• Roosebeck Arabic Oud, Rosewood with Gig Bag Main photo
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Oud

Roosebeck Arabic Oud, 6-Course 11-String with Gig Bag

$599
$599
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  • Rosewood
  • Walnut

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6 Courses / 11 Strings Fretless Rosewood or Walnut Bowl Spruce Top 3 Soundholes

Ideal for: Middle Eastern music players, fretless instrument enthusiasts, and anyone studying maqam-based traditions

The classic teardrop oud, the heart of Arabic music.

The oud is the central melodic instrument of Arabic music and one of the oldest stringed instruments still in widespread use. This Roosebeck Arabic Oud features a classic teardrop bowl built from staves with white pinstripe inlays between each, a spruce soundboard with three carved soundholes, and a fretless neck that lets you slide effortlessly between maqam intervals. Eleven strings in six courses give you the full Arabic range across more than three octaves. Choose a rosewood or walnut body; the instrument is otherwise identical.

Deep, Resonant Arabic Voice

Eleven strings, seven nylon-wound and four rectified nylon, produce the deep, resonant voice the Arabic oud is known for. The spruce soundboard responds beautifully to risha (pick) attack, and the three soundholes give the instrument its characteristic open, breathy projection. Range covers more than three full octaves.

About the wound strings: Silverplated copper-wound nylon bass strings give the lower courses warmth and body. The unwound nylon trebles cut cleanly without sounding harsh.

Staved Teardrop Bowl with White Pinstripe Inlays

The teardrop bowl is constructed from individual staves with thin white pinstripe inlays between each one, a classic decorative tradition on the instrument. Rosewood is the denser of the two woods, warmer and darker in the grain; walnut is lighter in color with a more open figure. Both use the same bowl construction and the same dimensions.

The neck and tuning pegs match the body wood. The fixed bridge sits on a matching pickguard that protects the spruce top from risha strokes during energetic playing. Decorative detail varies from the photographs.

The soundboard features one large central soundhole and two smaller ones below on the sides, an arrangement specific to the Arabic tradition.

Why three soundholes: The Arabic oud's three-soundhole pattern gives it more open projection and a slightly different tonal balance than the single-hole Turkish oud.

Fretless and Tuned for Maqam

The recommended tuning is the standard Arabic method: D G A D G C, low to high. Other tunings work, but this is the one most Arabic repertoire assumes. The fretless neck is essential to oud playing; without frets, you can play the microtonal intervals, the quarter tones, that define maqam-based music.

The bone nut is 1.625 inches wide, with the strings spanning 1.25 inches at the nut and 3.12 inches at the bridge. The neck measures 1.625 inches at the nut and widens to 2.25 inches at the body joint.

New to fretless playing? A fretless neck rewards practice with intonation. Most players spend their first weeks with a tuner nearby until their ear and fingers learn the positions. The wide bone nut helps make finger placement intuitive.

Technical Specifications

Courses 6 (11 strings: 7 wound nylon, 4 rectified nylon)
Body / Bowl Rosewood or walnut staves with white pinstripe inlays
Soundboard Spruce with three soundholes
Neck Matching body wood, fretless
Tuning Pegs 12
Bridge Fixed, matching body wood
Nut Bone, 1.625 inches wide
Neck at Body Joint 2.25 inches
String Spread 1.25 inches at nut, 3.12 inches at bridge
Scale Length 24.25 inches
Recommended Tuning D G A D G C (low to high)
Body Dimensions 20.25 inches L × 13.75 inches H × 7.25 inches W
String care: Strings carry no warranty, and makers suggest replacing them every 3 to 4 months. Keep a spare set on hand, wipe the strings with a dry cloth after playing, and plan on fresh strings if the instrument has been stored for a while.

What's in the Box

Every Arabic Oud ships set up, tune before your first play.

Padded Gig Bag Oud Pick (Risha) Owner's Guide (PDF)

Have questions about this instrument? Contact us or browse all Roosebeck instruments.

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team or browse all ouds.
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Roosebeck Arabic Oud, 6-Course 11-String with Gig Bag

Rosewood

$599
$599
Tradition you can feel, craftsmanship you can hear.
Solid tonewoods
Cured, cut, and chosen for sound.
Voiced by hand
Fretboards dressed, action set, bridges fit by our luthiers.
Made to be played
Built for working musicians, designed to sound better the more you play it.
Since 1973
Five decades of building instruments that last generations.

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