Mike's Oud Forums

oud luthiers for finish touch up in san fran area?

spherop - 8-16-2005 at 10:14 AM

i have a very nice oud that was damaged by customs upon import. the oud was most likely removed from its packing and set down on a pile of packing tape. when the tape was pulled off the oud - it left streaky marks all across the beautiful finish on the back. it's not just a sticky residue - but the finish itself is marked.

i live in san francisco - and would like to restore the oud. but i DO NOT want to lessen the sound - which is the most important thing - so I want to be careful to find someone who knows what they're doing. i understand that adding coats of finish can less the resonance.

can anyone recommend someone in the san fran bay area who would be able to fix the finish?

syrianoud - 8-16-2005 at 07:53 PM

Well I think that the best Oud person who will repair your Oud to a factory settings is Viken najarian . But he is in orange ,Ca . My oud is there and I have seen a few ouds repaired and restored .I very highly recomnd him. http://www.oud.net that is his site , his Email is najouds@aol.com His phone # is (714)970-2396 . Hope that will help you . Good Luck .

Oud finish

spyrosc - 8-16-2005 at 08:03 PM

I live in the East Bay (Concord).

Please get in touch with me via U2U or e-mail

Spyros C.

Jonathan - 8-16-2005 at 08:07 PM

I can't imagine that adding any finishing coats would affect the sound.

paulO - 8-17-2005 at 03:40 PM

Hi Spherop,

Send Hank Levin hank@musicaravan.com, a note. He's had a lot of experience with ouds, and might be able to help you. He's local, so it's worth checking with him first before going to Viken. Good luck.

Regards..Paul

palestine48 - 8-17-2005 at 04:31 PM

You could also try george pea<b>rooster</b> at pea<b>rooster</b> music on 14th and noe in san francisco. He has worked on a lot of ouds and supposedly even built one. i like him but unforunantly most jobs I would like done are out of my affordability range in mos cases. I dont know how he compares to other repair men so its not fair for me to say he is expensive. I just cant afford most repairmen. However you can give him a call on the weekdays and hes very polite.

number is: (415) 626-3541

anyone willing to show how to do some repairs on my oud, I would greatly appreciate it?

I have simple issues but would probably labor consuming such as fix the saddle on my floating bridge, install new pegs and shape a nut.

spherop - 8-17-2005 at 05:34 PM

thanks for all the suggestions! just spoke with hank - very nice guy - gonna start by taking it to him - he thinks it will hopefully be easy to solve.