andycoats - 8-2-2014 at 12:57 PM
Hello all, I'm new to this forum [but "seasoned" on many guitar forums! 
]
My wife bought me a surprise oud at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, but had to ship it to me because of her travel schedule.
When it arrived, I noticed some separation between neck and body, which got worse after I started tuning it. Please see photos.
I was hoping someone might be able to give advice on -
a) whether this damage can be repaired, and how one would go about fixing it?
b) who in the US (preferably Southeast) is a good repair person?
Since the oud was a gift, I intentionally do not know how much it's worth, etc.
I have the option of exchanging it with the stall in Istanbul, but that's likely to be costly and complicated due to shipping and customs; plus the
replacement could get damaged too.
I would greatly appreciate any advice. Many thanks in advance!
Andy
http://www.andycoats.com
ameer - 8-2-2014 at 01:15 PM
I can't think of anyone in the southeast, but Najib Shaheen ( http://www.oudman.com ) and John Vergara (Bulerias1981 on this forum) would both do an excellent job. They're both based in New York. There's also
Peter Kyvelos in Belmont MA but I lost his contact info some time ago. Any of these would be able to advise you on the best course of action.
SamirCanada - 8-2-2014 at 09:34 PM
Take the strings off right away!
Any of the guys Ameer mentioned above will be able to fix the Oud.
It seems the neck joint completely failed, I have never seen anything like that in 15 years playing the Oud... Was it in a soft case?
andycoats - 8-3-2014 at 07:28 AM
Thank you for the information, I will try to get a hold of the repair folks Ameer mentioned; I also have a local luthier having a look at it.
Yes, it was in a soft case, but packed in a big box with lots of styrofoam inserts for padding. It looked like it should have been fairly stable.
I'm not sure what kind of conditions it faced while being transported, but they were evidently not good!
I appreciate the advice and will let y'all know how things turn out.
best,
Andy