Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 04:52 PM
When somebody does something with such skill it ought to be noted.
I recently picked up an oud from Viken Najarian that my grandfather had made back in 1934. I purchased it off of ebay in the summer of 2004 (thanks
again, Andy). Its condition was rough. THe purfling was falling off. The braces were loose. The neck was loose. There were some minor cracks in
the bowl. And, it was made left-handed. Apparently, it had been played in nightclubs in Detroit by an Arab player for decades. It had seen a lot of
wear.
I never played it, just took it to Viken. I wanted him to keep it as original as possible, but to repair it, make it right-handed, and re-peg it (I
don't know if the pegs that were on there were original or not).
So, let's start with a couple of before pics.
BEFORE:
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 04:54 PM
BEFORE
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 04:55 PM
AFTER
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 04:56 PM
AFTER. The French polish that Najarian did is just incredible. He got rid of all of those years of grime that were on the bowl, and really let the
beauty shine through.
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 05:00 PM
For purely selfish reasons, I was hesitant to post this. Getting oud repairs done is difficult, and I know that you have to wait, and wait, and wait
to have quality repairs done. Viken has another of my ouds now, and I know that I will almost certainly have to wait a long time for that one, as
well, but I really don't care when the workmanship is this superb.
I know the face looks new, but it is not--he removed it to re-set the loose neck, and cleaned up the face a bit, but it is original. Even the bridge
is original--he just re-drilled it to make it right-handed. The nut was changed.
And the sound on this oud is absolutely incredible. I am going to try to get a sound file up, because it has an absolutely beautiful tone, and tons
of volume.
mavrothis - 12-5-2005 at 05:07 PM
Beautiful Jonathan, this is really great. Viken is a great craftsman, and I'm sure there are no words to describe your huge connection and love for
this oud. Play it with health my friend!
mav 
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 05:10 PM
Thanks, Mav. As an aside, I really have developed a new appreciation for how ouds are made. There are only 13 ribs on this one, but look how each
rib ends at a point. I know, a lot of ouds are like this, but I have learned it can be difficult. This is a pretty basic oud, perhaps because it was
built in the middle of the depression. Still, the sound is unbelievable. Gonna record something tonight and send it to Mike to post.
Jameel - 12-5-2005 at 05:44 PM
Beautiful Jonathan, thanks for sharing it with us. I'm sure you feel a special pride in playing your grandfather's instruments. I know I would. Can't
wait to hear it. BTW, what are the bowl woods?
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 06:01 PM
Jameel, I think that the light one is birch, and the dark one is walnut, but I am not too good at that. What do you think? The fingerboard, by the
way, is a beautiful flame maple. Viken suggested putting on an ebony one, but this looks great, and really held up well over the years. My goal was
to keep things as original as possible. He sanded it a tiny bit, and it looks beautiful. Didn't come out that great in the pics above. The beard is
mahogany.
I made a quickie sound file just now and sent it to Mike to post. I didn't spend much time on it--one quick take, and that is it. A little short
improv in Hijaz, which segues into a Turkish song, Kalemi diviti Var. Sorry about the vocal. I can't sing, I don't know Turkish, but for some reason
I sang it. I like this song. Old-timey. I tuned the oud down to G. The voice is not tuned to anything. 
The oud playing itself is as rough as ever. Gotta get better with that intonation.
Kind of strange how different ouds make you play differently. This is a smallish oud--probably a "hanum" size. Fun to play.
Andy - 12-5-2005 at 07:43 PM
Man what a beautiful oud. Anxious to hear it, Congratulations.
Mike - 12-5-2005 at 08:46 PM
What a beauty Jonathan. Viken, as usual, did a spectacular job. Really brought this oud back to life. Here's the sound file, and congrats on finally
getting the oud. Good things come to those who wait. 
Musa - 12-5-2005 at 09:23 PM
Hi Jonathan,
I have a restored Egyptian oud that I purchased from Viken. Although well used, it is a beautiful instrument that has given me years of pleasure.
Viken has always been very helpful, and a pleasure to work with.
Enjoy your oud!!!
Salamat,
Musa
Jonathan - 12-5-2005 at 10:12 PM
Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. Andy, this is the one you tipped me off on back in 2004. Thanks for posting the file, Mike.
I have only had repairs done by two people thus far--Kyvelos, and Najarian. The wait is frustratingly long in both cases, but certainly well worth
it.
SamirCanada - 12-5-2005 at 10:28 PM
I'll pitch in my congradulations.
And add that your playing was great... lots of soul came through wich is well diserved since this oud comes from your grandfather. It must be an
incredible feeling. Many respect concidering your keeping the flame alive by making your own oud aswell.
tezza - 12-5-2005 at 11:02 PM
sounds and looks fantastic!
Elias - 12-6-2005 at 02:09 AM
Wow Jonathan!what an incredible work Najarian has done!The oud is so beautiful and the sound is amazing...and yes we can feel a lot of soul from the
nice note you plays! Very nice playing!
Elias
Jameel - 12-6-2005 at 06:05 AM
Reminds me of those 2 Udi Hrant tracks Mike had up a while back. Sounding great, Jonathan. How long have you been at it now?
Jonathan - 12-6-2005 at 07:42 AM
Thanks, guys. This song was recorded by (and I think was written by) Hrant. For me, it all starts and stops with him--I love his music. There is a
great version of it on the cd just called Udi Hrant, that Traditional Crossroads put out--it is just named there "Hijaz sarki".
