Abraham Oud for Mike

Thanks everybody! This oud is taking me way longer than I had planned. I recently made some changes to my workshop, and am just finishing it up, so I'll be able to work on Mike's oud more regularly. In fact, I just did some work on it yesterday afternoon. Nothing worth shooting, but I'm making some progress. I'm hoping to have this oud done by late February, when Simon Shaheen is scheduled for a concert in my area. He's supposed to be here for three days doing workshops and lectures, so I may have some video to share with this oud being played by him. That would be fun. I'm also hoping that Brian will be performing with Shaheen, so I can get his much-valued impressions of it as well.

P.S. Here's a little picture from today's midwest ice storm. We were without power for about 6 hours. I watched at least 4 trees, one of them about 18" in diameter, come crashing down in the woods behind my house. The wind is supposed to pick up tonight, so if you all never hear from me again, you'll know one of these giants came through the roof! I have my ouds in hard cases tonight....

All danger aside, at least you guys get to have a white Christmas on the other side. We never have a white Christmas

Beautiful photo Jameel - not to mention the oud...

Getting close...

Latest update: neck shaped, neck attached to bowl, pegbox attached to neck.








Looking like an oud!

Wow, amazing as usual...

Piiiou Jameel!! B...B...Beautiful! I mean like an aoud, like a Nahat

Hi Mike, thats an elegant looking oud my friend I hope it brings you more luck and prosperity for the new year, you deserve it all buddy for creating this outstanding community

Jameloo the man, another gem in your crown and tis one is a big diamond one. If I get some of Mike's luck at poker I be next one your customers list

By the way Jameel I think you're a master of photography too specially oud one, I always liked your clear and detailed photos, thanks a million man.

best regards to you all,

Awad

Bracing

Jameelo decided to build a go-bar clamping deck to do the bracing. It allowed him to have access to the edges to clean off any excess glue. In a nutshell, he just presses the glued brace into position, holds for a moment, then springs the bars into position. No need to fiddle with clamps. Good stuff.

Thanks everybody! This oud is taking me longer than any I've done so far, and I'm paying for it too. Best to make these things quickly. Letting parts sit about while we do our "real" day-to-day work is not wise. Parts that I fit this summer are now too loose, even though I keep my shop conditioned, and the humidity always stays within 20% +/-. Maybe that's too much. In a perfect world our shops are always 50% humidity, right?

Anyways, rant officially over!

Jonathan, I feel the same about your posts. I enjoy them. It seems you are a lot faster than me. Maybe I'm too tedious? I almost feel like making rustic furniture for a while to give the brain a rest.

The go bars are oak and some other grainy wood. I just grabbed a board from my shelf that looked relatively straight-grained and started ripping. I think the best wood is ash, since it's springy but strong. The square cross section is probably not the best since it's a bit squirley depending on how it wants to twist around, but I wanted to get this done. I'll probably make some nicer ones eventually. I've read about guys using fiberglass kite spars. That seems like a good idea. I hate buying this kind of stuff from lutherie houses since they usually gouge you. The big box store here has fiberglass rods for marking the edges of your driveway--for the snow plow guy--can't imagine you could get those in your area! But they are like $2 each. That's like $100 for 50 bars. Too much! The wood works fine. In fact, I think a real good choice would be a nice straight thin branch since the grain is guaranteed straight. There's probably a lot of info on the web about go-bars. This is really a quick and dirty one I made.

EDIT: I should mention that the top of the deck should be Baltic Birch plywood or a double layer of MDF or softwood ply. A single layer of 3/4" MDF is too weak. I had to clamp a 2x4 to the top once all the bars were in place. That's a lot of pressure!! It was deflecting like 1" over 20".

I found some fiberglass rods here: http://www.intothewind.com/shop/Repair_and_Kitemaking/Fiberglass_Ro...

way cheaper than lmii or stewmac

Lovley work and lovley workshop......

and what caught my attention is the view out the window....It's so beautiful, and inspiring.

I'm sitting here typing this post with 42 degree heat pouring through my window. I'm not a big fan of the heat

Quote:

Originally posted by Melbourne Lovley work and lovley workshop...... and what caught my attention is the view out the window....It's so beautiful, and inspiring. I'm sitting here typing this post with 42 degree heat pouring through my window. I'm not a big fan of the heat

Jameel, what can I say, but thanks for all the updates -- I appreciate the artistry involved in the building of the insturments as much as the finished product. Good with the ice dancing

Happy New Year...Paul

Jameel - done deal!

