Guitarune
Oud Lover
Posts: 22
Registered: 8-15-2021
Location: Norway
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String questions
So, my first oud is a 60 cm scale. It came with sets for arabic tuning. On the ordering page it says "Pyramid strings – 650/11" but I
dunno...See attached picture of the extra package that came with it. I have no idea about gauges etc.
The thing is, for me they're a bit flubby. I prefer higher tension. Not sure how much difference there is in tension between oud sets, or if I should
get higher pitched sets. Could be I mostly prefer playing a higher pitched instrument too, unless playing solo.
So...how much higher can an "arabic" C - C set be tuned on a 60 cm scale instrument? Can tuning it too high affect the neck negatively, or will only
the strings suffer (break)?
On classical guitar I use high tension "carbon" type strings. Are there such things for oud too?
Are there oud sets made for tuning in fourths?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Those aren't Pyramid strings, I don't know what they are.
The traditional fixed-bridge oud is supposed to have low tension. Keep in mind that you are doubling each string, so the total tension is would be
very high if you gave each string a high tension.
Part of the sound of the oud is the relatively low tension. It takes some time to develop the technique of producing a big sound from low tension
strings.
I gather from your posts that you are very new to the oud, so at this point, it's a bit of a mistake to say you "prefer" higher tension strings. I
don't mean this in a critical way, but you don't really know enough yet to have meaningful preferences. Your guitar experience is essentially
irrelevant.
Tuning the oud up can definitely cause damage at the neck joint or warp the face, and possibly shear the bridge off the face.
Not advised unless you have a very carefully calibrated set. Some of the damage may take weeks or months to be noticeable but will be irreversible
without major surgery.
If your oud is floating bridge (I don't think yours was), then higher tension is more effective due to the guitar-influenced design.
Floating bridge ouds are intended for and usually respond a bit better to higher tension.
PVF (aka "carbon") strings are available for the plain strings on the oud. You can purchase the gauges from Savarez (KF series) or Pyramid ("lute" or
"historical" series PVF), the appropriate gauges are around .50-.55mm for c' and .63-.70mm for g.
They have a bright, twangy sound on oud that is often preferred for Turkish music but most find less desirable for Arabic music.
60cm is a great scale for Arabic oud, it is right in the middle of the standard range (57-63cm) so most sets will work reasonably well. The Pyramid
"Super Aoud" set is a rather heavy set out of the standard options. You may like D'addario's EJ95A, as their strings are wound with a slightly higher
stiffness than most other options, which gives them a bit heavier feel at the same tensions.
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Guitarune
Oud Lover
Posts: 22
Registered: 8-15-2021
Location: Norway
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Thanks Brian!
Ah, I did some reading and thought mine felt a bit flubby since arabic oud usually have a scale of 61-62 cm. Or so says Darbukaplanet 
I typically prefer the harder tension on all my stringed instruments due to the higher dynamic range I get from it. I tried tuning this oud a half
step higher on these strings, and I much preferred that! Since the scale is 60 cm, it should probably be ok, or...?
How about typical Turkish string sets? Would that be ok, or too much tension on this 60 cm thingy?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Turkish strings are made for a whole step higher at 58.5cm, so would probably work okay for half step higher at 60cm.
Pyramid 650 set is made for medium-high tension at 61.5cm.
My experience is that greater dynamic range comes from better technique and not from higher tension. The oud has much more dynamic range than a
classical guitar to begin with. But as long as you're working with a teacher and developing good habits, then you will find your own conclusions
eventually.
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Guitarune
Oud Lover
Posts: 22
Registered: 8-15-2021
Location: Norway
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Uhhh...I just measured the oud, and it's 58 cm nut to bridge 
No wonder I felt the string tension was a bit flubby 
I wonder what's up here....Did they mix things up, or miss by 2 cm's when fixing the bridge??
EDIT: So I've been told the neck should be 1/3 of the scale length? This is something that applies to all ouds? It would make sense from an intonation
perspective :-)
On this one the neck is 20 cm, so one would expect 60 cm...but it is 58 cm.
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 733
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
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Mood: Loving my oud
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58cm is definitely atypical. Is this a fixed bridge oud or floating bridge? The 5th of the string, G on the C string for ex., should be at the neck
joint.
Generally speaking, most ouds made nowadays seem to be 58.5cm (Turkish oud are always this scale) or 60cm but you occasionally see some in the 61-62cm
range.
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Guitarune
Oud Lover
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Location: Norway
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Fixed bridge, so I can't do much about the scale!
I'll attach a picture of where the fifth is on this oud. A cm or so before the neck joint.
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2916
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Quote: Originally posted by Guitarune  |
Fixed bridge, so I can't do much about the scale!
I'll attach a picture of where the fifth is on this oud. A cm or so before the neck joint.
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That is definitely odd and seems like some kind of mistake in manufacturing. I would write to Sala and bring this up with them.
58cm is definitely short enough that it would cause issues with sound and that standard sets would feel too light.
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 733
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
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Mood: Loving my oud
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Seems like the bridge was glued on too far forward. Having the positions out of whack will be pretty frustrating as the 5th at the neck joint is one
of the main 'anchor points' on the oud in terms of intonation.
I agree with Brian about contacting Sala. They've been in business for a long time and most people have had good luck with those ouds so I'm sure
they'll take care of it.
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