Bouzouki reccomendations?

geoffrey taucer · Post by **geoffrey taucer** » Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:42 pm

I'm considering buying an irish bouzouki, but I don't know what to look for, what names to trust, or even what the price range should be.

As for price/quality, I'm willing to pay whatever the price of a good-sounding bouzouki, but I'd prefer to avoid spending extra money on purely visual elements (ie ornately decorated instruments), as I'm far more of a recording artist than a performing one.

Any reccomendations would be appreciated.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:09 am

I have a Trinity College Octave Mandolin which looks very similar, and which I LOVE. The workmanship is beautiful, and the sound is terrific.

http://www.folkofthewood.com/page97.htm

(note, I got mine used, not from this source)

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:25 pm

The Trinity College instruments are made in Korea, that does not appeal to some people. I have played Paul's and it is definatly nice for the price. I play on a Petersen Level 1 Octave Mando, which is about twice as much and handmade in the US. They are pretty easily available. If you need it quick I would suggest a Petersen the Levels stand for how ornate the wood and decoration is, Level 1 is the simplest, these range from $950-$1500. For quick you can go for a Weber, pick your model these range from $1300-$6000+. Both are available at Elderly although they may not have Petersens in stock, but Gryphon Strings (google it I don't have the URL handy) also carries Petersens (I bought mine there). If you are willing to wait a couple months I recommend Jack Spira's instruments or Chris Baird's (Arches is what Baird's go by). I know both makers have websites, I just don't have the urls handy. Both of these will run around $1500 US and have a couple months wait.

geoffrey taucer · Post by **geoffrey taucer** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 7:28 pm

Ooh, all of these look good. I'm leaning toward the trinity college one; the samples sound really nice, and the price is right.

I wish there were samples of the other ones...

IrishPiper42 · Post by **IrishPiper42** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 8:44 pm

I have a level 3 Petersen. It's a fantastic instrument. Not as cheap as Trinity College, not as expensive as sobell, it's just right! Depending on how fancy you want to get, it will run $900-$1300. I highly recommend Petersen.
-Mike Brennan

geoffrey taucer · Post by **geoffrey taucer** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:57 pm

Are there any good samples of what the petersons sound like?

Unseen122 · Post by **Unseen122** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:23 am

I would offer to give you my phone # and play over the phone, but my cell doesn't work on my campus and I don't know my room #. I don't know of any online clips.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:55 am

If I didn't care how much I spent, I'd look at a Crump instrument. I played a couple at the first zookfest and found them to be very responsive with a big bass sound. Abnett, in England, has been making bouzoukis for a fairly long time and from what I can tell, his instruments are very good. For somewhat lower prices, I'd go Australian for a Spira instrument or McDonald. I have tried and heard recent Trinity College instrumens and I think they are a good value.

You can find links to most of the above at Han Speek's bouzouki website.

http://www.xs4all.nl/~hspeek/bouzouki/index.html

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 6:59 am

Don't let the "made in the orient" part of the Trinity College throw you off. There are good and bad craftspeople everywhere. The workmanship on the TC is really fine and if you didn't know the source you'd think it was worth a lot more. If you buy one and get totally hooked on bouzouki to the point where you want a handmade one, you could most likely sell the TC(right here) for nearly what you paid for it.

halfimpressive · Post by **halfimpressive** » Sat Sep 16, 2006 9:49 am

I also am looking for a new bouzouki. I've been playing for about 8 months and I'm pretty serious about it but mine is such an inferior instrument that i'm looking around at what kind of instruments I can get for a full-time college student budget (under 2000) and is still a quality instrument with some decor.

Here's what I've been able to put together and advice that's been given to me that has been helpful.

-I've got a list going of all the makers i've heard about on message boards and a list of their bouzouki styles, dimensions and wood types. I had to do a bit of reading about this since mine is made out of plywood or tin or something terrible, and I didn't know anything about wood. The researxh has taught me a lot already.

-People have said to go and play as many as you can and take notes and measurements. This is invauable since now i know what body depths I'll stay away from, what scales are good and what makers I think sound like trash. When you play something that sounds good to you and feels good to you then find out everything about it. See if someone can make something similar or just get one.

-Call the makers! This one is actually huge, because many of them will negotiate for an instrument with no frills or a substitution in wood type. If you let them know a price range and stick to it, they might be able to work with you. If they can't, you'll know a lot more about how they're built and what you can afford. But they can tell you what the woods sound like to them and build an intrument that has a tone that you want.

hope that helps. Oh yeah... almost forgot. I played a trinity college for a while that was a friend's and thought it was decent. Beware the long scale. I did think that it made a difference in my playing. I would go handmade personally, because you have more control over the result.

Let me know if you want any more specific info I find out. I'm still trying to learn about this stuff too.

cheers,

John

tommyk · Post by **tommyk** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:12 pm

I've a Crump B-III and it cannot be beat for wonderful tone and bassiness when needed.
Experienced musicians' jaws dropped recently at a three-hour performance this summer whenever I pulled that instrument off its stand and let loose with a melody or chords/arpeggios for a song.

I tune it DGDAE and that low D course just hits home every time.
I'm more of a performer and less of a recording artist, though, so I did splurge for the pretties; however, I think one could get a good Crump for considerably less than I paid.

Do consider the redwood top - especially if you're interested in bass response.

Also, I'm just in love with the L.R. Baggs Stereo iMix pickup system.

Ro3b · Post by **Ro3b** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:50 am

I played a Joe Foley zouk for years and loved it. Other makers I'd consider are Roger Bucknall (Fylde), Steven Owlsey Smith, Graham MacDonald, and of course Stephen Sobell.

For a starter instrument, you might consider Dave Freshwater, in Scotland. His instruments are very nice for the prices he charges (570 euro for a 10-string zouk).

Domhnall · Post by **Domhnall** » Sun Sep 24, 2006 9:33 am

Anyone have any experince with Hora Bouzoukis? I know that the company is based in Romania, but aside from that not much else. Anyone ever played one?

C.IrishGuitarist · Post by **C.IrishGuitarist** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 11:24 am

what is the best wood yet cheapest for the back and sides of a bouzouki?

Lorenzo · Post by **Lorenzo** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 1:07 pm

Probably maple.