cliffgallupsghost
Oud Lover
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Registered: 5-4-2007
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Cumbus
If anyone has one, is the bridge adjustable? (Like an electric guitar's?) I've been wanting to use some arabic tunings but they sound like
<b>shoot</b> on a Turk oud, and that seems like it would be able to accomodate a lower tuning with a little adjustment. (They do after
all, have 12 strings and a much longer neck like arabic ouds.) Which would be a much cheaper way to learn than buying a 2nd oud.
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rromadOud
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well.............i can't really say it's adjustable.
i actually made a new bridge for mine........so in that sense it is.
the thing to remember is that a Cumbus uses "Steel" strings versus "Nylon" like a Oud.
which seems to handle different tunings better.
it has a different feel to it also................the neck angle on a Cumbus can be changed as well........
the one thing i will say about a Cumbus is that if you take it outside and you just had it inside your house, it'll need to be tuned
again..................at least mine always does   .......................they seem to be susceptible to pressure changes in
weather................
that being said ...........i like Cumbus and have fun playing mine............although i need to get a new Mylar top for mine............it's totally
wrecked.
hope this helps!
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cliffgallupsghost
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Indeed, do you have any pictures of your bridge modification?
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rromadOud
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actually i don't have any pictures of it..............
and at the moment it's got a broken top and in pieces in a box somewhere ...............i just made a major move recently.
but as soon as i find it and get it in playing order again i'll post some pics.............
it's really nothing special i did though..................i pretty much just copied a banjo bridge and made the action lower............with some help
from a friend.
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Monty88
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the new cumbus heads are made from a different material, they hold their tuning WAY better than the old ones did 
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Lintfree
Oud Junkie
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One of the things about a Cumbus that floored me was that a lot of
players play it using their fingernails, not just the pads of the fingers.
It makes it sound like it has frets. And a formica fingerboard is a wonderous
thing! I tried putting heavier strings on mine and the additional downward
pressure killed the sustain especially with the wound strings. But the best
thing about a Cumbus and everyone who has one will agree is the neck tilt
mechanism. Whoever came up with that was a genius.
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Monty88
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Lintfree
Do you ever use the original style of cumbus? I know you make (spectacular) use of the cumbus saz (reason I bought mine). What other types of cumbus
do you own, and what have you used?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otgdyD2sHHg
This video, of the superb oud player Mehmet Emin Bitmez, is one of the best sounds i've heard to come from the cumbus. Apparently Mehmet Bitmez grew
up playing cumbus in Urfa, which is an area where cumbus was used a lot.
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rromadOud
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maybe i should just buy a new one.................
they are cool!
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nouphar
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| Quote: | Originally posted by cliffgallupsghost
If anyone has one, is the bridge adjustable? (Like an electric guitar's?) I've been wanting to use some arabic tunings but they sound like
<b>shoot</b> on a Turk oud, and that seems like it would be able to accomodate a lower tuning with a little adjustment. (They do after
all, have 12 strings and a much longer neck like arabic ouds.) Which would be a much cheaper way to learn than buying a 2nd oud.
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OK cliff,
The standard tuning for cumbus is, from low to high, ABEADG. If you want to play arabic stuff, just dowtune your instrument to GADGCF or GCDGCF.
Another thing, the cumbus is a great, cheap, sturdy, unusual and interesting instrument, but if you go for a cumbus without already owning an oud,
sooner or later you will want to get an oud. The real thing is the oud, the cumbus is an interesting complement, but just a complement.
| Quote: |
And a formica fingerboard is a wonderous thing |
Lintfree, I wish my instrument had an ebony fingerboard, like those of early cumbuses.
Paddy, nice to see you here.
Raul.
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cliffgallupsghost
Oud Lover
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I see what you're saying about Oud vs Cumbus, the Oud is just so cool and exotic looking and sounding (especially here in Nashville) whereas the
Cumbus just makes people go "Oh, a 12-string fretless banjo, neat." Thanks for everybody's advice, if I sound like an ignorant westerner asking all
these questions, it's because I am an ignorant westerner.
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