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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Look, James, here are your apparent options:
A Sukar oud for around $580, which in my opinion is worth more like $700 to $900, and will give you the old Arabic sound.
Dr. Oud's oud, which is priced right at $500, maybe worth a little more with the new fingerboard he put on (by the way, a repaired neck is usually
better than the original neck on an oud).
One of the GEF or other random Egyptian oud that's worth around $50 to $150, for which you'll pay around $300 or so.
A Sandi oud, which is a good value for the price, but will not give you the Arabic sound that you want.
The Sukar is by far the best value, and the only options you should really consider in my opinion are the Sukar or Dr. Oud's Khalifa oud.
Now shipping to Sydney is going to be quite expensive, so I can see how that will impact your choices.
I suggest you try to get in touch with Joe Tawadros and see if he has any suggestions closer to home.
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Luttgutt
Oud Junkie
Posts: 578
Registered: 1-10-2009
Location: Norway
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Mood: Curious
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Hi!
And sorry for coming late into this discussion...
But I strongly advise you to get a 58,5 cm oud.
More than that is too big for you (you are 165 cm high).
And even if you grow to be 190 cm, the 58,5 would still be good for you! (all turkish players use that size no matter how high they are :-))
I am 175 with longer arms than the usual. I used to use 60 cm. It was too big. It gave me problems with the shoulder.
Now I sold all my old ouds. Got new ones that are 58,5 all. And I can play 5 hours none stop with no problem and no pain.
Best of luck to you!
The wood might be dead, but the oud is alive.
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Christian1095
Oud Junkie
Posts: 454
Registered: 4-29-2008
Location: North Carolina, USA
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I got really lucky about 2 weeks ago and bought a Sukar oud for $370 USD... but it needed a bridge repair... so I ended up putting another $175 into
it... so total cost for me was $550... I already have a Sukar oud, and have owned another one in the past... On the whole, I feel like I got a good
deal.
I agree that the only real option would be either the Sukar or Richard's Khalifa.... Mostly because most Khalifa's you find on the net are fakes and
I trust Richard (he's been on this board for years and has sold a lot of instruments... everything from the REALLY high end to ouds like the one
above) If it was not any good, then he wouldn't offer it up here.
But also, since you're in Australia, I would also look up Joeseph Twandros and see if he has any thoughts...
Chris Walters
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Quote: Originally posted by Lute  | ''A Sandi oud, which is a good value for the price, but will not give you the Arabic sound that you want''
How about putting Arabic strings on Sandi, would that improve it to sound a bit ''Arabic''? |
Not in terms of tone quality (timbre)—the sound has more to do with the bracing and the top than whatever strings you use. It's possible that the
Sandi would be acceptable, but I'm taking into account that he is buying an oud he can't play first, in which case I think that Sukar is the most
reliable oud choice in the medium price range.
Khalifa's are all over the place, sometimes they sound pretty decent; It seems like Dr. Oud got a good one and I would trust his setup.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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Thanks for all the suggestions. Could anyone tell me if is fake because I'm unsure: http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/revesby/other-musical-instruments/ou...
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Looks authentic.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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do you recomend buying it? because its in my area
thanks
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Yes, at least go try it out. If possible get an experienced oud player to come with you to look at it. If there don't appear to be any problems with
it (cracks in the face, bridge lifting off/gaps between bridge and face, warped neck, cracked ribs, etc) then it's a decent price. You could try to
negotiate down a bit, but it's a reasonable price.
If there are any problems, then it might still be worth buying (for less) and having repaired, but maybe not in your case since you are new to the
oud.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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well she said $500 AUS is the lowest hey can go but I will go have a look at it this weekend 
Thanks for the tips
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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$500 is a very good price. I saw you sent me a u2u, but I can't respond to u2us, so please send me a message through my oudstrings website.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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Hi, sorry to bother but before I go have a look at this Sukar in my area could you just give me an idea of what to look out for if its fake/bad
quality? and how can I tell if strings need changing?
James
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Christian1095
Oud Junkie
Posts: 454
Registered: 4-29-2008
Location: North Carolina, USA
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Mood: No Mood
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I pretty much always put new strings on a new instrument... I would recommend the Aquilla Arabic (light tension) set from Brian's shop... I have two
Sukar ouds right now and that's what I've put on them. Or Pyramid Lute Strings are pretty good too (though pricey)
$500 AUS is a really good price for the oud ($460 USD) Personally, I think it's worth about $800 AUS... And the chances of you finding a better oud
for equal or less price and having is shipped to the Down Under are pretty slim....
