SamirCanada
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Sukar oud modification.
Hello Fine people.
First off This is the Sukar oud I have for Sale. (And it will be for sale again when I finish with it) I took it out of ebay when I just noticed that
When tuning it I had some problems with the strings unwinding at the Nut since it was roughly made of wood.
Second I noticed that the fingerboard was in fact simply the wood used for the neck. So basicaly there wasnt a fingerboard there in the first
place.
First I made a new nut out of bone.
For the fingerboard. I cut small grooves along the neck part with a thin metal saw into the wood that was used for the fingerboard... I made them
along the neck. It looked like it had 10 or so frets on the fingerboard but they were cut into the board. I made them all a little short of the depth
of the new fingerboard was going to be. Then I took out the wood with a sharp chisel. I actualy spent more time sharpening it then cuting wood. Wood
isnt like butter it dosesnt just melt under the knive (unfortunetly Or fortunetly? chose your point of view..) 
Anyways I dont have a camera at the time so Iam sorry I couldnt show progres. After I planed it flush and sanded down the area so I could glue the
fingerboard.
I got a fingerboard blank made of Rosewood. I cut it to shape then planed and sanded it down with a flat sanding block up to 600grit ( overkill?) I
glued it down last nite using a couple of clamps on a flat block.
Now I wonder if I should make it a long fingerboard down to the sound hole? Iam looking for sugestions here. By the way Its not completely done. I
need advice on how to polish it.
here's a small video. Iam gliding on top with a little rubbing alcohol. How nice is that? it makes the collor of the wood really shoot out. I dont
want to put a thick finish on it but Iam wondering if it would be possible to make it shine like that permanently with some kind of oil? advice please
Thanks fellas
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SamirCanada
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Before.
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SamirCanada
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After.. but not yet completed. I have to fill in that little gap with a Rosewood dust and superglue mixture.
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Dr. Oud
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| Quote: | | Originally posted by SamirCanada... I dont want to put a thick finish on it but Iam wondering if it would be possible to make it shine like
that permanently with some kind of oil? ... |
Be sure to check the flatness after clamping down to make sure it is flat on the neck. I usually stop sanding with 220, then polish with 0000 steel
wool, then oil it. Any vegetable oil will work or Lemon oil Pledge furniture polish is fine too. Any other finish will only peel up under the strings.
Don't get any oil on the face, though.
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SamirCanada
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Thanks verry much Doc for the advice.
Iam planing to get your book verry soon. Since Iam getting more and more serious about pursuing fixing up ouds as a hobby and it would be nice to
have. Could you please post the link to where its available.
Just so you know. I ended up gluing it twice. the first time around I didnt have the neck and fingerboard sanded down to match so they were flat on
there own... but when I put them togheter it wasnt flush flat against eachother. So I had to reheat the glue and take them apart.
The second time around I lay a thin sheat of sandpaper flat against the neck and I sanded the fingerboard against it.
Now... I have enough wood to make it go down to the soundhole good or bad Idea? providing I dont touch the braces and the new part is flush is it
worth it? or is it fine like this.
Seeking guidance.
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Dr. Oud
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Extending the fingerboard down the face is a playing preference and won't affect the sound at all. It will make those notes played past the neck joint
much clearer. If you lay the fingerboard on top of the face it also adds some clearance above the face which will increase the volume you can produce
by plucking deeper in the strings. Making the fingerbard flush with the face is more of a challenge and harder to flatten. I have also seen just a
partial extension flush but only under the first 2 top strings. -makes sense no?
on-line orders: http://www.cafepress.com/droudpress
other payments: http://www.droud.com/BookOrder.htm
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mavrothis
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Nice work Samir, good for you. It's good to see so many people on the forums working on ouds and helping each other out.
I've also heard that extended fingerboards make the higher notes clearer.
mav
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SamirCanada
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Here I have outlined the technique I think I will use for for the extention of the fingerboard. Since the fingerboard I have is all ready planed flat.
All I need to do is to smooth out the part where it connects with the face.
It will save me some time to lower the fingerboard into the face after I have filed flat the space where it conects to the neck block. And to the
braces. Does anyone have concerns with this technique being used? Sound wise?
I like this technique since It will be easier to check the fit before glueing and I can keep going untill its flat.
Any advice on how to make sure the two Parts fit in togheter nicely? I can cut the fingerboard part first and then. Precisely cut arround it with a
exacto style knive? Or first use a pencill to go around and cut just inside the line?
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Dr. Oud
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Your fitting idea should work, although I think it's more work to notch the fingerboard around the neck block and braces than just planing or sanding
the fingerboard down to match the face thickness.
There should be no change to the oud's sound as there are no soundwaves produced above the sound hole.
Definitely use the finished fingerboard as a template to cut the opening. Following a pencil line is not as accurate.
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SamirCanada
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Here is what it looks like guys...
What do you think? so far so good?
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SamirCanada
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With inlay fingerboard not yet inlayed.
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SamirCanada
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Here's a close up of the sound hole.
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Mike
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Nice job Samir. That was very brave of you my man.
Here are a couple of videos Samir made playing his Sukar oud.
Sukar Om Kalthoum
Sukar Taqsim
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SamirCanada
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Sukar modification completed
Here is the completted sukar oud I have added the new rosewood fingerboard and made a bone nut for.
Thanks for your suport
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SamirCanada
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Thanks mike for posting the videos.
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SamirCanada
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here a side view.
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SamirCanada
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Thanks Mike once again for posting the vids...
this last pic is to seek some advice on extra addons I could do.
There is a painted sides to the fingerboard and the sweat protector. I have enough wood to make them should I?
Thanks guys.
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Mike
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I like them Samir...I say do it bro.
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revaldo29
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Hey Samir, I like them too except I don't like the shape of the sweat protector. I like them with less with sharp edges. More like the one on your
shehata or the ones you find on yaroub ouds. Also, I think an elliptical pick guard would look better and more pleasing than the one thats already on
there. Something about those sharp pointy things just doesn't seem to go with the look of the oud.
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SamirCanada
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I agree with you Adnan... Is there a way that I can remove the raqma without damaging the face.. or the braces under it with too much heat. I tought
about laying one over it. But it would be to big and it would add too much thickness.
As for the sweat protector I like your idea better aswell. Also there is the possibilty of putting it at the bottom of the oud.
I could remove it with out damaging the pickgard and reshape it to a eleptical form. Or I could get a rosewood veneer and make a theme for the oud.
Advice please
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Jameel
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Nice job, Samir.
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SamirCanada
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Thank you Jameel
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