By: Aaron Lightstone Jaffa Road's oud player and guitaristA few months ago I heard about the upcoming release of the new Godin Multi-oud. As a long time player of the oud and a fan of Godin guitars, I was very intrigued about this news.
The product was officially announced at NAMM 2011 last month and is due to hit the stores next month. I have had one for about six weeks now, and have used it on three gigs and many practice sessions. Because I am among the first people to get one, I thought I would take this opportunity to review it here and to share my thoughts with anyone who is interested in this instrument.
Summary
The oud is a beautiful and ancient Middle-Eastern instrument. Different scholars suggest different possible origins but it likely goes back the 4th century Persia (or earlier). Over time, it became the most important string instrument in classical Arabic music especially for composers and the accompaniment of singers (much like the piano in Western music). In addition to its dominant role in Arabic music, it is also a very important instrument in Turkish, Persian, and Sepahrdic music. No ouds made before 1850 are known to survive and this is likely due to improvements in contraction techniques that occurred during that period. So, though construction techniques underwent a huge series of improvements and developments about 150 years ago, the general design of the instrument has remained the same for centuries.
Along comes a 21st century French-Canadian guitar maker who is well known in the industry for innovation in design and building techniques. Robert Godin and his team have updated and created a truly modern oud. I know oud purists who will say that the oud was perfect to start with and does not need any improvements. I have played and seen and heard some ouds that are truly impressive instruments, maybe they are close to perfection, but they are difficult to incorporate into a loud live band situation, and tuning can get difficult when humidity is low and/or when the oud is subject to the rigors of airline travel (even in well made ouds, the changes in climatic conditions can cause the pegs to swell or shrink ever so slightly making tuning a challenge). Those are the main points that the Godin design attempts to innovate. I have a few minor critiques of the instrument but overall I love it and think it is great.
Pros-
Amazing playability with an incredibly easy to play nec;
Excellent very transparent acoustic sounding electronics/preamp installed;
Tuning is very stable and easy to make fine adjustments;
Flatback is an huge ergonomic improvement;
Can be strung with nylon or steel strings for a wider range of tonal possibilities;
Unlike traditional ouds it has an adjustable truss rod, an advantage for ouds that live in climates with highly variable humidity;
Easy to use a strap and play standing up;
Comes with a great gig bag.
Cons
Does not look like an oud (but it is very attractive);
When played acoustically, it is not as loud and bright as a conventional oud and may not be loud enough to use in a traditional all acoustic Arabic music ensemble;
Heavier than a regular oud;
No hard case currently available - but with a bit of extra padding it does fit nicely into some guitar cases.
Who should get one?
Oud players who play in loud band settings;
Oud players who would like to play standing up;
Oud players who live in a climate with highly variable humidity (this makes friction pegs difficult to maintain);
Oud players who struggle with tuning and can’t afford a really high end traditional oud (those should have really well made and fitted tuning pegs);
Oud players who travel frequently to gigs by airplane.
Overall I love the instrument and in the weeks I have had it have spent much my free time playing it.
Playability:
The neck on this oud is fantastic. I am not sure, but I think the finger board is slightly radiased. This is not normal for an oud, though it is normal for electric guitars. it is also not normal for nylon string guitars but the Godin multi-ac nylon ( which I also have and think is great) has one and I think that contributes to its excellent playability. In addition to the great neck it has a cutaway, allowing access to a higher than normal oud range. Then the icing on the cake is the fret markers accurately placed where the semi-tone frets wold be if they existed. This visual aid makes playing up the neck much easier.
