Mike's Oud Forums

An oud I recently restored

Jameel - 11-16-2004 at 03:52 PM

Hello friends,

I though some of you might enjoy this little video I made.

This is a Palestinian oud of Issa Boulos made by Elias Jubran in 1988. (Palestine). I completely replaced the soundboard (cracked in several places), inlcuding braces, and repaired the peg box (which was severly split), fitting new ebony pegs. The fingerboard is also new and made of African Blackwood (a rosewood species that is extremely black). The oud is still owned by Issa Boulos and has already been used by him for performance. The oud was restored about one month ago. I strung it with the new Arabic set Nylgut strings by Aquila.

Restored Oud

Mike - 11-16-2004 at 04:54 PM

Hey Jameelo,

What a cool video clip! I loved seeing the process. I also loved Issa's reaction when he hit the c note for the first time. It looked like he was blown away by how good it sounded to him. :) Needless to say, you did a fantastic job on the restore my man. Thanks for sharing this with us. Now for your oud project. :airguitar:

Take care,
Mike

oudplayer - 11-16-2004 at 04:54 PM

hi jameel
my name is sammy what up aboyut yr oud there is nuthin to say exept amazing it goes beonnd that that viiao u made was very well up togeather but i couold only watchup to the man playing that taxim and then it stip no idea why but it was good keep up the good work
><><><><> sammy

Elie Riachi - 11-16-2004 at 05:40 PM

Bravo Jameel, very nice work. I also enjoyed Issa's playing.

You know what my next question is.... How did you determine the dimensions and where to position the braces?

Elie

Andy - 11-16-2004 at 08:22 PM

Thank you Jameel, an excellent job you did on the oud and the video is so inspirational. Just to think that a few short years ago the oud was somewhat of a mystery. The building of which was even a bigger mystery. Thanks to the internet, a few web sites for the enthused and curious came along. Then came Richard Hankey with his book of instructions in English, a first. Some tried to build and some didn't but I think we all learned a lot in the past few years. Not so much a mystery anymore.

palestine48 - 11-17-2004 at 12:08 AM

I was recently informed of a remarkable palestinian oud maker who is currently laid to rest. could it be Elias Joubran? I dont know many palestinian oud builders but i would love to get my hands on an oud made by a palestinian craftsman. Does anyone have any info?

mavrothis - 11-17-2004 at 03:46 AM

Bravo Jameel!

Not only did you do an amazing job restoring this oud, but you gave us a really well-made and entertaining video also to enjoy.

Great work man!

mav

Awesome work

Chris_Khouri - 11-17-2004 at 09:14 AM

This oud is amazing Jameel. It's extremely beautiful.


Chris :)

Jameel - 11-17-2004 at 09:28 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Elie Riachi
Bravo Jameel, very nice work. I also enjoyed Issa's playing.

You know what my next question is.... How did you determine the dimensions and where to position the braces?

Elie


Thanks, everyone.

Elie, I used my own calculations and tried something completely original. Richard's book is great, but I would prefer to know what bracing makes a great instrument rather than follow some fixed measurement. The only way to do that is to make ouds and try different bracing methods.

Elie Riachi - 11-17-2004 at 02:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Jameel

I used my own calculations and tried something completely original.



Very good Jameel. I haven't started experimenting myself, I am not as seasoned of a wood worker as yourself and not set up for it. I do have some approaches to try before building the complete oud and I am interested in your approach if you do not mind sending me a U2U.

How does the new sound compare to the original sound with this change?

Elie

Elie Riachi - 11-17-2004 at 02:35 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by palestine48
I dont know many palestinian oud builders but i would love to get my hands on an oud made by a palestinian craftsman. Does anyone have any info?


How about Najib Shaheen here http://www.theoudman.com/

Elie

Alan - 11-18-2004 at 10:52 AM

Fantastic job on the restoration Jameel:applause:The video and soundtrack was excellent as well as Issa's takasim. Well done!

Jameel - 11-18-2004 at 03:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Elie Riachi
Quote:
Originally posted by Jameel

I used my own calculations and tried something completely original.



Very good Jameel. I haven't started experimenting myself, I am not as seasoned of a wood worker as yourself and not set up for it. I do have some approaches to try before building the complete oud and I am interested in your approach if you do not mind sending me a U2U.



How does the new sound compare to the original sound with this change?

Elie


The sound is brighter and has more projection. But it also lacks some of the mellowness of the previous soundboard. I think this is a result of time. New ouds always sound brighter, from what I've learned.

As for the bracing, I just made up the locations using a bit of this and a bit of that, but I deviated the most from Richard's Nahat by moving the braces around the bridge farther apart, about 9cm. Next time I'll try something different, I suppose

Elie Riachi - 11-18-2004 at 04:47 PM

Jameel,

I am thinking of making the distance between the bridge and the bottom end a little bigger than usual, hoping that will make the sound richer. What do you think?

Did you sculpture the braces like Richard's Nahat where they are thinner at the center?

Elie

revaldo29 - 11-18-2004 at 06:42 PM

Hey Jameel,

What an amazing oud. The design is so elegant. Some day, I would love to own an instrument that beautiful. Do you just make these instruments as a hobby or do you sell them?

spyros mesogeia - 11-19-2004 at 06:59 AM

Dear friend Jameel,
Congratulations,excelent work
Regards to all:wavey:

Spyros