Smast82
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 6-28-2023
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Michael Moussa Oud
Hi there! I bought a used Michael Moussa-made Iraqi style oud about 8 years ago, having owned a couple of cheaper instruments prior to this. At the
time I played it a lot and loved it. Sadly it’s not been played much since then as other musical projects got in the way. I wanted to change that so
I recently restrung it with the Aquila Iraqi tuning set. However, it doesn’t seem right and the scale length on the instrument is just over 61cm,
which, having read a little about it, seems rather long for F-F tuning? Does anyone know which set of strings might be suitable for a floating bridge
instrument with a 61cm scale length, please? Also, any idea what kind of tuning this oud would have actually been designed for? Sorry, a bit of a
novice here, I’m a guitar/violin player really, I just love the oud. I can’t seem to find any contact details for Michael Moussa as his website
has been down for some time now.
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Smast82
Oud Admirer
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Registered: 6-28-2023
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Hi all, sorry to post again but after a bit of online research, it seems it’s probably most sensible to tune this from C to C.
To ask a simpler question - does anyone know of a set of strings suitable for both a 61cm scale length AND a floating bridge style oud, please?
Grateful for any advice as I’ve already lost money on a couple of packs that are too short, just on the off-chance they might work!
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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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You can tune a 61cm oud F-f'. However, 61cm is a bit long these days, especially for an F-f' oud, so the prepackaged sets available are not really
optimized for it. For Arabic oud, there is no standardization of sizes or tunings so prepackaged sets are all compromises.
Aquila doesn't list a reference string length but based on the available information, both the F-f' and C-c' sets are designed for the same length
oud, so it wouldn't particularly matter which one you used. You don't say whether you are usind the red "sugar" set or the white nylgut set, which
also sound and feel different.
Different ouds sound different, though, and might sound better in one tuning or another. It might sound better tuned to C-c'. It might also sound
better tuned down 1/2 step or a whole step.
The reality is that many ouds require a bit of experimentation to find the strings and tuning that work best. Perhaps someone here has contact info
for Moussa and you can find out what strings he intended to be used.
If it was my oud, I would try the following strings (including 7 courses, you can choose high f' or low C):
f': Aquila NNG .046
c': Aquila NNG .056
g: Aquila NNG .070
d: Pyramid 1009
A: Pyramid 1016
F: Pyramid 1021
C: Pyramid 1236
These are all from both companies "lute" strings aka historical (pyramid) /early instrument (aquila) strings.
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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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Sorry, missed that your instrument was floating bridge. It's indeed a problem that strings may not be long enough because most floating bridge ouds
are 57-59cm and most ouds that are 60+cm are fixed bridge.
The Pyramid and Aquila lute strings are all quite long and will work. LaBella and D'addario strings are also long enough to work. Pyramid "oud"
strings are short and probably won't work (though if you look up how to tie a reef knot, you can use another string to lengthen it between the bridge
and tailpiece - probably something worth learning if you want to keep this oud).
Floating bridge ouds often benefit from extra tension, so perhaps the problem here isn't the scale length but that the Aquila set is too light? Can
you post a video of you playing the oud a little, or at least describe what "it doesn’t seem right" means to you?
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Smast82
Oud Admirer
Posts: 3
Registered: 6-28-2023
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Thanks for your replies, Brian, much appreciated.
Yes, it seems as though the strings, at least the bass courses, are a little light compared to before, but perhaps that just requires adjustment on my
part. Sorry, I should have said, it’s the red sugar Aquila set that I’m using. I’m also having trouble getting it to consistently hold tune but
I’ve realised this is probably because I didn’t string them in the correct order, which is a bit of a rookie mistake - it’s been years since
I’ve strung an oud. As it happens, I do have another set.
If I do tune this (floating bridge) oud to F-F, with the 61cm scale length, and red sugar Aquila strings (which don’t seem to be particularly high
tension), will I do any damage to it? If I need to find new strings, i’ll perhaps use the reef knot method, as you suggested.
Thanks again for your help.
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