wally1212
Oud Maniac
Posts: 56
Registered: 2-12-2014
Member Is Offline
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Oud, Weather, and Tuning
Hi All!
I need some help with my Oud. It doesn't want to stay in tune. I haven't had this problem before which is why I think it might have something to do
with the change of weather, since this problem started happening at around the time I travelled with my Oud.
I took the Oud from a dry, not that humid weather to a very cold one. And since then it doesn't want to stay in tune. I figured I might give it some
time to get acclimated but still the problem persists.
What do you guys think the problem is and how ought I fix it?
Thanks!
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bulerias1981
Oud Junkie
Posts: 763
Registered: 4-26-2009
Location: Beacon, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: John Vergara Luthier Lord of the Strings instrument making and repair
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Hi Wally,
This could be caused due to a plethora of reasons. But's lets just to figure out a few things first.
Where do you live?
Where did you travel to?
Where was the oud made? (Maker)
For sure bringing the instrument into a different climate will knock it out of tune. A fine instrument will generally be more stable, easier to tune
and hold tuning more often.
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wally1212
Oud Maniac
Posts: 56
Registered: 2-12-2014
Member Is Offline
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Hi John,
So the Oud was in Egypt for all it's life and then I took it to Canada. Mahmoud Dagher made my Oud. It's a decent Oud but definitely not a
professional one.
Let me know if you need any other info.
Thanks,
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jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Mood: No Mood
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Canadian Winter conditions can be very dry - sufficient to damage an instrument built in a more humid climate. When outside air conditions are minus
30°C or lower - as they often are - the air inside heated buildings that do not have some kind of humidity control can reach Relative Humidity levels
down to 30% or less (ideal RH would be around 55%)
I found out the hard way when a lute that I built in humid Britain suffered a split sound board soon after moving to Canada and had to be rebuilt to
be compatible with the Canadian climate. My house is heated primarily with a wood stove and does not have climate control so I try to reserve sound
board assembly of instruments that I make to the Winter months. That way the higher humidity conditions of a Canadian Summer does not (so far!) result
in structural damage.
Your problem may not be related to some kind of hidden structural failure due to dry conditions but is a possibility to be aware of.
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bulerias1981
Oud Junkie
Posts: 763
Registered: 4-26-2009
Location: Beacon, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: John Vergara Luthier Lord of the Strings instrument making and repair
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jdowning...
Was the wood well seasoned on the lute?
Wally, not sure where you are in Canada, as jdowning mentioned the climates vary. I have a humidifier on in my shop, and in these months I keep it set
for 45%. You don't really want to get below 30%.
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jdowning
Oud Junkie
Posts: 3485
Registered: 8-2-2006
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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The spruce sound board material was well seasoned but the lute was built in Northern England in a workshop that was not climate controlled. As you may
know that part of the world has plenty of rain so is environmentally quite damp. After moving to Canada the sound board split so was removed and
scrapped. The replacement was made from the same batch of spruce given time to condition to the dryer Canadian winter environment. No further
problems.
Is the tuning problem related to slight tuning peg slippage? If the peg material was not fully seasoned moving the pegs to a dryer environment would
change peg geometry from an original well fitted round section to a slightly oval section so making the friction fit of the peg less positive and
smooth fitting? The oval section is created because the wood grain runs across the peg shank diameter and wood shrinks more in drying along the grain
direction than it does across the grain.
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