Zach123
Oud Admirer
Posts: 8
Registered: 10-4-2020
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I bought a zeryab and I want your opinion on it
I bought this specific oud on eBay and I got a huge discount on it. It is being delivered to me but I was wondering what do you guys think of this
oud?
I have never played oud before but I play guitar and keyboard.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shemi-1-Arabic-Professional-Syrian-Oud-Made...
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Daryush
Oud Lover
Posts: 15
Registered: 7-15-2020
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Hello,
I have a similar Zeryab oud and I am very happy with it. The one I have is very resonant, and has lots of overtones. Some people prefer what I
perceive as the more 'muted' or 'direct' sound of other (generally non-Syrian) ouds, but both types sound good in their own way. I think you will be
very happy with it. Personally I have found I prefer to play the Zeryab with the Aquila nyglut strings which suit it very well in my opinion.
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Zach123
Oud Admirer
Posts: 8
Registered: 10-4-2020
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Quote: Originally posted by Daryush  | Hello,
I have a similar Zeryab oud and I am very happy with it. The one I have is very resonant, and has lots of overtones. Some people prefer what I
perceive as the more 'muted' or 'direct' sound of other (generally non-Syrian) ouds, but both types sound good in their own way. I think you will be
very happy with it. Personally I have found I prefer to play the Zeryab with the Aquila nyglut strings which suit it very well in my opinion.
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Thank you for your response. I hope I enjoy it too.
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ChanningPDX
Oud Maniac
Posts: 96
Registered: 10-15-2016
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I have an earlier version of the same model that I bought used a couple of years ago.
I had to do a bit of work on it, but once I did, I was pretty happy with it. I would suggest replacing the cheap wooden nut with a bone nut at some
point. (I got one from Yaron Naor--you can also order from him on eBay.) I also bored out some of the peg holes a bit more with a reamer and used some
peg compound to improve their fit. At first I thought I might need to replace the pegs, but now they hold their tuning incredibly well.
On my oud, the fingerboard is made of zan wood, which is softer than ebony. The previous owner of mine had left large gouges under the rast (middle C)
and jaharkah (F) notes. I filled these with epoxy then planed the fingerboard and covered it with a couple of coats of thin epoxy, similar to what
some fretless bassists do. I wound not necessarily recommend doing this yourself, and I don't think I'd do it again, but in my case, I got lucky and
the thing's hard as a rock now with no visible signs of wear.
The fingerboard on yours looks pretty similar, but it's hard to tell if it's the same wood. One less intense and invasive thing that might help the
longevity of the fingerboard is to give it a coat of tung oil in a few months when you change the strings and then periodically touch it up with
subsequent string changes. There are some helpful threads on the forum with advice for how to do this.
It's no vintage Nahat, but all in all, it's a good instrument for the price if you're prepared to do a bit of work on it. I just put a set of Pyramid
lute strings on mine (courtesy of the Oudstrings.com blowout sale), and I'm very happy with how it sounds.
Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. I'm sure your oud teacher will also be helpful in getting it set up. (Hopefully you've found
one of those as well.)
Good luck!
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Zach123
Oud Admirer
Posts: 8
Registered: 10-4-2020
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| Quote: Originally posted by ChanningPDX | I have an earlier version of the same model that I bought used a couple of years ago.
I had to do a bit of work on it, but once I did, I was pretty happy with it. I would suggest replacing the cheap wooden nut with a bone nut at some
point. (I got one from Yaron Naor--you can also order from him on eBay.) I also bored out some of the peg holes a bit more with a reamer and used some
peg compound to improve their fit. At first I thought I might need to replace the pegs, but now they hold their tuning incredibly well.
On my oud, the fingerboard is made of zan wood, which is softer than ebony. The previous owner of mine had left large gouges under the rast (middle C)
and jaharkah (F) notes. I filled these with epoxy then planed the fingerboard and covered it with a couple of coats of thin epoxy, similar to what
some fretless bassists do. I wound not necessarily recommend doing this yourself, and I don't think I'd do it again, but in my case, I got lucky and
the thing's hard as a rock now with no visible signs of wear.
The fingerboard on yours looks pretty similar, but it's hard to tell if it's the same wood. One less intense and invasive thing that might help the
longevity of the fingerboard is to give it a coat of tung oil in a few months when you change the strings and then periodically touch it up with
subsequent string changes. There are some helpful threads on the forum with advice for how to do this.
It's no vintage Nahat, but all in all, it's a good instrument for the price if you're prepared to do a bit of work on it. I just put a set of Pyramid
lute strings on mine (courtesy of the Oudstrings.com blowout sale), and I'm very happy with how it sounds.
Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions. I'm sure your oud teacher will also be helpful in getting it set up. (Hopefully you've found
one of those as well.)
Good luck! |
Thank you so much. It has cleared customs and it will be here next week perhaps. When it is here I will let you know how it sounds and how it feels.
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