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Fadi Matta Ouds

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:03 AM

Hi all,
It has been a while I didn't participate eventhough I was checking the forum on a regular basis. Mike, Jameel, I really enjoyed the video you uploaded.
I will attach couple of photos of Fadi Matta's Oud. I got one of them expecting it pretty soon.
Here is my new baby, 7 strings. Simple face, spruce. Rosewood bowl, Pegs, and Neck. 60cm scale.

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:05 AM

Soundboard

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:07 AM

Adjustable Neck

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:08 AM

Other ouds from Fadi

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:10 AM

Bowl, I don't know the caracteristics of the following picutures

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:11 AM

another one

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:11 AM

the back

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:12 AM

Last one

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:13 AM

Bowl

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:19 AM

Fadi is located in Lebanon and can be reached at:
00961-3-259 633
00961-9-214 027
nas2_lb@yahoo.com

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 11:25 AM

Bassem Rizk playing Fadi's Oud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e63xxLcmx1U

Charbel rouhana on Fadi's Oud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9LbG8YbuAU

fadel - 6-2-2008 at 11:35 AM

hi

relly is a good maker

he is my frined

thank katakofka

katakofka - 6-2-2008 at 04:15 PM

Hey Fadel
do you have a Matta's Oud? Please, post some pictures if yes
thanks

Elias - 6-3-2008 at 12:21 AM

Hello!!
i just bought mine...i am waiting to get it!! :bounce:

here's some pics...
very simple oud, spruce top and palissandre bowl, classical bridge and 60cm string lenght...
i'll post a soundfile as soon as i have the oud in my hands and replace the original strings with the always amazing Aquila...
:airguitar:

salamat
elias

Elias - 6-3-2008 at 12:23 AM

the bowl

MatthewW - 6-3-2008 at 02:20 AM

Congratulations Katakofka on the Matta oud, looks very nice. I have heard a lot of good things about him. Enjoy the oud and play it long and in good health! :airguitar:

fadel - 6-3-2008 at 04:04 AM

hi katakofka

I dont hav matta oud I change the neck of my oud

thank

Melbourne - 6-3-2008 at 04:57 AM

Very Nice Ouds...

so....katakofka and elias...how does one get hold of a matta oud? Did you guys order directly through him? will he respond to emial? his ok with english? please clarify....

I quite like his ouds. The other guy that makes similar ouds, is Albert Mansur, also a lebanese guy who makes Marcel Khalifeh's ouds. I know nothing about his ouds, other than they are damn beautiful ouds. I found this out by chance on a youtube link that SamirCanda loaded up ages ago about Marcel.

Cheers

katakofka - 6-3-2008 at 05:55 AM

Mathew, Elias, Fadel, many thanks

Melbourne, Fadi is not a computer guy, you may email but the best is to call. Not sure about his English but I am sure about his French. He stayed in France for 12 years where he learned to be a luthier.
Albert Mansur I know nothing about him except that Marcel's oud are made buy him.
Good luck

oudplayer - 6-3-2008 at 10:41 AM

Hey guys

wow nice ouds i liek them all? very nice plusits really loud.

nice
thx sammy

katakofka - 6-8-2008 at 03:49 PM

My new love has arrived !

katakofka - 6-8-2008 at 03:49 PM

the back

katakofka - 6-8-2008 at 03:53 PM

It doesn't sound like any other floating bridge Oud. To my ears it sounds like the Nahaat Oud, very traditional sound. Do you agree?