Like the above, just look for signs of the instrument being abused... tap around the outside of the ouds face and see if you hear a rattle (ie, a
lose or broken brace)
Chris Walters
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1373
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: California
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Yes, and also note that the advert for the oud claims that the instrument is in "prefect" condition, not *perfect* condition. This is likely a typo,
but might be a sly deceit. 40 years ago I knew an unlicensed acupuncturist whose business card claimed she practiced "acupunture". This was her legal
"out". There was no law against practicing "acupunture" ( a nonexistent thing) without a license. Similarly if this Sukar oud is faulty, the seller
can refuse a refund on the basis that no claim of "perfect" condition was made, only of "prefect" condition!!
| Quote: Originally posted by Christian1095 | I pretty much always put new strings on a new instrument... I would recommend the Aquilla Arabic (light tension) set from Brian's shop... I have two
Sukar ouds right now and that's what I've put on them. Or Pyramid Lute Strings are pretty good too (though pricey)
$500 AUS is a really good price for the oud ($460 USD) Personally, I think it's worth about $800 AUS... And the chances of you finding a better oud
for equal or less price and having is shipped to the Down Under are pretty slim....
Like the above, just look for signs of the instrument being abused... tap around the outside of the ouds face and see if you hear a rattle (ie, a
lose or broken brace) |
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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what can I do to prevent this "perfect" error? how can I find out if its a typo or its faulty?
.James.
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1373
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: California
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| Quote: Originally posted by james | what can I do to prevent this "perfect" error? how can I find out if its a typo or its faulty?
.James. |
1) try out the oud. Unless the seller is an oud expert any fault visible to him will be visible to you
2) ask the seller if prefect was a typo or if he meant something else.
3) don't worry about it.
4) when you see the oud if you love it buy it. If you don't, wait for another to come along. You don't have to buy your first oud this week. Wait for
something you really like.
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BaniYazid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 225
Registered: 8-20-2010
Location: France
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Hello.
I also have a Sukar oud, model 1. Aquilla light and super light strings work good with it.
If you can record the sound of the oud and upload the file, you might have some feedback. Check carefully the neck/bowl junction and the bridge.
Good luck!
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majnuunNavid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 622
Registered: 7-22-2013
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Mood: Dude, where's my Oud?
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Good luck with the Sukar. It is fortunate you have found one so close to home.
When you look at it, hold it up so that the soundboard is level with your eyes, and you'll be able to see if the soundboard is warped. Soundboards
sometimes naturally warp over time, specially around the bridge, so don't worry if this is the case. But if it has warped too much, the action will be
noticeably high, and there may be cracks in the soundboard. This Oud appears okay at a glance, but the warping can tell you how the Oud is aging...
If it is warped a little, but doesn't have any problems, that means the bracing under the soundboard is doing their job. You can always try
negotiating the price down at least. My own has a very small crack in the spruce soundboard, but it actually sounds better for it.
Good luck!
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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Thanks a lot for all the advice and opinions much appreciated!
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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Just bought the Sukar for $400aus, btw were can i get a pick/risha from?
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majnuunNavid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 622
Registered: 7-22-2013
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Mood: Dude, where's my Oud?
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Hey good job negotiating them down!
oudstrings.com has excellent options for picks. But until you receive those you're going to have to make your own. Look for dense bendable plastic,
yogurt/ice cream tubs are too light and flimsy, thick cable ties from hardware store are great but hell to sand down to get the right shape, because
you can't do anything with those grooves in them.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
Member Is Offline
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would a the back of a plastic spoon be good??
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majnuunNavid
Oud Junkie
Posts: 622
Registered: 7-22-2013
Member Is Offline
Mood: Dude, where's my Oud?
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As far as I know, plastic spoons are too stiff, but then I've never seen a plastic spoon from australia. It also needs to be smooth.
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
Member Is Offline
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I cut out an ID card in the shape of a rishi and it seems to be working fine for now
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james
Oud Addict
Posts: 43
Registered: 9-9-2013
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does anyone know a good website to get started on the basics of the oud?
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FilipHolm
Oud Maniac
Posts: 85
Registered: 6-21-2013
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Member Is Offline
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This one is pretty good :p
As a fellow beginner (only played for over a year), the one advice I can give you is: feeling is the key.
I tried for a long time to study technically how people were playing and trying really hard to get that ethnic sound that the instrument traditionally
have.
But it wasn't until I said "screw it", closed my eyes, and simply played from my soul and with feeling that I suddenly were able to do things I had
never done before.
(Of course it's essential to learn some technical basics first)
Good luck
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