animalwithin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: Los Angeles, California
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Need help with lots of buzzing
So I recently took delivery of my brand new custom oud (have had it for about a week) and it is absolutely incredible. The luthier (who shall remain
anonymous) was amazing at every step of the way and his ouds truly are works of art. I have it tuned to C F A D G c (its fixed bridge) and I've been
playing it quite often but recently it's started to buzz on all of the metal strings ( C F A D) for about the first six inches of the fingerboard,
very loud buzzing at that. The two highest strings on the bottom are nylon and theyre perfect, no buzz. The luthier said he put brand new Pyramids
before it was shipped so I think the strings are fine. And I watched a video of him playing it prior to receiving it and I couldn't hear any buzz.
Obviously the action needs some adjusting, is it the nut?
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DoggerelPundit
Oud Junkie
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aw,
...And you have probably been joyously playing it for that entire week 
My guess is the string knots at the bridge have settled in playing, some distance down from where your luthier tied them, thus lowering the action a
little. Maybe just enough to buzz. A least invasive fix is to loosen the affected strings enough to pull the knots back upward, so that each string
exits its knot loop higher and at a sharper angle. Mind they stay up when you re-tune.
my 2 cents
-Stephen
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
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Location: Los Angeles, California
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Thanks Stephen! I'll have to check that out. I'm completely new to Oud, but I've been playing guitar for a few years now. I thought it might be the
nut since the farther I moved from the nut the less buzzing I got, I never thought the bridge would be at fault, it's ebony btw.
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David.B
Oud Junkie
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You should pinpoint where the noise comes from :
- from the free strings in the pegbox
- from the strings on the fingerboard because the nut is too low (you can adjust the screw inside the bowl if the oud got one)
- from chords where a string buzzes on the other, the space carves in the nut is too small
- from the alignment of the strings, i.e. strings knots on the bridge
- from the free strings behind the bridge
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David.B
Oud Junkie
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PS
Sometimes, when the strings are brand new, there are a few buzzes for about a week (it depends how many hours you play during the day...).
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Alfaraby
Oud Junkie
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Quote: Originally posted by animalwithin  | | I thought it might be the nut since the farther I moved from the nut the less buzzing I got, I
never thought the bridge would be at fault, it's ebony btw. |
The nut might be the "buzzer" only when playing free strings. Once you put your finger on, it will nullify the effect of the nut.
The main cause of buzzing is a non-leveled, bumpy FB that may be easily fixed by sanding it with a sandpaper stretched over a well leveled piece of
wood or marble, however this is might turn pretty risky, so should be done by an expert luthier/player.
I concur that brand new strings buzz in the first week/two/three, depending on what strings. Some buzz for an hour or two, while others buzz for a
whole month. Pyramid Lute set for instance are expected to settle down in a couple of days, while Lenzner or Labella might take a couple of weeks. So
be patient and don't rush into anything before this issue is utterly "exhausted".
Therewith, a luthier was quoted here to say that the buzz is an integral characteristic of the oud !!!
Was he the "anonymous" luthier, you should consider storing your oud in the cellar !
Good luck
Yours indeed
Alfaraby
alfarabymusic@gmail.com
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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David is right. You have to take a mercilessly engineering type approach and locate the source of the noise, either by hearing alone or by listening
while eliminating possible causes. Is it on all 4 wound courses? What if you mute all but one course? What if you mute one string in that pair? Where
on the fingerboard/where not? On his point 2 he's referring to ouds with an adjustable neck, which are in the minority still (Sukar and Fadi Matta).
If the oud was playing fine, then most likely either the wood is settling or the strings are unraveling, or have settled on the bridge. These last 2
are easy to fix. If the wood is settling and the neck is not adjustable, it's a job for the luthier. Is the humidity where you live very different
from where the oud came from? That can cause all sorts of changes. One oud I took to Mexico from California became almost unplayable from buzzing in
the humidity there.
Do your detective engineering and report back to us, we'll help as best we can.
