Hi all, I'm new to this forum having recently discovered and fallen in love with the sound of the oud.
I am looking to purchase an oud and get going !
As a guitar teacher I appreciate the need for a quality instrument, especially for beginners who can be easily put off with a guitar that's a pig to
play.
My question is ... I have seen many ouds for sale on ebay, some incredibly cheap and some around the $500 mark.
My gut feeling is that these are to be avoided but (financially) I'm half hoping I'm wrong!
Im interested in peoples experience with instruments bought from the ebay seller arabinstruments based in Israel.
Thanks for your help,
Cheers._tone - 1-24-2015 at 06:21 PM
i can't comment on the oud but i would really like to know the name of the piece that's played in the sound sample. does anyone here recognize it? ameer - 1-24-2015 at 06:26 PM
Your profile says you're in England, in which case I would start by checking with local luthiers such as Michael Moussa. His website in http://www.magicstrings.co.uk/
He is a pleasure to deal with and a wonderful craftsman. Others on this forum will agree. This method lets you possibly try before buying and save on
shipping costs.Jody Stecher - 1-24-2015 at 07:20 PM
i can't comment on the oud but i would really like to know the name of the piece that's played in the sound sample. does anyone here recognize it?
It's Uskadar, a hit for Eartha Kitt. What I don't recognize is the oud. It's not the one for sale.
May I suggest you use the Search feature in the upper left hand corner of any page of Mike's Oud Forums? You'll quickly learn everything you need to
know about "cheap" ouds. Brian Prunka - 1-24-2015 at 09:12 PM
Ameer's suggestion of checking with Michael Moussa is a good one since you are in the UK.
In general, it's a good idea to stay away from the heavily decorated, mother-of-pearl ouds. There are some good ones from time to time, but they tend
to be rare, older ouds. New ones are usually 'tourist' instruments made for decoration.
It doesn't exactly sound Arabic, but it sounds good.
Also, Mike who runs the forum sometimes has some good student ouds at decent prices, check the link at the top of the forum.
The biggest question is whether you are looking for a Turkish or Arabic sound. Since you are already a musician, I would recommend getting the best
oud you can afford—it will make you happier to learn on, and should you decide to move on you will do much better on the resale. whisperoftheoud - 1-25-2015 at 01:48 AM
Hello,
My friend is selling very cheap ouds on ebay. His name is Bulent Kıvrak.
That's great, thanks all for the advice.
I'm in touch with Michael Moussa now and will hopefully be buying on one of his very soon.
Pictures to follow!
