naddad
Oud Maniac
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Why don't ouds use tuning mechanics similar to guitars?
A oud needs to be tuned at least every day and each time it takes much longer than tuning a guitar.
Why haven't tuning mechnics been used for ouds?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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An oud with properly fitted tuning pegs of good quality doesn't need much adjustment unless there are changes in the weather/temperature/humidity.
Once you get used to it, it doesn't take much longer than tuning a guitar (accounting for the 5 extra strings).
Having 11 machines on the pegbox would dramatically throw off the delicate weight balance of the oud. Ouds are much lighter than guitars, and the
extra weight would be a problem.
Once you get experienced with pegs, it really isn't much harder to deal with.
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naddad
Oud Maniac
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In my (very limited) experience, pegs always need to be pushed in every now and then so they don't slip. Moreover it is difficult to make adjustments
as fine and as easy as mechanical tuners.
For example, if I'm tuning an upper peg (i.e. one pointing toward the sky), I need like a table to rest the tip of the oud head on it in order to be
able to push the peg down. Same thing for the pegs pointing down.
I understand it's a weight issue but I guess I have a hard time understanding why the switch hasn't been made. Isn't it just a matter of habit? One
can get used to a slightly head-heavy oud... no?
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ameer
Oud Junkie
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I once (approx ten years ago) owned an oud that had been retrofitted with mechanical tuners. I wouldn't have described it as unusually head or
neck-heavy- if anything it balanced out quite nicely. Then again that probably means that the body was unusually heavy to begin with. It didn't have
very much ring to it so perhaps the body was too heavy.
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
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A very good quality oud doesn't have any issues of that kind,there are instruments 100 years old and the pegs work perfectly.
Regards
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naddad
Oud Maniac
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A very good quality oud would also cost a lot of money. Few can afford that. Conversely, take any beginner guitar and you could tune it in a snap.
I have a friend who wanted to learn oud, and was so frustrated tuning his $150 oud with wooden pegs that he just gave up the instrument. Beginners
need an easy tuning the most.
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DoggerelPundit
Oud Junkie
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My 2 cents - What would be the added cost of 11 (compact yet effective) tuners production fitted to an otherwise inexpensive oud, including pegbox
redesign? Would they sell?
Would that be less expensive than a full peg refit/replace by a violin luthier, on an already purchased inexpensive, traditionally pegged instrument?
In the case of inexpensive ouds, which nonetheless play and sound well, it might be worth it.
Also, haven't there been a number of threads here with good advice on peg-slip problems?
-Stephen
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Marcus
Oud Junkie
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Hi all
I think another reason for wooden pegs is that the sound/vibration of the strings have to go thrue all the wood of a oud. With mechanics the vibration
stops at the tuner.
Just take a look at professional Flamenco-guitars,the old ones shure have wooden pegs, but the high quality new ones have them also.
The push-the-peg-in-problem dissapears after a while, you just have to get the "trick".
Cheers
Marcus
Playing the oud is like feeding my soul with peace
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sylvainbd
Oud Junkie
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Hey 
I found good compromise for ouds ...
http://ssl.bfit.jp/~jby/product_info.php?products_id=169
This oud maker used this keys for his ouds ...
http://www.provost-guitare.com/
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naddad
Oud Maniac
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Just found the solution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw_V_UX5Vnk&feature=related
Skip to 6:28 for a demo
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naddad
Oud Maniac
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I'd buy this.
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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This isn't a bad idea, but it would be $120 + labor to replace all the pegs on an oud; if the problem is cheapo ouds, why would you spend all that
money on a cheap oud?
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John Erlich
Oud Junkie
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All,
I believe that Shehata makes ouds with guitar-style machine tuning pegs--maybe by special order only. I tried one at his Cairo studio in 2000. I
found the instrument uncomfortably top-heavy at the peg box. More importantly, it was just UGLY. I ended buying an oud with "traditional" friction
pegs. I must say that the Shehata's friction pegs rarely slip, and the instrument doesn't need to be retuned very often.
Just my $.02 on the subject...
Peace out,
"Udi" John
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Fernando of Sor
Oud Addict
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I'm toying with the idea of temporarily using a 12 string acoustic guitar with the frets removed, and filled in. Then using Oud strings.
However, I do realise that an acoustic 12 string is far heavier built than an Oud, and consequently would not be anywhere near as resonant.
I'm sure any Oud afficionado's would consider this as appalling. And that would be fair enougth.
But it would keep me playing until I can afford a higher quality instrument 
- Mark
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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Honestly, playing a fretless 12 string guitar is nothing like an oud and will not really help you progress as an oud player. You would be better off
with a cheap oud. Acceptable student-model turkish ouds can be found inexpensively that would be a much better solution.
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Fernando of Sor
Oud Addict
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Hi Brian, yes you are probably right. I have very limited options at the moment financially , the chance of me even getting a student model Turkish
Oud is remote. The 12 string idea would be a very temporary solution, which would only allow me to study theory to a limited degree. I am in the
process of selling a budget Oud, and really want to save to get a higher level Oud of some description before I commit myself fully to proper study,
which is my intention. I am considering the possibility of getting an electric Oud also, for practical reasons.
But I take your advice on board. All the best - Mark
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danieletarab
Oud Junkie
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You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good oud with pegs that work perfectly. I have a nisadir oud that costed me 600 euro, an it,s as easy as a
guitar to tune.
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jiggo
Oud Lover
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Registered: 6-4-2012
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I would definitely welcome this idea of using mechanics for the pegs. I don't know any other instrument which is so easy to tune like a guitar,
because the machanics allow very precise adjusting due to the leverage effect.
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Matthias
Oud Junkie
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Quote: Originally posted by naddad  | A oud needs to be tuned at least every day and each time it takes much longer than tuning a guitar.
Why haven't tuning mechnics been used for ouds?
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Hello,
if you do not like wooden pegs, theese pegs will be a solution:
http://www.wittner-gmbh.de/cgi-bin/db_search_e.pl?rubrik=Finetune-P...
You will find them in my shop:
http://music-strings.de/index.php?k=553&lang=eng
Best regards
Matthias
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
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Matthias, am I reading this right? 333 Euros plus shipping and installation for 12 pegs? I'd have to do this in stages. I can afford 4 pegs now. Which
courses do you think I should convert? But what also worries me is that the strings "click". Maybe I need a nut with ball bearings?
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Matthias
Oud Junkie
Posts: 473
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Location: Badenweiler, Germany
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| Quote: Originally posted by fernandraynaud | | Matthias, am I reading this right? 333 Euros plus shipping and installation for 12 pegs? I'd have to do this in stages. I can afford 4 pegs now. Which
courses do you think I should convert? But what also worries me is that the strings "click". Maybe I need a nut with ball bearings?
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Hello,
The price comes from the producer Wittner, not from me.
They are originally developed for Violin Viola and Cello. I suppose you know the prices of theese instruments. There you have another relation between
new pegs and the instruments value. I personally prefer wooden pegs. I never had problems with my installed wooden pegs. I gave here only an
information that theese pegs exist. But btw. I already had some clients who got them from me and know collegues who usees them.
Finally, if he taper of the old and Wittner pegs is the same, the work for changing is minimal and can probably done by the player himself.
Matthias
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