Oud.Proff
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Mohammad Tawfiq Alfaris - Nablis 1927 oud !
Hi all,
I came across an antique collector, and was surprised that he has a vintage oud with a 15K price tag, made by a Palestinian luthier named Mohammad
Tawfiq Alfaris, back in 1927 in Nablis.
Being unfamiliar with such a name, I consulted some older guys living in that region, and was surprised they knew about him, stating it's VERY rare to
find his ouds.
The bowl has a truly unique elongated design. I only strung the DD and it sounded really aged, mature and quite astoundingly Arabic of the old era.
He's asking for 15K for this oud, and says he was approached by some experts from museums who corroborated this was indeed a rare collector item, and
that it will sure gain more price once recognized publicly.
What do you guys think?
Regards,
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Alfaraby
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Haven't heard of this name before, nor seen any of his ouds
Abdo George Nahhat 1920 was sold here last week for 6.8 k $, while this for 15 k $ ? 
Asking for X price does not mean the item worth that much. It's always a matter of supply and demand. A T-shirt of a celebrity might skyrocket only
if there's a demand. Otherwise, it will still be only a 2 $ cloth !!
Yours indeed
Alfaraby
alfarabymusic@gmail.com
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Oud.Proff
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Dear Alfaraby,
I'm not sure if the punk rocker analogy fits here man  !
Anyways, initially I thought the guy was about to open up a case with a Nahhat oud inside, but then it turned out to be an even rarer oud. I had a
feedback from Abu Alaa about this oud, and he said that he did indeed held an oud more than 30 years ago by this mysterious luthier (from Nablis).
Also, the guy was sure offered equivalent high prices from museum employees (from Iraq) years back (who probably recognized the oud through
connection/communication with the late Rawhi Khammash (a previous owner !; who is from Nablis !!).
So, I will keep an eye on this one and see what the future will tell.
All the best,
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Mike
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Hey O.P.,
That oud looks very clean for such an old instrument! The separation of the soundboard seems is a relatively quick and easy fix for somebody who knows
what they are doing. This bowl shape reminds me of some old Egyptian ouds...like Hifnawi , Al Lacy. and some Gamil George ouds I've seen. Very cool
find and thank you for sharing it with us!
Best,
Mike
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jdowning
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Do you happen to have a full face frontal image of the oud so that the complete sound board profile and geometry might be better appreciated?
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Oud.Proff
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Old school ouds
Quote: Originally posted by Mike  |
.....The separation of the soundboard seems is a relatively quick and easy fix for somebody who knows what they are doing. This bowl shape reminds me
of some old Egyptian ouds...like Hifnawi , Al Lacy. and some Gamil George ouds I've seen.
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Dear Mike,
Absolutely, the first thing came to my mind was the Qasabjy oud design, and those made by Abdul Aziz Al Laithy (Al Lacy; Egyptian pronunciation).
Yes, too, this is an easy fix and with minimal cosmetic work shall look and play great I'm sure.
I was actually hoping he'd be quite flexible on the price (I would've considered myself!), but the owner greatly appreciates his possessions, can't
blame him quite frankly.
All the best,
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Oud.Proff
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| Quote: Originally posted by jdowning | | Do you happen to have a full face frontal image of the oud so that the complete sound board profile and geometry might be better appreciated?
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Dear jdowing,
I know the following picture doesn't best fit your request; I should've taken better shots  , but hope it gets close in a way.
Regards,
[file]36914[/file]
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jdowning
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Thanks Oud.Proff
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Oud.Proff
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You're very welcome.
Finally, after nearly a whole full year of negotiations.....the oud is in hand !!!
Will post something after maintenance (before and after.....and a video).
It has been abandoned for so many years....and I believe this is an advantage).
All the best,
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Oud.Proff
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A look inside !!!
Hi all,
Maintenance started on the Faris oud......and a surprise was found inside !
I never thought I'd find reverb strings (a couple) linking between the 2 base blocks since 1927 (keeping in mind the rosette was never opened
before!).
I remember seeing strings inside the bowl by DrOud (Reverb Oud), but to see this on such an oldy is quite interesting!
Your thoughts?!
