Sabicas - 9-16-2005 at 09:02 AM
I am travelling to Turkey for 3 weeks starting Sept 25th and will come back with an oud. I will be travelling from Istanbul, down the eastern coast
to Izmir and Kas then over to the Cappadocia region, before heading back to Istanbul.
I want to purchase a professional quality oud and I don't want to get ripped off. I can identify a quality instrument, I've played flamenco for
years, but havent' a clue as to where the hotspots are in Turkey.
Any suggestions are appreciated. How much should I plan on spending? Where is a good place to catch some live music?
Thanks,
Jamaes
ktb711 - 9-16-2005 at 09:38 AM
Sabicas,
I have been living in Istanbul for over two years now, and can tell you that you should forget the idea that you will be ripped off. You may not get a
"discount" and feel that you paid too much, but you shouldn't consider it a rip off--just business. If you know a quality instrument, the only way for
you to be ripped off is by paying too much.
As far as i know, there are three top notch oud makers in the Istanbul area: Faruk Turunz, Cengiz Sarikus and Sadettin Sandi--priced from highest to
lowest in that order.
I bought a Sandi, and am fairly happy with it. His prices range from 1000-1500 USD, though there is a lot of wiggle room. You just have to know how to
wiggle a la turca. Faruk Turunz's prices are roughly the same, but, I believe he has the reputation with oud players in Turkey, so the wiggling is a
little tight. Cengiz Sarikuz makes to order, so you probably will not have a chance to try one of his instruments.
If you want live music, go to the Taxim/Beyoglu area and follow your ears. If you're looking for turkish folk music you'll quickly find that. Oud, I'm
afraid, is somewhat scare on the music scene.
Hope this helps. Enjoy Turkey!
ktb711
Sabicas - 9-16-2005 at 01:17 PM
Thank you. Would you mind posting address for these luthiers? Contact info?
I expected the prices to be cheaper in Turkey than in the US. My friend bought a fanctastic oud in Syria for $400. Much better than what I have seen
in the $1000+ range.
ktb711 - 9-17-2005 at 06:35 AM
Sabicas,
Of course, there are very cheap ouds here in Istanbul. You can find them for as low as 40USD. Since you said you wanted a professional model, I
understood a top-of-the-line oud and listed the luthiers.
If you want to buy an oud from a shop in Tunel (and it might not be a bad idea at all), I would suggest you just go from shop to shop and try them
out.
For the web pages, search from the with the following names:
1) Cankaya Muziki Evi
2) Veysel Muzik Evi
3) Faruk Turunz
If you want a sandi, I would consider sellling mine at a good price. I want an Arabic oud.