Bouzouki - What brand is best?

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 01:19 PM

Nikos from Rockport, Maine (above) is Nick Apollonio, and he makes some of the best citterns, bouzoukis, mandolas, lauds and guitars (both 6 and 12 string) you've ever seen or heard. And you probably have heard them, if you listen to folks like Gordon Bok or any of the others that have Nick's instruments.

Recently Nick built me a laud - a 12 string Spanish mandola - which sounds like a dream. You seriously can't do better than Nick's instruments.

I mean it. You really can't.

Dan

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: PHJim
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 05:07 PM

I've heard that what folks in Europe call an octave mandola is actually an octave mandolin, tuned GDAE. To my way of thinking, an octave mandola would be tuned CGDA, an octave below a mandola, but to each his/her own.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,DonMeixner
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 11:33 PM

Three years ago my wife gave me a Trinity College zook for Christmas. A great and unexpected gift. I have enjoyed every inch of it since. I have no more tuning issues than is expected of any instrument. It plays in tune up the neck with or with out capoes.

The body could be bigger, the neck could be wider, I could be thinner.
Somehow it and I work OK together. I suggest them as an affordable starter instrument.

Learn to play, save your pennies, keep the TC for Knock about and buy an Apollonio.

Don

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,TIA
Date: 27 Jul 09 - 11:42 PM

I switched from Irish tenor banjo, so if I tune the TC GDAE and sstrrretch, I can play some.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 04:44 AM

For Dan Schatz:

Interested to hear about the Laud. I have a cheap one I bought at a folk festival nearly 20 years ago. It still has the strings it had when I bought it. I haven't touched it for years but I'm starting to use it again recently.

How do you tune yours? At the moment I have mine in the equivalent of DADGAD, only a fourth up (ie G to G).

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: TIA
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 10:30 AM

OMG - 20 year-old strings! They must be black. How's the sound?

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Big Mick
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 10:55 AM

GDAE tuning is mandolin tuning. Bouzoukis are usually GDAD or ADAD. Some tune them in fifths CGCG for example. That is the tuning that Pat Broaders (Uilleann Piper and Bouzouki player) uses.

I have a Freshwater Bouzouki made by David Freshwater in Scotland. The sound box is about an inch deeper and an inch longer than most. It has an amazing sound to it, very unique. When I, or Tom Verlin (plays in my band) use it, it jumps right out. Players usually come up and want to give it a whirl. I string it unison most of the time, octave occasionally.

My opinion (and just that) is that GDAE tuning is done purely to avoid new fingerings. It seems to me (and again this is just opinion) that most folks want to play the cool looking instrument without taking the time to learn it. Gosh, that sounds grumpy, and I don't mean it to. But the point of the "Irish bouzouki" (I hate that name - very disrespectful to the Greeks....LOL) is the different voicings one gets from the instrument and tunings. My friend Grit Laskin is right to say that they are all basically long neck mandolins only in so much as the term "bouzouki", to my understanding is simply Greek for the family of mandolin style instruments.

All the best,

Mick

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Stu
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 11:14 AM

I agree with Mick. For ITM GDAD or ADAD are the best choices, especially if accompaniment is your aim.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 11:47 AM

Mick writes:

"It seems to me (and again this is just opinion) that most folks want to play the cool looking instrument without taking the time to learn it."

Well, with the exception of the cool looking part (my laud is cool looking but I wanted it because it was cool SOUNDING), that's essentially what I did. Which is why I asked Nick to make me a laud instead of a cittern or a bouzouki. It's currently tuned just two frets above a normal guitar, with the low string dropped down a whole step (dropped E, if you will). It sounds FANTASTIC in DADGAD (EBEABE?) but I don't, yet. So it looks like I have to learn a new tuning after all.

Bet you'll want to play it at the Getaway, too....

But my point is not to talk about lauds, which would be another thread, but to extol the virtues of Nick's craftsmanship.

Dan

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: TIA
Date: 28 Jul 09 - 03:21 PM

New fingerings not a problem. I switch around from 5 string banjo to cello to 4 string banjo on any given evening. The GDAE simply works better for melodies and counter melodies, and you can get the same accompaniment sound with some creative fingering.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Willie-O
Date: 29 Jul 09 - 08:40 AM

Mick is quite correct to say that GDAE is "mandolin tuning", obviously, and of course the reason that can only work so far as size and scale length increase, is that the mandolin's short scale length makes various chord fingerings--particularly four-note, closed position chords (no open strings)--playable that your fingers can't reach on a longer-scale fretboard.

But hey, I'm a mandolin player, so sue me, ya big galoot. That's why I got a "long-necked" octave mandolin.

What I'm wondering as all these tuning acronyms are bandied about, is: do REAL bouzouki players, who actually learn these different tunings, play fiddle tunes with them? Or is it mostly accompaniment? Who's particularly good? (Any youtube suggestions?) Because of course fiddle tunes are generally composed with GDAE in mind, and adapting them to other tunings is challenging.

