Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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Help with buying first oud.
Hello, I am looking for help with online choice oud instrument. Unfortunately, in my country there aren't stationary shops with oud (there aren't
ouds at all), so remains for me to buy online. So I am looking for simple one. It doesn't have to look like piece of art. But it must be confortable
to playing, with good strings action, solid with nice sound. My budget is somethin about 400$ so it isn't too big. I watched arabinstruments ouds. The
ouds that arabinstrumets recommended to me are:
1) http://www.arabinstruments.com/112730/Professional-Short-Oud
2) http://www.arabinstruments.com/112730/Gawharet-El-Fan-Pro-Oud-CAT-1...
3) http://www.arabinstruments.com/112730/Oud
Most available for me is the first one. And I am thinking about this one. What do you think?
Thank you, Busker
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Marcus
Oud Junkie
Posts: 446
Registered: 11-26-2008
Location: Stuttgart/ South Germany
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Mood: Lost in music
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Hello Busker, welcome to the forums 
My 5 cent....none of the ouds are worth to buy them. If you`ll like a instrument that inspire and accompany you for a few years, try to save a few
hundred bucks more.
If you get addicted to the oud,like most newbies here, you will want a better oud very soon.
Take a look at the OUD FAQ THREAD and use the search-function. There you find the help you need.
Cheers and good luck with your first "baby".
Marcus
Playing the oud is like feeding my soul with peace
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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 Busker!
And welcome here..
With 400$ you won't have many choses.
But if this is what you can afford, then I think that the oud in the first link you showed is actually good for the money!
But please note that the oud in the video is not the same as the one in the picture. So you need to know wich one they are selling. And you can ask
them to send link for the one they are actually selling.
I have played on two Gawharet alfann ouds. They are not proff ouds. But decent for the money. Both had good action and playabelity. But not powerfull,
and not exactly beautifull sound (kind of like the one in the video).
But no two ouds are alike!!!
Good luck
The wood might be dead, but the oud is alive.
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Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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Thank you. I have some experience with buying instruments.
And I know that it's always better to pay more. More and more
and more. And now, it's a key sentence: "When I should say:
"Stop, it's sufficient for me."
"With 400$ you won't have many choses."
Good for me, it's make my choice easier. I just joking :-).
So: What do you think, how many money i should vote for the solid one.
And, can you recommend me a the sensible model?
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bulerias1981
Oud Junkie
Posts: 770
Registered: 4-26-2009
Location: Beacon, NY
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Mood: John Vergara Luthier Lord of the Strings instrument making and repair
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Usually these ouds have some severe issues that prevent beginners from learning.. issues like tuning pegs that refuse to turn, excessively high
action, incorrect or inconsistent string spacing at the nut or the bridge, poorly fabricated nut that doesn't allow the string from sliding through
the grooves. Not to mention acute defects in the materials due to poor choice in wood and workmanship. These are all parameters that inhibit
experienced players from being able to perform, and beginners from being able to learn.
These ouds are from Ghawharat al fan.. I have repaired a handful of these instruments so I know their issues first hand. Also, the vendor's
credibility could be in question, according to many members on this site, although I have no experience buying from them myself. You might want to
look into that.
How much money you need to spend to get a good instrument? I say more than $400, unless you're planning on hanging it on the wall. You need something
that is SETUP in a satisfactory way.. otherwise its not even worth $400. You'll likely have to spend another $400 - $600 in repairs to get it in a
"decent" playing condition.
Hope this helps, thanks..
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Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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Thank you very much for your answers. Slowly I am quit idea of buying 400$-oud.
As I can see, I should search some luthier. But lute instruments are realy expensive. The costs starts about 1000$ and grows. This is a problem, it's
a lot of money for someone who want to start playing. He may not will want to be a professional player but he immediately need professional
instrument. I live in UE in Poland. I reviewed websites of UE's luthiers. The cheapest one I found is 1000$. Maybe you can recomend me definite oud
model or luthier? Thank you for all tips. All the best, Busker
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FilipHolm
Oud Maniac
Posts: 85
Registered: 6-21-2013
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Maurice Shehata ouds are great and start at around 650 dollars. Unfortunately that's only the cost of the oud, with shipping and hard case it climbs
to around 1000.
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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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Hi Busker,
Unfortunately with ouds, there isn't much in the way of decent middle-of-the road ouds, at least regarding Arabic ouds. They either tend to be poorly
mass-produced or individually handmade. The one major exception was Ibrahim Sukar, but his factory was in Syria and you can guess the rest.
It seems that due to connections with Lebanon and N. Africa, good ouds show up in France more than other parts of Europe . . . maybe expand your
horizons?
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francis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 428
Registered: 4-8-2008
Location: Saintes , France
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Mood: No Mood
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I'm not sure that good middle priced ouds show up here in France....more than in other places.