Oudism - 6-9-2008 at 06:26 AM

Mabruuuuuuuuuk. Tehrii bi 3aafyi

. I like how this oud sounds, very traditional timbre.
by the way, who is Bassem Rizk? Never heard about this guy before. Is he new? He looks young too.
Yalla, have fun with your new love :xtreme:

charlie oud - 6-9-2008 at 07:24 AM

Very nice, congratulations. And ( if youve ever done a search on high action you'll wonder why those little screws are not fitted to all ouds as standard). Enjoy your lovely oud. Charlie

katakofka - 6-9-2008 at 05:13 PM

Thanks Oudism, thanks Charlie
Regarding the action issue, the system in Fadi's Ouds is indeed efficient. When I received it Fadi put the action too high to release the strings pressure during the shipping (he sent it on tuesday I received it on Thursday !). I took the Oud, adjusted the action to a low set and began playing. The tuning was still good, without any tuning adjustment the oud was functional.

Oud Freak - 6-11-2008 at 09:27 AM

Hi Kata, mabruk, very nice ouds, I think the pics you posted after reception don't give it justice, I think you'd rather refer to the pics you posted previously.
Indeed very nice oud and as you say, a floating bridge oud with a warm sound, close to traditional.
However it is not a typical traditional oud or whatever, and I don't think it can be compared to other production, since it is an echoey oud, with a lot of vibrations and soul in it.
Enjoy it an play it in good health, you did a great choice by acquiring this oud

katakofka - 6-11-2008 at 12:03 PM

Oud Freak, thanks elak, without your help I couldn't decide where and what to choose. Also, thanks for Mike's forum that allows us to meet

katakofka - 6-22-2008 at 03:49 PM

Playing with my new baby after putting Lute strings :buttrock:

Oudism - 6-23-2008 at 11:36 AM

that sounds great Kata
thanks for sharing

salahnubia - 6-24-2008 at 09:37 PM

Hello brothers Is any one has a contac information for Yaroub Mohammad Fadel like e-mail or phone number or web site please

Thanks
Salah Ibrahim

katakofka - 6-24-2008 at 09:55 PM

yaroub.1960@hotmail.com
try to contact Fadi Matta too. Any oud, with time the neck goes down. In fadi's system this problem is solved. You can always adjust the neck whenever it goes down.
Good luck

salahnubia - 6-24-2008 at 09:58 PM

Hello everyone does anyone has a contact information for Yaroub Mohammad Fadel please?
Thanks
Salah Ibrahim

katakofka - 6-24-2008 at 10:03 PM

salah...I put the email of yarub above. Here you go again

yaroub.1960@hotmail.com

Add him on msn, or email.

salahnubia - 6-25-2008 at 08:02 PM

Thank you for Yaroub e-mail.

abolyounis - 6-26-2008 at 01:48 AM

salam
really coool sound...mabrook..enjoy it !

salahnubia - 6-29-2008 at 09:54 PM

Hello friends is Fadi Matta has a website? I wante to see more photos six strings oud and prices,Is any one know a contact information for Fadi please?

Regards

Salah Ibrahim

katakofka - 6-30-2008 at 04:32 AM

Salah

Fadi has no website. Fadi is located in Lebanon and can be reached at:
00961-3-259 633
00961-9-214 027
nas2_lb@yahoo.com

salahnubia - 6-30-2008 at 09:11 AM

Salaam Katakofka thank you very much for this information,I'll call him soon and I'll buy my oud from Fadi because Yaroub's oud is very expensive.I contact Yaroub last week via e-mail and he told me that he has two kinds of oud(indian roswood price is $3000 USD and the other one is american walnut wood is $2500 USD.

Thanks,

salahnubia - 6-30-2008 at 09:38 AM

Salaam Kata now I listen to your new oud realy it has a very nice loud sound, what kind of strings you installed?

