ksilakias - 4-8-2014 at 03:04 AM
Dear members,
Ive been reading here for quite a while and decided to finally join in.
I want to buy an oud from turkey but the sad part is i cant travel there.
I'm not a big fan of buying any instruments without being able to play them, but i suggest i would be able to find a good instrument for pricing in
turkey.
I am looking for highest quality professional instruments nothing less, but i also have personal preference in sound; i need mids
and bass to be present but most important for me is that trebles are there and clear. Overall a full sound.
It must be a turkish oud, i also am wondering which of all the body woods usually have better sounds to them on the oud but main concern is
what kind of top wood i should go with, cedar or spruce?
Generally i'm a big fan of spruce and wouldn't go for a cedar instrument, but i find personally in most cases on instruments like guitars or ouds
cedar suits very well.
Furthermore mother of pearl inlays and appearance is nice, but not needed in my case.
Also i've seen unused ouds that are older for quite a good price, from what my understanding is is that in instrument gets better with time
as the woods change chemistry being less affected by humidity and hardening up also sound opening up, and there is less fear of an instrument warping
over time.
Is it wise to get an older one in my case?
And also i'm kind of scared of getting an oud with the traditional body joint : http://www.khalafoud.com/Personal/Jameel/Images/Oud_Construction/09...
In a nutshell, an instrument of highest quality that will last in time (with my special care of course) with something extra, sounding as it should (
and playability ofcourse). But on the other hand for a reasonable price.
I'm trying to find this for the lowest price possible.
Since i don't know any turkish luthiers this is quite hard for me so,
Since there are so many experts on this forum would you be so kind to possibly give me overal information on the luthiers that could provide me with
the kind instrument i'm looking for and also help me out with my wondering of my questions above?
Thanks in advance and nice playing to all
MatthewW - 4-8-2014 at 09:52 AM
welcome to the forum. It's good that you ask your questions here, many good people to help you on your oud journey.
for me personally, I've always been a fan of a spruce top, but personal taste is personal taste.
look at the FAQs section for some guidelines. Yes, there are bargains to be found with a good used instrument, but as in all things know just what you
are buying beforehand.
I do not know your budget, but for starters you could contact:
Cengiz and Veysel Sarikus http://www.veyselmuzik.com/
and
Dimitris Rapakousios: http://www.dimitrisouds.com
both outstanding luthiers.