WANT TO BUY

Quote: Originally posted by edolc

I really like the music and sound of some Anouar Brahem recordings.

Quote: Originally posted by edolc

I am in Canada.

Edolc: Welcome!

1) Turkish and Arabic differ in construction and timbre, Turkish ouds are smaller, shorter scale, as well as being tuned 1 note higher. They tend to be better finished and more costly. It's a different aesthetic. There are many different oud types, including ones that share some of the properties of these two main families.

2) In the studio we have MORE control rather than less. The concert player is very concerned with appearance, status, as well as tone. It can be successfully argued that a studio-oriented musician hardly needs a boutique instrument made of rare materials with a chi-chi finish. It does take some time to develop an opinion as to what is important to you, and this Forum is a great place to start. Unless you have money to spare, it's very important you spend some time learning about ouds, the mentality of the community, and hearing/playing different instruments.

Moussa I hear gets ouds from Fathy Amin, you can compare ouds on their respective web sites, and is in the UK anyway. Nothing sinful with this, but it seems Shehata and Ghadban have become perhaps significantly oriented to Western boutique aesthetic (and pricing). One look at Shehata's store gives you an idea. Read up about timbre and "issues" on the Forum. No question these are fine ouds, but for all that, if the soundboard settles, or you need to level the fingerboard, you still have to redo the neck to set the action.

Alfaraby wisely suggested Faddi Matha. Listen to some of his ouds on YouTube, they are excellent. He is one of only two oud makers whose instruments have an adjustable action, Sukar being the other. For me, being able to change the action without demolishing/rebuilding the neck, is more important than e.g. the finish, especially since the action significantly affects the timbre.

I'm going to stick my neck out, why not, it's just one guy's opinion? Since I'm not crazy about Turkish timbre, I'm leaving those out. There are countless good luthiers and great ouds out there, but each one is different, and an adventure you may or may not be ready for. If the price is OK with you Faddi Matha is what I would humbly suggest. If not, I would get a Sukar, they range from around $500 to under $1000. The Fathy Amins (through Dr. Atef Abd El Hamed) seem excellent, several good people here have them, and reasonable, but in part because of the action adjustment issue, I opted for Sukar. A bit spartan for those with a baroque taste, but versatile, strong-voiced and reliable.

Quote: Originally posted by fernandraynaud

Alfaraby wisely suggested Faddi Matha. Listen to some of his ouds on YouTube, they are excellent. He is one of only two oud makers whose instruments have an adjustable action, Sukar being the other. For me, being able to change the action without demolishing/rebuilding the neck, is more important than e.g. the finish, especially since the action significantly affects the timbre.

Quote: Originally posted by Manil

Add Hassan Hamza to this category, mine is like this, fine oud also.

Adjustable actions

A little action adjustment, and side-effects, on a traditional oud



The Fadi Matta way: Video demo here

The action height is not just a matter of player comfort. Listen carefully. Notice how the high action sounds decidedly more "Arabic", low action more "Turkish". This is most pronounced if the fingerboard surface is a very hard wood (or hardened by coating), and of course it must be quite level. It seems one of the elements of the classical Arabic sound is a relatively softer/rougher fingerboard and a higher action.

The Sukar way:

Above we see the nesting for all 3 rods in the Sukar neck, one threaded for the wing-nut, two thinner "stabilizing rockers" seen in cross-section below. The neck cannot twist, and "hinges" on the stabilizing rods as you tighten/loosen the wing-nut. The typical adjustment range is 2-4 millimeters of string height at the neck-body junction, with 3 mm being the factory setting.



At 2.5 mm, the timbre has that "zing" that is reminiscent of a Turkish oud. Above 3.5 mm the Arabic timbre takes over. It's quite interesting reaching into the bowl, making a small adjustment and pulling the instrument up on the map into Turkey, or down south towards Cairo. Sukars have their own sound and the transformation is of course not 100% complete. Different Sukar models also have different tones.

One nice thing about the Sukar method is that it is completely invisible unless you know what to look for: the tiny metal head on the back of the neck. Nothing to get in the way as you play.



The new Sukar "intermediate" scale at 600mm can all the more easily "flip" using the same strings. Unlike "modernizations" that ruin the instrument, like machine tuning gears, saddles, different shapes, I personally feel neck adjustment is a capability that can be invisible, and that no oud should be without, especially where the cost of repairs is high. It seems some very fine traditional ouds have long been settling and degenerating until their masters take them in for a neck job. I hope more oud-makers will adopt some sort of adjustment mechanism.

Does anyone know: are all Fadi Mattas fitted with the adjustment wheels?

Any other makers' adjustable necks? Photos, please!!!

OUDS