Remain well

katakofka - 6-30-2008 at 10:57 AM

Pyramid lute strings, Germany. If you live in the US you can order them from Chris Henriksen in Somerville, MA Catlines@aol.com.

suz_i_dil - 6-30-2008 at 01:17 PM

Indeed Yaroub instrument are really expensive. I think there is other oud maker who make very good work and fit smaller budget.
I am interested in the work of Fadi Matta and waiting to try his works.
For the moment I am quite satisfied of the sound of a ben Khaiba oud a friend lend to me, I put high tension strings on it for a tuning in Fa. For me it is very nice for a modern iraki school type of playing.
I will let you listen to it as soon as I will have the things to make the record. Not yet so it is possible I forget. If you are interested in it don't hesitate to remind me via the forum.

katakofka - 6-30-2008 at 08:03 PM

One important characteristic of Fadi's Oud is the sound. In contrast to most floating bridge oud that I heard (floating bridge ouds from Ghadban, Yarub, shehata, azar) Fadi's Ouds have no metallic sound that you hear normally in floating bridge Ouds. The sound generated from Fadi's Oud is close to traditional arabic Oud sound with lot of echo and resonnance. The sound sample I posted in here do not really reflect the rich sound of Fadi's Oud since these are bad audio quality files. I may be wrong regarding other floating bridge ouds from other makers since I also heard poor quality sound files.

suz_i_dil - 7-1-2008 at 03:26 AM

That is right, it is really difficult to judge on the sound of an instrument on many of the record.
About the metallic sound you are talking about I am wondering if it doesn't come from the string we use, mainly on a question of tension.
I am really not sure of that, but to come back on this ben Khaiba oud, I can get a more sweet arabic sound if I tune it with less tension strings.
The strings I use now make more this strong metallic sound you are talking about.

Anyway, I have made 2 short videos files to let you make an idea about the sound, but too big for me to send them.
So I send email to Mike to find solution and then we will see.
Regards

suz_i_dil - 7-1-2008 at 09:27 AM

I exchange email with Mike and he will upload the videos for us.
Thank you Mike.
As you will see I am not ready to become a movie maker but anyway I just made them for the hear and not for the eyes.
Both are coming from pieces of Naseer Shamma, one in high register and the other one in low register.
At the end of one I show also the back of the oud, neck and pegbox.
The oud was made it seems by the brother of Mister Ben Khaiba in Morocco.
I don't know the name of the wood but the result is a very light instrument, not to wide (35,7 cm wide) and so very comfortable to play.
Regards

Tablah23 - 7-1-2008 at 10:09 AM

how much?

Mike - 7-1-2008 at 07:54 PM

my pleasure suz_i_dil.
here are the files.

video 1
video 2

katakofka - 7-1-2008 at 09:00 PM

Nice Oud Suz, especially if you didn't pay it a lot. A typical floating bridge Oud. You're tuning like nassir

suz_i_dil - 7-2-2008 at 03:18 AM

Yes exactly, it is a tuning in Fa Do Re Sol Do Fa, but 1 tone lower to get low tension as the strings were not made for this tuning.
I don't really know about the price of this oud, as I told you it is just a friend who lend it to me. But indeed I guess not too much expensive.
Regards.

katakofka - 7-2-2008 at 05:58 AM

suz: have you ever put Aquila low tension strings on it? if yes, do you still hear the metallic sound?

suz_i_dil - 7-2-2008 at 08:53 AM

No, I didn't put Aquila on it.
But I heard when my friend was using pyramid lute string in Do tuning and I tried it with Lenzner strings in Do. The sound was much more sweeter, still loud as all floating bridge, but without this metallic sound.
Anyway I am looking for this kind of sound now, as I am using this instrument when I wish to play Naseer Shamma pieces or around this style of interpretation.
I wish now to try a palissander oud from Fadi Matta to decide then if I took an instrument from him ( most probably ) or if I buy this intrument to my friend ( in any case his lending is a little interested...

)

rojaros - 7-21-2008 at 10:40 AM

Hi there, I listened to the sound of the Fadi Matta Oud posted on YouTube and I really liked it.

Can you give me a clue how much his Oud costs and how the ordering procedure goes (my french isn't that great!).

