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periklistsoukalas
Oud Lover
Posts: 17
Registered: 6-19-2005
Location: Greece
Member Is Offline
Mood: Adventurous
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Quote: Originally posted by Aymara  | Hi everybody,
interesting instrument, though there are a few things which make me shudder 
I especially don't like the headstock, which reminds me of a mandolin ... further thoughts about this later.
First I would like to thank Aaron (Jaffa Road) for his detailled review and videos ... I saw, he made a further one, which can be found HERE.
I think in this video this instrument sounds very oud-like, but I still find the bass response relatively week compared to a good arabic oud. But this
might be caused by the microphones used. In my search for a good oud recording mic, I found the AKG C3000 to be the only large diaphragm condenser
below 500€ being able to capture the warm bass of my rosewood oud naturally. But that's a different story
I was very interested in this Multioud, because I have a Godin A5 fretless bass, which I really love. So I found especially Mav's critique very
interesting and would like to find out more about his findings:
| Quote: Originally posted by mavrothis |
What I didn't like:
- Treble strings very tinny/piercing, like a floating bridge oud - did not sound natural to me
- High tension on all the strings, even playing near the nut (even though the action is low)
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I'd like to discuss this further.
Mav, you reported, that you used EABead tuning. Might it be, that the tension might be more comfortable with standard CFAdgc arabic tuning? I ask,
because I use this tuning with D'Addario strings on my 58,5cm scale arabic oud and the tension is low.
How high is the tension compared to a Turkish oud? I never had the chance to play Turkish tuning. But theoretically using the higher tuning with the
same D'Addarios should yield to much higher tension.
You also guessed, that the high tension might be caused by the bridge. I don't think so and ask myself, if the headstock might cause it. What do the
others think? Might the angle of a standard pegbox compared to this flat headstock's angle play a role?
Regarding the trebble string's sound ... this might be caused by the ebony saddle in the bridge. Maybe it would have been a better choice by Godin to
use a horn saddle? A further thought leads to the nut ... I expect it to be a Tusq nut as on my Godin bass. Might a bone nut improve the trebble
sound?
Or maybe different strings would make a big difference? This idea is inspired by reports I read about the Glissentar, where some guitarists reported,
that Thomastik-Infeld flatwound classic guitar strings made a big improvement to it's sound and playability.
I would be happy, if Aaron could tell us more about his experience with this instrument ... do you find the tension also very high? Which tuning did
you use? And what do you think about my suspicion, that the bass response is sub-optimally captured by the mics in your videos?
PS: I found a further video with very good sound quality ... HERE ... it's from the music trade fair Frankfurt 2011. Don't get shocked, only the first 20 seconds are in German, the rest in English and the
playing starts at 2:35. |
Hello Ayamara.
Regarding your comment about the headstock of the multi oud i have the same opinion on aesthetic BUT there's one more most important think about
tension.
The traditional oud pegbox is made in a way that can lower the tension of the strings and this kind of headstocks are really a big false ! You can see
also electric guitars using the 'tune-o matic' brigde and stop tailpiece which is adjustable so you can choose your prefer height and so the strings
tension !
I've been playing oud for like 35 years now and i've been tried hundreds of ouds around the world as i own many also. So i notice the difference of
the pegbox angles according to the construction preferences of each luthier and every tradition and it does a difference to the tension.
Of course using proper strings according to the calculation of vibrating length, material and for specific tuning so to have a proper Newton for my
pressure and finally strings tension.
So it is a problem of tension for ouds (and other multi stringed - short necked instruments) when the luthier's preference comes to a straight
pegbox.
It always gives me the idea of them having tried low quality construction and material ouds with awful pegs that are more sensitive to climate
changes. Of course when you have a proper pegbox with good ebony pegs tunning are becoming like butter and stable and i can say even better to use
than a gear peg ! If there's some small issue on stability or adjusting of the peg then we can always use the good old times chalk & soap solution
!
Regards
Periklis Tsoukalas
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Oud Freak
Oud Junkie
Posts: 291
Registered: 11-23-2007
Member Is Offline
Mood: Oud Jerk 
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| Quote: Originally posted by periklistsoukalas | Hello Ayamara.
The traditional oud pegbox is made in a way that can lower the tension of the strings and this kind of headstocks are really a big false !
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Hi, how is that? could you please explain ...
Thx.
OF
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Aymara
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1162
Registered: 10-14-2009
Location: Germany / Ruhr Region
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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This is a very interesting question, which came to my mind too.
And how about the lute in comparison, which has a straight pegbox too.
Might the angle of the pegbox play a more important role?
Greetings from Germany
Chris
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periklistsoukalas
Oud Lover
Posts: 17
Registered: 6-19-2005
Location: Greece
Member Is Offline
Mood: Adventurous
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It is an issue of combining some parameters like vibrating string length strings material strings diameters length of the instrument and of course
tuning ! Lutes are basically chord instruments (they use to company Viols and other let's say a little bit more 'solistic' instruments). Tension of
the strings are different from ouds ! I don't think it can be any comparison to it's ancestor lute. I've been studying renaissance lutes of all types
and there's way different construction and playability needs of lutes and ouds. Of course i can't explain it as a luthier can but i got my results of
course not only reading but trying. I think everyone will come to a conclusion after it. Generally as i wrote angled pegboxes can offer softer playing
(only if you're using the correct strings for the preferred tuning) but tuning instability.. Of course compare to more 'straight' pegboxes. To me
Godin multi oud's pegbox although is a 'straight' pegbox i got no feeling of tension at all ! To me is a very soft and fast playing fingerboard in E
and D tunings. Tuning stability is amazing (if you put on the 'correct' strings and have them 'prepare' first) and no needs of choke & soap good
old tradition solutions .
