Instrumental Stylings : Electric Oud Maker Searching for Niche in Traditionalist Music Market

Viken Najarian is betting that he can do for the oud what Leo Fender did for the guitar.

Najarian, working alone in his dusty garage workshop, has produced an electric version of the oud, a traditional pear-shaped instrument that has been an integral part of Middle Eastern folk music for more than 2,000 years.

And, in a venture that smacks of carrying coals to Newcastle, the Anaheim Hills resident now plans to sell his plugged-in oud to players in cabarets and cafes throughout the Middle East who are losing the decibel battle to more-powerful electric guitars and keyboards.

The electric version represents a radical alteration for a stringed instrument that’s changed little over the centuries, and music industry experts caution that the 32-year-old Najarian faces an uphill battle.

“I find that musicians are inherently conservative, and this is a very radical design,” said Daniel Mari, president and owner of New York-based Mari Strings Inc., which manufactures oud strings used by players worldwide.

Standing at a work bench cluttered with power tools and ouds in various stages of completion, Najarian, who makes about two dozen instruments a year, is representative of artisans nationwide who dream of building businesses out of beloved musical instruments that are bit players in this country’s mainstream music world.

“These craftsmen are a valuable addition to a community because they help to keep traditions alive,” said Ali Jihad Racy, a professor of Ethnomusicology at UCLA. “For many immigrants who come to America, their musical instruments become symbols of their heritage.”

Although musical instrument makers can be assets to immigrant communities, they say it’s tough to turn a profit on their handmade Russian balalaikas, South American flutes, European hammer dulcimers and Middle East ouds. Few craftsmen have been as successful as Remo D. Belli, whose North Hollywood-based Remo Inc. has grown from a small family business into a leading manufacturer with a broad line of percussion instruments.

Relatively unknown instruments such as the oud are rarely heard in this country’s musical mainstream. Only occasionally does Najarian sell an instrument to a player without a Middle Eastern heritage. But he has added a “how to play an oud” book and video designed to introduce the instrument to newcomers.

Occasionally, instruments get a lift from being in the media spotlight. In the 1960s, the Beatles introduced the sitar to popular music fans. But Laguna Beach resident Jim Fyhrie, who has handcrafted hammer dulcimers since 1968, says that it’s difficult for niche instruments such as his to draw consumers away from their growing love affair with electronic gadgets and computer-driven sounds.

Many of these instruments “would disappear if it weren’t for the handful of makers who still build them,” Fyhrie said.

Craftsmen also find themselves caught between often-conflicting demands of traditional musicians and players with a sense of adventure. Old-world enthusiasts say that musical instruments, like ethnic food, must be true to their roots. Forward-looking musicians argue that instruments that don’t change with the times won’t survive.

“The question is how to establish that balance,” Racy said. “A lot of the time, people in this country are interested in going back to their roots with traditional instruments, while the ones back home are trying to modernize or westernize their sounds.”

Najarian is counting on that apparent dichotomy to help build acceptance in the Middle East for his decidedly different electric oud, which has a flat body instead of the oud’s traditional fat belly.

Najarian, an accomplished musician who earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology from UCLA, plays the oud four nights a week at restaurants and clubs in Southern California. He began building electric ouds in the early 1990s out of frustration with the acoustic instrument’s limitations.

“I was always getting drowned out by electric guitars and keyboards,” Najarian said. He tried amplifying an acoustic oud, but the wealth of sounds rumbling around in the instrument’s egg-shaped belly produced unwanted distortion.

That’s when Najarian ripped a page out of Leo Fender’s book by experimenting with electronic pickups buried inside a flat, hard-bodied instrument. His latest generation of instruments are remarkably faithful to the acoustic original in terms of sound.

Najarian is confident that Middle Eastern musicians who look past design differences will be pleased when they plug his instruments into an amplifier.

During a recent music industry trade show in Anaheim, Najarian paved the way for sales by hooking up with a musical instrument distributor with contacts in the Middle East. Najarian--who makes ends meet by playing at nights, selling an occasional handmade instrument and repairing broken ouds--is stepping cautiously as he expands.

“The thought of trying to sell overseas is intimidating because I’m such a small shop,” said Najarian, whose one-man booth at the recent National Assn. of Music Manufacturers show was nearly lost among glitzy exhibits erected by major instrument companies. “So finding someone to help export them is going to be a real help.”

Najarian’s instruments aren’t cheap: A basic acoustic model retails at about $850, and professional models can cost $2,000 or more. The electric model is set for sale at about $1,500.