I might give GDAD a shot. It is of course just a slight variation on the holy quartette of fifths, the peerless and unmatchable queen of tunings, GDAE.

W-O

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: PHJim
Date: 29 Jul 09 - 10:56 AM

I use GDAD for melody playing, mostly in D and G and relative minors and I employ a capo for other keys.
Willie-O, I'd give Gerald Trimble a listen.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Phil Williams
Date: 06 Aug 09 - 12:05 PM

The guitar-bouzouki -'Gazuki' has its engineering issues sorted out and available on 2 weeks loan to mudcatters. John Tams bought one,
quote from Sally - 'It is fantastic. John is really enjoying playing the Gazuki. I crept down in the dead of night (3am) to find him playing it as gently as he could.
Thanks for your great service and for a really good product.'
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 10 Mar 10 - 03:06 PM

Just received a superb gazuki from Phil who is really helpful and has a genuine desire to 'keep the customer satisfied'. First thoughts : It has a wonderful resonance and sustain which keeps the chords 'ringing' for some considerable time and will allow for some interesting accompanying. I thought I was going to use GDAE (being a lazy mandolin player, of sorts) but some chords are a little tricky for me. I've had a quick go at GDAD and might try ADAD. What I really want are easy to play chords that sound good - I want to decide on one tuning - I can't overload the old brain cells. I've never played a bouzouki but this gazuki is going to keep me busy for a while.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Abdul sans cookie
Date: 11 Mar 10 - 08:38 AM

Yep I'm really happy with my Gazuki after having it set up by Brian Rogers our local wizard, and with a set of
Newtone strings. GDAD seems to work for me.

Al

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Folk Music Fan
Date: 13 Mar 10 - 11:45 AM

If you are looking for a hand-made Irish bouzouki (or a mandolin) of excellent quality, I can thoroughly recommend two excellent luthiers in the Bristol area.

Paul [e-mail]

John [e-mail]

I am the proud owner of bouzoukis from these two luthiers, and they are superb.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: Ian Hendrie
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 11:10 AM

"I'm really happy with my Gazuki after having it set up by Brian Rogers our local wizard, and with a set of
Newtone strings. GDAD seems to work for me."

The Newtone string set from Eagle Music is 34, 24, 15, 11 gauges.
The gauges given on the Gazuki web-site are 42, 27, 20, 11.

This seems to be quite a difference. How will using the thinner strings affect the tone. Will it be brighter/thinner?

If you regularly use GDAD rather than GDAE as specified for the Newtone set do you need to change the gauge of the first string?

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,abdul on the laptop
Date: 14 Mar 10 - 12:10 PM

Ian, the Newtone website has 4 Bouzouki string sets. None of which are the gauges you note from Eagle. I went for medium. 40. 26. 15. 11. and have no problems with GDAD.
Al

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Jon Penney
Date: 07 Apr 10 - 06:49 PM

Does anyone know much about these Johnson Bouzouki's: http://www.playmusic123.com/JOHNSON+DELUXE+BOUZOUKI,+MA-500~product~1342.htm

They seem to have a unique body shape, but I can't find much information on them.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,ollaimh
Date: 08 Apr 10 - 01:54 PM

a certain amount does depend on the player. i had a cheap as dirt greek bouzouki for years. it was the smaller body meant for six courses but i didn't know that than so i strung it for four and used adad or gdad tuning with octaves, it sounded great, so don't write off the greek instruments if you find a deal. the big bodies ones are a longer scale , like a guitar and thats demanding for a rookie to play fast tunes.

again the trinity college are find for the price. one of the best players i know has played one for years--he makes it sing.

there are a lot of hand makers out there as well. some not prohibitive. i love sawchyn instrumnets from saskatchewan canada.   both flat tops and carved tops. and his prices are still good as he's still little known--maybe i just changed that. lawrence nyberg in british columbia makes a grand instrument as well, but then the last time i was at hobgoblin london the hathaway instruments were very nice for the price and a flyde was $670 pounds, and it was a beaut.   the main thing is to get a good set up then learning will be easy and fun. i fought with nasty guitars all my youth, the first time i got one properly set up it changed my life.

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: olddude
Date: 08 Apr 10 - 01:59 PM

Isn't a Bouzouki one of those things they used in WWII to take out a tank??

To show my lack of knowledge, I don't know what it is honest

I learn something everyday ... :-)

Dan

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Bob Brooker
Date: 08 Apr 10 - 05:35 PM

Hi,
I've not read any replies to this question, but as the owner of 2 bouzoukis, my recomendation is 'Fylde'.
Like I said, - I have two, they're my babies!

Subject: RE: Bouzouki - What brand is best?
From: GUEST,Glenzo
Date: 24 Aug 11 - 08:11 PM

I got a Celtic Star from Germany I am very pleased with 400 dollar range with pickup tryed GDAd at first vary nice tuning but I am now in ADAe land and i love it much nicer than the zook I built myselfso I am on the look out for Tonewoods Ashburys Trinity College or a Hora perhaps and coments on these brands oh yeah there is and irish maker whos name eascapes me with celtic knot work on the finger board??