Tuning
Ease of tuning is one reason why this instrument is so inviting to play. It is easy to tune, stays in tune, fine tunes easily. Now if you are a real oud purist and you are reading this I know what you are thinking. You're thinking that there are so many poorly made ouds out there but that fine ouds with properly made friction pegs are just as good as machine heads. I have heard this argument many times and there is truth to it but the other side is this. I live in Canada where even the best made ouds (I have two really good ones) have trouble with tuning and tuning stability. And here is why. The relative humidity in our homes and studios is incredibly variable over the course of a year. When my home is close to %50 relative humidity as it often is the summer, the pegs and peg box absorb moisture, and pegs expand, and the tuning is so rock solid that I almost don't have to tune my oud all summer long. However the winter is a different story. My regular ouds hold their tuning relatively well as long as I am meticulous about keeping the humidity in my studio as high as possible. If I slip in this regard so do my pegs.
All that being said I had a very awkward problem this past summer with one of my ouds. We were playing the mainstage at a large outdoor music festival. The stage overlooked the lake and there was a cool breeze coming in off the lake. We were playing a song that featured oud and despite it being summer and relatively humid, one peg slipped during the performance and this almost train-wrecked the piece. I still think friction pegs look more charming but I want to know that when I get up to play on a big stage (or any stage for that matter) that my instrument is going to stay in tune no matter what. So when I saw that the multi-oud had really fine guitar style machine heads I was very interested. Of course friction pegs allow for fine tuning when everything is set up just right and conditions are just right, but fine adjustments are so much easier with the machine heads. It is a great idea. It just does not look like an oud.
Aesthetics
Although I think it looks great, I miss the look and Middle-Eastern aesthetics of conventional ouds. There is not much in the way of a "Middle-Eastern look" to this oud, but it makes up for this by still looking pretty cool and all of its other features.
Pre amp-
The onboard pre amp is great. It is made by fishman transducers and is the OEM version of their Aura pro. There are many different versions of the aura pro but the general concept is the same for all. There is a microchip in the pre that stores four "sound images". These images are creating by playing the instrument in an ideal studio environment with great microphones. These images are somewhat analogous to a convolution reverb and the player can blend between the pick up and the sound image. What sounds best in one situation (room, amplifier, other instruments in ensemble) my not be best in another context, so the adjustability and flexibility that this offers is fantastic. Once you find the right balance between the pick up and the image and then eq it (3 band eq is on board), it actually sounds very close to a well miced instrument. Even though this pre-amp system is great for stage I am not surprised that I get better results when recording by placing a quality large diaphragm mic in front of the oud than when using the onboard pre amp. That being said the onboard preamp sounds great through my recording monitors and a number of acoustic and electric guitar amps.
I have heard some critiques of the Godin promo video (featuring Fathi Askaili) that said you cant really get a good sense of what the instrument sounds like from these videos. I would agree that the tambre of the oud in those videos is not totally representative of what the oud sounds like, but that it is because you have a huge range of options. The three band EQ can tweak the signal from the "acoustic image" or the peizo pick up. You also have 4 microphone images, each with a slightly different character and you have the blend knob between the piezo and the bridge pickup. The plugged in sound of the instrument has so many options. So be prepared to spend quite a bit of time tweaking it to get the sound that is just right for you. I can say from experience with similar systems in other instruments that once you get your sound set how you like it - you will have to change it slightly to compensate for the idiosyncrasies of the different environments you play in. Something that sounds great in your practice room at home might have way to much bass in the room at your next gig. So you have to be flexible and always ready to adjust. The fact that you have so much tweakability built into the instrument and not an additional piece of separate gear is great.
If you are a guitarist or violinist looking to get into the oud then this instrument is a great way in. If you are already an oud player or enthusiast then this is a fabulous addition to the oud arsenal. It probably wont replace your traditional ouds in every situation but will be a welcome addition /alternative in many.
On the gig
So far I have played this instrument on three gigs (as of the end of March 2011). Once in a soft seat theatre with my band Jaffa Road (www.jaffaroad.com), and twice in a Jewish Friday night worship service. Jaffa Road is a contemporary inter-cultural fusion band that brings together elements of Arabic, Jewish, and Indian music along with Jazz and popular music grooves. This band is much louder that the traditional ensembles that ouds are usually heard in. In this setting this oud really excelled. As it was my first time using it on a concert gig we took a bit of extra time with it in sound check and found that the best sound was achieved by pluging it in to an SWR California blonde, and micing the instrument with an SDM. When the drums got loud, the mix engineer had to mute the mic that was on directly on the instrument but it still sounded great coming through the SWR amp. I have also tried playing through a 50w Yorkville keyboard amp, a Fishman Loudbox 100 and Black heart electric guitar tube amp. Of course each one had a slightly different character but all sounded great.
