Mike's Oud Forums

Oud in Istanbul

jhaverkamp77 - 5-18-2018 at 06:52 PM

Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum and new to the Oud! I will be in Istanbul in a few weeks and was thinking about buying an Oud. Can anyone tell me a reliable musical instrument shop where I can purchase a solid practice Oud? I don't want to fall into the tourist trap and end up with a good looking but horrible functioning instrument! Any names of shops or luthiers would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Johannes

Greg - 5-18-2018 at 06:53 PM

Hello Johannes, welcome to the forums.
A good starting point will be the FAQ's thread at http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=6809

Regards,

Greg

Ouds in Istanbul

Edward6311 - 5-19-2018 at 09:18 AM

I would visit Faruk Turunz’s shop in Istanbul.

al-Halabi - 5-19-2018 at 10:24 AM

For a solid practice oud you might want to check out the ouds in Çankaya Müzikevi, which carry the instruments made in the workshop of Sadettin Sandı in Ankara. They make decent quality ouds. Here's a list of their various models and their prices in Turkish liras:

https://www.cankayamuzikevi.com/en/udlar#

With the sharp decline in the value of the Turkish lira in the last several weeks you would be able to get a good quality instrument for $1,000 or less, and bargaining should bring the price down. Their Istanbul shop is located in the city center in the Tünel area (at the end of İstiklal Caddesi).

Faruk Türünz makes top quality instruments, and charges accordingly.

DavidJE - 5-20-2018 at 08:00 AM

I second visiting Faruk Türünz's shop. It's incredible, as are his ouds, and his reduced price ouds are an outstanding option...excellent price for an oud that is every bit as good as his custom singles.

al-Halabi - 5-20-2018 at 09:03 AM

There is no question about the superior quality of Faruk Türünz's ouds. He made one for me and its sound, workmanship and playability are outstanding. I would recommend his ouds without hesitation to anyone interested in owning a fine instrument. In this case, though, Johannes said he is a beginner and is looking for a "solid practice oud", by which I understood that he would like to get a decent playable mid-level instrument (not a poorly made tourist model or a top-of-the-line oud). My suggestion was geared to what I thought he is looking for. I have some familiarity with Sandı's ouds and think that they are a safe choice that would serve his purpose well.

DavidJE - 5-20-2018 at 09:54 AM

That makes sense al-Halabi. But maybe the $1000 or $1300 is ok for Johannes. I don't know. When I bought my first reduced price oud at Faruk's place and started playing that instead of the cheaper oud I bought a year before at one of the more touristy shops near the Galata Tower, there was an incredible difference. I should have just bought the reduced price from the start and saved the $400 I spent on the cheaper oud. If that's not an option for someone though, it is what it is.

Greg - 5-26-2018 at 01:05 AM

Quote: Originally posted by jhaverkamp77  
Hi everyone,
I am new to the forum and new to the Oud! I will be in Istanbul in a few weeks and was thinking about buying an Oud. Can anyone tell me a reliable musical instrument shop where I can purchase a solid practice Oud? I don't want to fall into the tourist trap and end up with a good looking but horrible functioning instrument! Any names of shops or luthiers would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Johannes


I've lost count of the number of times we've all jumped in and tried to help someone with a query such as this. And a very high proportion of these people join, post one query and then disappear forever. They don't even have the decency to say thanks for taking the time to try to help. I guess we're the stupid ones for bothering.

Greg