coolsciguy
Oud Junkie
Posts: 225
Registered: 5-14-2020
Location: Washington D.C.
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Help me identify this oud
Hi folks,
Someone in my town is selling this oud. From the rosette I can read "Mohammad Khalife". Perhaps this oud is an earlier model of zeryabs made by the
Khalife family? Is anyone familiar with this oud or it's maker?
Cheers
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2918
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Zeryab (Ali Khalifeh, I think?) and Zaher Khalifeh are both from the same Khalifeh family that has produced ouds in Syria for a long time. The
Khalifeh name has generally been associated with factory-built ouds of varying quality.
The quality of the earlier generation of Khalifehs was reasonably good, but generally declined through the 1980s-90s while still producing some good
ouds. Often they are solid, with a good if somewhat rough sound, but pegs and fingerboards are often poor quality woods, with pegs being poorly
shaped/fit.
The ones from the 60s and 70s, by the earlier generation, are generally well-regarded. Zeryab has done a good job of raising the standards of the
'factory' production ouds, while Zaher has been making fine handmade instruments.
This oud is interesting with the lined fingerboard (less common). The pegs look to be above-average quality (likely replaced, almost always a big
improvement) and the face appears to be decent wood as well, so this might be one of the more desirable ones. I'd be concerned about the damage
(which will also make it impossible to assess the potential sound of the instrument). If it is a good price and you have access to an excellent oud
repair person, it might be worth fixing up. These were never to the standards of truly handmade instruments, but were at times good "workhorse"
instruments.
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coolsciguy
Oud Junkie
Posts: 225
Registered: 5-14-2020
Location: Washington D.C.
Member Is Offline
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Thank you Brian, comprehensive information as always. Oud is priced at $180. Unfortunately I don’t have access to any local luthiers (though have
heard of some lute makers In Baltimore, about an hour away) but am intrigued by your suggestion of having it repaired.
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