charlie oud
Oud Junkie
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Location: Newcastle upon tyne. UK
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Zeryab Shami#1
Just wanted to share that I have had one of these ouds for a few months now and I really love it. So nice to play and has a distinct reliable Arabic
tone. It was the clip below by Omar Al Mufti which inspired me to buy. This is the Shami#1 model by Zeryab, mine sounds the same. Hope he doesn't mind
me sharing the video. He also has some very nice professional recordings on his youtube channel. I am gradually starting to wonder if expensive ouds
are worth bothering with. As a singer and guitarist I recently bought an Epiphone DR100 acoustic guitar to accompany myself. Cost £89 (GBP). I prefer
it to my expensive Martin Guitar and used it for a cd recording. Each to their own I guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LKu-O6rl-4
Best Wishes, Charlie
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MattOud
Oud Junkie
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Oh yes, the video with the 'dishes' in the background  ) )
I've watched this one before and my wife commented listening from the other room, 'who's doing dishes'
Anyways, great video and OUD. I agree with you charlie.
I own a taylor 614CE which i love, but after many years, i am happy with some cheaper guitarss that have a nice sound that i have found. It all has to
do with taste.
I have one -so-called by some- wallhanger OUD that when i record it, people think it sounds pretty good. I am starting to think it isn't so bad after
all and i play it as much as my other oud which was much more in price.They both sound different but lovely to my ears.
I would LOVE this one as well. It sounds really good.
cheers,
Matt
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charlie oud
Oud Junkie
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Your reply is exactly on par Matt, thank you. Regarding the dishes, I love the way Omar is completely unphased by the domestic background
accompaniment. Also regarding expensive ouds, I mean no disrespect to the fine makers who have to charge a good price to make a living but when it
comes to sound I no longer consider the cost of the Oud or Guitar. Interestingly the Epiphone DR-100 is made in China, probably more by machine than
man, but a local experienced Luthier thinks the construction and timber quality are excellent. Indeed, as you say, in the end it all has to do with
taste. Enjoy the wall hanger, it may end up being 'the' one!!!
Best Wishes, Charlie
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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I haven't yet found a low price oud that compares well to the best work of the more expensive luthiers but when it comes to guitars, oh yes indeed I
certainly agree. Recording King (and "The Loar") has some $200 and $300 guitars that are made in China that are better instruments than many new
guitars from the famous workshops.
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charlie oud
Oud Junkie
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Interesting Jody. It seems the guitar construction industry has come of age and can deliver a decent sound for a very reasonable price. I agree that
this is yet to happen with Oud manufacture and guess there isn't the demand to develop in this way. That said I do love this little gem from Zeryab. I
have 2 fairly expensive individually made ouds, one very old, the other quite recent. I also have a Sukar oud. I prefer the Zeryab and the Sukar above
the others. perhaps that's just my taste or I've been to hasty in assuming an individually made oud must be better. A friend of mine has an oud by
Kamil Mowais in Palestine. Now there's a maker I am very taken with. His focus is always on quality of sound and he achieves this every time. On my
shopping list!!!
Best Wishes, Charlie
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MattOud
Oud Junkie
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I guess it is like anything when you think of it.
More money= potential to buy a better OUD, meaning it will be made with better woods and construction thus being much better.
But it seems to me, that OUD creation has been very independent for some time and only somewhat recently are plans and such being made available and
standardized more. This being said, even finding a very good, old, luthier made oud does not mean that that manuafacturer knew how to make the best
sounding oud, or maybe he did and made an amazing oud. Each one being different.
I recently watched an interesting Faruk Turunz video where he shows how he stumbled on trying to get the frequencies inside the guitar to sound good
by experimenting and mathematics, which he has obviously figured out now. But it took him years and only more recently adding this element....
Personally, i am willing to try any OUD currently I would take anything just to
have a chance to play it!
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charlie oud
Oud Junkie
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Yes. It's a little baffling. Let's face it the oud has been around for 3500 yrs or more. One would think it's about time some standardisation for
sound had been achieved. Rock on Faruk
Best Wishes, Charlie
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Jody Stecher
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But "here's the thing": standardization of building method doesn't guarantee standardization of sound. Because wood is a living material. Even boards
from the exact same tree do not produce the same result. About 10 years ago I played two 1937 Martin D 18 guitars. They had consecutive serial
numbers. They could not have been more different. One could speculate that they had different treatment and environments in the years since they were
made but another event convinced me that that is not the decisive factor. About 30 or 35 years ago I had the opportunity to examine 20 or more brand
new Yamaha guitars just arrived in California from Japan. All were the same model. None had been played. I think I wrote about this in this forum a
few years ago. Let's see.... Yes! here it is copy and pasted from 2012. I was replying to a thread about whether a factory-made Sandi lavta could be a
viable instrument:
"I can't comment on Sandi lavtas, having never seen one, but I have a 12 year old Sandi oud that is excellent and not at all generic in sound or
response. It may be due to luck rather than the vision and skill of a single luthier but this can happen. An instructive experience I had about 25
years ago which by coincidence is apropos of Yamaha guitars will explain what I mean by "luck." I happened to be present when a shipment of several
dozen Yamaha guitars arrived at a warehouse associated with a music store where I worked. They were all the same model and had successive serial
numbers and were obviously made from the same timber. They all had the same kind of strings too. I tried each one. The first one was blah. No
character. The second one was worse, like furniture with strings. The third one was not too bad. The fourth one startled me because it was a viable
musical instrument. It was ugly to look at but it played well. The fifth one was even better. I could have used it at any gig or recording session.
The sixth one was so stiff and unresponsive it seemed to be made of iron. The seventh one played as if it were made of cardboard. The sound was dull.
the eighth one would be no worse if it were made out of mud. The soggy sound seemed to be filtered through a damp mattress. The ninth one was dry and
sharp and annoying to play. The tenth was good. The eleventh was very good. the twelfth was very very good. The thirteenth one was completely inert.
And so it went. I concluded that a lot of what makes a string instrument viable is the compatibility of the woods. It seems that a single tree will
not give a uniform musical sound from every board. When the soundboard, sides, back, neck, and bridge are compatible a "system" (for lack of a better
word) is established and everything cooperates harmoniously. I have no doubt that a skilled luthier can make things even better but there is always
the luck element. Anyway it may well be that there are viable Sandi factory lavtas that have real character. C F Martin guitars are made in a factory
and over the years they turned out some real doozies. (and some clunkers as well). And don't forget that some excellent luthiers who now have their
own workshops worked at instrument factories earlier in their lives. If one of these luthiers worked on a vital part of the construction of an oud or
lavta or guitar at a factory this instrument has the touch of the master's hand even if it is a "factory instrument". This is also "luck". "
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Jody Stecher
Oud Junkie
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To the above I should add that yes Faruk T has taken into account the differences in each piece of wood and created measures to get the best out of
each board. I would say that is the opposite of standardization.
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