Mike's Oud Forums

to buy a nahat style?

gilgamesh - 10-29-2007 at 05:55 AM

hello!
Does anybody know that's a good idea?
a Nahat style oud handmade by a clever young craftsman, without a long experience but who learned in a big school and seams to be very serious. It looks wonderful of simplicity and woodwork quality , but is not completely finished yet;I also can't appreciate is sound, especially I'm not a specialist;I'm sure that he don't want to go too far with the price and I would be happy to trust and to promote this little and passionated artisan;Is it a good business eating only potatoes during 6 month for gather the 1700 euros I need to reach this dream?
That's clear, It's over my means, but I can't help fantasying about it since I saw this beauty... I just have a pathetic and discouraging pastiche of Mhmmed Fadel for learning.
I m ready to do a madness but I just want to avoid mistake
Difficult for me to speak about this with someone, excepted by the way of this forum
thank for your advices
comparate: http://www.lepointdaccroche.com/?Les_Instruments:Fabrication:Luth_O...

journeyman - 10-29-2007 at 12:26 PM

That is a LOT of money for an oud that you don't know the sound of. It looks very nice, but in my opinion it is too much money to spend on an oud from an unknown maker that you will not have a chance to play before making the purchase. Perhaps you can play other ouds by this builder to get a sense of the sound etc. It could be great, but it is always taking a chance buying an instrument that you can't play first. I paid $550 US for my favourite oud and it is not a bad instrument. I hope someday to have a really great instrument, but I wouldn't pay a lot of money for anything that I can't play first, or that isn't made by a builder that I really trust in terms of the sound and workmanship.

Roy

Sazi - 10-29-2007 at 03:17 PM

I agree with journeyman, though I will add that they are very well respected luthiers, and I doubt they could or would build a bad sounding or playing oud. If you had money to burn...,well it's your money , but there are regularly many fine instruments on this very forum for much less than that. good luck

paulO - 10-29-2007 at 03:26 PM

Hi gilgamesh,

Dude...I completely agree with Roy. For that kind of money (2000 euros) you need to see and play the instrument. You should be able to get a decent oud for far less than this...just be careful, and be sure to inspect the instrument carefully, and get a chance to play it after the strings have been on it for at least 3 weeks -- just so you can get some idea of what it might sound like after it really settles down. Good luck.

Regards...Paul

gilgamesh - 10-30-2007 at 06:42 AM

Hi guys, voices of wisdom
You are reasonably true.Bravo to precise those things I'm not supposed to forget.
The table will be varnish in december and the strings will be on it next. So I'll wait for next year before earing it definitively, as you advice. A aoud teacher could test it too, with me, but he's a contact of the luthier before me... that could pump the bill!?
I'm almost aoudless and time gonna be so long... but a wonder-aoud must be merited by the way of learning, not only gathering. As you see I began to gather the English lessons!
I don't know any other way to find a aoud in my location. Alsace (France) is uselessly the Riesling land (sort of with wine) only.I' m afraid of buying on line because of the long transport risks.
cordially yours

SamirCanada - 10-30-2007 at 07:09 AM

Get a oud from a oud maker.
you have a thousand choices that will cost you much under this price and you will have the benefit of having a oud made with experience.

The Nahats made hundreds of ouds...
my advice get one from a maker who has a good reputation and has built many ouds.
Just look here and you will see that the choices are huge.

