Mike's Oud Forums

A rare instrument

Greg - 12-27-2004 at 09:53 PM

I am attaching a picture of an oud that belonged to a dear relation who loved to play until he "went ahead" a few years ago. Even though I knew the instrument and had played it many times, I was unaware of its origins until yesterday. It has been in storage for several years in another city and I decided I should re-string it whilst visiting. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the label and discovered it was a Nahat. To be precise, a 1912 Roufan Nahat, serial number 1650. It was purchased, second-hand, by my relative whilst visiting Damascus in 1965.
It is in remarkably good condition. The bridge has been re-attached with some unknown compound, but apart from that it seems entirely original.

I played it yesterday and again today, after the strings had settled. It sounds fantastic. I can see why these Nahats are so sought after.

The label

Greg - 12-27-2004 at 09:54 PM

amazing

Delucia - 12-27-2004 at 10:11 PM

thanx for sharing.kind of stuff that makes you drool. be nice to it my friend. it's old and needs to be taken care of.

Elie Riachi - 12-27-2004 at 11:30 PM

What a wonderful discovery. Do you know what material the fingerboard and the center rose are made of?

Good on you mate

sydney - 12-28-2004 at 02:26 AM

:bowdown:

Greg,

That was a very nice of you sharing this finding with us.

If it's not much to ask, It would be nice to listen to how this treasure sounds.

Have a very happy new year 2005.


Emad from Sydney

Greg - 12-28-2004 at 02:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Elie Riachi
What a wonderful discovery. Do you know what material the fingerboard and the center rose are made of?

Hi Elie,

I can't be sure, but I suspect it is ivory or bone. It is very hard. I tried to remove some marks off the fingerboard, but normal cleaning agents made no impact. The material must be quite thick as there is some heavy grooving in the fingerboard from years of use.

Regards,

Greg

Greg - 12-28-2004 at 03:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by sydney

If it's not much to ask, It would be nice to listen to how this treasure sounds.
Emad from Sydney

Hello Emad,

When I feel competent to play at somewhere near your level, I will post something for you to listen to ;).

Enjoy your trip to the ACT mate!

Regards,

Greg

Mike - 12-28-2004 at 07:35 AM

Wow Greg...what an amazing surprise. The oud looks like it was well taken care of. Congrats on the great discovery.
Take care,
Mike

Jameel - 12-28-2004 at 08:59 AM

What a find! I'm ashamed to say, but I'm jealous. That's a real classic.

Greg - 12-28-2004 at 11:08 PM

Delucia, Elie, Emad, Mike & Jameel,

Thanks for sharing my excitement. It's one of those "finds" we all dream about. Years of looking in pawn shop windows hoping to find the elusive "treasure." And in this case it was already in the family and I didn't know it.
The Nahat is a beautiful old thing and it is a thrill to play such a fine old instrument. But my Ghadban oud remains my weapon of choice :).

samzayed - 12-29-2004 at 01:31 AM

Greg, congrats on your new find. It's beautiful.

I own a Ghadban too, and I know Mr. Ghadban makes his bowls based off the Nahats. Just out of curiosity, how would you compare the Nahat to the Ghadban oud. I've never heard a Nahat in person, so I am curious.

Greg - 12-29-2004 at 05:07 AM

Hi Sam,

At this stage, any real comparison would be unfair to the Nahat, as the bridge has been re-attached with some kind of epoxy resin glue of indeterminate thickness and density. As I assume this joint would be of primary importance in the transferrance of string vibrations to the soundboard, it seems highly likely that it would be limiting the sound capabilities of the instrument.
My Nazih Ghadban oud is of the Bashir type, so it has considerably more projection and sustain than the Nahat in its current state. However, the Nahat has a wonderfully mellow bottom-end that I have not heard from any other oud that I have played or heard live. I am no expert, but I would assume this results from the age of the instrument, the very large bowl, the single sound hole and the fact that is was designed and made by one of the great masters from the past.

My Ghadban oud is also a wonderful instrument and it too has a great bottom-end. But I think that only age can give a wooden instrument that "special" mellow characteristic.
Ask me again in about ninety years ;).

Best regards,

Greg

Dr. Oud - 12-31-2004 at 01:13 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Greg
... the bridge has been re-attached with some kind of epoxy resin glue ...

It is likely that someone reglued the bridge by mistake, thinking it was crooked. Roufan often glued the bridge on at an angle, with the bass side 4mm longer than the treble. This offset was probably done to compensate for the mass of the bass strings, as guitar bridges are often staggered. Without frets, however the offset is not really necessary as your finger positioning does the compensation. Fortunately most epoxys can be softened with moderate heat or some solvents. At worst the bridge could be sliced off and replaced with an original copy at the original location and glued with hide glue. Returning the bridge to its original position would restore the oud and recover the value lost with the misinformed "repair".