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periklistsoukalas
Oud Lover
Posts: 17
Registered: 6-19-2005
Location: Greece
Member Is Offline
Mood: Adventurous
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Let me write my review to the Godin Multi Oud too.
First the instrument weight 2.46 kg and you got the feeling that the neck is the most heavy part opposed to traditional ouds. Its unique shape though
is very comfortable of holding in the right way (only with your right arm). Pegs are working extremely and unexpected good and there is no comparison
to the Cümbüş pegs or headstock at all (although they look similar) so forget the choke & soap good old tradition solutions. Neck profile
and wood feels like butter and the mat finish is of a kind that helps easy moving - slippering and of course the ebony on the fingerboard too. For me
is one of the best necks in oud ever ! I've found lower actions in ouds but this one feels even lower in playing although it's normal (can be adjusted
via truss rod). Strings tension is normal (although the pegbox is 'straight') in tunings E (d a e B F# C#) and D (c g d A E B) and for those who like
the 'Kız' or 'Mansur' low by using the 'bam teli' as drone they can change the 'bam teli' to a thicker one according to the system - tuning. What
amazes me is two things 1. the clearanceness - perspicuousness and 2. the long sustain ! If you check the soundboard's thickness and the wood grain
lines position it doesn't seem to be able to give this king of elements but it is !! With these two elements i can even play Sarod techniques and
phrases on it !! As for the tone color comes to personal taste. The oud is an innovation experiment so the sound too and i mean according to my taste
the sound can be described as very sweet. No semi hollow Oud has this sweetness and rich sound that i had tried ever ! Of course i can't compere it to
full hollow body oud loudness and bass but only to semi hollow as it is its category. As for the Fishman unit is the best ever Fishman i owned and
tried. Multiple functions and sound adjustments in order to get what you want for a clean, distorted or effects filtered result. No other piezo system
can give you all these choices. You can adjust the blend between the piezo system (pickup) and the 'body' sound you can save your settings (of the
equalized body sound) in 4 presets and more. I think it will make your sound engineer happy at last !! Please double check the condition of the
Fishman piezo unit as it's not only one time i heard it has some problem or even broken (like mine!!). Of course if you want to get inside the
electric sound of the oud i can ensure you it is a loooong trip. Just get start with a good preamp (i suggest you the German handmade 'Lehle sunday
driver' better and far beyond other tube preamps in market) a good EQ (at least 6 bands) and as for the power amp category (acoustic instruments amp
or electric instruments) is up to your taste. Finally for me it became one of my beloved ouds capable to do things that others can't more handy and
all time close and still can't escape the feeling that it comes from a guitar luthier and not from some of the famous and super expensive world
renowed luthiers !!!
Thank you
Friendly
Periklis Tsoukalas
p.s. i apology for my not so good English
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Christian1095
Oud Junkie
Posts: 454
Registered: 4-29-2008
Location: North Carolina, USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Two days ago I received a Godin Mulitioud. Overall, I really like the instrument and wanted to share my thoughts....
I play oud with a small ensemble that caters to the local bellydance crowd in Charlotte North Carolina. I have a owned a toilet seat oud from Sukar
and while it was nice, I could never really get it to sound legit - that being said, I don't know if you can ever really get one to sound legit... I
normally play my Sukar with a K&K twin spot run though a LR Baggs Para DI... It has served me pretty well but can have feedback issues. I also
have a Shehata oud with bridge pickup....
I think the first thing to do is to NOT think of the multioud as an Oud. I'm not really sure how to describe the sound, but it sounds to me like a
guitar and a cumbus had a lovechild. If you're looking for it to sound like a real oud, then you're probably not going to like it much.... That
being said, I do like the sound and I think it has a lot of possibilities.
The overall construction is top notch. It feels like a solid instrument. Most of the toilet seat ouds I've seen (and the one I've owned) can't
compare to the quality you get from Godin. And, last time I checked Ebay, everybody seems to think their toilet seat is worth a lot more than I would
be willing to pay ($500-$800 USD). My Sukar electric was nice, but it was no where near the quality that you get from Godin.... Not even close...
The width of the strings (both at the bridge and the nut) are wider than any of the ouds I've played... I kind of like it, but it make it feel more
"guitar like" to me... Not really bad, just different.
Just like everybody else, I think the headstock looks awful. Middle Eastern instruments are supposed to have a bent headstock and I have a hard time
getting past that. The tuners are nice... they're a little close together, but they are top notch. The neck is awesome. The action is really low
and it's extremely comfortable to play.
The electronics are great. I really like the ability to blend the inputs together. Playing it acoustically, it's on par with my shehata oud in terms
of volume... Not very loud at all. Plugged into an amp it's awesome (Roland Cube) On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 10 for playability...
It's really nice and I'm looking forward to performing with it... Again, if you expect it to sound like an oud, it won't.... but again, I'm playing
for American audiences and we're playing pretty loud... so the loss of some of the oud sound is not as big a concern as having a top notch instrument
that will give consistent performance and is easy to play.
So, if you're thinking about spending $1500 USD and looking for an authentic oud sound, then I would suggest one of the ouds from MauriceOudshop. But
if you're looking for a stage instrument and already have a nice oud, then I think you could have a lot of fun with the multioud.... just don't expect
it to be something it's not.
Chris Walters
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hussamd
Oud Junkie
Posts: 117
Registered: 12-18-2013
Location: Bartlett, IL
Member Is Offline
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Good solid wood. The preamp electronics are heavy too.
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