gabgawin
Oud Admirer
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Registered: 7-13-2006
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Advice for beginner
Hello Everyone!
A request for some honest and impartial advice. I am looking to buy my first Oud, I already play a number of other instruments ( Hurdy Gurdy,
Dulcimer, Piano) though to no great standard. As a beginner what kind of instrument should I aim to purchase and what are the pitfalls (i.e second
hand or new?). If anyone could also recommend a honest seller/dealer who could ship to europe I would appreciate it!!
I am based in the UK and Poland.
Many thanks in anticipation.
happy Ouding
Gabriel Gawin
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aytayfun
Oud Junkie
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Registered: 1-28-2006
Location: Türkiye
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Hello Gabriel
First of all you must decide what type of oud you want to play.
There are two types of ouds. Arabic an Turkish.
Arabic ouds are some bigger and more decorated than the turkish ouds. Turkish ouds are smaller and solely decorated. But with more playability than
the arabic ones. You can see the examples of those instruments on Mike's previous forum pages. I can offer you to look the websites of Haluk, Çankaya
müzik. Haluk is the cheapest one according to his quality. Masters ouds are more expensive and can cost nearly 2000 dollars. Here are the web
sites
http://www.ercanbilir.com
http://www.eraydinsazevi.com.tr
http://www.cankayamuzikevi.com
http://www.oudmaster.com
I dont have any information about arabic oud makers and their pricess. Welcome to our oud world. See you and good luck.
See you again and welcome to the oud world.
Dr. Tayfun AYDIN
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jazzchiss
Oud Junkie
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If I would buy now my first oud, I wouldn’t spend less than 800$. Probably a Shehata: http://www.mauriceouds.com/english/index.asp or a professional Haluk: http://www.eraydinsazevi.com.tr/catalog.htm
But if you can spend about 1500$ get a Ghabdan: http://www.oudnazihghadban.com
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Wheeler
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A previous post mentioned:
"Turkish ouds are smaller and solely decorated. But with more playability than the arabic ones."
I am researching an oud purchase. I am curious why is behind the statement that turkish oud offer more "playability". What does this mean exactly? And
what is it due construction, tuning -- or what?
Thanks.
John Wheeler
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
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I wouldn't say that Turkish ouds have better playability than Arabic ones.
Beginner/"Student model" Turkish ouds, though, are generally better in most respects than beginner/student Arabic ouds--action, tuning pegs, nut,
string spacing, woods (even cheap Turkish ouds are usually spruce, vs. pine on many cheap Arabic ouds).
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Amos
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i agree with brian. the beginner models of turkish ouds tend to be of better quality than the arabic beginner variety...i would not say that turkish
ouds are more "playable" than arabic ouds, but you have to spend a bit more money to get a high quality arabic oud. haluk eraydin makes a great
beginner turkish model for $300 including shipping. i belive his website has already been provided. also, i would caution you to be careful of ouds
you may find on ebay. if you see one you like, post photos or a link to the oud on these forums, and the educated oudists here can perhaps advise you
on whether or not to bid on the instrument. good luck and welcome to the oud world!
amos
Our music is like an ocean...
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excentrik
Oud Junkie
Posts: 291
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yo,
guys, I noticed this interesting bias with most western, non-oud dealers (for example, the miriad hippie-oriented "world music" stores) about "turkish
ouds are the most prized of all ouds" and people actually buy into it... to all who posted (this board knows whats up with ouds)
please dont think the art of the oud is cut and dry, there are garbage ouds that come from everywhere (including santa cruz). gabgawin, you should
check out the millions of threads about beginner ouds and pay around $500 to $700 and get a good quality arabic OR turkish oud-
gabgawin: the crappy ouds people are talking about with the pine faces are ouds manufactured for tourists that visit cairo or damascus etc., they
usually get hung on a wall in a living room or in an argila bar...
tarik
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SamirCanada
Moderator
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Registered: 6-4-2004
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Tarik you bring a crutial point here.
You can get a beginer sukar oud for around 400$ maybe less if you know how to haggle and the workmanship and the sound will be magical.
