Jonathan
Oud Junkie
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Neck wood
I'm about to start building a neck for my new oud. I had planned on using one of those carbon rods, but it hasn't shown up yet, so I am changing
plans.
I plan on using an ebony stringer, and was thinking of using spruce for the rest of the neck. Any problem with this? I am going to use the same
spruce that I am going to use for the braces.
Would there be a benefit to using the same wood for the neck as I did for the neck block? I used basswood for the neck block, and I wonder if it
would help in some way (with vibration?) to use the same wood for the neck.
As always, thank you.
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Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
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Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Jonathan
I'm about to start building a neck for my new oud. I had planned on using one of those carbon rods, but it hasn't shown up yet, so I am changing
plans.
I plan on using an ebony stringer, and was thinking of using spruce for the rest of the neck. Any problem with this? I am going to use the same
spruce that I am going to use for the braces.
Would there be a benefit to using the same wood for the neck as I did for the neck block? I used basswood for the neck block, and I wonder if it
would help in some way (with vibration?) to use the same wood for the neck.
As always, thank you. |
I don't believe the neck has anything to do with the vibrations or sound of the oud.
You can use any stiff wood for the neck, and light weight helps balance the oud, so spruce is good. Ebony for a stringer is not any better than many
lighter woods. Ebony is hard and stiff, yes, but not so much stiffer that it has any advantage over any other straight grained wood. Carbon fiber is
very stiff material, and also very hard, such that you need a bi-metal hacksaw to cut it. I think it's just a technology gimmick that may have some
effect on a long necked steel string guitar, but for a short oud neck it has little effect. It's lamination that stiffens the neck rather than the
stiffness of the stringer. Think of plywood - the individual sheets are not strong or stiff, but laminated together the offset grain makes the whole
sheet very strong and stiff. I would suggest using spruce, but laminate it a few times to increase the stiffness (or not) and forget the ebony - save
it for the fingerboard or pegs. You may find (I have) that the neck rarely bends, but the body often does. I would try carbon fiber around the top
edge of the body insted of the neck.
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Jonathan
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Thanks a lot Doc. So, could I use a stringer made out of maple, or mahogany? Is the mahogany too soft? I am really trying to save some weight this
time around.
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oudmaker
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Jonathan
Use spruce as you indicated. No lamination is necessary. Probably it effects adversely a possible neck deformation since most of them occure at 1/4 of
the neck from the nut. Lamination especially not made symetricaly may couse deformation where the neck is thin. Make shure that the spruce you chose
will be strait and tight grain positioned perpendicular to the face plane as your braces.
As far as I can see bending and/or deforming of the neck usually caused by high action and by the distance between the top of neck and strings at the
nut. Make sure keep your strings only 0.20-0.25 mm above the neck at the nut. And your action should not be greater then 2mm. I usually try to keep it
at 1.7 mm. It is difficult to achive that as you probably noticed with your Dincer but who said making a professional oud is easy!!
Regards
Dincer
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Jameel
Oud Junkie
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Dincer,
1.7mm at the neck/body joint? How do you deal with buzzing strings when the action is this low? My first oud had very low action like this when new
(not sure how it is now) and especially the lower strings would buzz when plucked aggressively. How do you overcome this? The action on my current oud
(measured at the neck/body joint and to the underside of the string is exactly 3mm. To me it's just about perfect.
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oudmaker
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Dear Jameel,
My standard for a professional Turkish oud made for a professional who can play lower strings without any buzzing is 1.7 to a max 2.0 mm. Rest of the
players? I just do not recommend my ouds.
Regards
Dincer
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Dr. Oud
Oud Junkie
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Registered: 12-18-2002
Location: Sacramento, CA, USA
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oudmaker
Dear Jameel,
My standard for a professional Turkish oud made for a professional who can play lower strings without any buzzing is 1.7 to a max 2.0 mm. Rest of the
players? I just do not recommend my ouds.
Regards
Dincer |
It should be noted that the ouds made by master oudmaker Dincer and most all Turkish makers are
veneered with wood strips usually matching the back. These strips act like laminations and add stiffness to the neck. Also remember that the Turkish
oud is shorter and tuned higher with thinner strings than Arabic ouds. These characteristics allow lower action as the shorter string length, lower
mass and higher tension produces a vibration amplitue of less height, which will allow playing without buzzing.
Of course there is the mizrab technique to consider as well. Different musical styles lead to different techniques. In order to play the Turkish
style, a mizrab technique more parallel to the string plane is required to maintain speed and clarity. The vibration of the string is more parallel to
the face, and allows lower action. Arabic styling emphasizes a different mizrab attack that is more directed into the face, requiring a higher
action.
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Jonathan
Oud Junkie
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Thanks, guys. You have helped a lot. I never thought of those veneers as adding strength, but now that I have done it, it seems that that could be
significant.
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