I think that Mohamed Adeeb (oud salon) is making superb Arabic ouds.
Peter Sayegh is also top-notch (but is no longer shipping, last I checked, and his wait list is quite long)
John Vergara is also top-notch, amazing ouds.
All three are (in my opinion) as good as or better than Shehata (with the caveat that there are specific qualities in Egyptian ouds that some prefer
as a matter of taste). Mahmoud Mustafa is another excellent Egyptian maker.
Some makes will add a pickup - it doesn't affect the acoustic sound quality unless you somehow had loose wires rattling around or something.
Usually you have to add it later. Of the above makers, Vergara is the only one I know of who will add a pickup.
Hossein Karimian's work looks amazing and I've heard great things, but haven't had an opportunity to try myself.
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