OP
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Matthias
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| Quote: Originally posted by Oud.Proff | Hi all,
Maintenance started on the Faris oud......and a surprise was found inside !
I never thought I'd find reverb strings (a couple) linking between the 2 base blocks since 1927 (keeping in mind the rosette was never opened
before!).
I remember seeing strings inside the bowl by DrOud (Reverb Oud), but to see this on such an oldy is quite interesting!
Your thoughts?!
OP |
Hello,
to my impression, this is
-- not a string
-- it is a spring which cannot produce any sound
-- and it is a later addition
at the edges of the paper stripes you do not see any bit of squeezing out glue, hide glue which has been remooved carfully. But at the fastening
blocks for the spring-holder and the area around them are full of a modern synthetic glue which was not in use at this time.
The instrument must have been opened to do that additional job, as this could not have been done through an opensound hole I would say.
Can you please post here a detailed picture or more of the connection between soundboard and body to veryfy this?
Matthias
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Oud.Proff
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| Quote: Originally posted by Matthias | | Quote: Originally posted by Oud.Proff | Hi all,
Maintenance started on the Faris oud......and a surprise was found inside !
I never thought I'd find reverb strings (a couple) linking between the 2 base blocks since 1927 (keeping in mind the rosette was never opened
before!).
I remember seeing strings inside the bowl by DrOud (Reverb Oud), but to see this on such an oldy is quite interesting!
Your thoughts?!
OP |
Hello,
to my impression, this is
-- not a string
-- it is a spring which cannot produce any sound
-- and it is a later addition
at the edges of the paper stripes you do not see any bit of squeezing out glue, hide glue which has been remooved carfully. But at the fastening
blocks for the spring-holder and the area around them are full of a modern synthetic glue which was not in use at this time.
The instrument must have been opened to do that additional job, as this could not have been done through an opensound hole I would say.
Can you please post here a detailed picture or more of the connection between soundboard and body to veryfy this?
Matthias |
Dear Matthias,
Sure, springs and not strings.
By simply knocking on the soundboard, one can hear prolonged echo, but I won't make assumptions yet on how this may affect the tone nature.
The luthier worked closely in collaboration with Rawhi Khammash.
Is it possible the springs work continued later in Baghdad, after his migration to Baghda/Iraq!? For sure, however, the oud was not maintained at all
after those days in Baghdad as long as it remained with its latest owner (before me).
For starters, I'm positive the soundboard was never detached from its soundbox. Will post more detailed pictures once the oud maintenance is done at
the workshop.
Regards,
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Dr. Oud
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| Quote: Originally posted by Oud.Proff | ...
I remember seeing strings inside the bowl by DrOud (Reverb Oud), but to see this on such an oldy is quite interesting!... |
I repaired one of these ouds made in 1930 by Alfaris, but did not open the rose to see inside. I did record it though:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU7Wr7pBYUY
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Oud.Proff
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| Quote: Originally posted by Dr. Oud | | Quote: Originally posted by Oud.Proff | ...
I remember seeing strings inside the bowl by DrOud (Reverb Oud), but to see this on such an oldy is quite interesting!... |
I repaired one of these ouds made in 1930 by Alfaris, but did not open the rose to see inside. I did record it though:
[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU7Wr7pBYUY |
[/url]
Thanks DrOud for your comment.
However, the inside label of Alfaris is very different from the one you pointed out. Also, the oud travelled around 3 countries throughout its
lifespan, Nablis/Palestine, Baghdad and finally Jordan.
I'd be very interested to see another Alfaris oud these days.
The elongated bowl design though is similar, and I wonder if the string scale (64 cm) is similar too?
All the best,
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Matthias
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this spiral reminds me a bit to the recitalbox, an external, accoustical "amplifier"
http://www.recitalbox.de/english/recitalbox-description.php
Best regards
Mtthias
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Oud.Proff
Oud Junkie
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Al Faris: ready !
Hey all,
The oud maintenance is finally done !
Here's a recording:
https://www.facebook.com/230259973676449/videos/1023532691015836/
Just got the strings from Matthias Wagner (thanks a lot !).
I really like the bass strings, but still not so content with the trebles.
Will try out some other treble strings to see how it goes.
All the best,
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