Mike's Oud Forums

Turkish ouds?

stos - 5-22-2012 at 06:45 AM

Hello everybody!

I'm going to Istanbul and stay there for three weeks, to work on my oud playing and also to buy a good turkish oud (around 1000 $).

I have already some luthier in mind in istanbul to go an see but I was thinking that it is maybe interresting to go in other place in Turkey to search for a nice oud, like Ankara or maybe elsewhere.

Is it a good idea? is it cheaper ?

Thanks a lot!

Christos

udmaker - 5-22-2012 at 09:54 AM




good luck

altarnatif istanbulda very

Amos - 5-22-2012 at 02:49 PM

I would go and see Ramazan Calay in Kadikoy (Istanbul). I know that Faruk Turunz has a $1000 model he's offering and I've heard great things about that model (he's in Istanbul too). Another city you might try is Izmir (with an instrument-making reputation).

sylvainbd - 5-22-2012 at 11:49 PM

Hi

In Ankara ...
Metin Kesici - ud maker of Gülçin Yahya KAÇAR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k94LoaEE8Ng)

Emir Udlari - udmaker renowned - http://www.emirudlari.com/

In Istanbul, Check at Unkapani, cheaper !...
or Faruk Turunz ...

In Izmir, Yildirim, http://www.turkishouds.com/

Marcus - 5-23-2012 at 12:12 AM

Hi Christos,:wavey:

dont miss Cengiz(father) and Veysel(son) Sarikus in `Stambul

Veysel Muzik Evi

This is how a turkish Ud should sound like (for me)

I wish you a pleasant + successfull trip!!

Greets

Marcus

stos - 5-26-2012 at 06:20 AM

thanks guys!

I will first check istanbul luthier and see what what my heart will say and maybe go to ankara after

see you after my trip with a nice oud hopefully

spyros mesogeia - 5-26-2012 at 08:03 AM

If you go in Ankara you can also check Ender Goktepe...

Microber - 5-26-2012 at 08:45 AM

The best Turkish I have ever heard (in front of me) is the one Necati Celik uses.
I'm pretty sure it is made by MUSTAFA COPÇUOĞLU
http://www.mustafacopcuoglu.com/english/index.htm
or maybe Ender Göktepe.

But I think that ANY oud in his hands could sound wonderfull.
Have a nice trip Stos.:cool:

Robert

spyros mesogeia - 5-26-2012 at 08:47 AM

TRY ALSO ALI NISADIR

stos - 5-30-2012 at 12:26 PM

hello everybody!

I just arrived ın ıstanbul and ıts great!
İ already went to cankaya musıc and to ramazan calay

tomorow i ll go to alı nışadır and hope i ll fınd faruk turunz place...

I just need somebody who knows about oud and who could translate am emaıl to a oud maker from englısh to turkısh

ıf somebody have time you can contact me U2U

thanks!!

stos - 6-2-2012 at 05:24 AM

ıt's so nice to be here but what a cruel dılemna to choose an oud :bounce: ramazan.....mustafa...ramazan...mustafa...

i'm in a sıtuatıon to choose between a ramazan not fınıshed oud and a more expensıve ready mustafa oud...

...who knows what wıll happen..;)

Marina - 6-2-2012 at 07:26 AM

I just come back from Istanbul and got Ali Nisadir arabic model oud and Mustafa oud. Both r more than great.
I am sory that I spent my budget and did not have enough for exelent builder situated not far away from Ali:
http://www.luthiermehmet.com/gallery.html

stos - 6-2-2012 at 10:49 AM

thanks for the tip. ı wıll go monday to engin husta and also mehmet :cool:


stos - 6-6-2012 at 04:20 AM

İ have a litllte question for turkish oud players : the "natural" buzz that were also dıscusses ın thıs forum wıth Turunz Bey, where does ıt come from? İs it because of the very low actıon? the kınd of strings (they all put kuerschner strings) ?

because İ thınk İ m not really fond of it

ıt ıs ok when you dont play loud.. but when you attack strıngs strongly (wıch İ do), you just hear buzzıngs all over the sound..too much for me

İ ask thıs because İ woud lıke to understand from wıch technıcal thıng ıt ıs comıng so İ can dıscuss ıt more clearly wıth luthıers...

thanks a lot (and sorry for the spellıng I am fıghtıng wıth thıs turkısh computer..)

paulO - 6-6-2012 at 05:16 PM

Hi Stos,

To have really low action without buzzing requires a lot of tweaking of the fingerboard to accomplish, and in my experience, only lasts for awhile -- once the fingerboard becomes grooved (from playing) it will need to be re-worked. In time things may shift with the neck/body joint as well, causing some buzzing.

You could just tell them that you want to play strongly without buzzing - that you don't like the buzzing. That should pretty much do it...but I think you're going to be in for some at least slightly higher action. Good luck.

Regards...Paul

fernandraynaud - 6-7-2012 at 01:46 AM

Not the only factor, but the Turkish sound is I think related to what they call "Mwah" on electric fretless basses. It's like a standing wave that travels and works the vibrating strings against the fingerboard with the very low action, creating a varying filter that works on the borderline buzz. On bass it's slower-growing and more distinct.

