ChanningPDX
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 10-15-2016
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Iranian luthier Hossein Ghorbani--Any info?
Hi, all!
I recently sold my Zeryab oud and am looking to get something in Arabic tuning (DGAdgc) but with a smaller, more comfortable bowl size. I'll probably
end up going with a Turkish maker, but I was perusing eBay the other day and noticed a 7-course Iranian oud someone in the US was selling.
I contacted the seller who sent me a short video and told me the oud was made in Iran by a luthier named Hossein Ghorbani. Has anyone out there ever
heard anything about this maker?
The oud certainly doesn't appear to be of Mohammadi Bros. or Hossein Karimian-level quality, but it doesn't look or sound bad either. It's currently
tuned DGAdgcf. I wonder if it would be worth a bit of fixing up...?
I'll probably stick with the Turkish route, but I just thought I'd inquire with the oud hive mind out of curiosity.
Here's a link to the eBay listing in case anyone else is interested:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Authentic-Persian-Oud-Soft-Cover/1644929416...
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1373
Registered: 11-5-2011
Location: California
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I don't know if the following will interest you or not, but Nazih Ghadban has begun making a few ouds based on the design of Al-Laithy, something like
the single hole oud seen in photos of Qasabji. I bought what I think is the first one he built and it is utterly fabulous in response, in tone, and as
a work of art. I am over the moon about this instrument. You were saying you wanted something comfortable to play. The soundboard (and therefore the
bowl) of this model is shorter across and longer lengthwise than the typical Arabic oud but the bowl is of average depth. The result is a comfortable
oud to play whose bowl capacity is not less than bigger ouds. There is another Al Leithy model on Nazih Ghadban's website that sounds almost identical
to mine. Here is the URL for its page:
http://www.oudnazihghadban.com/whatsnew_details.php?id=241&page...
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ChanningPDX
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 10-15-2016
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Yeah, I saw that the other day and emailed Nazih about it. It does certainly look wonderful, doesn't it?
If I had a spare $4,500 lying around, I'd totally pick one up. Unfortunately, my budget's not that high. I'd like to try and find something decent
within the roughly $1,000 range if I can.
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MattOud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 298
Registered: 1-18-2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Mood: Feeling Pretty G'Oud
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Hi,
It looks like it is worth more than $400 to me. The workman ship looks good.
If this sounds good, it is more than worth it! I am unsure of the luthier, but by eye, it looks like there was good work put into this oud. If this
were near me, I probably would take a gamble and get luthier Reza(near me) to look at it.
Is it small? I cannot tell from pics. I am unsure what the 27" refers to? I measure on mine and I couldn't get close to 27" even from base to nut or
bridge to nut, so i wonder if this is a very small oud?
If this is a good size, I would consider it if you have the coinage! Just my opinion!
Cheers,
Matt
ps: Also, be aware of sellers feedback. Do a thorough check first to make sure all is legit. It may be, just be aware!
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ChanningPDX
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 10-15-2016
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Yeah, I'm considering it. I was pleasantly surprised by the tone in the video he sent me, though there's not much you can tell from a microphone on a
computer or a cell phone.
The dimensions of the oud certainly look normal in the video. I'm not sure how he came up with those measurements... The bowl definitely appears not
as deep as what I had been dealing with before, which would probably be a plus.
The maker is an Iranian percussionist and instrument maker. Certainly the tonbaks on his Instagram page look very well made, not that that means much
in this case. One photo did show his workshop, which had a number of violins and kamanches hanging from the walls in various states of production or
repair plus a few oud and/or barbat bowls sitting on a shelf.
As an aside, there are several Iranian oud and barbat makers on Instagram who don't seem to be well-known in the West. Had a nice chat with one guy
last week who is making some beautiful ouds, but he doesn't have any way to ship them to the USA right now, unfortunately.
The other option I had been considering given my limited budget was to get one of Kamil Gül's ouds. He can supply a Turkish-sized oud in your choice
of tuning with a good hardcase and shipping to N. America for less than $1,000 (depending on wood choices). He's got one that will be ready in a few
weeks that I had expressed interest in.
The other variable here is that I'm hoping to acquire a lâvta, and another Turkish luthier says he'll have one ready for me in a few months, so I'm
trying not to spend too much now and freak my wife out with profligate instrument purchases. (Although for what it's worth, she's happier about me
obsessing about ouds to buy rather than bagpipes, which is the other instrument I play...  ).
I should probably just wait, focus on enjoying the wonderful Turkish oud that I already have, and continue saving my pennies for something that will
serve me well for a good many years, but yeah, I'm certainly tempted.
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MattOud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 298
Registered: 1-18-2017
Location: Ontario, Canada
Member Is Offline
Mood: Feeling Pretty G'Oud
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I am thinking it is too small. It depends on your size, but when i measure my other syrian ouds, they are about 28.5 X 14.5 X 9, so it depends on what
one likes. This was probably made custom sized for someone.
Also, I once had a 7 course but don't believe I was ready for it at the time so ended up selling it. I may do better with it today, but I still prefer
a 6 course i think, so that is also another factor to consider.
Hold off for what you guts tells you!
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