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Adel Salameh
Oud Junkie
Posts: 235
Registered: 4-18-2008
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Hello Marouan ,
I think the gauges which you gave is extremely heavy... remember also the Turkish Oud is much lighter than Arab Oud....
I am working with Mimmo at the moment on new set of strings for 60 cm and 61.5 cm ouds... as I told him 3.4 kg is good enough for a new Oud apart
from the bass C which can go up to 3.7kg as it's a single string...
also I have told him for Old ouds, the maximum is 3.2 kg a part again from the bass C 3.5-3.6 Kg
I like vey much the bass strings however they are lacking some sustain for me... I also believe the Old yellow Nylgut for the to C & G are more
convincing than the new red invented strings...
I am still experimenting with the strings and shall let everybody know my thoughts ...
Best wishes,
Adel
http://www.adelsalameh.com/oudcamp.php
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suz_i_dil
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1061
Registered: 1-10-2008
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Hello Adel
indeed I found it really heavy at first but get used to this. On all course high tension on a fix bridge totally kill the sound....if not the oud
itself !! But for the first treble course I found it nice to have some more tense. It didnt made any structure troubles on my oud since. I guess
because concern a single course.
as far as I can feel the ozten strings I'm using nowadays are maybe a bit lower than that on the trebles side, but I don't know the gauges to
precise. Ok the 4.8 is probably caricatural  but at least I can say I like to
have more tension on first and maybe also 2nd course.
I would use the tense of 3.4 you are talking about for the others strings and agree on the more tense single bass.
looking forward to read your thoughts about the strings testing
regards
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suz_i_dil
Oud Junkie
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Hello Adel
indeed I found it really heavy at first but get used to this. On all course high tension on a fix bridge totally kill the sound....if not the oud
itself But for the first treble course I found it nice to have some more tense.
It didnt made any structure troubles on my oud since. I guess because concern a single course.
as far as I can feel the ozten strings I'm using nowadays are maybe a bit lower on the trebles side, but I don't know the gauges. Ok the 4.8 is
probably caricatural, but at least I can say I like to have more tension on first and maybe also 2nd course.
I would use the tense of 3.4 you are talking about for the others strings and agree on the more tense single bass.
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juju
Oud Junkie
Posts: 125
Registered: 11-13-2011
Location: Paris - France
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Hi,
I agree with Adel. For arabic oud, low tension gives a better sound.
I tested many strings set on my 61,5cm syrian oud. The best sound was achivied with 2,9kg for most of the strings. I noticed two exceptions : the G
string should be lighter (around 2,7kg with NR) and the D string should be heavier (around 3,2kg with wound strings).
For short scales (58,5cm or 57cm), the average tension should be higher and the NR doesn't give good results (thick NR doesn't sound
good)...replacing it by PVF is a good option.
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Microber
Oud Junkie
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Location: Belgium - Liège
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Quote: Originally posted by aquila  | Hi guys,
3rd: loaded nylgut ( finally no wound strings here, a densified Nylgut make the sound brigther and even that the normal nylgut);
4th; 5th; 6th: deep red wound strings. There is a prevalence of core over the metal wire so there is less sustain, deeper sound & warmer
tonality
The balance of tension is pretty good, I think. .
Mimmo
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These are good news Mimmo.
I hope to meet you in Sulzburg in September to try and see all these improvement.
Robert
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Adel Salameh
Oud Junkie
Posts: 235
Registered: 4-18-2008
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thanks Mimmo for the strings ...
Dear friends,
here is what I think of these strings....it took sometime to test few sets ...
I have tried 3.4 kg on new ouds apart from the bass c which is at 3.7kg... it works very well
Also we have tried 3.2 Kg which I like a lot...
for the new red strings for C & G , I have told Mimmo that I prefer the old yellow nylgut , for few reasons, they give a thinner sound and you got
not the real note....compare to the earthy , warmer larger sound of the nylgut... they reminded me of carbon strings , as a result of the metal
inserted inn them
as for the D in Red new strings, I am quite sure some players will like them , myself I preferred the copper wound string.
also I have discussed with him the problem of the old yellow nylgut, which is when the string is tuned, then you play up the fingerboard , then the
notes are not clean and sounds not in tune....this you do not find in Lute nylgut strings as they are rectified...then I believe the oud strings
should be rectified too to avoid this problem...I tested this set the other day in my concert in Germany, I was not very comfortable with the top C
and G ...the rest of the strings are fine...
Mimmo we will see you at the Oud camp this August , other masters will be also their, ouds students , this way you can hear directly from them .
In my opinion, these are excellent strings at a very reasonable price, warm sound , nice sustain...
I wish you all the best,
Adel
http://www.adelsalameh.com/oudcamp.php
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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I agree with Adel, I have been trying the rectified nylgut from the lute strings and there are no intonation problems. I think the sound is better
also.
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nasers
Oud Addict
Posts: 26
Registered: 6-7-2006
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Fascinating discussion. But how can you worry about the amount of tension on a string when you are dealing with a specific string on a specific oud
which you have to tune to a specific tuning? See what I mean? For example, I have to tune my 3rd pair to D no matter how many Kg's of tension that
creates. Do you change tuning to achieve a certain level of tension? That doesn;t make sense. Do you buy different types of strings to achieve a
certain tension level? How do you even measure tension on a string? Is there a special tool?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Well, Mimmo manufactures strings, so he can modify the manufacturing process to achieve the desired tension.
Matthias and I sell strings; generally to achieve the desired tension we select from a variety of strings available. The tension is determined by the
string, the vibrating string length (aka scale or scale length), the and the pitch to which it is tuned.
There are ways to measure the actual tension of the string, but in most cases we are using mathematical formulas or tools, based on the effective unit
weight or density of the string (generally information provided by the string's manufacturer).
Of course you are correct in that if you only have a premade set of strings available, the only way to change the tension is to tune the oud
differently.
If you are a string maker, you could change the density of the strings. Ordinary folks can select from various strings available. Luthiers can make
the oud longer (more tension) or shorter (less tension).
Other things affect the perceived tension (the tension to the touch may feel different than the actual tension): break angles at the bridge and nut,
as well as the core:winding ratio, and how tight the windings are (looser windings feel lighter at the same tension).
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