Custom Electric Ouds
1500 Years of Tradition, Taken into the Next Era
A Modern Approach, Rooted in Tradition
Possum Hall Instruments offers a variety of options in designing a unique electric oud:
- Semi-hollow or solid body
- Set-neck or bolt-on
- Unlimited choice of top woods
- Machine tuners or traditional wooden peg tuners
- Traditional nylon strings or metal strings
- Tuning options: CFAdgc (Arabic Levant)/DABead (common Turkish)/FAdgcf (Iraqi), custom
Utilizing either a top-quality bridge piezo pickup or magnetic pickups (or both), these instruments can be amplified very easily on the live stage without any issues of feedback or mic placement.
What If?
Amplification Driving Evolution
Sometimes referred to as the Arabic lute, the oud is as common around the Mediterranean as the guitar is in the US. The name means “stick” and certainly this stick has evolved over 1500 years. 4 strings became 4 doubled, then 5, then 6 then 7, and the strings themselves (originally natural gut) embraced modern materials like nylon and carbon fiber filament.
The acoustic oud is a notoriously difficult instrument to amplify on a loud concert stage, as it is often overpowered by other instruments in the tonal range or prone to feedback. Electric ouds have been on the market for years, and by changing the traditional bridge design, they can use an under-saddle bridge piezo and transmit a clear signal that is safe from feedback, clean and clear.
But if we’re going to amplify this thing anyway, how about we take it one step further?
What if we don’t want it “clean and clear”, what if we want it to… rock? What if we use metal strings? Magnetic pickups?
The ancient oud has once again evolved.
Body and Neck Construction
New Designs Allow for New Ideas
If we embrace some new ideas, electric ouds have the potential to be re-imaginged in as many different ways as an electric guitar. Modernizing the oud allows us to consider the many benefits of a bolt-on neck, as well as structural solutions for increased tension in using steel strings.
- Solid body or semi-hollow
- Flat-top or carve-top
- Bolt-or or set-neck
- 11º headstock design and machine tuners
- Custom body designs
Top and Body Woods
A wide variety of wood combinations are available, chosen and paired to enhance either a more traditional nylon string instrument or a metal string modern approach.
Each electric oud is a hand-crafted, unique instrument designed and built to customer specifications.
- A wide variety of body woods
- Neck and fingerboard woods
- Figured, exotic decorative top woods
- Solid top or ƒ-holes
- Binding, trim, layers
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"Mac builds absolutely top notch instruments and the electric oud is no exception: it looks great, sounds great, and feels great! The neck is extremely comfortable and smooth. And the design is excellent. Put your order in now!"
— Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, Grammy-nominated composer and New England Conservatory professor