Samir Azar http://www.samir-oud.com/
Dincer Dalkilic http://www.oudmaker.com
Haluk Eraydin http://www.eraydinsazevi.com.tr
Yaroub Mohammed Fadel http://www.yaroubfadel.com/index.html
Nazih Ghadban http://www.oudnazihghadban.com
Ejder Gulec http://www.ejdermusic.com
Viken Najarian http://www.oud.net
Yildrim Palabuyik http://www.turkishouds.com
Dimitris Rapakousios http://www.dimitrisouds.com
Sadettin Sandi http://www.cankayamuzikevi.com
Cengiz Sarikus http://www.veyselmuzik.com
Mourice Shehata http://www.mauriceouds.com/
Ibrahim Sukar http://www.oudsukar.com
Tasos Theodorakis http://www.theodorakis.name/uk/frameset.html
Faruk Turunz http://www.oudmaster.com

gilgamesh - 10-30-2007 at 07:19 AM

oulaaa!thanks!

gilgamesh - 10-30-2007 at 07:33 AM

I notice one thing: in the past, much more people buy instruments build by unknown artisans... ( many have become famous after.) Actually we are in a totally different age, if you don't have a Name, nobody trust on you enough to risk to buy your instrument. I understand that.... but it must be difficult to be a craftsman, this time.

zou - 10-30-2007 at 11:41 AM

hi all of you,
im from france and i played the oud of walwgang who is the luthier of the "cité de la musique" in paris, it's wonderful i was not able to stop play it, he said to me that he put 2 years to make it, whitch give the person who buy his oud the time to paye him slowly, if one of you want to buy his oud i say to him : just do it:bounce:

Arto - 10-30-2007 at 11:53 AM

Nice to see this thread. Wolfgang Fruh is a famous maker for Baroque Neapolitan mandolin copies (see the Vinaccia copy on his website, and the wonderful parchment rosette!) and many world-class soloists use his instruments. He has been around for a long time. I don´t know his lutes, but they must be very high quality, too. I didn´t know his atelier, so thanks for this.

On the oud side of the question: it seems much more sensible to me, too, to buy an oud from a good maker to whom the ouds are his life, than from a luthier who makes them as a sideline. Especially as the prices of quality ouds outside Europe are much less than the prices of European lute makers. There´s interesting conversation about "why Arabic quality ouds are more expensive than Turkish quality ouds" at the Ouds, Ouds, Ouds section of this forum just now, and this question has been touched upon there. There was also some time ago a thread about why European lutes are so much more expensive than ouds.

Arto

gilgamesh - 10-30-2007 at 02:05 PM

A lute maker told me yesterday that these isn't any more famous lute fabrication by this time in Syria; difficult to me to imagine a fall of the Syrian aoud quality is possible, particularly after importation of ability from iraq because of the war refugees... I'd like to know!

Sazi - 10-30-2007 at 06:24 PM

And speaking of Syrian ouds...is the Zaher Kalefa oud from Fadel considered good? I love the music playing in the sound file, but to me the tone of the instrument itself sounds a bit like a guitar, - possibly the playing style? Or is that a typical tone of modern Syrian ouds?

Matthias - 11-3-2007 at 02:39 PM

Hello gilgamesh,

you mentioned that you live in the alsace. I live 35 Km away from Mulhouse in germany. So I suppose you live not so far off from me. So I want to invite you to visit me in my workshop.

About me: I' making lutes since over 25 years and for now 8 years I'm working on the oud. Actually I do have three own different models in my workshop and a Turunz Oud and a cheep turkish one for sale too. Some professional players have instruments from me or ordered them and a CD with an instument from me exists too. You will find this information and more on my website including some sound files of my instruments. Also I do have here a very good oud player, whom you can meet meet if you want.

About the price discussion on ouds I want to remark, that I'm sure that all of you may understand that a european oud maker or one from the states must take more money for an instrument than one in Syria, Turkey or some arabic countries. I think you all know, that there exists professional oud makers in all theese countries, that take around or up to 2.000 $ for their professional instruments. Lower prices are the result of a kind of mass production.

I think the sound is another criteria to choose an instrument and I agree to all of those who wrote here, that it is necesary to hear and try an instrument before buying. Therefore I repeat my invitation to visit my workshop to all of you.

Looking foreward to meet you

Regards Matthias

gilgamesh - 11-4-2007 at 05:14 AM

hi Matthias,
Thank you for your invitation, I will visit your site soon and your shop as soon I find a car.
Regards