nadir
Oud Junkie
Posts: 329
Registered: 12-29-2003
Location: USA
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najarian ouds
i've been hearing about najarian ouds quite frequently nowadays and i want to know, what's so special about them?!
all i know is that the ouds that mike has are just as nice as the ones najarian produces. also, the ones dimitri and spyros construct are very nice
too! (i mean, this is just MY opinion but hey, it's what i think!)
if anyone knows why (and if) najarian ouds are all that, please tell me; because the ones i see in the middle east seem to be excellent quality just
LOOKING at them. all i see so far in najarian ouds is price...
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Mike
Super Administrator
Posts: 1568
Registered: 12-3-2002
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Mood: Happy
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Hi Nadir,
I can tell you about Viken's ouds man. I have seen them up close and personal. He is only about 20 minutes from where I live, and I've been
to his workshop a few times. Actually, one of my buddies bought an electric oud from him, and he is extremely happy with it. First of all,
craftsmanship is top notch. His instruments have awesome sustain and excellent action. They are extremely easy to play. He uses top quality woods as
well. Even his "student" (and I use the term student b/c that's what he uses on his website) models are made with fine quality
hardwoods and a nice spruce top, and - more importantly - with care and attention to detail. The other thing to know about Viken is that he comes from
a family of oudmakers. His grandfather was an excellent oudmaker, and that's who he learned from.
Keep in mind that this is what he does for a living, and he does this in the United States. The cost of living here is a lot more than it is in the
Middle East. The irony is that a lot of his customers are from the Middle East. When I went with my friend to order his electric oud, he was working
on an order for something like 10 ouds for customers in Saudi Arabia if I remember correctly. My friend had to wait a few months before he got his
oud, and he told me it was well worth the wait. Anyway, those are just my thoughts, and I'm sure others can vouch for Viken's ouds too.
Take care,
Mike
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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My friend, Viken Najarian makes some of the best ouds in the world. My Najarian is to this day the best oud I've ever played.
Take care,
mav
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Lectric
Oud Lover
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Registered: 12-13-2003
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Najarian Oud stile Turkis o Arab?
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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He makes both types.
m
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nadir
Oud Junkie
Posts: 329
Registered: 12-29-2003
Location: USA
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i guess you guys are right about building ouds for a living in the u.s....
but, i'm still not convinced about the actual QUALITY of the oud, could someone please explain this to me about the najarian ouds?? thanks again!
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nadir
Oud Junkie
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almost forgot... i thought that the ouds that viken makes are of armenian design, and not turkish or arab.
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
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Hi
I think he is from Lebanon-anyone know what is the trademark of a Lebanese oud?
Regards
Zulkarnain
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nadir
Oud Junkie
Posts: 329
Registered: 12-29-2003
Location: USA
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i wish i knew about a definite trademark of a lebanese oud...
zulkarnain, i was wondering, do you consider yourself as an oudist or one that plays gambus?? one of my girlfriends is from malaysia and told me that
some of the people that play ouds consider themselves gambus players at heart. judging by your oud you must be excellent as well! 
anyways, getting back to the lebanese trademark, all i know is that nazih ghadban uses his signature pillar and from what i've heard, lebanese
ouds have much in common with syrian ouds except that they are a tiny bit smaller. 
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nadir
Oud Junkie
Posts: 329
Registered: 12-29-2003
Location: USA
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najarian electric oud
although many people would say that najarian ouds are the best in the world, there are also just as many that are contrary to this statement. that is
why i started this thread in the first place.
i would like to clear up to MAVROTHIS and anyone else here that i am NOT insulting the work of viken. i am critiquing it, he IS an excellent craftsman
and all i am doing is comparing it to other ouds... its not wrong to do that, is it??
anyhow, during my critiquing i have actually come up with around 20 emails of valuable information concerning najarian ouds!
many of these emails are recommending the electric ouds that he makes. i think that once i get my ouds (2 of them!) from dimitris made, i'll get
an electric one!
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
Posts: 667
Registered: 1-14-2004
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Hi Nadir
You are the first person that mentioned GAMBUS here in this forum!I thought no one knows about this. Well to be honest with you, Im very new at
playing the Oud-Im still learning how to master the takasim and playing oud songs! Anyway here in Malaysia they dont call it Oud instead they call it
Gambus. Its the same thing (strictly the same). We have an Oud builder here (or u can say it gambus maker) that use Arabic mould and blue print. He
learn this from an Arab many years ago. Im not sure wheres the name Gambus came from...but I teach my student to call it Oud (real name). Have you
been here?
Regards
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nadir
Oud Junkie
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Location: USA
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gambus
hey zul,
sadly, i havent been to malaysia... in fact, i was going to ask you... if i were to walk around with my oud (that has koran writing on it) in malaysia
would people consider it a gambus or an oud because i also look iranian?? anyways, thanks in advance!
nadir
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Zulkarnain
Oud Junkie
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Hi
Gambus = Oud
Oud = Gambus
Same thing its just here in Malaysia they call it Gambus and they prefer that rather than "Oud".
Well you got Quran writing on your oud...I got my name writen in Arabic (over the center plate)-they like it! Its unique to them becoz theres no oud
like that here in Malaysia. Here they pretty much use the plain style oud/gambus-just minor decoration on the soundboard thats about it.
