Up for sale is my oud built in 1995 by Viken Najarian in Anaheim Hills, California. Viken is the grandson of, and apprentice to, the famous Dikran Najarian, one of the most revered Oud builders of all time. Over the years, Viken has firmly established himself as a top-tier builder in his own right, and is clearly worthy to carry on the Najarian family tradition of extraordinary Oud building.I bought this instrument new from Viken in 1995. It is the only one he has ever built with Wenge for the bowl. While he said (and I agree) that Wenge is a fantastic-sounding wood, it was just too hard to work with, and a real pain to glue. That said, it is the exact oud featured on his website, and I took the photo that he used.This was my first “serious” Oud and remains one of the finest Ouds I’ve ever encountered, in terms of sound, playability and workmanship. Every Oud teacher I have had has sung its praises.Its sound is quick and precise, with surprising volume, depth and punch. It easily takes on much larger Ouds, even in lower tunings.The A-500 is Najarian’s top of the line model, with his best, hand-selected woods, and fanciest ornamentation. That said, he’s not one for inlay work, but when this was made, his rosettes were cut by hand with a very fine fretsaw. (I later talked him into having them laser cut.)This was built using his grandfather’s form, and is his original Armenian or Turkish-size Oud, somewhat smaller and more comfortable to play than the larger Arabic Ouds, which he began offering a few years later.The top is made of Spruce. The bowl and neck are of alternating ribs of Wenge and Mahogany. The pegbox is Wenge. The fingerboard and pegs are Ebony. In the 21 years I’ve owned this, I have never had a problem with sticking or slipping tuning pegs.The scale length is 22 ½”. The fingerboard is 1.43” wide at the nut. The string spacing at the bridge is 3.45”. The action at the neck/body joint is a perfect 4/32” on the deepest-pitch strings and 3/32” on the highest-pitch strings. The body is 14 1/8” at the widest part and 6 ¾” deep.Condition-wise, I would rate this a “Excellent +”. There are a couple of tiny fingernail scratches and slight discoloration/dirt in the unfinished top. Along the top rib of the bass-side, there are two little bumps of glue or finish, which were there when I bought it new. One appears to be reinforcing a repaired scratch or crease in the Wenge, the other appears to just be a finish repair. Neither has changed a bit in all the years I’ve owned it. It is in perfect playing condition with great action, a flat, smooth fingerboard and absolutely no issues at all.Why am I selling it? After studying oud for nearly 25 years, I have decided that it’s just not how I want to express myself these days, so my beloved Najarian needs to find a new home.To hear a sound clip I recorded of this amazing and beautiful Oud, please click . I used two microphones set about 18” apart, in front of the instrument. There are no effects. To get the best possible idea of the instrument’s sound and “presence”, I recommend listening with headphones or very good speakers. The recording was done at my desk, and does not do justice to the instrument, but it gives you an idea of the ballpark we are talking about. Please also forgive the playing. I seriously haven’t played in almost three years, and it shows.This comes with its original case, which is semi-rigid, and provides good protection for carrying around to gigs, but I wouldn’t use it for checked luggage. It will be packed in a strong, oversized box, with many layers of bubble wrap, and a lot of peanuts.Please note: Friction pegs take technique, and as the peg and the box are both wood, and different woods, they take time to settle in to your environment. I keep my home at a constant 40% relative humidity. If your home is drier or more humid than mine, the pegs will have to adjust, and will likely slip, pop or ping while doing so. This is true of all friction pegs on all instruments. Friction pegs need care and maintenance, like de-glazing and “doping” from time to time. If you are not familiar with friction pegs, you may want to have your local luthier replace the pegs with Pegheds brand planetary geared pegs. They have a 4:1 ratio, and never slip. I recommend them highly, and have them on a number of instruments. I find them most useful on instruments with metal strings, but do have them on some instruments with gut and nylon strings as well. Keep this in mind, if you don’t have a good amount of friction peg experience.TERMS, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Buyer pays selling price plus shipping and insurance. I typically ship with USPS or FedEx, though other arrangements can be made at the buyer's request. No fee is charged for packing or handling. I will gladly ship anywhere in the world, but beware, international shipping charges can be steep, and the buyer is responsible for all duties, taxes, VAT, brokerage and storage fees on their end. Please contact me with any questions.