Mike's Oud Forums

buzzing on the fingerboard

Oudsofjoy - 4-25-2018 at 03:46 PM

I'm hearing buzzing when I play certain notes on the Re and Sol strings, and it's a new oud. I'm pretty sure it's the finger board as the buzzing appears when I play certain notes.
I'm wondering if I should attempt to sand the board down? what type of sand paper would be recommended?

Thank you

Bass

Chococumba - 4-27-2018 at 01:12 AM

Check the fingerboard for any cracks and bumps on the surface. Check the nut slots to see if they are too low. Check if you have the right strings on the oud. Turkish strings on Arabic oud may be more loose and cause buzz.

Oudsofjoy - 4-27-2018 at 01:31 PM

Thanks for the tips,
I looked through it for any signs of cracks of pumps. I added new la bella strings, that have the correct tensions for the arabic scale. It seems that strings are hitting the fingerboard.
I have to figure out where it needs sanding.

Dr. Oud - 5-5-2018 at 01:43 PM

Don't sand the fingerboard in one spot. The fingerboard must be dead flat all the way onto the face. If there is buzzing, the action may be too low. The strings should clear the fingerboard at the top nut bt 1/2 - 1mm, and 3-5 mm at the neck joint. Turkish buds can tolerate a lower action due to the shorter string length. If the action is ok there may be a loose brace, check by pressing lightly on the face near the braces are while the strings are buzzing (above and below the sand holes, in front of the bridge, etc). If the buzzing stops you have to remove the edge to glue the brace.