Would appreciate an answer very much!

suz_i_dil - 7-21-2008 at 02:25 PM

Dear Rojaros, in any case for ordering an instrument from him, you have to took contact with Mr Matta in person.
I would recommend you to find someone who speak arabic or french and contact him with him. You have his phone in the thread and he is really a kind person.
His waiting order time around one month.
Then you can go to his place, but I'm pretty sure he may also ship an oud to you.
Regards

veyselmaster - 7-22-2008 at 02:25 AM

Very nice congratulationsc,nice bowl

katakofka - 7-22-2008 at 08:28 AM

Thanks veyselmaster
check that oud with Bassem Rizk, erable bowl, done by Fadi Matta too. You will see the bowl at the end of the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e63xxLcmx1U

veyselmaster - 7-22-2008 at 10:51 AM

katakofka
i listened track , i really like it, i saw the bowl of the oud, thanks

best wishes

Shadi - 10-22-2008 at 01:48 PM

Hey I just Ordered My Fadi Matta Oud and I'm really excited. I should hopefully get it by the end of next week. I have a question though. Because of how the floating bridge is set up, is one set of Strings going to be enough string to string it? or am I gonna have to use two sets???

katakofka - 10-22-2008 at 03:21 PM

Hey Shadi..Mabruk
Actually the oud comes with strings loaded already. Fadi uses Krushner strings, a good quality strings. When you need strings ask Jameel at http://www.khalafoud.com/ you can get a complete 13 strings set for about 25$.
Looking forward to seeing your instrument
Enjoy it

shareen - 10-22-2008 at 05:26 PM

How much is it costing you? I want one of these too. Played one this Summer with Charbel Rouhana. Great oud!! What is the shipping cost and his turn around time? Does he have them "in stock" or did you have to order one to be made>

Shadi - 10-23-2008 at 04:25 AM

I had to wait a couple of weeks for him to make it. it costs between $1250-1500 on average from what I've seen and from what kind of deal you can get. Shipping was a pain in the butt. it costs 300 to ship it via DHL and 100 for insurance. so the whole shebang is costing me $1700. and he says it will only take 3 days to ship. I'm really excited.

Oh and Katakofka, what I was wondering about was because the strings extend all the way to the bottom of the body instead of stopping at the bridge, but you answered me. and Thank you So much for pointing me in his direction. I really Owe you big. If you're ever in Louisiana or Houston, look me up w Mayyel la 3anna :P.

katakofka - 10-23-2008 at 05:14 AM

Hey Shadi
Fadi will ship the instrument with a loose action to avoid the string tension during the shipping. Adjust the action before you play it otherwise you would feel that the strings are elevated from the fingerboard.
It takes 3 days. This is true. He sent mine on Tuesday I got in on Friday

Oud Freak - 10-26-2008 at 04:52 AM

Shadi, with a Fadi Matta oud, you'll be surprised and not disappointed. Be sure you'll enjoy one of the best intruments ever. I said the same thing to Katakofka and it was true. Cheers!

Shadi - 12-17-2008 at 08:46 PM

So I've been absolutely adoring my Fadi Matta Oud. Thank you all so much for the brilliant advice. but a problem has come up. I changed the strings a while ago to aquila light tension strings, and apparently, 3.7 kg is not light tension at all for this Oud. now I have this unstoppable buzz on the nylon strings and I'm worried I'm destroying my Oud already. What kind of strings do you guys use on your Mattas?

Shadi - 12-17-2008 at 08:48 PM

The Buzz is coming from the Bridge from the high c and f strings, and sometimes the g on a bad day. Help!!!!

SamirCanada - 12-17-2008 at 08:52 PM

shadi are you sure you have put the bridge at the right string lenght.
make sure it is where you first had it.
it needs to be exactly on the spot.

it might be that the strings are rattling against each other this could be a problem of having to thick of a string set.

unlikely that you have destroyed your oud already

just relax.

try to put the bridge on a slight angle. like 5 degrees. if you notice the buzz dissapears it might be because the slot on the bridge for the strings to rest on is to deep or was deepened when you changed strings.
In that case you can make a new bridge or ask Fadi to make another for you.

