Brian Prunka - 9-27-2007 at 02:56 PM
I ended up buying the Nahat restored by Najarian that Carlo was selling on the forums. Here are some pictures:
Brian Prunka - 9-27-2007 at 05:13 PM
back:
Brian Prunka - 9-27-2007 at 05:14 PM
roses:
journeyman - 9-27-2007 at 05:16 PM
Looks beautiful Brian. Congratulations. How does it sound?
Cheers,
Roy
paulO - 9-27-2007 at 05:20 PM
Hi Brian,
It looks exquisite !! Love the walunt staves in on the back, fantastic grain patterns. How's it sound ?? Pretty darn good I would guess. Enjoy it in
good health.
Regards...Paul
Amos - 9-27-2007 at 06:44 PM
hey brian,
this oud is beautiful congratulations...i havent seen you since brooklyn, it was a pleasure and i hope to see you again soon...amos
SamirCanada - 9-28-2007 at 07:00 AM
Congrads Brian,
that is such a wonderfull find. I hope you enjoy it for many years.
please treat us to a little sound clip from this baby.
Also I would be interested to know what is original and what isnt?
and of course which one of the Nahat's made it?
Brian Prunka - 9-28-2007 at 08:02 AM
I can't really see the label with the rosette in the way, and my Arabic is not so hot . . . so I'm not sure who made it.
The bowl is the only thing that's really original. I talked to najarian, but he didn't remember much about it.
However, comparing it to my Najarian, it's obvious that the neck, pegs, face and bridge are all his work.
I don't like the plastic pickguard on the face; I plan to remove it and replace it with something wood and more appropriate to a Nahat.
Also, the rosettes are ugly and I plan to remove them, and probably replace them with replicas of Nahat designs. (I'll get a photo of the label when I
have them out).
It needs to be played to open up some; the owner hadn't really played it regularly. The strings are also about 7 years old or so, so I'm going to
replace those ASAP.
It needs a little work, the fingerboard has become a little uneven, and the face seems to have warped (it looks okay, but there's hardly any clearance
between the strings and the face, making it hard to paly without striking the face).
Right now it sounds more like a Najarian than a Nahat, though definitely more Arabic than Najarian's own ouds. With a little TLC, I think it's going
to be great. I may end up having the bracing altered to make it more Arabic-sounding (Najib did that to my Najarian and it helped enormously).
The scale is 59 cm, just slightly bigger than Najarian's ouds.
paulO - 9-28-2007 at 11:54 AM
Hi Brian,
Wow...the photos sure don't tell the whole story. Good luck with the rework.
Regards..PaulO
abusin - 9-29-2007 at 03:56 AM
Congrats Brian,
thats a beautiful oud, I like the bowl very much
Najarian has done a good job very neat work
enjoy it in good health bro,
Awad
Faladel - 9-29-2007 at 08:21 AM
Brian
Can you post the label???? it´s very important..
Brian Prunka - 1-12-2008 at 02:04 PM
With some coaching from Jameel, I replaced the plastic pickguard wth a nahat style one he made for me.
I put new strings on it, and it sounds very good. I'll try to post a sound sample at some point.
Oud Freak - 1-12-2008 at 02:11 PM
Beautiful new pick guard. Nice, sober and elegant oud, really appreciate the main rosette with nothing on it, I find it more elegant.
zalzal - 1-12-2008 at 02:31 PM
I do not think that the original shadow of pickguard (before replacing by plastic one) was a nahat one. However it was original there and touching
the main rosette.
Does it mean that the oud was originally thinked to be plucked that near of the rosette?
Do the pickguards indicate the place where luthiers think the instrument is to be played at best?
I mean may be the luthiers put the pickguard at best position to sound in fonction of the bracing positions underneath the soundboard.
Or does the sound be similar if the oud is played away fm the rosette?
What do you think Brian?
Melbourne - 1-13-2008 at 02:54 AM
Hey congrats Brian - thats a really good looking oud. And I tell ya what, you did that oud a huge favor by replacing the raqma. I dont get Turkish
inspired raqmas sometimes 
and the central shams? is that coming back?
cheers
Sam
Jameel - 1-13-2008 at 06:13 AM
Nice work Brian. Sam is right, what an improvement in overall looks. Can you get rid of the lighter outline of the previous one? If the face has a
little shellac on it (it kinda looks like it might), you could try padding on a little around the pickguard. Now all you need is a Nahat-style shamsi
for the big hole. 
paulO - 1-13-2008 at 08:58 AM
Hi Brian,
Looking good, that made a huge difference.
Regards..Paul
s3cr3t3 - 1-13-2008 at 10:37 AM
Brian, very nice Oud . I have a 1955 Nahat with bone rosettes and a beautiful bone inlaid pattern in the fretboard. Unfortunately the old glue
loosed up with the hot weather in California last
summer and the top came off. No damage, just needs to be reglued. I was considering Najarian (in LA ) to do the restore.
Do you mind if I ask what your experience with him was like? Also what was the out the door cost for your repairs? I also considered Shaheem in NY as
he is building a reputation as a top restore luthier, and can improve sound and playability if desired.
I love the sound of the old Nahat, it has that percussive thump as in the old recordings, and a unique feel to it when playing it.
Your answers will really help in my decision , if you prefer to send them in U2U to keep the pricing private please do that.
Thanks
Carlos
Brian Prunka - 8-15-2009 at 06:48 PM
I wanted to post an update on this oud. After having it for a while, I decided that the only way to get it to play and sound like I wanted it was to
have a new face put on. Najib Shaheen did the work, and also installed a new rosewood fingerboard, extended to the soundhole.
Here are the changes:
New spruce soundboard, (old wood)
Entirely redone bracing, according to Nahat designs
new tiled rosewood purfling (replacing banded purfling)
new rosewood fingerboard w/extension
New bridge (not sure the material, it appears to me to walnut w/rosewood trim)
In keeping with similar Nahat designs, Najib and I decided to go with a single soundhole instead of the triple soundhole design of Najarian's face.
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing how many soundholes the original face had.
I'll post some sound samples when I get a chance. It has exceeded my expectations with regards to sound and playability. I'm sure it will continue
to open up and improve with time (and lots of playing!)
For the record, the neck, pegbox, and pegs were done by Najarian.
The bowl is Nahat, but was heavily damaged at one point and repaired by Najarian (who did excellent work).
I had Najib keep Jameel (Khalaf) Abraham's beautiful Nahat-style pickguard.
Overall, I wanted a great sounding/playing instrument, and that was given precedence over attempting to make this a Nahat restoration or
recreation.
I consider this oud to be a collaboration between four outstanding luthiers.
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Brian Prunka - 8-15-2009 at 06:53 PM
Here is the back again, although it is unchanged:
Brian Prunka - 8-15-2009 at 06:58 PM
Here are a couple more photos:
arsene - 8-16-2009 at 10:02 AM
Wow, looks amazing... I really like these sober, single hole styles... really classy! Congrats on the result!
fernandraynaud - 8-17-2009 at 03:20 AM
Yes, the word Classy fits well here, it's very very beautiful. Can't wait to hear it.