azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:13 PM
Hello All,
Now that I have received my shehata custom oud in one piece i will summarize my experience as a cautionary tale for others. I ordered a shehata
padouk oud off of ebay back in january and asked for a lot of custom work to be done on the instrument. I received it at my door a couple of months
later in the condition you will see in the photos. I had purchased from egypt cart's Essam and the negotiatiations as to how to proceed began. It was
thought that US customs, which held the aramex shipment in new york, had ruined the instrument, apprently prying it open to look inside. I was not
pleased with the shipping method of nile shop, as the oud was in its case, then covered in styrofoam. So after negotiations Essam agreed to split the
cost of the return/repair/reshipment. I received the oud today and thanks to the case in cardboard box, then in a second cardboard box method it is in
one piece and lovely. Maurice's work is quite a value. The sound of the oud is crisp with no buzzing. Just thought you all could sympathize and
celebrate its arrival with me. My other ouds can be seen on:
http://www.oud.eclipse.co.uk/gallery.html
Armen
http://www.aravod.com
damage
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:23 PM
damage
bowl damage
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:25 PM
bowl crack
repaired
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:27 PM
repaired back
front
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:29 PM
maurice
front
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:30 PM
front
closeup
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 05:32 PM
closeup
Jameel - 6-18-2007 at 05:33 PM
Glad you got it back in one piece Armen. The Padouk is very nice. Post a sound clip for us will you? 
Mike - 6-18-2007 at 06:00 PM
Hi Armen,
Sorry to hear about your ordeal. Whenever I help somebody get an oud from Maurice, you don't even know how much I stress to him to be careful with the
packaging. It's always the scariest part for me when an oud is being shipped around the world. When I was traveling back from Egypt and waiting for my
connector flight from Paris, I was looking out the windows and was shocked watching the way the guys were tossing everybody's luggage from the plane's
cargo to the carts that get the luggage to baggage claim. I would imagine it's pretty much the same way with shipping companies. Anyway, I'm glad it
all worked out for you. The oud is lovely. It's good to see little Mario too. You have quite a collection! I just checked it out on David's site. Love
to hear some of your playing too.
Best,
Mike
Jason - 6-18-2007 at 06:11 PM
Can't you get insurance with international shipments? I've seen countless posts like this, it's just such a shame that it's always the client and
luthier that are out of money even though it wasn't either person's fault.
I've never understood how it works when one shipping company like Aramex hands over the shipment to UPS once the oud reaches the states. I know you
can get insurance for, say, shipping from the USA to Canada.
back
azzizza - 6-18-2007 at 06:13 PM
back
SamirCanada - 6-18-2007 at 07:49 PM
OH wow... that is spectacular.
very tastefull choice.
glad to hear everything was taken care of.
enjoy your oud friend.
it really does look like someone tried (and succeeded) to pry it open with a pair of pliers!
Someone needs to tell them that you can use a miror instead.
this is pure Ignorance on their part. Rather frustrating to see that aswell. They could have hired monkeys to work the borders the results would have
been better.
aldokhi - 6-18-2007 at 09:02 PM
very nice oud, I agree with SamirCanada that the moral of this story is that you don't have to be smart to work as a border customs officer anything
below a monkey's IQ will do!!
there are alot of smart people on this forum, I wish we can get a detailed advice on the do's and don't of traveling with an oud (I seem to remember
that this has been discussed before). Personally, I took my oud with me on board and tucked it in the overhead compartment, and every time a
neighboring passenger wanted to get stuff from there I would stand and do it for them, just in case they messed up my oud. i.e. an isle seat is
essential!! let me tell you it was an exhausting 10 hours. now that toothpaste and lotions are no longer allowed on board, good luck, especially if
you happen to be an Arab like me.
