Mike's Oud Forums

oud: help with identification?

eliot - 12-18-2007 at 07:02 PM

UC Berkeley's music dept. just received this oud as a gift and asked me to get more information on the maker, year of make, and also (if estimable), the value of an instrument like this. My knowledge specialty is Turkish ouds, and therefore I have no idea about whether this oud came from a top store or is more of a touristic thing. I'm hoping to string it up and see what kind of sound it can produce - the fingerboard is even, the workmanship quality is decent, and it has barely been played.

Thanks for any assistance you can provide!

-eliot

close-up of the face

eliot - 12-18-2007 at 07:14 PM

... and one of the back

eliot - 12-18-2007 at 07:16 PM

... and finally, the inside label

eliot - 12-18-2007 at 07:17 PM

SamirCanada - 12-18-2007 at 10:45 PM

Seems like it is made by Ali Khalifeh the Father
the date is missing the last number.
it says made in 1960
the last 0 is hard to make out but its there in both hijri and miladi ( jesus's birth) dates.

Nice oud.
it has value to my knowlege. how much I dont know but it probably sounds good.

eliot - 12-18-2007 at 10:52 PM

Thanks, Samir!

[edit: there's been a lot of threads on Ali Khalifeh before. I'm still a bit confused about ascertaining the genuine ones and the fakes and such]

Melbourne - 12-18-2007 at 11:32 PM

Its definitely 1385 hijri and 1965 miladi. As the 5 falls right on the tare on the miladi date. Samir you must have got your zeros and 5s mixed up again :D.

Oud Freak - 12-19-2007 at 04:56 AM

HI,
I remember having seen labels of Ali Khalifeh where he looked quite different in the pic. Maybe the pic is... Is there any other ALi khalifeh than Ali Khalifeh? (maybe there are two Ali Khalifeh in the same families, like the nahats and so...) This oud posted here looks much better and nicer than the few Ali Khalifeh specimens I have seen. If his sons made the newer ones that I have seen, they don't seem to be as talented as their father...

SamirCanada - 12-19-2007 at 05:48 AM

oh yah...
ooops

I should have know better not to awnser questions after a 4 hour exam.... :)

definitely 1965 as Samer said.

oud freak.
Ali Khalifeh was the father of the ones who run a oud factory in syria. the father was a very talented maker as you can see the work is very clean on this oud especially the edge tiles.
the picture in this he looks much younger. he has a "ara3" or bald spot on the other pictures he still has some hair here.
look here for the older version of him.
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6914#pid421...

I dont know what happened but somewhere down the line the kids decided to throw quality out the window and focus on mass production.

Meursault - 12-19-2007 at 07:21 AM

Eliot:

I have this very same oud, except that the condition of mine is not nearly as good. You can see photos and a thread here:

http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=814#pid5654

Interestingly, my label identifies Fouad A. Salka as the maker, and says Damascus, Syria in French.

More pics of my oud

Meursault - 12-19-2007 at 05:02 PM

More pics of my oud

Meursault - 12-19-2007 at 05:03 PM

More pics of my oud

Meursault - 12-19-2007 at 05:05 PM

Oud Freak - 12-20-2007 at 12:00 AM

Quote:

oud freak.
Ali Khalifeh was the father of the ones who run a oud factory in syria. the father was a very talented maker as you can see the work is very clean on this oud especially the edge tiles.
the picture in this he looks much younger. he has a "ara3" or bald spot on the other pictures he still has some hair here.
look here for the older version of him.
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6914#pid421...

I dont know what happened but somewhere down the line the kids decided to throw quality out the window and focus on mass production.


Absoulutely Samir, that's exactly the label and pic I know, thx for showing it and confirming. I do know (not personally, lol) Ali Khalifeh as a an a2ra3 (bald headed)

Now sending u2u to ask you something.

Regards,

OF

eliot - 12-20-2007 at 02:43 AM

Thanks for the info guys, both the donor and UC Berkeley are happy to have this information!