BGAndr
Oud Admirer
Posts: 1
Registered: 12-17-2011
Member Is Offline
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Looking for a oud in Europe
Hello,
I'm Andrea from Italy. I'm a guitar player looking for an oud. Unfortunately I don't live near any shop selling ouds, so i've been looking for a shop
on the web.I don't wanna buy expensive instruments on EBay anymore 'cause last thing i bought wasn't that good. Lately i have found this shop in
France: mediterrean-musicshop dot com, but before buying anything from them, I need to know if any of you knows that shop and/or have already bought
something from it. Before wasting 500-600 Euro I want to be assured about the quality of the product.
Thanks to anyone who'll reply,
Andrea
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Edward Powell
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1212
Registered: 1-20-2008
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Mood: g'oud
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if you have a budget of around 500 -600 euros... if you can afford a little bit more, your best best is to order on "econo-line" oud from Faruk
Turunz. I think they cost $1000US plus shipping, and for that you are getting a generic Turkish oud BUT probably the best quality and sound on the
planet.
http://www.oudmaster.com check it out
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BaniYazid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 225
Registered: 8-20-2010
Location: France
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Hello BGAndr
Welcome here, I have buy pegs, strings and bone and ebony nut from mediterrean-musicshop, but no oud. I think it's a serious shop, their oud are
imported from Egypt :
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=9505#pid631...
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6564#pid399...
good luck
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
Member Is Offline
Mood: m'Oudy
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I would second what Edward says. Faruk Turunz is a very serious oud maker. He thinks the oud is poised to become a very popular instrument worldwide,
and has created a production system to turn out very predictable quality. In response to the need for professional ouds at an intermediate price, he
created this less decorated but fully professional instrument. Turunz only sells direct. You can order it in Turkish or Arabic bracing, though the
size is always the slightly smaller 58.5 cm scale "turkish type". The only drawback in my eyes is that the neck is not adjustable, but 1) a fine
oudmaker of Turunz's standing can make an instrument that will not likely need adjustments due to settling and 2) only Fadi Matta and Sukar offer
adjustable necks. Matta is first class too, less "production" oriented, and his instruments cost more than Turunz's econo-line, well beyond your
budget.
Sukar is your other choice. Sukar has also attacked the cost and quality issues by developing a production standard. His ouds are cheaper than
Turunz's econo-line, spartan in appearance, and although arguably not as meticulously quality-controlled, they are predictable and offer an adjustable
neck so you can set the action and timbre as you prefer. His ouds are full sized, 60 cm scale, and they all use the same soundboard bracing and are
all powerful-sounding. His best models with ebony fingerboard and pegs are the 212 or 211 for a light/bright sound, or one with the darkest wood
bowls, like a 213 or 14/214, for a deeper throatier sound. His models change so you can't go by his web catalog. Sukars are widely resold, and you
should be able to find one new or used in your price range if you have a little patience.
I would not advise any oud other than a Turunz or Sukar to be purchased without trying it, no matter what they tell you at a shop. This is because
even the reputable (and expensive) boutique luthiers have no standard production method, the Middle-Eastern baseline finishing standards are
incomparably lower than guitar standards (if you've never seen it, you cannot imagine how bad it can be), so even if you pay over $1000 you simply
have no way to know what you will get. It could make you very happy, or it could be tragic. This board is full of sad tales of "reputable" ouds. As to
the Egyptian ouds they show on the Mediterranean Music Shop web site, in the 500 Euro range, it's impossible to say anything for sure from these
pictures, but many of them look like the typical first oud that most of us here would rather forget. It would be unwise to risk something like this
when you could find a Sukar for the same price, or a Turunz for a little more.
It is very uncommon for a true musician not to fall in love with the oud upon getting one. Chances are high it will become a VERY important part of
your life. We see the "my first oud doesn't have to be first class" mistake all the time. Try to avoid wasting that money on an instrument you will
outgrow in five minutes.
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