Listen
Here are a couple videos so that you can hear it.
With full band in soft seat theatre:
http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7AOHw7QQmY
In my home studio acoustic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXap86Wf-9o
in my home studio plugged in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13dw4-FbFs,
Comes with a great gig bag.
Cons
Does not look like an oud (but it is very attractive);
When played acoustically, it is not as loud and bright as a conventional oud and may not be loud enough to use in a traditional all acoustic Arabic music ensemble;
Heavier than a regular oud;
No hard case currently available - but with a bit of extra padding it does fit nicely into some guitar cases.
Who should get one?
Oud players who play in loud band settings;
Oud players who would like to play standing up;
Oud players who live in a climate with highly variable humidity (this makes friction pegs difficult to maintain);
Oud players who struggle with tuning and can’t afford a really high end traditional oud (those should have really well made and fitted tuning pegs);
Oud players who travel frequently to gigs by airplane.
Overall I love the instrument and in the weeks I have had it have spent much my free time playing it.
Playability:
The neck on this oud is fantastic. I am not sure, but I think the finger board is slightly radiased. This is not normal for an oud, though it is normal for electric guitars. it is also not normal for nylon string guitars but the Godin multi-ac nylon ( which I also have and think is great) has one and I think that contributes to its excellent playability. In addition to the great neck it has a cutaway, allowing access to a higher than normal oud range. Then the icing on the cake is the fret markers accurately placed where the semi-tone frets wold be if they existed. This visual aid makes playing up the neck much easier.
Tuning
Ease of tuning is one reason why this instrument is so inviting to play. It is easy to tune, stays in tune, fine tunes easily. Now if you are a real oud purist and you are reading this I know what you are thinking. You're thinking that there are so many poorly made ouds out there but that fine ouds with properly made friction pegs are just as good as machine heads. I have heard this argument many times and there is truth to it but the other side is this. I live in Canada where even the best made ouds (I have two really good ones) have trouble with tuning and tuning stability. And here is why. The relative humidity in our homes and studios is incredibly variable over the course of a year. When my home is close to %50 relative humidity as it often is the summer, the pegs and peg box absorb moisture, and pegs expand, and the tuning is so rock solid that I almost don't have to tune my oud all summer long. However the winter is a different story. My regular ouds hold their tuning relatively well as long as I am meticulous about keeping the humidity in my studio as high as possible. If I slip in this regard so do my pegs.
All that being said I had a very awkward problem this past summer with one of my ouds. We were playing the mainstage at a large outdoor music festival. The stage overlooked the lake and there was a cool breeze coming in off the lake. We were playing a song that featured oud and despite it being summer and relatively humid, one peg slipped during the performance and this almost train-wrecked the piece. I still think friction pegs look more charming but I want to know that when I get up to play on a big stage (or any stage for that matter) that my instrument is going to stay in tune no matter what. So when I saw that the multi-oud had really fine guitar style machine heads I was very interested. Of course friction pegs allow for fine tuning when everything is set up just right and conditions are just right, but fine adjustments are so much easier with the machine heads. It is a great idea. It just does not look like an oud.
Aesthetics
Although I think it looks great, I miss the look and Middle-Eastern aesthetics of conventional ouds. There is not much in the way of a "Middle-Eastern look" to this oud, but it makes up for this by still looking pretty cool and all of its other features.
