Choosing a Turkish oud for professional performance is different from buying an oud simply to begin learning the instrument.
A professional player normally knows what he or she wants from an oud: a particular tuning, response, tonal character, projection, articulation and playing feel. At this level, the question is not simply which oud is the most expensive. The more useful question is:
Which oud is best suited to the way you play?
Faruk Türünz has been making ouds in Istanbul since 1984. His approach combines traditional oud craftsmanship with long-term experimentation in soundboard construction, brace tuning and acoustic design.
A professional Turkish oud needs to respond predictably to the player’s technique.
Turkish makam music can demand very precise articulation, rapid passages and a highly responsive instrument. For this reason, many Turkish oud players look for an instrument that responds quickly to the risha, separates notes clearly and does not feel slow under the right hand.
These characteristics are influenced by many parts of the instrument.
The soundboard, bracing, bowl construction, neck geometry, bridge, strings and setup all work together.
It is therefore difficult to identify the quality of an oud simply by looking at its bowl wood or decoration.
The soundboard is one of the most important acoustic components of an oud.
When a string is plucked, its energy is transferred through the bridge to the soundboard. The soundboard converts this mechanical energy into vibration and ultimately into acoustic energy.
Its mass, stiffness, thickness distribution and bracing all affect the way the instrument responds.
Faruk Türünz has spent decades experimenting with these relationships. His work on brace tuning treats the braces not only as structural reinforcements but also as elements that influence the vibrational behavior of the soundboard.
His research describes the soundboard as a system of different resonant regions rather than simply a flat wooden surface.
This is one reason two ouds made from similar woods can nevertheless have very different voices.
A Turkish oud is generally associated with higher tuning than the conventional tuning used for many Arabic ouds.
This can contribute to a fast response, clear articulation and a particular type of projection that many Turkish makam players appreciate.
But tuning by itself does not determine the sound.
The same tuning can produce very different results depending on the scale length, soundboard, bracing, string selection and overall construction.
A professional player should therefore discuss the intended tuning with the maker before ordering an instrument.
Faruk Türünz offers both Single Soundboard and Double Soundboard instruments.
The Single Soundboard approach uses a carefully selected and graduated wooden soundboard together with the Türünz Brace Tuning Method.
The Double Soundboard approach is different. It uses two thin soundboard layers separated by a lightweight core. The design was developed by Türünz through experiments inspired partly by lightweight composite construction used in other acoustic instruments, including guitars.
The purpose is not simply to make the oud lighter.
The objective is to explore the relationship between vibrating mass, stiffness and acoustic response.
Neither construction should automatically be considered superior. They represent different approaches to the same fundamental problem: how to create a responsive and stable soundboard.
Before ordering a professional oud, it is useful to provide as much information as possible.
For example:
Which musical tradition do you primarily perform?
Turkish or Arabic tuning?
Which strings do you normally use?
Do you prefer a bright, clear sound or a warmer, deeper sound?
Do you need strong projection for stage performance?
Do you play mainly taksim or ensemble repertoire?
Do you prefer a very immediate response?
What type of risha technique do you use?
What action and neck feel are comfortable for you?
These details are often more useful to a maker than simply saying, “I want the best oud.”
Not necessarily.
A well-made standard model can be an excellent professional instrument.
A custom oud becomes particularly useful when the player already has a clear understanding of his or her requirements and wants the instrument built around those requirements.
Faruk Türünz offers both established specifications and custom options for players who want particular tonal or playing characteristics.
There is no single Turkish oud that is perfect for every professional musician.
A professional player may prefer brilliance and immediate response. Another may want more warmth and body. One musician may want maximum projection, while another may prioritize a softer and more intimate voice.
The maker’s job is not simply to build an expensive instrument.
It is to understand the musician and construct an instrument in which the soundboard, bracing, tuning, setup and player’s technique work together.
For professional players looking for a handmade Turkish oud from Istanbul, the most useful starting point is therefore not:
“Which is the best oud?”
It is:
“What do I want my oud to do?”
Once that question is answered, the right instrument becomes much easier to identify.
Faruk Türünz builds handmade Turkish, Arabic and Iraqi ouds in Istanbul, including Single Soundboard, Custom Single Soundboard and Double Soundboard models.
If you are a professional player and already know your preferred tuning, strings and tonal characteristics, these details can be discussed when selecting or ordering an instrument.