SufianSaeed
Oud Maniac
Posts: 52
Registered: 1-17-2015
Location: Tripoli
Member Is Offline
Mood: Feeling like A Resha
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Fixing an Oud
Hello everyone ,
i've been around this forum for a while and i always trust i can find answers for Oud related issues here.
i've bought this oud "Photos" around 6 months ago , its a cheap Oud, generic maker but it had a nice reverb to its sound but it had one issue which is
buzzing at the A/La strings , long story short is a person who said he is a luthier here did try to fix it after my teacher did praise him , i though
it will be a simple fix like sanding the fretboard or raising the nut but it was't few days after i gave it to him he contacted me saying he could
easily switch it to a floating bridge , i dont know why but i told him to go for it "way to go sufian" , as you see in the photos these are the
results , after a week the action went extremely high and the sound board as you can see is bent inwards , its been 2 months since that and i haven't
laid a hand on it , totally unplayable .
now my question is , if i want to personally fix it where should i start and what can i do , am thinking if i could make a fixed bridge and glue it
back at the right spot but i think it needs more than that , like maybe re-attaching the neck ? i dont mind time , am personally set on learning to do
this , i think its a great skill and time is no issue for me since no one in this country can actually fix an Oud , will be waiting for your valuable
comments .
Thanks
Sufian.
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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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An unfortunate situation, I would not take it back to the "luthier" or take more recommendations from your teacher. Fixed bridge ouds are structurally
different than floating bridge ouds and they should not be "converted". In addition, this looks like a Turkish oud, which is even more delicate than
an Arabic oud, so the added stress of the floating bridge is even more risky. The neck show a failure of the glue joint, which is the cause of the
high string action. This can be easily fixed by adding some hide glue (not synthetic glue or epoxy) and carefully clamping a long board from the tail
to the top nut, with the clamp at the neck joint. Put a block at the tail end so the bridge does not get any pressure from the clamped board. This
will close the gap at the neck until the glue cures.
The buzzing is often from grooves worn in the fingerboard, so check under the wound strings. If the fingerboard is thick enough it can be sanded down,
replaced or another piece glued on top of the existing one.
The black piate under the bridge does not belong there and may be damping the volume and affecting the tone of the oud. This should be removed with
low heat from an iron to soften the glue, and carefully working the joint loose with a thin palette knife. Don't use water or the face will be
discolored.
This appears to be a Turkish oud so the bridge would have a forward tie block. The string spacing is determined by the angle between the edges of the
neck. some information can be found in my book, "The Oud, Construction and Repair"
http://www.lulu.com/shop/richard-hankey/the-oud-construction-and-re...
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