To my opinion, a few ( last? ) Sukar's can be found ( Pick & Boch in Lyon )....
May be some instruments coming from Marocco, but I don't know their value.
Francis
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SamirCanada
Moderator
Posts: 3405
Registered: 6-4-2004
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Busker,
I have started playing oud at 16 years old, at the time I had same problem of not being able to afford a nice instrument. So I ended up buying a
tourist quality oud and tried to learn on that, didnt really work because of the issues John mentioned, and also I will add the biggest issue with
playing those instruments is that you will develop playing mechanism to counter those defects like a high action on the strings and then you will
press too hard leading you to loose speed and dexterity and building tension in your hand which arent needed, once you buy a good isntrument it will
take you years to unlearn this. You wont want to play an instrument that doesnt feel good or sound good so in the end it will sit there unplayed.
I went through 2 or 3 ouds before I bought my shehata oud which was my first quality playable instrument and it changed my perspective on oud. The
problem is those few ouds I bought to learn on I wasnt able to sell and recover much if anything at all.
I recomend to you learn to play on the best instrument you can possibly afford and if you dont like it, you can usually sell it at least at the same
price you bought it for.
With that said, Maurice Shehata makes fantastic arabic ouds and are readily available from him directly. Also, Faruk Turunz of turkey is curently
offering his reduced price line at the moment which if I was in a position to buy a new oud right now it would be my first choice. You can play those
in arabic or turkish tuning.
@samiroud Instagram
samiroudmaker@gmail.com
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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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Ah, but Francis, you a proving my point!
Among several ouds, there are these two:
just under $1000:
http://www.pick-et-boch.com/catalogue-fr/fiche/N3547-Oud+de+Syrie+-...
Just under $700:
http://www.pick-et-boch.com/catalogue-fr/fiche/N3546-Oud+de+Syrie+-...
Prices not great, but not too bad all things considered.
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farukturunz
Oud Junkie
Posts: 569
Registered: 8-16-2005
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
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Mood: hopeful
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Quote: Originally posted by SamirCanada  | Also, Faruk Turunz of turkey is curently offering his reduced price line at the moment which if I was in a position to buy a new oud right now it
would be my first choice. You can play those in arabic or turkish tuning.
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Thank you Samir for your remark about my Reduced Price line ouds.
I strictly advise to those seeking for a well designed oud with the sound that satisfies even the professionals.
Kind regards
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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 Luttgutt |
I have played on two Gawharet alfann ouds. They are not proff ouds. But decent for the money. Both had good action and playabelity. But not powerfull,
and not exactly beautifull sound (kind of like the one in the video).
But no two ouds are alike!!!
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Keep in mind the last statement: no two ouds are alike! This is very important and a fact generally underestimated by newcomers to the instrument.
I have played Gawharet el Fann ouds that could be used professionally and ones that could in good conscience be used for firewood. Even ouds by
reputable makers are not 100% consistent; at the very least they will sound slightly different, even if one isn't "better" than the other, the sound
may suit one musician more than another.
This is why you should really try to play an instrument before you buy it.
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jack
Oud Junkie
Posts: 116
Registered: 4-5-2010
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Just to add my experience into the whirl.
Myself and a buddy purchased our first ouds from arabinstruments about four years ago. These were Gawharet el Fann ouds. Both were worth the money,
and were great to get us off the ground at under $400. But I have heard, like Brian says, that the consistency cannot be depended on. Too bad, or that
would be a reliable entry level oud. Right now, however, there are some Sukar ouds on ebay, as well as some Sandi Turkish ouds, at various prices.
Either of which would be a good option for your initial needs. But I also agree with those above who suggest spending more. A well-crafted instrument
will always make you want to play more. A cheap instrument will take energy to play it, a nice instrument will give energy while playing it.
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Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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Hello to all. Thank you for your all help. You are creating great community. I read your all posts. There are a lot new names for me. Now I see that
buying 400$-oud have no sense in the long run. Of course, it is no sense to buying a instrument with a any shortcomings. It can have not a most
beautiful sound and be piece of art, but it must be solid and comfortable to playing. I will not to fight with the instrument in every minute of a
playing. The really interesting proposition is Faruk Turunz’ Reduced Prices oud. Secondly it's EU, so the duty does not threaten me. I just mail
them about shipping costs. But it’s still a lot of money. I am not sure if I will able to organise such a large sum of money. All the more reason
that I don't know that I will like it or not. This is a risk. I really want to. But it always remains some risk if you have not tried before, you
know. Of course the best way is play the instrument before buying. But it's really impossible for me. Oud in Poland is unknown. Even for plucked
instruments players! I am sorry for tempo of my response. Busker
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DavidJE
Oud Junkie
Posts: 265
Registered: 7-14-2013
Location: Vienna, Austria
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Busker: I also live in Europe, and I recently bought one of Faruk's reduced priced ouds. It was actually cheaper to fly to Istanbul and pick it up,
than to have it shipped, when you add the 20% customs/import fees to the shipping. When I flew there, I just brought it back through the airport
without declaring it...as if I had owned it for years. I actually brought some stickers to put on the case, so it would look a bit more "used".
