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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
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super risha from Sammy Azar and rishas from Nilecart
Recently I had a chance to try a wonderful risha made of horn that had been found inside an oud by Sammy Azar. I have tried various horn rishas but
this one was far superior to any I had come across before. It was polished like a gem. Thicker than other rishas I've seen, but still pliable.
I would LOVE to find a source of rishas like this. I am wondering if these are them:
http://www.nilecart.com/oudpicks.htm
The horn rishas imported by East West, available on Amazon, are certainly NOT what I'm talking about, though they are OK:
http://www.amazon.com/Oud-Pick-Cow-Horn-Pack/dp/B000669400/ref=pd_b...
The problem with the Nilecart rishas is that the minimum order is $51 with shipping to the USA!
If I knew for certain that these were the kind I'm talking about, I would suggest that some of us order a batch as a group...
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rojaros
Oud Junkie
Posts: 581
Registered: 7-9-2008
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Hi Jaron, how if you would join with some other oud players and place an order together?
best wishes
Robert
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jaron
Oud Maniac
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Hi Robert,
Well, first I was hoping that someone might have tried the rishas from Nilecart, and might be able to describe them. They are expensive- maybe they
are worth the money. Maybe not...
-Jaron
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jazzchiss
Oud Junkie
Posts: 217
Registered: 12-20-2004
Location: Madrid
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Mood: Improvising
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Hello. I bought 6 large rishas from Egiptcart about one year ago and I'm still using the first. This is the best risha I've ever tried.
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
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Mood: play my ouds
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Hello my friends.
How can we order this rishas?
What is the standard length of them?
Regards
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MatthewW
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1031
Registered: 11-5-2006
Location: right here
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Hi all- I'd like to ask jazzchiss of these are genuine 100% horn rishas- I bought a couple from Nile Shop (which is more or less the same business as
Egypt Cart) about two years ago and assumed they were genuine horn. I hadn't used horn rishas before so I wasn't sure but I wasn't totally convinced
they were. I even soaked them in olive oil for a while to get them in top shape. anyway I had the chance to show one to a well known professional oud
player (who I won't name) in London and he smiled and and said it was plastic!  c'est la vie. maybe it was some kind of mistake, but if these are genuine horn rishas, I might consider to try another order with them.....
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jazzchiss
Oud Junkie
Posts: 217
Registered: 12-20-2004
Location: Madrid
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Spyros: You can order them at http://www.nilecart.com/oudpicks.htm
The length can vary. Mine are from 8 to 11 inches. I'm using the shortest as is, but I suppose I'll split the rest in two pieces.
Matthew: Mine are horn. They are not from plastic or other artificial material like those created by Jameel (in Egypt it's cheaper to
use natural material). Horn rishas do not get worn out as much as the plastic ones, but they can have irregularities than make them break.
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Maher
Oud Addict
Posts: 33
Registered: 7-27-2007
Location: Tampa, Florida
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Jazzchiss,
aren't these the same picks but cheaper?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Oud-Pick-Cow-Horn-6-Pack_W0QQitemZ360107718305Q...
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
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Mood: play my ouds
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Thanks oud-brother.
Regards
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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
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Hi oud-bros,
The question I started with was whether the eBay/Amazon horn rishas (which all come from the Mid East company) are the same as the ones from
Nilecart. I have a batch from the Mid East company, and they are not remotely in the same league as the one that came with the Azar oud. I have now
ordered a batch from Nilecart, and will report on what they are like. It appears the rishas from Nilecart are different at least in that they seem to
be longer, on average.
Does anyone on this board know Mr. Azar? If so, could you ask him about the origin of the super risha? Maybe he makes them...
Thanks!
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
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Mood: play my ouds
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Interesting......
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rojaros
Oud Junkie
Posts: 581
Registered: 7-9-2008
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Hi everybody,
I want to let you know that I ordered horn rishas from nilecart and already got them. Very quick delivery.
It's certainly not cheap, but they are very well made and it's a wonderfull material, and as I have the experience of making horn rishas by myself I
know how much time and energy it takes to do it.
Absolutely recommandable; something quite different in feel from al the plastic rishas I know, though they can bi good, too.
best wishes
Robert
PS some of them are so long that you could even make two of one.
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francis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 428
Registered: 4-8-2008
Location: Saintes , France
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I just order to Nilecart . I give you my opinion when I get the rishas . I just hope this order won't be a disaster like the lasts......I'm really
unlucky when I order through the forum: oud, case........But the things have to change!
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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Man they are WAY too expensive to try!! If you could please give a comment or review to decide if I order them. They would be great if they are
genuine and sound good.
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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I didn't mean to be mean.. Rojaros absolutely recommends them. But I just want to get the opinion of more than one member.
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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
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They DO seem expensive, although if they are really great, then the price is reasonable- but a few people might want to share the expense of a batch
of them.