And errrhh ... on the subject of timbres ... forgive me for riding my hobby horse(s) all the way down to the river, but THAT's what's so great about the Sukar (or Fadi Matta) adjustable action. With the action down around 2mm, my 212 sounds surprisingly Turkish. With the action high, say 3.5 mm, it's definitely Arabic (and, yes, more suitable for playing loud). With changing humidity my ouds rearrange themselves quite a bit, and being able to touch up the Sukars' action with that wing nut and be able to hunt for just the right timbre is wonderful.

Even with a (non-traditional) ability to change saddles, slipping in the higher saddle to raise the action on my Shehata took the better part of last evening (and a lot of cursing). You'd better believe I'm leaving it like that for a while ;-)

Stos, I'm afraid that on a fixed action oud, if you don't want the Turkish buzz, you're going to have to accept a full-time higher action. Maybe you can go with a saddle design so you can later make a couple of alternate saddles to adjust the action?

As to the fingerboard, allow me ... for the new members ... Tru-Oil or a similar hard Tung Oil varnish on those soft wood traditional type Arabic fingerboards really works to defer grooving under the wound strings. The trick is to touch up the coating, add a fresh layer or two, about once a year, or when you see that the strings at Rast are starting to dig themselves a little grave in the coating ;-)

Incidentally, with the action low the coating enhances that Turkish zing, because it improves the sustain. Turkish ouds tend to have hard wood fingerboards, that's part of the sound. With the action high the coating doesn't get in the way of getting a percussive Arabic sound, though to make it sound fully like a soft wood Egyptian fingerboard, it's a matter of a pass with fine sandpaper to rough up the surface a bit.

stos - 6-7-2012 at 02:22 AM

thanks a lot

İ wıll see if they going to look at me weird or not...

Levoloveusa - 6-7-2012 at 04:30 AM

Hi,
He gave me for selling himself Ouds. He is Baris Yekta Karatekeli...He is 20 days ago was here in long island.
The Oud Specialty :
İdeal for profesional performing and studio recording quality...

- Body PALISENDER woods with 15 years old.

- Soundboard wood from GERMAN SPRUCE with 20 years old.

- The Neck SUPPORT with FIBER CARBON...

- and also you can check on youtube...
YURDAL TOKCAN play for Baris Yekta Karatekeli Oud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB3ygrlYus8

İf you order in Turkey like this Oud you can pay also $350 shipping price.
Now is This Oud in long İsland NY, please contact me...or İ will put on ebay. You can write i will contact you and i will send some pictures from Oud...
dahilevent@yahoo.com
Thanks, dahilevent@yahoo.com

- Hard Case and Extra KÜRSCHNER Oud Strings...

stos - 6-7-2012 at 06:35 AM

hello Levoloveusa,

maybe you wanted to help me but...humm.. if you had read the rest of the topıc : i'm in turkey!:wavey: so İ don't really care about oud ın amerıca...

so maybe you could use the buy and sell part of this forum

fernandraynaud - 6-7-2012 at 04:01 PM

Quote: Originally posted by stos  
thanks a lot

İ wıll see if they going to look at me weird or not...


I was more generally addressing questions about what contributes to the Turkish sound ;-)

As to your shopping, in light of your concerns, I am suggesting you might look at ouds built with a saddle, like my Shehata. Many fine ouds are made this way nowadays. If the saddle is removable you can swap saddles to adjust the action. That way you wouldn't be stuck with an action you might not be happy with.

IMG_2773cm.JPG - 145kB IMG_1943xm.JPG - 133kB

Here you can see the Shehata w/ the two saddles I use. Ameer, the previous owner, had the taller saddle made to raise the action. Making a saddle from a bone blank is pretty simple.

stos - 6-8-2012 at 03:08 AM

Nice and simple idea indeed

but İ ve never seen such saddle on modern turkish ouds...

does ıt change the sound? more sustaın or somethıng?

İ go agaın to ramazans place again today because he fınıshed a new oud İ want to try

thanks for helping!

stos - 6-8-2012 at 10:43 AM

ok people İ think İ m done wıth thıs topıc

İ took one of the last oud ramazan bey fınıshed last week

İT buzzs a lıttle bıt but the sound ıs more medıum/bass

of course we ll have to waıt some month to see what ıt has ın the guts but İ have a good feelıng

the sound seems for me less sharp trebles that İ heard on many other turkısh ouds, more round and sweet soundıng but also a lıttle less volume i thınk (luthıer told me he wıll normally take more volume wıth tıme )

thanks a lot guys and sorry for talkıng about my lıfe so much :rolleyes:

so happy! :applause:

paulO - 6-8-2012 at 05:36 PM

Hi Stos,

Enjoy your new oud in good health ! New ouds will gain volume over time, say in the first year or so...anyway - enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy !

Regards....Paul

Microber - 6-9-2012 at 12:18 AM

Congrat Stos !

Pic-tures - pic-tures !!

stos - 6-9-2012 at 03:05 AM

thanks!

İ do not have anythıng to take pıctures at the moment but İ'll try when İ come back from İstanbul :cool:

Now İ have to work on thıs crazy along- the-neck çarpma.....:rolleyes: