Tkoind - 7-26-2007 at 05:27 AM
I got this Oud from my teacher in Tokyo. He is from Morocco and said he picked it up years ago in Egypt. It has been taken care of pretty well it
seems. I`m just curious if anyone knows the maker or if looks like an ok instrument.
One more better label photo
Tkoind - 7-26-2007 at 05:45 AM
Hope this is easier to read.
Shot of the back
Tkoind - 7-26-2007 at 05:48 AM
SamirCanada - 7-26-2007 at 05:48 AM
the maker is Mohamed Marko.
he is well known in egypt. Looks like the back is made of
palissander.
enjoy your new oud.
Tkoind - 7-26-2007 at 05:57 AM
SamirCanada
Thank you for your kind post and information. I would love to find out more about Mohamed Marko as well. Are his instruments considered good quality?
In good condition what do you think a reasonable price for this instrument would be? I don`t plan to sell it, but I would like to know if it is an
Oud I can plan to play as I develop skill or if it is a more modest instrument for a starter.
ALAMI - 7-26-2007 at 09:20 AM
Please correct me if I am wrong, but to my knowledge Marco is not a maker, he has a very well known shop on Mohamed Ali Street but his ouds are made
by other makers, he is a "label" not a maker
Tkoind - 7-26-2007 at 05:05 PM
If Marco is a label, how are his Ouds in terms of quality? Can anyone give me an opinion based on the photos? This is a very simple Oud but has a warm
gentle sound. SamirCanada mentioned Palissander as a possible wood used in it. Is this a good material for Egyptian Ouds?
Thanks for your help.
Manufacturing date
Maher - 7-27-2007 at 04:23 AM
You said your teacher picked it up in Egypt "years" ago. If you look closely at the label, the oud was made on 3/20/2005. So the oud is a little more
than 2 year old. Maybe useless information, but I thought I point that out. Good luck with the oud.
Tkoind - 7-27-2007 at 06:27 PM
Maher,
Thank you. Your reply actually confirms some doubts I had about my teacher's sales pitch. He's a great player of both Oud and Darabuka and a so-so
teacher. But his true mastery is sales and a few students have shared some issues on this point. But beggars can't choose, and he is one of the few
accessible teachers of Arabic music here.
The price was quite rational. Expecially considering what it would have cost to bring one in or the very ordinary instruments that shops offer here
for more money than you could imagine paying. One of the downsides of Tokyo is that anything from abroad is crazy expensive.
Does the label say anything else that could provide a clue to the quality of the instrument?
Thanks everyone again for your help.
Maher - 7-28-2007 at 05:23 AM
The label says that the oud was made FOR Marco, not BY Marco, which confirms what Alami said about Marco being a label, not a maker. Other than that,
it's address information. The hand writing shows a name (Mohamad), and number (0127474425), Manufacturing date (3/20/2005), and a hand signature. I
hope that helps.