No one ever listens, but I am going to tell you the same thing that I've told other people in your situation.
If you don't want to keep it and play it, it's probably not the best choice for you to have it repaired.
Just sell it as-is to someone who wants to restore it. Anyone who is serious about a vintage instrument will want to have it restored by someone they
trust, and the cost to you to repair it will most likely not be recouped vs. the as-is value.
This advice might be different if you lived near one of the few people who really know old Arabic ouds, or if you lived somewhere with lots of oud
players who could try it out. But ouds tend to be challenging to sell over a distance, and without a clear pedigree from the maker and repairs it
becomes very difficult to get enough for the oud to make it worthwhile for you to repair it.
This oud, restored to good working order, would probably be worth $1000 to $2000, entirely depending on how it sounds and feels. If you are selling
over the internet, that means it will be the low end of that estimate; since the buyer cannot evaluate it in person, they will have to assume the
worst. But most people don't even want to part with $1000 for an oud that might be a stinker, so expect to take a long time to sell it. Since it
appears to have already been substantially modified, it doesn't even have much 'collector' value, whatever that might have been.
To clarify, an undesirable restoration will actually lower the value vs. leaving it alone, since the buyer must now undo the previous 'repairs' (if
even possible).
I'd expect this oud to sell for about $550 in this condition. Maybe someone would pay a bit more, maybe not, but it has some vintage value and
appears to overall be in decent condition, aside from the broken pegbox. With the better picture, I'd say about 90% sure that the soundboard was
replaced, along with the bridge and pickguard. That means it's really not a "Gamil Georges" anymore, but at least 50% whoever replaced the soundboard
(which creates most of the sound). Since the repairman isn't a well-known luthier, it's hard for anyone to predict what it will sound like. It also
looks like the pegs and nut should probably be replaced.
Once you get to work on fixing the neck, pegs, and nut, you may find even more issues to repair. It's not uncommon to find loose braces inside, or to
find that the neck needs to be reset entirely due to high action.
Considering the difficulty of finding someone qualified to do the repairs, your own inexperience with the instrument, and the difficulty of finding a
buyer, I really doubt it will be worth it to try to get more money by having it repaired.
In cases where I've seen someone try to sell an oud they've had repaired, they always have a good deal of difficulty selling it.
There's someone who's been trying for over a year to sell an old Najarian oud they spent $1100+ restoring.
That's just my opinion, having seen this exact scenario play out numerous times. It might work out differently for you—there are so many variables
it's impossible to know. Of course, this is guesswork since I can't evaluate it in person, but since Denver is somewhat isolated, that same guesswork
is going to be involved for your interested buyers as well.
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