The neck on this oud is shorter than I am used to, and my intonation is off a bit in places (Gotta have something to blame). I should have studied
the song before recording it, but I did not really plan on it. I guess I thought of it while playing, because the intro of second part of the improv
sort of hints at it, and I guess that is why I stumbled into it.
Hrants version is great--beautiful playing, and his vocal just captures all the weariness that the lyrics of this song about lost love suggest.
Thanks again.
Andy - 12-6-2005 at 01:27 PM
Jonathan, I thought you didn't know how to play? You've been holding back. Sincerely enjoyed the clip. Jonathan it may be a great tribute to your
Menzhyr, grandfather, to put this clip on your web site.
syrianoud - 12-6-2005 at 03:24 PM
WOW Jonathan ...
That looks great my friend , I like Viken anything i need to fix i take to him,He is a PRO.
Very nice specially that Frensh Varnish where Nazih Ghadban Finishes all his ouds with French varnish.It gives the oud great looks and the sound is
probebly better than Polyurothan or they call it Pollyester.
But congratulations sound and looks great.
Regards Samir,California
Jonathan - 12-6-2005 at 04:23 PM
Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
Samir, I like the French Polish a lot better than the polyurethane, as well. I think it really brings out the beauty of the wood, but doesn't get
between you and the wood. I don't know if that makes any sense or not, but I hope you get the idea.
I wish I could find more of these Varjabedian ouds, but I cannot.
I have these 5:
http://varjouds.com/sam.htm ,
although one I gave to my brother, and another I will give to another brother.
Andy, shnorhagalootiun. I have really been toying with the idea of adding music to my site, but I think it can be a problem for people with slow
connections. I also have another site, http://www.efkere.com , on another grandfather's ancestral village (hope it is ok to mention it, if not, sorry Mike), and I have been toying with
putting an oud version of the Hayr Mer (Lord's Prayer) on the pages dealing with the churches and monastery. I will let you know.
If anybody knows of the whereabouts of any more of these ouds, please let me know--even if they are not for sale, I would dearly love to see pictures
of them.
Thanks again.
Musa - 12-7-2005 at 10:00 AM
Hi Jonathan,
What was your grandfather's name? Where was he from and about how many ouds did he make? This would be good to know, so that if any of us come across
any out there, we could inform you.
Salamat,
Musa
mavrothis - 12-7-2005 at 01:57 PM
Beautiful playing Jonathan, very soulful. The oud sounds wonderful, and it was great to hear you singing also.
Congratulations!
mavrothis
DD - 12-7-2005 at 04:29 PM
No apologies accepted for the singing. I think you should do it more and give it room to unfold. Honest voices are hard to find, and like honest
words, they usually turn out to be the most beautiful.
paulO - 12-7-2005 at 06:00 PM
Hi Johnathan,
Really cool restoration job -- this is the first "restoration" of Viken's that I'd seen -- wow. Great sounding oud - very limpid and relaxed low end,
and beautiful sweet mids. Cool singing & Playing: as DD said -- keep on singing !
Cheers...PaulO
Jonathan - 12-7-2005 at 10:46 PM
I can't thank you guys enough for the kind words. They are appreciated.
Since I started building my own oud, I haven't had as much time to practice, unfortunately.
Musa, his name was Sam Varjabedian. I have pestered the people on this board a few times in the past about trying to find his ouds. He was born in
central Turkey in 1893, and moved to Detroit when he was about 20. He died in 1963. He was not a full time oud maker--he just did it in his spare
time. I suppose there was no way anybody could make a living making ouds in Detroit. I guess he made about 4 a year, although the oud above, from
1934, also has "no. 56" on the label, so perhaps he made more than I am guessing. They vary in size--he made a lot of moulds, and the ouds are all
different sizes, except perhaps for the last 10 or 15 years of his life, when they are all pretty much the same size. He also made a small number of
lutes.
They are not Karibyans, or Manols, or Nahats. But, of course, they hold a special meaning for me.
They were sold in Detroit, and I am guessing that almost all of them remain in the USA. Finding them has been tough, so if anybody has any
suggestions, let me know. Here's a pic of him in his shop:
palestine48 - 12-7-2005 at 10:56 PM
Call me crazy but I liked the look of the oud before the refurbish. It had a nice antique look.
Jonathan - 12-7-2005 at 11:14 PM
I understand that feeling, too. I have always thought the same thing--don't try to shine up an old oud to look new, because it won't look right.
But, I am happy with this restoration. The oud remains original, and some of that super bright/high gloss look of the French polish will wear off
with time (although it does not bother me at all).
My reason for taking it in wasn't to make it look good, but to make it playable, and stabilize its condition. Without the repair work, it would
remain unplayed, and it would continue to deteriorate. So, it really isn't a matter of aesthetics. But, if you saw it in person, it still has that
antique look--there is no way somebody would mistake it for new. It remains original, just clean.
Musa - 12-8-2005 at 06:58 PM
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for the info and the photo! One of my grandfathers was also from Turkey (Northern), and was born in 1869.
If I ever hear of or come across one of his ouds, I plan to let you know.
Salamat,
Musa
Jonathan - 12-8-2005 at 08:03 PM
Thanks, Musa. I appreciate it.