'ud

An 'ud (lute) made in Rampur, India, 1960-1990. The back is constructed of 21 ribs of light brown wood alternating with fillets of black wood or mastic inlaid with rectangles of paler wood. The table is probably made of spruce, with one large and two small roses, each encircled by twelve inlaid triangles. There are six courses of double strings, the bass pair overwound with nickel-silver or brass wire, the second lowest pair overwound with copper-coloured wire, the remaining strings are made of nylon. The neck is inlaid with 7 wooden frets, flush with the fingerboard.