Pre amp-
The onboard pre amp is great. It is made by fishman transducers and is the OEM version of their Aura pro. There are many different versions of the aura pro but the general concept is the same for all. There is a microchip in the pre that stores four "sound images". These images are creating by playing the instrument in an ideal studio environment with great microphones. These images are somewhat analogous to a convolution reverb and the player can blend between the pick up and the sound image. What sounds best in one situation (room, amplifier, other instruments in ensemble) my not be best in another context, so the adjustability and flexibility that this offers is fantastic. Once you find the right balance between the pick up and the image and then eq it (3 band eq is on board), it actually sounds very close to a well miced instrument. Even though this pre-amp system is great for stage I am not surprised that I get better results when recording by placing a quality large diaphragm mic in front of the oud than when using the onboard pre amp. That being said the onboard preamp sounds great through my recording monitors and a number of acoustic and electric guitar amps.
I have heard some critiques of the Godin promo video (featuring Fathi Askaili) that said you cant really get a good sense of what the instrument sounds like from these videos. I would agree that the tambre of the oud in those videos is not totally representative of what the oud sounds like, but that it is because you have a huge range of options. The three band EQ can tweak the signal from the "acoustic image" or the peizo pick up. You also have 4 microphone images, each with a slightly different character and you have the blend knob between the piezo and the bridge pickup. The plugged in sound of the instrument has so many options. So be prepared to spend quite a bit of time tweaking it to get the sound that is just right for you. I can say from experience with similar systems in other instruments that once you get your sound set how you like it - you will have to change it slightly to compensate for the idiosyncrasies of the different environments you play in. Something that sounds great in your practice room at home might have way to much bass in the room at your next gig. So you have to be flexible and always ready to adjust. The fact that you have so much tweakability built into the instrument and not an additional piece of separate gear is great.
If you are a guitarist or violinist looking to get into the oud then this instrument is a great way in. If you are already an oud player or enthusiast then this is a fabulous addition to the oud arsenal. It probably wont replace your traditional ouds in every situation but will be a welcome addition /alternative in many.
On the gig
So far I have played this instrument on three gigs (as of the end of March 2011). Once in a soft seat theatre with my band Jaffa Road (www.jaffaroad.com), and twice in a Jewish Friday night worship service. Jaffa Road is a contemporary inter-cultural fusion band that brings together elements of Arabic, Jewish, and Indian music along with Jazz and popular music grooves. This band is much louder that the traditional ensembles that ouds are usually heard in. In this setting this oud really excelled. As it was my first time using it on a concert gig we took a bit of extra time with it in sound check and found that the best sound was achieved by pluging it in to an SWR California blonde, and micing the instrument with an SDM. When the drums got loud, the mix engineer had to mute the mic that was on directly on the instrument but it still sounded great coming through the SWR amp. I have also tried playing through a 50w Yorkville keyboard amp, a Fishman Loudbox 100 and Black heart electric guitar tube amp. Of course each one had a slightly different character but all sounded great.
Listen
Here are a couple videos so that you can hear it.
With full band in soft seat theatre:
http://http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7AOHw7QQmY
In my home studio acoustic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXap86Wf-9o
in my home studio plugged in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w13dw4-FbFs,
Hello, could you please tell if it requires special strings, oud strings, or if a regular spanish guitar strings set would equally do the job?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance...
Nicely done and thorough review that touched on my questions. I look forward to checking the multioud out.
ReplyDeleteHello Mc2
ReplyDeleteso far I have only used the oud strings provided by godin. They look and feel alot like the D'iadarrio oud strings, but I cant say for sure.
I suspect that what ever oud strings you would normally use. I like Aquilla strings on my acoustic ouds but have not tried them yet on this oud. It is worth mentioning that this is the only oud I know of that is built so that it can be strung with nylon or steel strings.
One day I will throw a set of steel on just to see what it sounds like (alot like an indian Sarod I would guess).
I get my oud accessories at http://www.oudstrings.com/.
Hey. Thanks for the review. I'm looking to buy one of these soon. I play in Arabic tuning CEAdgc. Can it be tuned like this or is it set up for Turkish tuning? What tuning do you use?
ReplyDelete