The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #84399   Message #1558591
Posted By: Grab
07-Sep-05 - 12:49 PM
Thread Name: Wanted : Fylde Bazouki
Subject: RE: Wanted : Fylde Bazouki
Sadly not - I was doing something else that day. I was at the Mudcat gathering in the Board Inn though.

As Moo says, they're all good instruments. I wish I could afford to buy instruments like you do, Moo! ;-)

I tried both shapes of Oakwood ones, the "regular" octave mandolin size and the "jumbo" size with a wider, deeper body. Again, it's all personal preference, but I wasn't as impressed with the wide-body ones. They certainly bring out the low notes much more strongly, but I didn't feel they were as well balanced. You got the low notes very strongly, but then the mid-range dropped out and went a bit muddy, before the "tinklyness" inherrent in mandolins brought up the high notes. And they were around £400 more expensive as well! However, if you're doing chords (which you probably will be on bouzouki) then the "kick-in-the-pants" from the bass might be what you want. I believe Fylde do similar shapes as well, although Hathway only does the "regular" smaller body. Suck one and see...

Graham.