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Repair                              

A broken or damaged instrument will not get played and will deteriorate with neglect. Repair questions and answers are now published in the Oud Repair ebook. This is an electronic book based on several years of answering clients questions, as well as forum posts. It will be updated regularly with new topics, photos and videos. The content is searchable and has extensive navigation controls.   The ebook has 82 pages with more than 150 topics.  To view the eBook on your computer, you need to install the DNL reader. Click the "Get the DNL Reader" link to download the DNL Reader installation file. Then double click the DNLsetup to install it. Then you can double click the Oud Repair ebook or any DNL file to view it on your computer.

Get the DNL reader - http://www.dnlreader.com/reader/

Download the Oud Repair ebook -     http://www.droud.com/ebook/OudRepair.dnl

You can also open the ebook in a web page which will load pictures and videos a bit faster if you have a slower internet connection .

 http://www.droud.com/ebook/OudRepair.htm

You can view the sample pages, then purchase the activation key to open the complete ebook for $19.95 USD (15.10 EUR) . You can also forward it to your friends who can view the sample pages only. The key distribution process is manual for now, so allow 1-2 days to receive your key.

Click here for alternate payment options.

Some Common Repair Problems:

  • Slipping or sticking pegs make tuning difficult and unreliable. Click here for Installing wooden pegs  instructions by Dwain Wilder.
  • A worn fingerboard causes strings to buzz or rattle. Sand it flat with a sanding block as long and wide as the fingerboard. Start with 100 grit, then 200, 400 and polish with 0000 steel wool. Apply a little oil (any vegetable oil) to condition the wood.
  • A loose neck joint makes the action too high. You can re-glue it easily if it is hide glue. Test the glue with a warm water. If it softens, you might be able to just push it back together. Otherwise try epoxy to re-glue the joint.
  • Loose or split soundboard braces can cause buzzing and lose volume and/or tone. A difficult repair, the rose must be loosened and dropped into the body. Long clamps may be necessary to re-glue the braces.
  • Cracks in the soundboard or back ribs can lose volume or buzz or rattle as the crack will dissipate vibration. Glue hair-line cracks and fill open seams with wood slivers of matching material.
  • A warped face interferes with the strings' vibration. Some ouds are made with flat soundboards. These will distort under the string tension and raise up around the large rose, sometimes enough to interfere with the strings when vibrating. This can be remedied by removing the edging at the sides and trimming down the top edge of the top rib. This will lower the face to provide clearance for the strings.
  • A warped body causes high action. This can be remedied by resetting the angle of the neck or lifting the face and trimming down the top edge of the body. See the Neck Re-Set page.
  • My favorite repair information resource is the Items for Luthiers page, a huge information site by Frank Ford, the Guru of Guitar repair - lots of useful ideas here.

Click here to email a description of your repair including pictures or request more information

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