Hatem_Afandi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 414
Registered: 2-26-2005
Location: TX
Member Is Offline
Mood: Learning
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Oud Material
Salaam Everyone,
I am looking at getting my second oud in the near future.
I prefer ebony for the fingerboard and the pegs.
My question is :
What is the best wood to use for the bowl?
Thanks,
Hatem
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bcearthtones
Oud Addict
Posts: 35
Registered: 8-19-2005
Location: Canada
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Mood: No Mood
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I don't think there is any one best wood to use, rather there are many suitable woods to make excellent ouds from. This forum is fortunate to have a
few proffesional builders on it, check out their sites and see what they are using on their high end models, that should point you in the right
direction.
Good Luck
Scott
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Hatem_Afandi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 414
Registered: 2-26-2005
Location: TX
Member Is Offline
Mood: Learning
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Hi Scott,
Thanks for the reply.
I already reeived excellent answers from Jameel and Dr. Oud.
I would like to extend my gratitude to both of them for the information.
Best Regards,
Hatem
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Hatem_Afandi
Oud Junkie
Posts: 414
Registered: 2-26-2005
Location: TX
Member Is Offline
Mood: Learning
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For everyone’s benefit, I post the answer of Dr. oud with his permission:
The wood used in the back has no affect on the sound, only the size affects the
bass response. Nahats, Manols, and most of the great ouds were made of walnut,
beech or cypress for light color, mahogany is also easily formed and light
weight as well. Harder woods are more expensive because they are rare, not because they're better. The harder woods like rosewood, ebony, wenge, etc
are more difficult to form, so the oud becomes more expensive due to the extra cast
of the wood and the extra labor in making the back. Walnut is very common around the world, so it is used often for similar instruments like guitars.
The single most important parts to produce sound are the braces, their size and most importantly their location. Next is the soundboard itself,
although many fine ouds are made with mediocre wood for the face. The most important
manufacturing step is the placement of the braces and their fit into the back.
The difference in sound between your Maurice and the ouds played by Haythem and Amer is not the wood of the back, but the construction of the face,
the size of the bowel, and the age of the oud. An important feature of the Nahats is their age. Any oud improves as it gets older, and a high quality
oud will improve
more than a crude one.
--
Richard Hankey
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