ITs doesnt serve anything to compare tourist ouds made in the arab world and beginer ouds made in turkey. Obviously its a shame that some missinformed
ebay merchants are making it seem like the tourist ouds you can get for 20$ on a cairo street are now worth 300$
my opinion.
By the way there's an amazing top of the line Sukar oud now for sale on Ebay. Its not a beginer instrument by any means. But asside the fact that the
materials change a Sukar oud is made the same way. That's because as an engineer he's developped the construction method to be standardised in any
oud.
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Haluk
Oud Junkie
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Hello Amos,
I will send your beginner model oud,hopefully on Monday.I've put Ebony pegs on it,sound board is good quality Spruce wood.
Regards.
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
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Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Tarik, good points, I wasn't considering all of the possibilities.
If someone in the US or Canada is trying to buy an oud, the inexpensive Turkish models that are obtainable are generally better made than the
inexpensive Arabic models. For the most part, decent student-level Arabic ouds are only available in Arab countries (unless you can find one used,
etc.). I think part of this is because one can get a student-model turkish oud directly from the luthier (e.g., Haluk), but student-model Arabic
ouds are obtained through import/export businesses or other middlemen that do not have reliable standards. So you're right, the issue isn't really the
instruments.
I assumed that since Gabriel is in Poland, it wouldn't be easy to find a decent student model Arabic oud.
If a beginner is in a country where he can't try out the oud he's going to buy and doesn't plan to travel to the middle east, I still recommend
Turkish ouds (unless he's going to spend enough to buy a Ghadban or Shehata, or knows someone in the middle east who can pick out an instrument and
send it to him).
I definitely don't buy into the "turkish ouds are the most prized" b.s.
I prefer Arabic ouds and have played more than I can count, but it's very difficult to find good ones that are reasonably priced.
In the US, I have never seen a decent quality Arabic oud for sale for $500. Very rarely I will see one $600-700, used. I'd be really interested to
know where someone in the U.S. can buy a good quality Arabic oud for $500-700.
And I've seen pine faces on plenty of Arabic ouds that were not "tourist" ouds; some of them were actually decent instruments (although not
professional level).
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 734
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
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I couldn't be happier with my $300 oud from Haluk. It's a very nice sounding oud and plays well.
I wish I could find a nice Arabic oud for $500 hehe. I've seen several 'top model' Sukars go for around $600-700 and I believe a few Shehatas have
been sold here for around that price. Those prices are pretty rare though.
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Amos
Oud Junkie
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hi guys,
i agree with the above points...i did not mean to go along with the 'turkish ouds are the best' theory, either...i did not mean any disrespect to
arabic oud makers.
amos
Our music is like an ocean...
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omoelegua
Oud Admirer
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Registered: 7-29-2006
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Hello-
I too am an absolute beginner and yet have to purchase my first oud (although I've been playing guitar, tres, laud, cavaquinho etc for many years).
And since I am on a tight budget, I would like to spend no more than $350 US on my first oud. I live in Manila but will be in Barcelona, Madrid and
Paris in September. Would I be able to find a performance quality oud for this price range in these places? Thanks everyone!
Bo
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streiber
Unregistered
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In Amman
Hi, I'm in Amman looking to buy an oud.
I went with a professional sax player friend of mine to a shop he really liked, and there was an oud there for 250 JD (US$400). It seemed nice and
simple, it wasn't decorated, and the shop owner said it was from Iraq.
It sounded good, too, but I've never played the oud before, and am far from an expert.
The seller said the wood was lemon, rosewood, and something else (my arabic is not perfect).
My friend trusts the shopowner, but is not an oud player. Does this seem fair?
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Jason
Oud Junkie
Posts: 734
Registered: 9-17-2005
Location: Louisville, KY
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Mood: Loving my oud
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It would be hard to say without seeing the oud. Would it be possible for you to have someone come and play the oud? Are there several ouds there?
It would be great if you could hear cheap, middle, and expensive ouds all in person.
I would say those woods are fairly typical of ouds in that pricerange. Once you get above $500 you start seeing ebony pegs, fingerboards, more
ornamentation, etc. but that doesn't mean you can't find a good sounding oud for $400, especially if it's your first instrument.
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