Pattibeth - 10-15-2008 at 06:48 AM
Hi All,
I was just given a vintage 1938 oud from an older gentleman friend of mine. He received it from the family of a Middle Eastern friend who had passed
on. They had thrown it in the trash and he retrieved it!
It's missing the top piece where the keys attach. I believe my friend tried to fix it up by painting it. There is a label inside the body which says
"Beyrouth 1938" (Beirut?) and the maker's name.
In researching the instrument I found your forum and wonder if you could give me some direction in regard to refurbishing and reselling. Any idea
what this oud is worth now vs. fixed up? I can supply additional pics if necessary
Thanks!
Patti
Franck - 10-15-2008 at 11:14 AM
you'll have to put the image as an attachment
Pattibeth - 10-15-2008 at 12:12 PM
Sorry, I keep entering the code to add an attachment and it doesn't show up when I preview. How can I get it to display?
Patti
Alan-TX - 10-15-2008 at 01:17 PM
The pic needs to be smaller than 1 meg I think.
Jonathan - 10-15-2008 at 01:30 PM
If you can send me any pics of the oud or the label, I would be grateful.
thanks
VARJOUDS AT AOL.COM
nadir - 10-15-2008 at 07:40 PM
That is definitely something that you would NOT want thrown out! Good thing that it was retrieved!!
SamirCanada - 10-15-2008 at 08:05 PM
What happened to the face?!!
did someone let their kid practice painting on it??
Nice find by the way.
It will need extensive restoration and the value of resale would depend on who did the job and how well they could restore it.
nadir - 10-15-2008 at 08:11 PM
I was thinking the same thing about the face! Haha! Do you think that the oud is going to be a challenge to restore? It also seems to be missing the
peg box...
Pattibeth - 10-15-2008 at 08:38 PM
OK guys, could you lay off about the paint job? A well-intentioned person, not a kid, made an admittedly sloppy attempt at redesign.
Obviously the oud needs extensive restoration - can anyone offer a reputable contact somewhere in the lower 48?
Thanks
Patti
nadir - 10-15-2008 at 10:34 PM
Jameel Abraham
http://www.khalafoud.com
Certainly one of the best.
Richard Hankey is also reputable.
http://www.droud.com
Pattibeth - 10-16-2008 at 04:12 AM
Thanks Nadir. I really appreciate the information. 
Patti
Jonathan - 10-16-2008 at 07:12 AM
I hate to be negative, but you asked about the instrument's worth.
I would say, unfortunately, that it is not worth much.
The face is likely destroyed. The peg box is missing (although that is not nearly as important). The rosettes are missing.
So, what is the instrument worth right now? $200? maybe.
What do you guys think repairs would cost on this? $750?. $1000? What will the instrument be worth when the repairs have been carried out?
I'm glad that you have saved the instrument. I am grateful that it has not been tossed out. I would just caution you that the cost of repairs might
be just about the same as the amount you would be able to charge for the instrument once completely restored.
Finally, I'm curious about the dimensions of the instrument. It's hard to tell, but it looks like it could be a child's/lady's oud, or an ornamental
type of oud. Could just be my eyes, because it's hard to get perspective on size from the photos, but it does look small.
Andy - 10-17-2008 at 09:20 PM
Hi Patti, Good that your friend rescued the oud. I believe you should check out how much the repairs will cost and if it is worth it for you to have
the work done. Certainly, I would at least get the opinion someone such as Dr. Oud, Jameel, as Nadir suggested, or another. Hopefully someone can give
you some info about the Armenian/Lebanese maker of this oud. Does the last name read Awadikian or Avadikian?