Anne Marie - 2-8-2008 at 02:39 PM
Dear All (I am posting this as a new topic as well as having put it into quick reply, I am just beginning to find my way around)
First of all, I really want to thank everyone for their replies. I am not generally an immense lover of all this new technology (I'm probably one of
the only people left on this planet who doesn't have a mobilephone) but places like this forum are really a wonderful thing, and I am rethinking my
views on the Internet.
Awad, in a way you writing to Ahmed could possibly be the best way to sort this out, since my only option left to get any satisfaction before coming
onto this forum was to take Ahmed to court, but for that I needed at least incontrovertible proof that this oud was not new. And this was and is not a
road I particularly wanted to go down. So thank you for taking this step.
From the information you all have given me, and from the picture Ronny sent (the date is 2004 isn't it?) it is quite clear that the oud I have is an
earlier model.
I also want to stress that all this really has nothing to do with ustad Munshid. I suppose if it had been a new oud, I might have wanted to speak to
him because I would have hoped that it was under some sort of garantee, but all I wanted to do by speaking with him was to establish beyond any doubt
that the oud was not new for the reasons given above.
And this as many of you have confirmed does seem to be the case. So this is really good to know.
But despite everything there are many things I do love about this oud. I couldn't believe how light it was when I first got it. Like a feather. And it
did (and sort of still does) have a beautiful sound. Yes I am still quite a beginner on this instrument (and as you said Sammy, this sometimes doesn't
help when buying one) although I have been a musician all my life, but I have been trying to practise four hours a day or more if I can, because I
really do love the oud and I would like, if I can become at least quite good at playing it. It's been a bit difficult to know what and how I should be
doing it given all the difficulties I've had with low action and buzzing notes, but I still lhave been learning a lot, which is just as well.
Well this has all been quite some learning process, some of it not what I particularly wanted to learn, but hey there we go. Mike, you did mention
this, and it is true, I would not say any of this if it were not the truth, I should be a very strange person, if I wanted to invent such an elaborate
story, if anything it was my naivety that got me into this situation. I seem to have been not the only one, as some of you have told me. But this
whole story really is so ridiculous that I hope I will be able to laugh about it as soon as possible. I shall be very interested what Ahmed's response
will be and it would be absolutely amazing if we could come to some sort of agreement.
Ronny, you seem to think if I got it right that there is not much more one can do without losing the Munshid sound altogether. Well, I suppose you
must be right, especially after what you said about having put a new face on one of your instruments and it still not working. As I said before, at
the moment it is playable, be it with reduced sound quality. I suppose, since I cannot afford to buy a new oud on top of the one I have, it would
really be the best if I could get a refund from Ahmed which is what I had asked him for as part of an email correspondence I had with him before
Christmas. Well, I am now waiting, too.
In the meantime best to everyone
Anne Marie
(since it might become relevant, at my University I am enrolled as Patricia because that's what's in my passport, but I really prefer the name Anne
Marie)