BBD
Oud Admirer
Posts: 8
Registered: 6-28-2009
Location: USA
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Secret behind the Egyptian Ouds
why are good quality Egyptian ouds very hard to find, I did some searches and my god I heard some of the most amazing Egyptian oud sound clips. My
visit to Cairo I was not so lucky I was taken to a street where they had many instruments and Oud makers and they were all bad quality and sound even
worst. I have been playing on Iraqi style ouds forever and I really need a change, I wish I can find some quality Egyptian ouds. I know Turkish ouds
are easier to obtain at the hight end but not the Egyptian.
Any help
Thank you
Moe
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1865
Registered: 7-25-2009
Location: San Francisco, California
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Mood: m'Oudy
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There are more experienced lovers of Egyptian ouds here, but here are my thoughts anyway. For one thing Mohamed Ali street has apparently become more
of a tourist trap, so that's out unless you have some help. Some good Egyptian ouds seem to pop up elsewhere marked up and attributed to others. But
there are some reliable makers that sell under their own name, including Maurice Shehata, Fathy Amin and so on.
I was surprised at first at the lack of attention to finish on many Egyptian ouds, but then realized that some very fine-sounding ouds hide behind a
rough exterior. Not everybody places the same value on different aspects of the instrument. I was lucky to be ignorant enough to buy a not-so-tasteful
Egyptian oud that turned out to sound more and more incredible. And not everybody wants the old-fashioned timbre. It seems a lot of younger
professionals favor the more piercing Iraqi style ouds. And then there's the recording process that in skilled hands, or by accident, can turn a
pumpkin into a toad, or a fairy. The Ryadh Sunbati recordings I hear most have been processed, to reduce noise, in a way that makes the oud sound even
more "clipped" and percussive. When I listened more carefully I realized his oud actually sounded more Iraqi than I thought. So it's likely a
combination of the above? Probably you need to (slowly?) develop some contacts in Egypt.
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oudtab
Oud Maniac
Posts: 85
Registered: 3-17-2009
Location: France
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Bonjour BBD,
You can see this video about an egyptian luthier posted by Mr fernandraynaud : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsJWcgnuHGc
and http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=10098&p...
A very serious egyptian luthier at : http://www.mauriceouds.com
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Danielo
Oud Junkie
Posts: 365
Registered: 7-17-2008
Location: Paris
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Hi,
I agree with Michael, Shehata ouds are very good, extremely responsive and very easy to play.. Many famous Egyptian players use them.
I owned one and I regret having sold it 
You have to order directly in Egypt, but Mike can help you 
If you are lucky you can find a good deal on a used one in the US but they don't appear very often on the market...
regards,
Dan
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bibo10
Oud Junkie
Posts: 300
Registered: 11-10-2008
Location: New Jersey, USA
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its unfortunate to say that you are correct, its hard to find good egyptian ouds. HOWEVER, the good egyptian ouds are very good. As mentioned above
maurice and fathy amin make great ouds. i own a fathy amin myself and i absolutely love it not to mention that its a basic level fathy amin.
there is also a great egyptian luthier, Michael Moussa also known as magdy moussa. he lives in england. his website is http://www.magicstrings.co.uk
search his name here on the forum and will find some amazing ouds by him
good luck
these are the only egyptian luthiers i know, but i am sure some members here can tell you about few others
+++++++++++
Michael-GOD BLESS EGYPT
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BBD
Oud Admirer
Posts: 8
Registered: 6-28-2009
Location: USA
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Thanks so much for the input guys and for confirming my theory as I was almost certain I was getting sucked into a tourist area for musical
instruments and that was not what I wanted.
I really do want my next Oud to be of high quality Egyptian I will be heading over to Dubai in the winter break and check out Maurice ouds. a good oud
is worth every penny. fernandraynaud I think am heading towards the same direction you are as well with Sound yes a great Iraqi oud is a great oud
and I have 2 of them would never trade nor sell. some nights when I sit playing the oud I have a different mood or play style which other types of oud
would suit better for.
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