One condition - the trade in comes with all the skills, artistry and craftsmanship


Happy New Year!

samer

More progress....

Braces are set, pickguard and bridge are done...





Next came a decision on the pickguard design. After a number of emails back and forth...thanks for the patience Jameelo...we were in between these two.


Finally, we decided to go with a design that is on Hamza el-Dinn's oud.


Here's a shot of the pickguard (this is the backside of it) and completed bridge, followed by a frontal shot of the soundboard.

Bravo Jameel! And thank you... I saw earlier that there is a clone , I take remaining one
One question: Is it authorized to put the NaHat logo little bird on a NaHat style oud and not authentic Nahat? I guess so, if you do it, but how is this possible?
Good continuation, oud Wizard

Quote:

Originally posted by gilgamesh Bravo Jameel! And thank you... I saw earlier that there is a clone , I take remaining one One question: Is it authorized to put the NaHat logo little bird on a NaHat style oud and not authentic Nahat? I guess so, if you do it, but how is this possible? Good continuation, oud Wizard

Not like there are any Nahats around to gripe about someone copying their designs. As a matter of fact, if Abdo (or Hunna, Toufiq etc) was around to chew me out, I would welcome it, and any other tips he could give me!

I think this is probably true Brian. Nazih Ghadban seems to own an instrument (below) by Toufik Kadamani who according to Mr.Ghadban "made the ornaments and Mozaik to Nahats"


As you can see, the quality of this maker's work here is identical to that of the very best Nahats.

You can catch a sound file and more pictures of this oud here:
http://www.oudnazihghadban.com/users/special.asp

Hello Zalzoula
As far as I can remember of old Eastern iconography lessons, you're right.
Birds symbolize the spiritual state, the superior states of being. Their flight makes them to serve as symbols to the relationship between heaven and hearth.Birds are -especially in Islam- the symbols of the angels; The birds language mentioned in the Koran is the angels langage, spiritual knowledge;
The Birds such as those of the Avicenna "the bird stories" or those of Fari-od-Din Attâr, feed themself from the tree of knowledge as souls engaged in the initiatory quest. I cannot imagine better animal on a oud !Personally I like a lot ducks! ciao

I will agree with Johnathan on the theory that the bird and vine patterns have thier origin in religious arts. As many would know, the Nahats were Christians, as were and still are, many oud makers thorughout the Arab world. The bird and vine pattern is a theme that can be found on many many carved wooden Iconostasis screens in eastern churches, and this is a Byzantine tradition going back many centuries.

And Jameel, as to the size of the central shams, I think the other thing that tricks the eye is the amount of detail in the shams. I compared the shams of oud 2 and oud 4, and the 4 seems to have a lot more going on, especially towards the centre. Do you ever entertain the idea of doing an entire raqma in Arabic calligraphy? that would just be the icing on the cake

It's not my post anyway, Jonathan. Mike started it, so you'll have to deal with his wrath and fury!

These designs are all gorgeous. But I know where they all originated. I have a grape vine on my back patio, and enjoy watching the birds flit around in the summertime. Different religions may place certain symbolic meaning to scenes from nature, but I think these designs are used because they echo real-life images that are pleasing, and especially in the case of birds, musical. The bird-and-vine motif is found all around the world. Here is another example.

Melbourne,

Yes, this rosette is more detailed, the calligraphy in the center smaller. I might do a maqamat rosette someday. Honestly though, I think aesthetically the floral/geometric ones are much prettier. Although the maqamat shams, especially the "Hamza El Din" Abdo example is the pinnacle of craftsmanship.

Thanks Ronny for chiming in!

A funny story about this subject. When I did my first neck inlay with the swans (my #2), I was pretty stoked about how it turned out. I was showing everybody the results and telling them about the original "delicate swan and vine" design from the Nahat workshops. I was proud to have a row of swans cruising down the fingerboard! My pride was cut short however when my 8-year old nephew saw the oud for the first time, looked at the fingerboard and said "what's with the ducks?"

You're a special man Jameel, Keep up the great work!

Congrats Mr Mike, looks like its gonna be a monster...Cant wait to hear it!

All the best,

JT

As for the birds and flowers of Kadamani 1943 oud, Mr. Ghadban says that even laser cannot do such perfect cuts.

Concerning the rosettes, nothing proves that the Nahat used to do them themselves or not, the fact is that Syria was and still is particularly rich in talented craftsmen, so nothing is surprising. What I find specially attractive in the Nahat ouds are the rosettes

I hate you all. Especially you JV!

