(All, Some, The…) Aspects Of My Oud Making Process
Design & Woods
I believe that the design process of the oud is one of the most crucial steps. Because in this step, not only the appearance but also sound properties of the oud are determined. In this reason, I design all my ouds individually. First I decide what kind of oud I will make in terms of sound, then I measure the physical properties of some soundboard and braces woods, which I have in my workshop, such as Young’s modulus and density. These data help me design the soundboard thickness and brace heights. In order to measure Young’s modulus of wood samples, I use some sound and vibration measurements such as Chladni Patterns and Spectrum Analysis. More details coming soon…
Soundboard Tuning
How musicians need to tune their instrument’s string to get musical sound, I believe we also tune the soundboard of the instruments to get sound what we desire. This process includes two steps. First one is tuning in free vibration conditions, which is called free plate tuning. And the second one is the final tuning after finishing the oud. For this technique, Chladni figures and acoustic analysis measurement methods are very useful. More details coming soon…
Assembling Body
Assembling process also is very important in terms of sound quality, playability and durability of the instruments. I produce all body parts like bowl, neck and pegbox before making soundboard and let the glue dry enough. After finishing the soundboard, I assemble all part immediately lest the soundboard becomes deformed. After drying glue, I route a channel to neck and bowl stock together to install the Carbon Fiber reinforced strips. Then I make bindings around the soundboard and prepare the sound for French Polishing. More details coming soon…
Finishing
I use only French Polishing (Shellac) for the soundboard of my ouds. I also use both French Polishing or very thin Lacquer for body . Because body woods may have very deep pores and very hard to keep white colour of maple lines between ribs. And the natural vibrations of bowl already very different from the top plate because of its bowl shape, so I belive very thin lacquer film doesn’t affects sound properties dramatically. More details coming soon…
Final Assemblies and Tuning
After finishing, I remove Shellac at some region of the soundboard by scratching to prepare places where bridge, fingerboard and pickguard will be glued. Then I glued them and after Three days, I string the ouds. In a week I let it be stabilized by playing every day. Then I check it’s sound and vibration properties by using measurement equipment. If I notice any acoustic problem, I tune the top plate from inside again. And Finally, I conduct detailed vibration and sound test to archive and to guide for my future projects.
Ornaments
This Saxon violin with ornate edge was built in the Markneukirchen/Klingenthal region approx. 1920 and it is an exceptionally nice antique example of these interesting, nonstandard old stringed instruments. The model follows the patterns of Antonius Stradivarius. The dark red-brown varnish bears traces from playing and strong antique touches, that are completed tastefully by the nicely ornamented edges that feature a black and white twisted band. This richly decorated violin was completely worked over in our workshop and is offered crackfree, in very good condition, immediately ready to play. It unfolds a recommendable sound that is warm, and bright, clear and balanced.
This beautiful ornate violin was built approx. 1930 in Markneukirchen/Saxony and is a gorgeous and successful piece after Giovan Paolo Maggini, that features a beautiful red-brown oil varnish and a back adorned with beautiful purfling ornaments. The Maggini violin model is unmistakably expressed by the characteristical shape, the archings, the additional winding of the scroll and the style of the soundholes, a violin that rightfully bears the corresponding faded Maggini label inside of the back. The luminous red-brown varnish is very transparent and features strong antique touches, a character that is matched tastefully by the mild flaming of the one piece maple back. This gorgeous violin is preserved in very good condition with a minor f-wing repair to the right soundhole wing only, it was completely worked over by our luthiers and is offered in very good condition, ready to play. Its voice is mature and powerful, warm, with good clarity and resonance in the higher ranges, balanced across the strings with comfortably warm notes. Our special recommendation.
Custom Inlays
Custom inlays, if tastefully done, can take an attractive instrument and turn it into an absolute show-stopper. This kind of project is not suited for those in a hurry or short on funds as this kind of work can easily add thousands of dollars to the price of the instrument and six months to a year to the completion time.
“Bioluminescent Jellies”
Inlays are available for all instrument types. Below are descriptions and pics of a few of our favorites.
The best inlay concepts are well though out designs rather than little things tossed together.
Craig Lavin‘s inlays were made using several kinds of iridescent shells, wood, stone. Some of the most impressive work to me were the small tentacles of the jellyfish made by inlaying tiny irregular pieces of silver in delicate grooves. The sand nest that the hatchling turtle climbed out of at the top of the inlay on its dash towards the sea was made by inlaying sand a few grains at a time. Even the sand was special, its real sand from the turtle grass flats from the Dominican Republic.
While I’ve routinely handled the inlays on my own instruments throughout my career, there are times when it’s best to leave these things to a world class specialist for the optimal result. In those instances where I do decide to outsource some aspect of a Jordan instrument, I only choose the very best. When this violin made its debut at the winter NAMM trade show, it was as the centerpiece of my exhibit and many of the best inlay artists in the business stopped to admire Craig’s work and mine.
Custom inlays are quoted individually and I reserve the right to refuse to allow inlays that I perceive as being in poor taste or design. Given that initial sketches are required even to quote a project for complicated inlay work, a non-refundable deposit towards the inlay work may be required even if the customer’s final decision is to not go forward with inlay work.
LIVING JEWELS OF THE SEA
Several years ago someone pointed out that if you held one of my electric violins upside-down, it looked like a jellyfish. I love to watch jellyfish. I see them fairly often when I go sea kayaking (my favorite outdoor activity) and we live less than two hours away from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a world class aquarium with several species of jellyfish on permanent display that I can sit and watch for hours. Craig Lavin contacted me about doing inlays and I told him about this idea I had of inlaying a jellyfish into a violin fingerboard. He was intrigued.
Among his many interests and professional qualifications, Craig is a marine biologist, and he had never inlaid a jellyfish before. We spent a while communicating back and forth about what would compliment the lovely jellyfish that Craig had designed. We came up with the concept of inlaying a sea turtle on the opposite side of the instrument. Sea turtles are immune to the stinging cells of jellyfish. Baby sea turtles can feed on jellyfish even while wrapped in their tentacles, and adult sea turtles sometimes eat jellyfish.
I planned a blue sunburst violin over flamed maple to give the water effect and a concept piece was born.
SUNRISE, SUNSET
Here’s another concept piece that Craig designed and inlaid for me featuring orchids and moths inlaid in a five string violin made of Chatke Kok with a Crabwood chinrest and a Pink Ivory wood fingerboard. There are a few woods as hard as ebony that are also suitable for violin fingerboards but are rarely seen used as fingerboards. I thought the choice of woods for the body, fingerboard, and chinrest created a nice warm color like the sky at sunrise or sunset. Craig and I selected a Sunset Moth for the front inlay and a Luna Moth for the back so we had a Sun and Moon theme going as well as the lovely orchids.
Craig titled this violin “Sunrise, Sunset”.
PASSING THROUGH
I love dolphins! There’s a beach a couple of hours from here where I’ve watched them really close to shore pretty reliably around sunset. I’ve seen them many times from boats I’ve been on and always marvel at their combination of playfulness, beauty and grace. Craig and I agreed on inlaying one pod of dolphins in the finger board and a second pod on the body traveling the opposite direction.
The shell that was selected for this inlay has wonderful iridescent green and pink/purple shades – the photo captures some of this but the iridescence in person is spectacular as are the fine details Craig added such as inlaid tiny air bubbles of silver trailing form the dolphins in the body. Craig titled this violin “Passing Through”.