I have bought in Tunisia last month a second-hand oud which sounds like a guitar for some of the strings, the original owner tells me It is an
imitation of the Jouubran's, is it possible for an oud to be like a classic guitar, can anybody supply any information on the matter, my oud really
sounds strange, how can a genuine oud be identified, do fakers exist, how can they be thwarted? many thankssuz_i_dil - 8-3-2010 at 01:00 PM
Hello
I think you should post pictures of your oud, with a record if possible.
It would be the better way to give you our opinion on this instrument you found.
There is copies of ouds, but in this case to fake the look of a renown maker. But not a copy of oud itself.
I don't find the correct words to answer this point, but this is nonsense. Oud is a kind of instrument, with its variation on size, bracing and bridge
type, well or not made, but not fake or not.
The result in sound is a different issue, we can help you by giving our opinion on it... by the way I'm thinking, isn't your oud a floating bridge
one? Some people consider those are not producing an oud sound, but this is a very personnal issue.
regards
wahid soltani - 8-4-2010 at 04:11 AM
I am sorry to say I do not understand clearly what you write, I have not grasped your reply, my oud has been made by a very powerfully skilled luthier
from rosewood for the body, and the setting devices are in pure pallissander from india, the table is pure pine wood, gender epicea, unfortunately, i
do not have the means to display a picture of the oud, It woud be nice to tell me who you are, I can guess you are an oud maker yourself, from the way
you reply, can you tell me where you business is, thanks, wahid wahid soltani - 8-4-2010 at 04:22 AM
I have forgotten to tell you that you are wrong when you say ouds cannot be copied, you may have a suprise one day, my friends in Tunisia tell me ous
are scanned or opened, measured in and out, studied from all angles, I bought the oud in tunisia, in fact in Mahdia, a small seaside resort and I am a
bit disappointed, in reality I tried one by the same maker last spring and it sounded fantastic, ouds can be copied, yes...I have the intention of
travelling to see the tunisian luthier again in 10 days, if you wish I will let you know. If you can advise me, I have friends who want to buy high
standars ouds for a high school of eastern music to be launched soon by my teacher in BORDEAUX soon, many thanks, wahidwahid soltani - 8-4-2010 at 04:34 AM
the oud in question has a fixed bridge. It is an oud like others, not a guitar, simply it sounds like a guitar, thanks, wahidsuz_i_dil - 8-4-2010 at 08:14 AM
Hello,
funny, I'm also located in Bordeaux...
Sorry for not being clear in my answer, but I think we are talking of the same issue, copying the work of another luthier...outside look or trying to
approach the inside construction and physical properties.
I think this is a misunderstood around " genuine oud" term.
I'm not a luthier myself, just an amateur player, playing oud for a few years.
Strange indeed you find it is sounding like a guitar. May that come from the strings you are using? Did you try it with another kind of strings than
the one you actually playing?
regards Aymara - 8-4-2010 at 10:56 AM
Hi Wahid,
yes, an oud can sound like a nylon guitar. That's especially a critic to the famous oud player Naseer Shamma ... search for videos on Youtube. In his
case it's caused by the floating bridge in combination with the high tuning he uses.
Which strings and tuning do you use? And what kind of risha do you use?
I found out, that thin plastic rishas sound very guitar like. Horn rishas and feather quills sound most arabic. I tried turkey wing feathers, I bought
in a craft supplies shop. They sound great, if you sand the quills top perfectly round.wahid soltani - 8-5-2010 at 11:31 AM
thanks to all,
On holiday in southern France, I met an oud amateur who tells me that the Wissam Joubran the luthier who belongs to the "trio" of musicians have been
trying to make ouds which are both ouds and guitars, simply to win the favours of the western world( He sells them on the internet), just to please
them, and now many arab luthiers are following on his steps, as far as I am concerned IT IS a shame. For the "risha", I have tens of it bought in
various shops, plasitic and non plastic, offered by teachers, specialists, it makes no difference, I have the usual tuning carried oud by my masters,
FF/AA/DD/GG/CC, I think my oud is a copy of the JOUBRAN's, I also think we shoud not buy any instrument without an authenticity certificate, thanks
againAymara - 8-5-2010 at 11:44 AM
Ok, so the risha is not factor here and you use standard arabic tuning without the single bass C.
But which string brand do you use? Maybe the strings play a role? And what design does your oud have ... how many soundholes, oval or round?Danielo - 8-5-2010 at 11:16 PM
Hi Wahid,
do you have a personal issue with Wissam Jubran ? Almost all your contributions to this forum are directed against him
Listening to the oud he is calling "oud of the year", nothing to do with a guitar sound to my ears moreover a beautiful craftsmanship.
Regards
wahid soltani - 8-12-2010 at 06:49 AM
I have no personal issue with the luthier Wissam
Joubran, but I patronize musicians who recommend that I shoud beware, that's all...
may I Isuggest you buy an oud or the oud of the year for the price he asks and ask him for a legal garanty and certificate of the instruments, you'll
be up for a suprise. when a luthier offers instruments for sale, is he not supposed to supply some sort of warranty of his products?, ask him. have
you ever heard of an object costing 10 000 or 20 000 euros and sold wiyh no garanty....?
On the other hand there are "copiers" and a french luthier in Lyon tells me he has found some serious faults in the making of an oud taken to him for
repair, thanks and regardswahid soltani - 8-12-2010 at 06:58 AM
Hello, Dan
Thanks for the Wissam site, but how have you managed to hear the oud of the year, many friends tell me He does not even answer the phone, and he
refuses to talk of selling, thanks again Mike - 8-13-2010 at 07:51 AM
Danielo...you are absolutely correct to ask if member, wahid soltani, has a personal issue with the master luthier, Wissam Joubran. Unfortunately, it
is not a question, but it is OBVIOUS, that he has an issue. It is made even more obvious by his so called "questions", which in reality are his futile
attempts to attack Wissam's credibility as a luthier. I am glad that the members of this forum are smart enough to understand exactly what is going on
here. So thank you for being the one to point this out.
I would kindly ask all members to not take advantage of the forum's lack of formal rules. In general, any member is free to pretty much write
whatever they please here. There are occasions where censorship has had to take place, but for the most part, it doesn't happen too often. If
anybody chooses to try to defame a highly respectable luthier...in this case Wissam...usually they are the ones that come out looking like the lesser
person. These luthiers almost always have reputations that speak for themselves.