I HIGHLY recommend Faruk's ouds. When I was at his shop, I really could not distinguish a difference in sound between the custom singles and the
reduced price. And, Faruk explained that the only difference is the polish. The custom singles have a "french polish" and are "shiny" (which is very
labor intensive), whereas the reduced price ouds have an easy-to-apply "matte" finish. The only reason I would get a custom single is if I wanted
different wood or some special addition.
As Jack wrote, a cheap instrument will take energy to play, but a very nice instrument like Faruk's, will give you energy...or at least, great
enjoyment. You won't want to put it down!
I would recommend saving your money for a while until you can afford to buy one of Faruk's ouds. The other thing about his ouds, is that he has a
pretty standardized process for making them, so you're going to get a consistently awesome sound with every one.
FYI...I wrote a blog post about going to pick up my oud from his shop, including a number of pictures, here: http://www.functionalselfdefense.org/blog/faruk-turunz-master-oud-m...
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Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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DavidJE, great story. I think that Faruk's oud would be great for me. But with shipping costs it's unavailable for me.
How about this offer: http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=14369 ?
Actually, my funds have increased. What about some Sukar ouds form Arab Instruments? Or maybe you have another propositions?
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DavidJE
Oud Junkie
Posts: 265
Registered: 7-14-2013
Location: Vienna, Austria
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I'm not nearly as experienced as other members on this forum, but I would echo what you've been told on this thread. You might get a decent, playable
oud for a few hundred dollars. MIGHT. You also might not.
If you haven't started playing already, MY opinion is that you'd be better off saving your money until you could get a better one.
I bought a relatively cheap out in Istanbul, for $300-$350 with no case and no shipping. Within 2-3 months I felt I needed a much better one. There
is a tremendous difference between the $300 oud I bought and the $1000 oud from Faruk (which is essentially a $3000 oud with a different polish). I
think if you buy an oud for $300 or thereabouts, you'll just be wasting money. You'll soon discover that you want/need a better one, and then you'll
have to buy a nicer oud on top of the cheap one.
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epokhe
Oud Addict
Posts: 35
Registered: 10-12-2013
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I think that DavidJE is right. The ideal is to find the very best instrument possible within your price range, rather than cutting corners and being
disappointed later. However, when it comes to buying an instrument, you have to consider *the luthier* who builds it and the materials used, not just
the abstract price range that it falls into.
If you're considering any and every oud that sells for $300-400, no matter who builds it how and with what, then of course you have a slim chance of
finding one that's decent. By extension, if you consider any and every oud that sells for $1000, you still haven't solved the problem and need to
revise your strategy, because many abominable instruments are sold for that price (or more) every day.
Find a luthier with a good reputation, learn about the materials used in making the instrument, then decide. You may find a perfectly nice oud that
meets your needs and doesn't break the bank.
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danieletarab
Oud Junkie
Posts: 213
Registered: 1-18-2009
Location: Palermo (Italy)
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Hello and welcome to' the forum! Several years ago I bought a very good handmade Oud from ALI NISADIR in istanbul for less than 600 euro. He builds
very good instruments and they used to bè very cheap. Very low action, nice sound, perfect pegbox. Unfortunately it seems that the website (Deniz
Müzik) does not work anymore but i have Him among my Fb friends. I really suggest his ouds, un less you find the money to get a faruk turunz ONE 
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slackandsteel
Oud Lover
Posts: 14
Registered: 1-7-2013
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Hi Busker,
I have also decided to learn oud and am on a budget. After careful consideration, I am having an oud made by Bulent Eryalman of Turkey. He was
recommended to me by Gary Haggerty, who you can see playing some of his ouds on YouTube. Besides being a player, Gary repairs instruments and I feel
he knows high quality when he sees it. I have ordered the Standard oud, which was recommended by Gary as being a professional quality oud that
compares to instruments costing double the price or more. It takes about 3 months or so from the time of order to finish. I ordered mine on August 1
and it will be ready in about a week. The price was very reasonable - 650 US dollars shipped to California. Bulent has been very responsive to my
special requests and very easy to work with.
Here is Bulent Eryalman's website:
http://www.bulenteryalman.com/en.html
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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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If a Turkish Oud is what you're looking for, Bulent Eryalman's price sounds extremely good for a standard Luthier built Oud. Very good to know. Thanks
slackandsteel.
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Busker
Oud Admirer
Posts: 6
Registered: 10-28-2013
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I am currently in contact with Bulent Eryalman. We have yet to clarify the details but I think I will choose his offer. Thank you for all help in
choice.
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