So I can keep this one then?

Not so fast party people. Okay, I love everybody again!

Label is in and face is on. Check it out!!!

Alien abducts Jameelo and works on oud...

Is that Canadian? What did you have to drink cousin?

Yes, I'm gluing in the single line of walnut in the video. And just for fun I decided part way to destroy it with the iron and do it twice. )Yeah, nerve wracking is right. You can't believe how I'm itching to get this done. I find myself looking up in the shop to make sure nothing can fall on the oud while I work on it. And it goes back in a hard case after each session--I have more time, blood and sweat in this one than #2, so I'm extra careful. Today was extra nerve wracking doing some inlay in the face. It's not fun to carve out a mortise in a sub-2mm face with nothing behind it but air. But you can't do these before hand. I hope Mike is doing well in poker......

lol...
I never knew I could slurr my speach when I type it on keyboard.

it seems you figured out what i meant anyways.
thanks Jameel

keep smilling
soon enough you'll have strings on it.

Getting really really close now....

Well, after a lot of work by Jameelo, here's what we've got so far. You'll notice that I decided to go with my original look in regards to the inlays on the soundboard. Thanks to all who provided their feedback, even though I know most of you guys liked the sweat guard instead of the inlays, my thinking was this oud is inspired by the Abdo Concepta oud. Also, even though Farido's George Nahat oud had a sweat guard on it, you don't really see that a lot on their ouds. Even Jameelo was sold on the inlays after he put them on. As you'll see...it turned out pretty sweet. Next was the decision on the fingerboard. Originally we were looking at some sort of geometric design, but then we decided to go with either the doves and vines design or a leaf design that is similar to Hamza el-Din's Abdo Nahat oud. I spent about 4 hours (on and off) at work looking at a comparison picture that I'll attach below. I decided to go with the leaf design without the bars. Anyway, Jameelo has pretty much finished the fingerboard. Just needs to put it on the oud and also do the binding on either side of it. The beard is done and inlaid on the soundboard. Enough dialogue...here are the pics!!!

Here's that picture I spent a whole day looking at. I ended up deciding to go with the middle fingerboard. Also, notice the binding completed on the oud and the inlays on the bottom and top.




Here are some shots of Jameelo making the beard. Amazing work!




Here the almost completed fingerboard.

Talk about computers, machines and all the rest of it....pfft...Nothing can match the beauty of the work of the human hands, well, with the help of a machine Incredible stuff Jameel...

More photos

Here are some detailed shots of the tail and top inlays going in as well as the binding around the perimeter of the bowl.

The binding




And the inlays.






Top inlay detail...

This should be the oud of the year

I think Samir has summed it up in one word!

Thanks everybody for the nice comments. I really appreciate you taking the time. Let's hope for a nice sound too! That would be the icing on the cake.

Just a little update from my end. I was telling Mike earlier that I finished up the fingerboard inlay today. Yep, took the day off work just to work on Mike's oud. At this point I'm itching to get this done, so I'm putting in overtime at work so I can get this one finished. I cleaned up the inlay a little, and glued the fingerboard to the neck with a special glue I picked up from a man who specializes in gluing ivory and bone(he restores old pianos). The fingerboard is rosewood (Kingwood--it is a Dalbergia from Brazil) and real elephant ivory. Don't worry though, it's totally legal. It's preban ivory from old American estates. And it's gorgeous creamy white. Its so much better to work with than bone. It's not cheap though. The materials alone for this fingerboard will run over $100. Just have the edge tiles left and the nut, then its time to string it up and have a listen. Maybe by the end of the week Mike will be posting an MP3.

That's exactly right Leon. It's an old marquetry technique that was developed by the French. They even devised a special machine for cutting the inlays. It's called a "chevalet du marqueterie".

Its capable of doing extremely fine work.

http://www.customwooddesigns.com/marquetry3_5_big.html



I would not doubt that the Nahats and other craftsmen in Syria were possibly using a similar device, especially due to the French influence in Syria during the height of the Nahat building period. Their label after all was in French. Of course, the same results can be had with a simple fret saw and fine blade, it just takes more skill.

I have not had the time to build a chevalet, but it would be a nice addition to the shop. For now I'm using a Dewalt scroll saw and very fine jeweler's saw blades. It gets the job done, but I'm sure I could get absolutely flawless results with a chevalet.

Bravo Jameel! Gorgeous, innovative, and meticulous as always!



Mike will love this one I'm sure...