Shadi - 12-17-2008 at 09:11 PM

the buzz gets a lot better when I have the bridge at an angle.

and when I use a much thicker risha. Peculiar...

So switching back to light strings won't work? now I need a new bridge?

katakofka - 12-18-2008 at 07:12 AM

hey shadi
post a picture from the top. Let us see the bridge and the strings. Otherwise it might be difficult to help. Take 2 pictures, one too close to the strings on the bridge and another one showing all the soundboard.
Also, is the neck adjustable ??

Shadi - 12-18-2008 at 10:42 PM

yeah the neck is adjustable. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

cjmichael - 12-19-2008 at 11:33 AM

Shadi,

Try this simple thing before you do anything else to your oud. Take a small ball of paper, a cotton ball, a little piece of rubber, or anything else that dampens sound. Slide them right under the strings where the ties are, between the strings and the soundboard. See if that gets rid of the weird buzzing.

This is a very simple thing and I'd try it first just to rule out that the vibrations when you pluck the strings are not passing over the bridge. I had this very problem on my high strings, and I tied the strings together between the bridge and the ties with some yarn to mute out the unwanted high pitch tones.

Great to hear about another oud player in Louisiana. Congrats.

shareen - 12-19-2008 at 04:21 PM

I just paid for one and he will be shipping on Monday. I just read an old post and think maybe I am paying a bit too much...$1500 plua $400 for shipping. I remember Charbel telling me they cost $1300. Maybe Fadi is getting the idea that we Americans don't usually bargain for things (not hardwired into the culture). I probably should have negotiated, but it didn't really occur to me! Oh well. I'm sure I'll be very happy with it. Can't wait!

Oud Freak - 12-20-2008 at 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shareen
I just paid for one and he will be shipping on Monday. I just read an old post and think maybe I am paying a bit too much...$1500 plua $400 for shipping. I remember Charbel telling me they cost $1300. Maybe Fadi is getting the idea that we Americans don't usually bargain for things (not hardwired into the culture). I probably should have negotiated, but it didn't really occur to me! Oh well. I'm sure I'll be very happy with it. Can't wait!

Shareen, maybe Charbel told you what was the price, actually he sold you at an excellent price, and believe me that when you get the oud you will forget its price

Shadi - 12-29-2008 at 12:20 AM

CJ Michael that tip worked out perfectly. I'm still not crazy at all about the sound of the Aquillas on this Oud so I was wondering if anyone else had a suggestion? I've been told nothing works like the Kurschners that it comes with but I am ignorant as to where to acquire those. I also noticed that as beautifulll as those original strings sounded, they did not last long at all. is there any similar string out there as far as thickness that is a bit more durable??

katakofka - 12-29-2008 at 10:57 AM

hi Shadi
I have used, beside the krushner, Pyramid Lute strings. These are the best but expensive (100$ the set). Now I am working on D'addario custom strings from jameel's website http://www.khalafoud.com/
This is my combination on my oud, a 60cm stringlengh
Note Item tension
f NYL020 3.61
f NYL020 3.61
c NYL027 3.69
c NYL027 3.69
g NYL033 3.10
g NYL033 3.10
D NYL024W 4.18
D NYL024W 4.18
A NYL029W 3.70
A NYL029W 3.70
F NYL033W 3.58
F NYL033W 3.58
C NYL043W 3.73
Average tension 3.65

the set costs around 25$. They are not durable but since they are not expensive change them every 2-3 months. Pyramid lute strings are more durable (4-5 months) but they cost !

