Zeynel Abidin 29 Inch Cumbus Cura & Gig Bag Black Neck. This cumbus cura has a clear synthetic sound board and a Wooden neck painted black with a black fret board and is 29 inches in overall length.
The cumbus is a relatively young instrument. It was developed in Istanbul in the early 1900's. The inventor, Zeynel, became known as Zeynel Abidin Bey. The famous Ataturk Mustafa Kemal, Turkey's first president, dubbed it cumbus pronounced joom-bush. Cumbus is Turkish for revelry, just the mood this instrument inspires. Our cumbus are imported from the Family shop of Zeynel Abidin on Ataturk Bulvar in Istanbul.
Accessories Included: Soft case lightly padded
Important Specifications:
Item overall: 29" L x 4.5" H x 8.75" W
Body/Bowl: 8.75" L x 3.75" H x 8.75" W
Body & Neck: The body consists of a spun aluminum bowl with cast aluminum hardware and a saz style black Wooden neck.
Soundboard: Clear synthetic head
Sound holes: 22 small holes
Tuning Pegs/Levers: There are 6 metal mechanical geared right angle tuning pegs/levers with a 1:14 ratio.
Strings: 3 courses of 2 strings. From right to left the string width is: .008," .008," .012," .012," .008," .025." There are 5 steel strings and 1 wound string.
End Peg: Metal and attached to bowl
Tuning: The standard cumbus is tuned like the Turkish oud and one step higher than the Arabic oud. Almost any oud tuning can be used. The two strings that make up a course are tuned to the same key.
The following tuning suggestions are from low to high
Standard: A B E a d g; or D E A D G C
Egyptian/Arab: D G A D G C
New Turkish Classical: F# B E A D G
Turkish/Armenian: E A B E A D
Turkish/Armenian Variant: C# F# B E A D
Old Turkish Classical: A D E A D G
The Ukulele Cumbus: G C E A
The Cumbus Cura: A D G
Frets: 19 movable nylon frets
Nut: Plastic.
Neck at Nut: 1" W;
Nut: 1" W
Neck at Body Joint: 1.125" W
Bridge: Wooden bridge painted black.
Strings at Bridge: 1" W
Scale Length: 20.5"