Regarding the Iranian look...are u iranian? We have this iranian restaurant here in Kuala Lumpur (NAAB) selling good iranian cuisine. We have one big
Turkish restaurant (SARAY) 2 Lebanese (Lebanon and Tarbush) and countless of Arabic restaurant and stalls selling arabic dish.
When are u coming here?
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2951
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Najarian
I have a Najarian oud, and I like it. I don't think I would buy another one, though.
He puts a lot of work into the appearance of the ouds, and it shows--they look amazing.
My oud has a rich, complex sound which I really like. But, when I got it it had several minor to serious problems:
The G string buzzed terribly and projected poorly.
The high C projected poorly.
The D buzzed terribly.
The strings were constantly sticking in the nut
The strings were spaced unevenly (at the bridge).
I have since had all these problems corrected, and now I really like it.
I have also (later) had problems with the face cracking, probably b/c it's cut so thin.
I really don't like the plastic stuff he puts on the face.
I was told by the luthier that fixed the oud that the primary problems were improper bracing, a cheap nut, and a sound-deadening piece of wood glued
to the inside of the instrument (apparently to reinforce the bridge).
However, I bought my oud in '98 and I understand he has addressed some of those issues in his new instruments.
I don't mean this post to be unfairly negative to Viken--the truth is I think his ouds have some truly great qualities, and overall I am
satisfied with my oud. But I've had to put several hundred dollars worth of extra work into mine to get it to its potential. (This was his
"professional" model)
Mav, I'm curious as to when you purchased your Najarian. I agree that they're good, but I've certainly played some that match or exceed
his quality. Particularly Peter Kyvelos's and some of Najib Shaheen's ouds.
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mavrothis
Oud Junkie
Posts: 1674
Registered: 6-5-2003
Location: NJ/NYC
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Mood: big band envy
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Hi Brian, I hope you're doing well. First, I just want to say I don't have any problem discussing ouds or oud makers when it comes to the
actual instruments, and what their strengths/weaknesses are. I just don't like people who have to dwell on price as the only issue.
My oud was finished in July of 2002. It has a very even and bright tone, and is on the small side.
I'm sorry you had some problems with your oud. I've played lots of ouds and at least 5 Najarian ouds, and I was most impressed with mine
honestly. I think every oud is different, even from the same maker. I heard a clip from your site though and it sounded really great. I agree
though that his tops may be a little too thin, but this does make the projection amazing. It's a tough call.
Long story short, I'm very very glad I have this oud. Not only does it suit my playing perfectly, but I think it has affected my playing in a
very positive way.
Take care,
mavrothis
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Brian Prunka
Oud Junkie
Posts: 2951
Registered: 1-30-2004
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Mood: Stringish
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Mavrothis & Nadir,
I think my post may have come across as too negative . . . I really like my Najarian oud. It just took a lot of work to get it to this point. Like
anything else, luthiers are always refining their craft, so your 2002 oud probably has some advancements over what he was doing on my 98 oud. I know
a couple of other people who had problems with the face cracking, and i believe he has addressed this. You could also ask for a slightly thicker top
. . .
His ouds aren't really that expensive, given the quality, and I wouldn't discourage anyone from buying his instruments. While I think
Kyvelos's ouds are generally superior, they cost 2-3 times as much (or more, if you like a lot of decoration). I also think there are a some
turkish and greek makers who are making excellent instruments.
I've only come across a handful of ouds I prefer to my Najarian, but they are out there. I doubt I would trade my oud for anything (well maybe a
20s Nahat), but there are ouds I've found that I really like a lot.
Also, someone asked about the style of the ouds. Najarian is Armenian-Lebanese (the -ian gives it away, seems there are a bunch of ethnic Armenians
in Lebanon), and his ouds are closer to Turkish style than any Arab style. I don't know about a "Lebanese" oud style, but the Armenian
style is much like the Turkish. He has also studied various Nahat ouds and my understanding is that they influenced his designs. I think he may
make Arab style ouds on request.
His ouds work well in Arab tuning though. Since mine was modified by an Arab luthier, it's sort of a hybrid at this point.
Since Nadir has some other ouds, I would recommend checking out Najarian if he wants to add to his collection.
I'd also be interested in hearing about Dimitris ouds from anyone who has one . . . I was beguiled by his "syrian" oud.
It it just me or does it seems like it's getting easier to find oud makers? Seems like a lot of them are getting on the internet.
If only the percussion makers would follow suit.
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spyros mesogeia
Oud Junkie
Posts: 896
Registered: 9-10-2003
Location: WASHINGTON DC
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Mood: play my ouds
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Dear friend,
we only try to make our instruments better and better because we love this unique instrument the oud....
I personaly have 2 of Dimitris's instruments....A copy of Manol,and a Syrian type....
We try to do our best,and I am glad that our work is appreciated from our friends
Regards and respect
Spyros
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nadir
Oud Junkie
Posts: 329
Registered: 12-29-2003
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
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once again mavrothis categorizes me with "people who have to dwell on price as the only issue"....
anyhow, i've decided that BOTH of my ouds (acoustic and electric) shall be made by DIMITRIS.
it seems that najarian ouds are alright... if you live in the states...
nadir
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