jamesissa2004 - 5-13-2015 at 10:39 PM
Would anybody happen to know who this oud maker is? This oud had an electric pickup added at some point in the past, however I do not know who is on
the label. It would be helpful to know so I can figure out how much it is worth.
I a pretty sure this oud belonged to a well known oud player named Khamis El Fino Ali, as he was a very close friend of my late father (of whom I
inherited this oud). I found his picture inside of the bowl up on the side. He must have put it inside for sentimental reasons...
[file]35311[/file] [file]35313[/file] [file]35315[/file] [file]35317[/file] [file]35319[/file] [file]35321[/file]
hussamd - 5-14-2015 at 04:30 AM
Label says: Jurgi Hanna Nahhat Sept 16, 1955.
jamesissa2004 - 5-14-2015 at 12:16 PM
You mean this is a George (Georgy) Hanna Nahat oud? I've heard that it was from someone else but also from several others that it was not. Is that
maybe a picture of him when he was much older?
jamesissa2004 - 5-14-2015 at 12:21 PM
Here is a label from a 1928 George Hanna Nahat oud I found on Dr. Oud's website. The writing looks similar... What do you think?
[file]35337[/file]
ameer - 5-14-2015 at 02:11 PM
Whatever this is, It's definitely not an all-original George Hanna Nahat. The fingerboard, pegs and the heart next to the fingerboard are not
original. The rosette is plastic and the pickguard has been tampered with. The lining around the soundboard is in bad shape meaning that some of the
braces are probably damaged as well.
If it is a George Hanna Nahat the neck will almost certainly have to be reset. GHN was known to be sloppy compared to the Nahats who came before
him.
Conclusion: you need to have a luthier such as Najib Shaheen or John Vergara look at this in order to tell you exactly what you have and what it would
take to fix it. Don't count on it being a collectable.
Dr. Oud - 5-21-2015 at 09:33 AM
Plastic roses were common after the 1920's or so, in 1955 most ouds had plastic inlays and roses. The pegs look original to me. The fingerboard has
been changed as it probably was worn out, not a big issue, normal wear and tear, same for the pickguard. These could be restored to original designs,
but it looks pretty original otherwise. While Georgy was not the precise builder of his ancestors, he did make great sounding ouds, isn't that what we
want? To be fair in his era the Nahhat shop was a high production oud business with several assistants and quality suffers with higher production.
There are more Georgy's out there than any other maker of the Nahhat dynasty. Another factor is that Abdo George and Elias had left for Brazil in
~1938, so the master supervisor was not available.
jamesissa2004 - 5-21-2015 at 09:43 AM
Wow... It would be nice to know this is another Nahat in my collection! Hopefully it is indeed the real deal. I have always been skeptical because of
the added electronic pickup. I believe this oud belonged to Khamis El Fino Ali, as he was a close friend of my dad. He put his picture inside up the
side of the bowl. I suspect he added the pickup so he could perform with this oud.
Any idea of its value before and after restoration?
jamesissa2004 - 5-21-2015 at 09:45 AM
Also, have you seen labels of Georgy with him at this age?
Dr. Oud - 5-22-2015 at 08:42 AM
The pickup may have devalued the oud somewhat, but doesn't affect its authenticity. It could be removed to restore the oud to the original design as
well as the fingerboard and pic kguard. I have not seen another Georgy label at this age, this was near the end of his career, so there may not be so
many.