Take care,

mavrothis

Looks great Jameel!

i hope you don't finish it and send it to mike before the 29th

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian Prunka Looks great Jameel! i hope you don't finish it and send it to mike before the 29th

Thanks Brian and everybody. But don't fret about this oud (how's that for an oud pun! ) it won't be getting near a UPS truck, USPS depot, FedEx plane, or anyone's grubby hands until it's in Mike's. Well, I'll let a select few touch it. Maybe....

I'ma just shutup and let Jameelo's work speak for itself!

Completed fingerboard.

Hoooorraaaay

I'm jumping up and down and cheering - the kids are going wild

well done and what a story.

Enjoy it Mike

Leon

String er up!

JT

Thanks again fellas. I finally got some strings on it late Wednesday. So far so good. It sounds like an oud! )

I sent Mike a quick recording, but maybe we'll post something a little better later on after the strings are settled and after I practice a little...

One more little detail. Just by chance I'm finishing up this oud right before another Simon Shaheen concert in my area. So hopefully I'll get a little video or audio of this oud in the hands of a master. Brian Prunka is also performing with him, so we'll get his valuable input as well. Maybe some others too. But needless to say, I'm hoping to have some nice pics/videos of this one in the coming weeks. Now, on to finsihing...

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was imagining how it would look finished, but I didn't even come close to guessing how beautiful it would be completed.

Amazing, amazing work and detail Jameel. Beautiful!!! I can't wait to hear this gorgeous instrument.

Take care,

mavrothis

Thanks to everybody for their nice comments and well wishes. That meant a lot to me and to Jameelo throughout the whole process. Much appreciated guys! A huge thanks to Jameelo for his incredible attention to detail and impeccable craftsmanship. Also, for the countless back and forth emails, the photoshopping so I could see what the oud would look like before it was actually done, and for his patience throughout.

Here's a small sound file from Jameelo. Keep in mind that the oud is only one day old. It will only get better with time, but you can already notice the beautiful tone, excellent projection and sustain, and that punchy Arabic sound I love. Jameelo tells me the action is perfect and the oud is very easy to play. We have a winner guys!

I've already told him not to get too attached. I wouldn't be surprised if he sends me an email telling me there's been a terrible accident!

Thanks again,
Mike

Aman aman! This sounds very good, very Arabic!

Even and strong across all the strings from what I can tell from the recording.

Bravo Jameel!!!!!!!! I keep listening to it over and over, very beautiful and heartfelt playing on this really special oud.

hey man


Holy shizzzzzzzzzzzzz thast one amazing sounding oud. im love it . mike you better use it in good healthy if not i will have to come and get it from you lol.

jameel as always great work....

thx sammy

This is number 4 ... God bless your hands, Jameel.

Mike: may you play it long and healthy.

Fantastic !!!

Wow, Jameel - its sounds wonderful! I've been following the development of this masterpiece but I have responded until now simply because everyone has really just echoed my own thoughts but I really had to say something once we had a sound file to listen to. Although its really hard to judge by an mp3 recording the classic Arabic character of the sound is unmistakable! Great to know that the sound matches the visual beauty of the instrument.

Jameel - you will be happy to know that I am really enjoying my sandwich top instrument - it keeps getting better and has developed a rounder richer character since the day I received it. I have to assume that Mikes oud will develop into a real monster with time to mature!

Bravo - Mike, I wish you much joy in playing this oud!

Hey Folks,

Jameel you've outdone yourself on this one my friend. What fantastic outcome...the sound is pure magic and the final look is much better than I thought it would be. Mike is finally getting the oud his kind soul deserves. Alf Alf mabrouk to both of you, this one prooves that talent, dedication...and some ibuprofen are a good formula for success.

Enjoy my friends.

-Sidi

Lets hope the sound of this oud will convince Jameel to turn into full time oud building. I'm sure the topic has been mentioned before, and ultimately it would be up to Jameel if he can see himself doing it or not; but what's the likelyhood for Jameel to take up oud building as a profession?. Of course it would be hard to keep the bread on the table, if each oud was to take 3-4 months to build, and one could only charge so much for an instrument. But I suppose, even as a one man show, it would be possible to produce a lot more ouds on a full time basis, and they won't all need to be as highly unique as nos 2 and 4 I suppose. I'm sure you can take away a lot of the inlay work and delicate details, and still have a very fine instrument; no doubt the craftsmanship is unquestionable.

So there, I don't mean to come across as planning a career path for you Jameel , but I'm sure fellow oudists have had similar thoughts...

Cheers

very beautful work jameel