johnyashes
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 4-29-2010
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Strings for Oud
Can I use guitar strings on my Oud? If so, what kind and guages?
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Sazi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 786
Registered: 9-17-2007
Location: Behind my oud
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Mood: مبتهج ; ))
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You could but I wouldn't, the tension of guitar strings is much higher than oud strings and may damage your oud.
Why do you want to use guitar strings? Do a search on strings, there are many suppliers of strings for oud all over the world.
Better safe than sorry!
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johnyashes
Oud Admirer
Posts: 2
Registered: 4-29-2010
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very true. thanks for the quick response. My girlfriend has a presentation she will be playing her oud for and need to replace the strings for the
first time since her father bought it. I will order strings.
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Ali
Oud Maniac
Posts: 98
Registered: 10-17-2005
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Mood: No Mood
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I would suggest Dani-Mari oud strings, good strings and very reasonable price.
( alot cheapper that guitar strings, specially you would need two sets of guitar strings
for your oud to have your strings paired.)
I recentey tried it on, two of my ouds and I am very happy with it .
you can get that here :
http://www.ostriemusicsupplies.com/oud-strings.htm
good luck
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Manil
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
Registered: 3-19-2010
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I just bought those custom guitar strings from Khalafoud, you can see the table of tension and adapt it if you want, or get Aquila, LaBella strings
from Jameel, nice guy to deal with.
Enjoy!
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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Mood: m'Oudy
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I just want to throw one thing in. If you are in a pinch and need to replace a string or two out in the middle of, let's say, Kansas, you certainly
CAN use "classical guitar" strings. It's just a matter of the materials and thicknesses.
If you know what gauge your strings are, and it bears repeating that it's a good thing to know, there is no special voodoo involved, and though you
might prefer your favorite oud strings, very similar nylon and silver-plated copper wound strings are used on classical guitars.
For instance (I just tested this), a guitar with a scale of 25.5" has a low E string generally 0.045" at a tension around 7 kg. If you capo or fret
that string up one fret and tune it down until it plays a C, you have duplicated the conditions on a 24.25" scale Arabic Oud with the bam string tuned
to C. The tension is just fine, we can calculate it, but it feels around 4 Kg.
This also allows for experimenting with materials that may not yet be available in ouds sets. For instance Thomastik makes all sorts of excellent
strings. They offer flatwound low strings that could help an oud with a buzzy bam string.
I too find the Daniel Mari Strings economical & excellent. The two sets (Arabic and Turkish) seem all but identical. They also offer a 0.020"
"mumtaz" pair for tuning to ff for $0.75. Be sure you ask Bill for the long bass string if you need it, because at one time they were a hair too short
(36") to make a proper loop and wrap on the peg on a "standard" 615 mm scale Arabic oud.
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