Aldokhi
Lintfree - 6-19-2007 at 01:06 AM
Ah.......the customs "service". Spawns of Satan's own strumpet! I have a Najarian electric oud that I carry on and put in the overhead when I travel
to play. The other option is a flight case. When my friend Hani Naser flew to Jordan he borrowed my flight case for his oud. It's light plywood
covered with fiberglass made by Jan-Al Cases in Los Angeles. It has aluminum trim around the edges and steel corners and it locks. They cost about
$300. but are worth it! It's one of the few cases that most airlines will cover. The only way the instrument can be dammaged is if someone does it
intentionally. It's so sad to see a beautiful instrument in pieces like the Shehatta in the pictures above.
Shipping anything is like a crap game. Only a flight case or a hard shell case that is then put into a cardboard box with styrofoam packing around it
will work. My Rapakousios came in a hard shell case that was then packed like I described. It was fine. And it came from Greece to California. Package
abuse is an art in Greece, an Olympic event!
manol
azzizza - 6-19-2007 at 03:33 AM
I still remember a fine shipping job. I purchased the Manol from John Bilezikjian in the wintertime, and he shipped it from sunny california to cold
philadelphia in perfect shape and the oud was perfectly in tune when i took it out of the case..
Armen
MatthewW - 6-19-2007 at 03:58 AM
Azzizza, that must have been such a shock to find your Shehata oud in that condition upon opening the case! Ouch!!I have had several acoustic guitars
shipped across the Atlantic and an oud from Turkey as well with no problems, knock on wood. With the guitars, they were all in hard shell cases, and
anyone familiar with a good guitar hsc knows that they are pretty solid. In the case the guitar had packing material around it to keep the instrument
from any movement while in the case, which I have heard is essential to help keep the instrument safe. If the instrument is allowed to have any
movement in it's case while being shipped, then this can cause some damage. As Mike mentioned, if you see those guys at the airport loading boxes and
luggage onto the planes, they may as well be playing football with them! The guitar and hsc were then put into a heavy cardboard box with plenty of
packing material to soften any blows while in transit. my oud was shipped by Haluk Erayadin, and though I didn't order a fitted oud hard case with my
oud but a soft case, he packed it in a strong plywood crate, and anyone who has bought one of his ouds knows how cool his plywood crates are. While in
the case, it was secured firmly in place with wooden crossbars to prevent any movement of the oud while in transit. Around the open spaces in the
crate was strong bubble wrap. The oud arrived safe and sound. I think this is a very important factor for anyone shipping an oud, to try and minimize
any movement of the oud itself while in it's case or container. Then to provide adequate packing materials and a strong box, or double box if
required. our ouds are so precious! By the way, that is a beautiful oud!
haluk
azzizza - 6-19-2007 at 05:39 AM
Haluk ships the ouds in ideal fashion...the crate is a perfect method
Mike - 6-19-2007 at 06:41 AM
Haluk does a very nice job shipping. Way back when I ordered an electric oud from him, and I loved the way he packaged it.
rromadOud - 6-19-2007 at 11:44 AM
BUMMER!!!..........but good to see it was fixed!
i hope nothing like that happens to my Shehata i have coming................
i don't have the money left for fixing it........
sphinxshop - 6-19-2007 at 01:12 PM
Dear armen,
how are you, nice post ! i know that was a long long time that you have received your oud, but thanks god its now safe and in a mint condition.
Thanks armen
Sincerely
Essam
cjmichael - 6-22-2007 at 08:08 AM
Congratulations on the Oud. Essam also sold me my oud from Nileshop. I recently discovered that it was also inspected as your instrument was, and
I'm willing to believe now that I've done a little investigation that the horrible buzzing came from mis-handling during shipping, since the hard case
did not support the neck well at all. It may have arrived in better condition if it was packed better, but who knows how gentle border control would
treat it. Makes me very anxious about shipping ouds oversees again.
Melbourne - 7-20-2007 at 09:37 PM
Hi Armen
Would you be kind enough to tell me what wood type was used for the rosettes on your beautiful oud?? Maybe anyone else know??
Cheers guys