Help Identify an Oud?

Hi,

Anybody have an idea on the origin of this oud?

It was purchased in 2010 at the Hamidyeh souk in Damascus, a gift from my Syrian mother-in-law. I have no interest in selling it, but would love to know more about it.

The label attributes it to Mohammed Fadel & Sons, identifying it as an "Iraqi oud" made in 1984.

The craftsmanship is quite a bit rougher than the genuine Mohammed Fadels I've seen, but the large dimensions of the bowl are certainly reminiscent of his style. The rosettes have the same treble clef as an original Fadel, but the design's not an exact copy of the classic M Fadel rosettes. It looks more like a tip of the hat to the original than an attempt to fool anybody that this is M Fadel's work.

The 3-piece soundboard is quite thickly varnished, and so was the fingerboard, until Najib Shaheen plained and sanded it for me. He also worked on the bridge and the pegs.

It's a nice instrument, with rich, bass-y overtones, although I played a couple real Fadels recently, and there's no comparison.

Probably a copy, I'm guessing, but who knows? Maybe an early attempt by one of Fadel's sons?

I would love any information that you oudies can provide.

Thanks very much,

Josh