kevin
Oud Lover
Posts: 14
Registered: 1-8-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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advice for picking out an oud
hi. this is really a great forum, having been in and out of various groups, it is always refreshing to come across one that is what it says it is.
anyway, you've probally seen me nosing around, i want an oud. Having had a turkish cumbus & bowed tambur for a number of years and also since
I've recently joined a turkish band, I realized it was time to make the big purchase. I've poked around, (maybe not enough), but despite the
really great amount of information here & there, I'm still not sure what the difference is between the various qualities of instruments.
Aside from obvious flaws, crack & such, what signals a 'bad' oud. What is standard and good for an oud? - (I see there is different wood
choices, some being traditional, ect) - but what makes an oud exceptional? Since I don't have to the damn good luck of having 10 ouds to try out
all at the same time like i do for guitars- i'm hoping I can rule out the obvious (or not so obvious).
thanks a million & keep taksiming! kevin
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TruePharaoh21
Oud Junkie
Posts: 789
Registered: 3-17-2003
Location: California, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Loving the Oud
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I don't believe there's much of a standard in picking out an oud. By the way, welcome to the forum. As far as the wood goes, I've heard
that the wood used on the back of the oud doesn't make much difference (I prefer ebony, but that becomes a bit pricey). I think the best thing is
to determine what kind of sound you want from your oud first, then go searching.
For example, when I asked for an Arabic oud, I wanted to make sure that it had an incredible bass and didn't swallow the sound. Some people
prefer the tighter sound. It's up to you. Play as many ouds as you can first, and see which fits YOUR style best.
As far as more specifics go, there are quite a number of people here who have built their own ouds, and I'm sure they'll answer you soon.
TP21
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Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1370
Registered: 12-18-2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: better than before
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1. The pegs fit snugly, don't slip or stick so you can tune the oud reliably. This is the most common fault, if you can't tune it you
won't play it.
2. The neck alignment must be such that the strings are between 1/8 and 3/16 inch high at the neck/ body joint. Lower and it will buzz, higher and it
will be difficult to play.
3. Tone is a personal preference and is all over the place. Ususally, Turkish ouds (small) are brighter, and Arabic ouds (large) are deeper.
4. Quality is not cheap. Ouds bought for less than $600 are likely to have or soon develop problems. You can get a good oud for this money if you
travel to the mideast, know where to go and who to buy from. Good luck
Richard
http://www.droud.com
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