard meets the bowl
(although it was packed to survive a nuclear blast, props to the dude who packed it).
Thankfully the seller seems a good honest sort and is having it taken care of with insurance. Just means I have to wait till I have another oud in my
hands! arghh! Aymara - 11-12-2009 at 06:40 AM
Oh my god ... that are bad news, Nick.
Though it's good, that this disaster doesn't cost you anything, it's too bad, that you'll have to wait longer, until you're happy with your new
oud.
