hans
Oud Junkie
Posts: 186
Registered: 5-6-2014
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buzzing
Dearest ladies and grand gents, i know this is a topic much discussed but i want to spend my 3 cents anyway. Unfortunately i am the victim of buzzing
on my relatively new ramazan calay, floating bridge, turkish tuning (this is the way it was designed, it's not an iraqi setup).buzzing occurs on the
first positions on the d, a, e and b strings. As it is a new oud it should not be wear on the fingerboard. Raising the bridge solves the issue but
changes the sound, making it clearer and louder, which i don't want because it makes it sound like my other ramazan calay, which is not my favourite.
I have noticed that when i push the pegbox upward the problem disappears, and when i pull the pegbox backward it starts occurring on the open strings.
Also, when the d string has not been tuned and is too low, the open d buzzes until i tune it higher. All this leads me to believe that the neck, which
was finished during last summer in istanbul, is starting to straighten out (=backward) in the regrettable climate of amsterdam in january.i therefore
refrain from sanding the fingerboard; but if anyone has any helpful remarks besides avoidind the first notes.....i have been thinking of tuning the
whole thing one note higher during the winter to bend the neck a bit, but that might influence the soundboard? As in too much pressure there
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ARAKEL1
Oud Lover
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Hans
I had a similar problem with a new Sandi that I had bought last year. I thought it was the strings so I changed them, but the buzzing was the same. I
then decided to use the new strings on the Sandi on another oud I had. After taking the strings off and setting the Sandi in its stand the nut just
fell out. I never strung the Sandi up since, but I suspect that what you describe could be of a similar problem, a loose nut.
When you say when you put upward pressure on the pegbox and the buzzing stops, if you look at the pegbox, putting upward pressure pinches the nut up
against the fingerboard thus stopping the buzzing, and the opposit reaction when you pull down on the peg box it loosens, thus causing the buzzing.
Put a little hide glue between the nut and the fingerboard, if you don,t have hyde glue take a drop of hot water and put it between the nut and
fingerboard, not to much!!! If the Luthier put enough hyde glue between the nut, pegbox, and fingerboard this will reactivate it. Other wise take it
to your local Luthier for repaire.
Hope This Helps
Al
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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No glue is necessary to hold the nut in place, generally speaking the string tension is enough. But a couple of drops glue don't hurt. It seems
extremely unlikely to cause buzzing either way.
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Hmmm i will try that, though i should think that pulling the pegbox backward heightens the pressure on the nut which should solve the problem instead
of intensifying it. I will try your suggestion anyway
My first oud was a sandi too, it came with the whole pegbox detached  )! The
reason i am hesitant now with invasive measures is because of the sandi. I glued the pegbox on myself and put a screw through the fingerboard into the
pegbox for solidity. It worked ver well but you can imagine there was something to explain when i sold it 
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Something that seems to support my own theory is that, lately, when i tune my instrument in the morning, i have to tune the strings often down
instead of up.
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Uhhh, i put new e strings on, problem is worse than ever
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Okay, soundboard is cracking at the edge. Seems like i'm thoroughly <b>hug</b>ed now. Time to shut this oud down and fly to istanbul
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Would it be a bad idea to ask a local guitar luthier to fix the soundboard, i wonder?
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SamirCanada
Moderator
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Hans... I would give up oud fixing for a while. maybe its not your thing
a loose nut.. never would cause buzzing. Just try moving the nut by hand with that string pressure its not moving anywhere believe me. Nuts don't need
to be glued really.
What's the humidity in your house? if you don't have a humidifier and you are heating up the house for winter its probably too low. This is the single
most damaging thing people do to instruments and then think something is wrong with the instrument.
Also, the soundboard is fine. its just the binding starting to detach. Fill it with some woodworking glue, work in a small amount with your finger and
scrape/wipe the extra. You can try to apply painter's tape for pressure to close the gap.
floating bridge ouds eventually develop a sunken soundboard. you will only damage the face if you tune it higher than required.
What you describe sounds to me like it has slightly low action that will eventually rectify with time. Give the instrument 3-6 months before you judge
its necessary to make changes. It sounds like it will resolve naturally if a little pressure on the peg box is all that is needed.
If you think the problem is the nut, put a picture we can tell you if something looks off. I find sometimes the nut is not high enough and the strings
rest on the fingerboard before they touch the nut.
@samiroud Instagram
samiroudmaker@gmail.com
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
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What Samir said—what is the humidity in your place? It can easily be too low in the winter.
Make sure the humidity is ok and give it a few months to settle in before making any changes.
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Thanks for your messages! I already thought the nut was not the problem, and i just read on a guitar site that a dry climate is usually the cause of
cracks. I am very relieved that you said the soundboard isn't actually damaged and all will be well. I will arrange a humidifier and have a luthier
fill the crack. Maybe i can raise the bridge a little until things have returned to normal :-).
Thanks again!
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
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I would avoid messing with that small separation right away. . . it may be that it closes up on its own when the humidity is normalized.
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Okay.. i thought i should get it fixed because someone on the guitarforum said the longer you wait fixing a crack the more difficult it would get to
fix it nicely
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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That can be true, especially for a serious soundboard crack, where the string tension is going to affect the crack. For a small separation of the
purfling like this, I don't think it hurts to wait.
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hans
Oud Junkie
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Okay :-)
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