Thomann Arabian Oud De Luxe

The Thomann Arabian Oud De Luxe is an Arabian oud, the traditional lute at the heart of so much Middle Eastern music. It is built from four woods, each with its own role: a spruce top, a chinar wood body, a maple neck and a walnut fingerboard.

The spruce top is the soundboard, the surface that turns string vibration into sound. The chinar wood forms the oud’s rounded body behind it. The maple neck supports the strings, and the walnut fingerboard is where your fretting hand does its work. Like other ouds, it has no frets, so you place each note by ear and touch. That makes it a natural fit for slides and the in-between pitches found in maqam-based playing.

It suits players coming to the oud from guitar or another stringed instrument, as well as those who already know the tradition and want an Arabian-style oud to play.

• Spruce top serving as the soundboard
• Chinar wood body
• Maple neck
• Walnut fingerboard for fretless playing