Eric Stern Music
Oud Maniac
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D string snapping 2x coincidence?
I'm hoping that it's a coincidence. I bought a Shehata oud in May of 2022 (made in his workshop but not by him, I believe). It is 61 cm and soon after
buying it one of the "D" strings broke. I didn't think much of it as I was playing with the strings that it came with (I bought it from someone off of
Craigslist so I have no idea which strings they were using), and since then have changed strings whenever required always using the Pyramid Orange
set. The last time I changed strings was in June or July and the other day I picked it up to play and the D string snapped (don't know if it was the
same one in the course as the last time). To be fair I was rather eager to play and had taken the oud from downstairs, where it was warm, to upstairs,
where it was cold and should have let the instrument adjust. I didn't. Anyway...it's probably just a coincidence that the same string snapped right?!
I'm assuming that there's nothing else to do, it's time to change strings and I'm going to go with the Pyramid again.
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Jody Stecher
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Where did the string(s) break? Was it at the nut or at the bridge, or somewhere where the string touches the pegbox. Was it where you struck the
string with the risha? Or was it "in the middle nowhere"? Were they sitting on a rough spot somewhere? If they break from friction it is the nut
or bridge or peg or peg box etc that is breaking them. If they break randomly and nowhere near anything sharp then it may be a defective string. I
had a run of violin strings that kept breaking some years ago, coincidently it was D. Bad batch. If they break under your fingers it acid sweat that
is breaking them. I saw a good musician with acidic perspiration pick up a banjo, play one chord and all the strings broke under his fingertips.
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Eric Stern Music
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Thank you, I hadn't thought of looking at WHERE it broke. Somewhere in the pegbox as far as I can tell, but that's a good lead for me to track if it
happens again.
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bulerias1981
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The edge of the nut where the scale length begins, could be sharp. I always round that area off to prevent this. That's one possibility. You could
remove the nut and round off the edge with a folded piece of 400 or 600 sandpaper. Let me know how that works.
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Eric Stern Music
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Nice to here from you John, and thanks for that good bit of advice. I'll check the nut out and do the requisite sanding if necessary.
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bulerias1981
Oud Junkie
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Location: Lexington, North Carolina
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Mood: John Vergara Luthier Lord of the Strings instrument making and repair
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Hi Eric, any luck?
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Eric Stern Music
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Thanks John, so far, so good and past time to change them anyway. I think it was the pegbox as Jody conjectured.
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