journeyman
Oud Junkie
Posts: 492
Registered: 12-28-2003
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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Abu el-Alaa ouds
First post in a long time. Three years ago I stopped playing the oud as I had problems with my right arm and playing the oud seemed to make it worse.
The diagnosis was "repetitive strain injury" and the doctor's explanation made no sense at all but I couldn't deny the symptoms. Without going into
the details of the recovery as that would be another whole discussion, I am cured. I sold my ouds and am thinking of starting up again for personal
pleasure. (I am a guitarist and don't think that at this point I will play the oud up to the standards set by so many great players.) I really love
the Nahat design aesthetic and the closest ouds I have seen to this are the ones made by Abu el-Alaa. (hope I spelled his name correctly) I would
really appreciate any feedback on his ouds from anyone who owns them regarding sound (hard to tell from youtube videos) stability, playability etc.
Thanks in advance. -Roy
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2939
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Stringish
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Hi Roy!
I am glad to hear that you are recovered and will be coming back to the oud.
I have played about 15 ouds by Abu el Alaa. They are nice, I consider them similar to Nazih Ghadban. I am not sure it would be my first choice in
ouds, however, in that price range (last I checked they were in the $1000+ category, if I am mistaken then that alters the calculus somewhat). I will
say that they all played flawlessly with excellent action. The workmanship is beautiful and they are a nice smaller size. Played softly, they
sounded reasonably good but I felt that they didn't "speak" when played at performance volume. However, they were all brand new and it's certainly
possible that they would open up considerably after 6 months or so of playing. The jury is out but I was not wowed. If you can play one before
buying it, that would make a big difference (as it does with any oud).
If at all possible, I would suggest trying a variety of older ouds. Of contemporary makers, Kamil Mwais makes good sounding instruments. John Vergara
as well, and Najib Shaheen.
Personally, I feel one can tell very little from recordings of the instrument. Some instruments sound terrible in person but record well. The mic is
also a big factor and can change the sound dramatically. Faruk Turunz is one to consider; not a classic Arabic sound, but a good sound and very
consistent. Even a higher-end Sukar, especially if you can play it first, may be an excellent instrument.
Personally, if I were in the oud market and had to buy one without playing (and budget was rather limited), I would keep an eye out for something from
OudProff. He regularly seems to have nice Iraqi ouds 20-30 years old for reasonable prices. If you have a decent budget, try John (Bulerias on the
forum) or Najib (he has great old ouds).
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