ALAMI - 3-28-2007 at 01:24 PM
The maker says it has the best sides of oud and guitar ergonomics
and it keeps all the traditional oud playing techniques
More infos and a sound file on:
http://www.instrument-lutherie.com/oud_assirem.html
michoud - 3-29-2007 at 09:04 AM
It´s a good work but I think it is a frettless guitar not a modern oud...
oudipoet - 3-29-2007 at 09:22 AM
veysel muzik evi in istanbul has done something similar to this but sounds more like an oud.
i do not know about this french luthier`s creation cos i did not see any sound files to listen and see how it sounds.
here is a video of what veyzel muzik evi has created i really like the sound of it.
its called newoud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jccgZMOuh0Q
ALAMI - 3-29-2007 at 11:16 AM
Oudipoet,
the sound file is the Blue rectangle with "ECOUTER ?" written in.
and michoud I believe it's not a fretless guitar for 3 main reasons:
1- I don't believe that a professional luthier would risk naming an instrument he made "modern oud", and assuring that it is played like a traditional
oud without having a good reason
2- Just listen to the audio sample, it is not a deep oud sound, but for me it is oud
3- The scale length is 60 cm with a floating bridge, same dimensions as a normal iraqi Bashir style oud:
excentrik - 3-29-2007 at 11:40 PM
wow- I cant wait to go to some distant cuzins wedding and see the cheesy wedding singers' oud player bust out with that thing! Its almost as bad as
the flamingo oud we saw last time... This kinda stuff is a little gimmicky for me- I'd can do without the appeasment to western culture...
tarik
Monty88 - 3-30-2007 at 12:22 AM
I think it sounds excellent...........I'll bet it's very comfortable to play.
I'd really like to try it.
ALAMI - 3-30-2007 at 05:38 AM
Hey Tarik, let's give the guy a chance (I bet he doesn't vote Lepen) 
it may be an interesting instrument for more oudists than just your (or my) cousin's wedding one.
It has a dual piezo built-in, it can be played in a stand-up position and the sound seems sharp and clean. I personally like the design (but not the
pegbox), I would have preferred a more traditional pegbox and it looks and sounds better than electric ouds.
Prudent atelier is located in Besançon area (more precisely in FONTAIN à proximité de Besançon dans le Doubs, en Franche-Comté), any member in
this area to visit for a play-test-review ?
excentrik - 3-30-2007 at 07:24 PM
Hey- Alami- hahaha-
I was just kidding around- you know the type of ouds Im talking about though- and those guys who play them...
"ya zelemeh, dunt tuch my instrument, it is a brecious biece of history!"
"really? who's the maker?"
"the greatest of all time, ya zelemeh!"
"hmmm... interesting, I didnt know...."
tarik
ALAMI - 3-31-2007 at 12:51 AM
Ha Ha, Talking about "Brecious Bieces of history",
when I decided to buy an oud to try it, I was not even sure if I am going to like it or not, so I wanted a cheap one.
I went to George Mkhail Bitar workshop and the good sounding ouds where at 600$ and the cheap ones sounded really bad, I was about to give up when the
guy went to the basement and brought the ugliest oud I've ever seen with a face full of big dark stains. It was an experiment, he did it a few years
ago using his grand ma closet's wood, he put some strings on it and played it, and it sounded really good.
I got this brecious biece for 125$ and it is truly a good one, and the funny thing, with time (and once living outside of the basement) the stains are
becoming smaller and are fading out.
So have faith man, good deals are still possible in life
May we all be outside of the basement one day
joseph - 3-31-2007 at 07:47 PM
Hi,
I'm intrigued to know what the French writing on the site is saying regarding this instrument (Don't know French unfortunately - I would have, had I
went to school in Lebanon and the awful Lebanese civil war did not happen, but c'est la vie - (Did I say that that right?). I would be grateful if
someone would post a translation.
I think we should encourage and congratulate the Luthier for his interest in Arabic culture and musical instruments, and for such an interesting
experimentation. I think what he's done makes sense, and it is similar to modifications in shape that the mandolin instrument has went through. I like
the sound as well. I think, for people that reside in Western countries like me. such mixes between eastern and western instruments are interesting,
and reflect the changes that us the players are going through, and also reflect the interest worldwide in multiculturalism and living peacefully
together in a shrinking world. I don't think this contradicts tradition, but is an interesting contrast to it. I would like to see the more
traditional makers reviving the old Nahat ouds, and the traditional Islamic and Arabic and caligraphy that went along with such instruments.
And hopefully we could encourage them all by buying such good instruments, traditional or modern. Let's stay away from cheap plasticy instruments that
have no character and has nothing to offer.
michoud - 4-1-2007 at 09:05 AM
Hi Alami!
About this instrument is a new oud or freetless guitar.
First: this instrument is what the maker want...
Scond:I´m guitar maker and I think the people can make all that they want,but I maked 2 years ago with my teacher a freetless jazz guitar,with a
floating bridge and if you use nilon strings it sounds similar than oud,but it isn´t an oud,
the renaisance vihuela that I maked last year if you play it with a risha it sounds it´s seemed than a little oud with a brighter tone...
I think this is a beautiful instrument and it sounds very good and I think it´s indispensable luthiers make new models and investigate in new ways
of make instruments,but I can´t look at this like an oud.
Probably I´m a bit classic,but in my work I maked very rare experiments...
What is Oud and what is not ?
ALAMI - 4-1-2007 at 09:47 AM
The above discussion was interesting and I think it deserves to be taken to a more general one:
What makes that we can call a musical instrument: an OUD ?
- How it is played and what music is played with ?
- Its sound ?
- Its compliance with the traditional Look and design ?
- Dimensions, Bowl and scale length ?
What oudists and makers think ?