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David.B
Oud Junkie
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+ 1 for the climatic conditions. The sound of my oud sucks when it's rainy outside. I have to compensate with a gentle playing because of unwanted
buzzes.
Happy to read you Tony 
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
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Location: Los Angeles, California
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So much great advice, thanks everyone!! Alright so here is what I could find:
-From what I know, I can hear no buzzing behind the pegbox or the bridge from the strings. The buzzing seems to be coming from around where my finger
is pressing down on the string.
-Again only the metal wound strings buzz, not the nylons. I only get buzz when I'm playing hard, when striking the strings softly I get no buzz, which
is expected I guess. I played each metal wound course with everything else muted and I still got buzz. I played each string separately on the metal
wounds and I still got buzz, but on all the metal wounds, the string in the course on the bottom buzzed much more than the string on the top (so in a
course, the string closest to the floor buzzed much more than the string closest to the ceiling if that makes sense). Also, I'm getting buzz on the
two lowest courses when they're played open so they're buzzing against each other, but the other two metal courses don't do this. Neck is not
adjustable on this Oud. Buzzing stops/is very minimal about an inch before the neck meets the bowl.
-Finally, the Oud was buzz free when I first got it. I've been playing it for about an hour a day so I keep it in tune, pegs hold tuning very well. It
started buzzing only a few days ago. Oud came from Greece so I'm assuming it is very much colder there than sunny California. It came with a very good
high quality case and I keep it stored in my closet when not in use so I'm not abusing it. Thanks for all the help everybody!!!
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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What is happening to your oud is typical and normal for a new instrument coming from another climate to California. My advice is to do nothing. Just
wait a few months. I mean keep playing, endure the buzzes, and let your instrument adjust. It might take a few weeks, it might take 4 months or more,
but I expect that the instrument will self-adjust eventually. Meanwhile you will likely be adjusting your right hand stroke to your oud and will be
discovering that you can get full sound without playing as hard on the wound strings as you expected might be necessary. If that's just too difficult
to endure then try removing and re-attaching the (same) strings. That might or might not do something helpful.
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Ararat66
Oud Junkie
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I would be patient and allow your instrument to acclimatise before making any hasty adjustments - I had a guitar made for me last September and that
was in the UK and so am I and it is just settling down now 5 months on. Ouds are much more responsive to environment so you may well need to wait a
little.
Enjoy your oud
Leon
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: Los Angeles, California
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Thanks guys! Coming over from guitar, oud is a new animal to me and I can understand how much more sensitive they can be to certain things like touch
and climate as opposed to a guitar. I'll definetely pay attention to my right hand stroke as Jody has said too.
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SamirCanada
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Dont start sanding Anything just yet. Since its brand new its probably the strings are too low at the bridge try to tie them higher if possible. The
strings may still need to settle.
@samiroud Instagram
samiroudmaker@gmail.com
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
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Location: Los Angeles, California
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Haha yea I don't plan on doing anything to it for a couple months, I'm hoping time will make it better as others have eluded. But how do I tie the
strings higher if the hooks are already drilled in place at the bridge?
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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| Quote: Originally posted by animalwithin | | Haha yea I don't plan on doing anything to it for a couple months, I'm hoping time will make it better as others have eluded. But how do I tie the
strings higher if the hooks are already drilled in place at the bridge? |
...hooks?....
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
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Location: Los Angeles, California
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Hahaha typo!!! I meant HOLES, I was on my iPod when I typed that. The holes for the strings are already drilled in place, how do I tie the strings
higher?
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SamirCanada
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Yes its possible to tie the strings higher than the holes. You can make sure the loops are tied a tight and as short as possible and pull the string
up at the bridge with your other finger as you tighten.
@samiroud Instagram
samiroudmaker@gmail.com
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animalwithin
Oud Maniac
Posts: 77
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Location: Los Angeles, California
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Interesting, I'll have to try that if the buzzing doesn't get better after a few months. Thanks everybody for the help!!!
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