drovla
Oud Lover
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Oud from Cairo for $180?
Hello, I am visiting family in another state and there is an Egyptian Oud for sale for $180. The label on the inside has a Cairo phone number in blue
writing and there is a picture of a man and a woman. Any suggestions whether or not to buy? I haven't seen it yet. I just spoke with the person
selling it. Thanks in advance.
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Marina
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Too little information.
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
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Indeed, too little information. WHICH man and WHICH woman? 
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FastForward
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Quote: Originally posted by drovla  | | Hello, I am visiting family in another state and there is an Egyptian Oud for sale for $180. The label on the inside has a Cairo phone number in blue
writing and there is a picture of a man and a woman. Any suggestions whether or not to buy? I haven't seen it yet. I just spoke with the person
selling it. Thanks in advance. |
I have been trying to resist replying to this all day, but I don't think I can. This is probably the most hilarious request for identifying an Oud
that I have seen. No pun intended.
Did the guy also tell you what color was the oud, or how many strings it had!!!
I wish I could be of more help, but definitely, we need more meaningful info.
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dubai244
Oud Junkie
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Hi Drovla,
I have got a car for sell that has wheels, gear, body. Lights are also include. Please advise to buy this car or not?
Your question is similar to my question above.
To identify this oud, we need to know following: Wood kind and color, the maker of this oud (The women and the man in the picture), Sound file and
pictures must be there.
Thanks
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drovla
Oud Lover
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Ok, ok....so I didn't provide much information. Fortunately I don't need a car otherwise I would have to check out the one dubai244 is selling.
:-)
Here is a picture. I guess my real question is if any "playable" oud could possibly be only $180? What should I be looking for in this particular
instrument? I have never played an oud and I am just learning about these incredible instruments. Thanks again for anyone's help.
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msimon
Oud Maniac
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The oud in the picture seems to be cheeply made, and I would not go for it personally, but still, not enough info. The pegs in the picture are not
going to turn, so tuning will not be and easy task. Also, I don't know how many strings that oud has, but it seems like the type of cheap "egyptian
deluxe ouds" that would come with ten strings. Also, pay attention to the fine detail on it, because I will bet that the fingerboard is rough, and not
flush with the soundboard.
Good Luck,
MS
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
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A higher rez photo would help if you have it.
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drovla
Oud Lover
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Unfortunately I don't have another photo. This is what was posted online. Thanks for you help though.
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fernandraynaud
Oud Junkie
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OK, somebody's gotta take mercy on you. I'll tell ya what I've learned. It does look like one of the cheap Egyptians. They get $200-300 for them new,
so you might be better off getting a new one with a return guarantee. You can't tell at this resolution, the photo is exceptionally bad, but there are
some good old ouds that don't look all that different, and might be worth 3 to 5 times the $180. The fact that it appears to have two pickups
home-brew mounted on the face suggests someone with a little technical know-how owned it, so it might be above average, in which case this could be a
good deal. If you know guitars, you know how to check the neck for straightness, and since there is no truss rod, know that it's not easily
correctable. Ideally, the action at the nut should be 1mm, at the neck-bowl joint it should be 3-6mm, depending on what you like. The soundboard
should be level, a tiny rise behind the bridge is OK, the nut end of the neck should lie 2-3mm back from the plane of the soundboard, and preferably
the instrument should resonate strongly on many notes in its entire range, not just "boom" in one area. It looks like it has 5 courses, probably 9
strings, and Arabic ouds can have 9 to 12 strings. The construction should be light, like under 3 lbs, and a good oud shouldn't require playing hard
to come alive. It's not unusual for the soundboard to be unfinished, in which case it can optionally be French Polished with a little alcohol based
shellac to protect it. Bad/old strings can make an oud sound worse than it is. If you have a good luthier, or you can read and are handy with basic
tools, you can correct a lot of problems, but it's very hard to improve a dull oud that sounds like rubber bands on a cigar box. Good luck!
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MatthewW
Oud Junkie
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Hi drovla- some good advice posted above.
If you can afford to spend any more on an oud do so, usually the more you can spend on an oud the better the quality (unless you get lucky!). Get the
best you can afford in your budget and get yourself a nice oud to learn on and keep- once you start playing the oud you'll get hooked and be glad you
went that extra mile.
There are many used ouds for sale in the forum, some may be in your budget. there is a guy in Canada named Yori who used to be Haluk Eryadin's North
American distributor ( Haluk was a great Turkish oud maker who made very nice and affordable 'student' ouds who sadly is no longer with us). He may
have some ouds. you'll find his link in this posting:
http://www.mikeouds.com/messageboard/viewthread.php?tid=9359#pid625...
If you find an oud that you think may work for you, just ask about it in the forum. there are always many helpful members who can tell you if it's a
good buy or not.
good luck, MW
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drovla
Oud Lover
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Wow! Thanks to both fernandraynaud and MatthewW! As it is obvious in my posts I am just learning about ouds. In fact up until a few months ago I
knew of the instrument, but didn't even know what it was called. I appreciate the kind words and helpful tips. I was just turned on to a guy by the
name of John Bilezikjian who lives within a couple hours of me in Los Angeles. I emailed him and he invited me down for a visit and demonstration.
Wish me luck!
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