Good luck

Shadi - 12-29-2008 at 12:20 PM

Thats strange, my Oud turned out to be a 60.5 string length. It seems like his ouds are somewhat standardized though. Doctor Suheil. I don't know what I'd do without you. THANK YOU. I promise I'm gonna show you guys soon.

katakofka - 12-29-2008 at 02:22 PM

yep, fadi makes mainly 60cm scale except if you ask for something else.
Another alternative on Fadi's oud is the pyramid strings, not the lute strings. The set is 14-15$ add the ff strings from d'addario (Nyl020). It' would come cheaper that ordering a custom d'addario strings.
If you like try the pyramid strings for jameel's website and give us ur feedback http://www.khalafoud.com/pyramidstrings.htm

Shadi - 12-29-2008 at 07:45 PM

I kind of wanna Try a D'addario custom set now. How light do you say the tension was on the original kurschners? 3.2-3.4 kg-ish? Cause I think that really light tension thin string feel added a wonderful airy resonance to the Matta Oud.

katakofka - 12-29-2008 at 08:17 PM

I guess the krushner were 3.5-3.6 kg similar to the d'addario I posted above. the Pyramid strings are 3.7kg they should be as good as the others. Anyways, good luck

New model for Fadi matta ouds

katakofka - 2-9-2009 at 11:31 AM

katakofka - 2-9-2009 at 11:32 AM

Thanks for Oud freak who sent those pictures

suz_i_dil - 2-9-2009 at 11:49 AM

Handsome new design !
Did you tried this new collection, and did you find this is changing the sound?

katakofka - 2-9-2009 at 12:14 PM

Hey Suz
I haven't tried it yet. Here is what OudFreak wrote me by email about this new model:
I am attaching here a new oud model by Fadi Matta. Still floating bridge, walnut bowl, awesome sound, and the shape of the bowl has totally changed, deeper and rounder, closer to traditional, bass tawash! (he means amazing sound) Btw the pic gives the impression that the oud is rather flat in shape but that's not the case, it is only because of the oud position and pic angle.

suz_i_dil - 2-9-2009 at 01:16 PM

Seems to be a great evolution, moreover his ouds had already a great sound.
But a deeper bowl doesn't make the oud a bit uncomfortable to play? Is is a personnal issue but I find smaller ouds easier to play.

Reda Aouad - 2-9-2009 at 06:06 PM

Thanks for the great pics

Im just eager to get one of Fadi's Ouds!!

First.. Could you please post any sound file for the latest oud posted?
Second.. If I want to order a oud from Fadi.. does anyone know how much time he will take to make it? And how far can I go with customizing it? I mean choosing the type of wood and the details..

shareen - 2-9-2009 at 07:43 PM

I recently got an oud from Fadi and it took exactly 3 days from Lebanon to my doorstep in upstate New York. Quite amazing. I took less time than shipping something 100 miles away! Came completely unscathed. Highly recommended. The oud is great. Got a 7 course.

Melbourne - 2-10-2009 at 03:02 AM

That is a beautiful oud!

Do you know if Fadi makes this model with a fixed bridge katakofka? or does he just do the floaters?

cheers

Sam

katakofka - 2-10-2009 at 08:24 AM

Hi guys
I don't have a sound clip probably our freind OUdfreak can post a sound cllip
it takes around one month with fadi to make a new oud. Yes Melbourne it can be done fixed bridge. The best is to call him, I may be giving false info.
00961-3-259 633
00961-9-214 027

Reda Aouad - 3-21-2009 at 06:18 AM

Hello again.
Could you get a sound file for the last oud posted here if possible (the last picture) ?
It would be really nice to listen to its sound..

Thanks in advance

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:41 PM

front Spruce

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:42 PM

back Walnut

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:43 PM

front spruce

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:43 PM

back Walnut

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:44 PM

Spruce

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:45 PM

Erable

katakofka - 5-14-2009 at 01:47 PM

These are new production from Fadi
Hope you enjoy

Oud Freak - 5-17-2009 at 01:40 AM

Always outstanding, as usual!

6 courses Fixed bridge traditional ouds

katakofka - 11-27-2009 at 09:01 AM

New matta ouds

francis - 11-27-2009 at 11:09 AM

This seems to be an amazing production, with a great design.....
Soundfiles to come from this collection.
Thanks for posting, Souheil.