I ordered a batch a week and a half ago, and they were supposed to arrive in less than one week, because the only shipping option available was an
expensive, quick one...
They have not arrived, and am trying to see if I can get a tracking number or something...
Hopefully they WILL arrive sometime soon, and I will be able to reveal whether they are the same or different from the Mid-East/Amazon/eBay rishas.
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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
Registered: 6-14-2008
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If anyone from Egyptcart or Nilecart reads this forum, could you please contact me? When I was deciding whether to order, I always received email
responses almost instantly, as if you never slept, but now I have not been able to get a response. What I would like is a tracking number for my
order of rishas, which should have arrived via the expensive express service on Monday. Thanks so much.
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Reda Aouad
Oud Junkie
Posts: 553
Registered: 1-2-2009
Location: Lebanon
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That is not reassuring..
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Alessandro
Oud Lover
Posts: 16
Registered: 8-14-2007
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hi lads and lasses
i bought a pack of these egyptcart horn risha about a year back. they are the best that i have tried to date and yes, some of them are so long you
can cut them in half and make two pics. i too had to wait it out a little, but then i wasn't in a hurry ; i wasn't planning on having them for lunch
on the day of estimated delivery.
love and peace to you all
Al
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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
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Alessandro, I'm feeling as though I ought to defend my powers of patience... Am only trying to get a tracking number- $52 is a lot for some rishas.
They ought to fit in a regular document envelope, even at 12 inches, and one reason for the high price is that there is no choice but to pay for the
"guaranteed seven day" express service. I received an email when the rishas were shipped, so I knew when to expect them. At such a price for mailing
an envelope, even from Egypt, there is probably a way to track the shipment. I only posted here because I didn't get an email response from the
seller for four days after I contacted them- which was already a few days later than the guaranteed delivery. When an express delivery service
doesn't deliver something, it is reasonable to want to make use of the tracking ability.
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rojaros
Oud Junkie
Posts: 581
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As I wrote they came quickly and well packed between to slices of styropur, so they were well protected, but it was quite a huge parcel for the
content.
They come in differentthisknesses and some of them can be divided in two, so you can taylor yor own shape and strength the a usual nail file and
polisch them with super fine sandpaper - its really a great raw material.
Even if I would count an hour of work with 5$ I couldn't produce these qulaity of rishas for that money - and it's a lot of dirt und bone dust,
btw.
If you're really serious about wanting to play horn rishas, I think they are the best way to go ... of course I hope the nilecart behave trustworthy
as they did to me ...
best wishes
Robert
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Alessandro
Oud Lover
Posts: 16
Registered: 8-14-2007
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Hi Jaron,
It was just a little gag, nothing serious.
Good luck with the risha
al
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DaveH
Oud Junkie
Posts: 526
Registered: 12-23-2005
Location: Birmingham, UK
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Seems a little wierd, no? How come they force you to pay through the nose for 7 day guaranteed delivery on the rishas and then seem to lose whole ouds
through cheap couriers?
All in the Nileshop game y'awl (sorry, been watching too much of the wire)
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jaron
Oud Maniac
Posts: 84
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The rishas arrived! So here is what I learned.
The Nilecart rishas are most definitely NOT the same rishas that are distributed by the mid-east company and sold through Amazon and eBay. The ones
from Nileshop are smoother, longer, wider, thinner, shinier, and more flexible.
The horn rishas from Nileshop are, in my opinion, clearly better than the ones from Amazon/eBay.
The ends of the Nilecart rishas were not finished. I had to cut and smooth them myself.
I like the results a lot. The feeling to the hand is a little like a modern risha, like the Pyramid one, but I believe the tone is more varied and
warmer. The improvement is subtle enough that I might be fooling myself. I also find a certain internal bouncy feeling while playing tremolos that
is pleasant and helpful.
Still, the horn risha found in the Azar oud is much better still. The Azar risha was almost transparent in places, even though it was actually quite
thick in the middle. It tapered to a very smooth, regular, and thin edge. I found I could articulate the Azar risha to get a wider range of tones
than with any other risha.
Even though they were expensive, I'm glad to have these rishas around, and I thank Nilecart for making them available.
As far as the shipping: I first contacted the company to ask for the tracking number 3 days after the guaranteed seven day delivery date, and it took
almost a week to hear back. The rishas arrived almost three weeks after the order was paid for. Other board members have received them very
quickly.
The packing was protective, which is important because these rishas are a little fragile. One of them was broken near the middle when it arrived,
leaving two pieces that might not be quite long enough to be useful.
I think it's amazing that we live in a world where you can order rishas from Cairo at all, so I'm very happy.
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shareen
Oud Junkie
Posts: 218
Registered: 8-28-2007
Location: Upstate New York
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Mood: Dreaming
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Personally I did not like these rishis. They were way to thin for me. Good luck everyone.
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