Finished! A Guitar Bouzouki - (no basses were harmed in the...)

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Of course the most important question is now you have finished this... what's next?

Well. there's a rumour that there might be an interesting bass project on the horizon

 

[Richard R 1,577]

12 hours ago, TwoTimesBass said:

I haven't seen the pictures to judge the quality of the finish 😂

And since nobody is allowed into the office these days you probably won't. Unless Andy has a photocopier at home?

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

And so, as a post-script.

P and his delightful wife arrived last weekend to pick up the Guitar Bouzouki.  And I think he would be happy in me saying he loves it        For me,  that is a great pleasure and relief in equal measure!

P was able to bring his standard Irish Bouzouki for me to have a look at and listen to and that was fascinating.  We both agreed that the Guitar Bouzouki has a much richer sound (which would be hoped and expected) and a strummed chord just goes on, beating sub-harmonics all the way, for a long, long time. 

The neck  between the two instruments was quite different, part designed and fully expected and part more of a surprise.  P had requested it to be wider and shallower than his original which will always change the curves and feel, but the thing I noticed straightaway was that the 'V' on the original felt distinctly V shaped to the hand further up the fretboard than my build.  It doesn't really show on the profile drawings but it does give it a different feel further up the board.  Not necessarily a bad feel, but certainly a different feel.  Changing that, if P's conclusion was that he wanted that tweaking, is actually a very easy fix and the sort of thing that can be done on a 'while you wait' basis.  And there's a crazy coincidence (that I won't go into detail on) that might mean that finding a convenient time to do that would not be too much of problem.

But, that said, even at first play, this is P showing how a Guitar Bouzouki should be played.  Glorious!  And particularly glorious through headphones

 

 

[Aidan63 267]

listening to the recording watching the Emojis dancing put a big smile on my face, easily pleased me; great work Andy

[Richard R 1,577]

What a fabulous sound! 

[Marc S 751]

Absolutely superb work @Andyjr1515 
Lovely sound too.

[Stub Mandrel 10,158]

On 19/09/2020 at 14:56, Andyjr1515 said:

But, that said, even at first play, this is P showing how a Guitar Bouzouki should be played.  Glorious!  And particularly glorious through headphones

Dang I know that tune - Fairport?

[Richard R 1,577]

Level Pegging I think.

But they all sound the same to me 😉

Edited September 21, 2020 by Richard R

[Stub Mandrel 10,158]

26 minutes ago, Richard R said:

Level Pegging I think.

But they all sound the same to me 😉

Ah yes, from The Cocktail Cowboy Goes it Alone, Dave Pegg's solo album - so it really ought to be played on a bass 🙂

[Richard R 1,577]

 I have you, Mr. Mandrel, to blame for me recognising that. And for my borrowing A box of Peggs from the CD library and now keeping an eye out for it elsewhere. And for me buying Dave Pegg's autobiography. And probably for the dishwasher going wrong this weekend too.

End of thread derailment and back to congratulating the proud father 😉

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Ah yes, from The Cocktail Cowboy Goes it Alone, Dave Pegg's solo album - so it really ought to be played on a bass 🙂

Good heavens. 

Well, assuming that's right, then there's a man who knows his music!  (In all probablility) Gold Star & smiley face

[Stub Mandrel 10,158]

58 minutes ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Good heavens. 

Well, assuming that's right, then there's a man who knows his music!  (In all probablility) Gold Star & smiley face

Showcasing his best 'Brummie face'...

Edited September 21, 2020 by Stub Mandrel

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

Ah...not Fairport.  I'll reveal what and who did the original in the morning

[HazBeen 1,906]

Fantastic!

[Richard R 1,577]

10 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Ah...not Fairport.  I'll reveal what and who did the original in the morning

97 minutes to go.... 🙂

[atsampson 52]

19 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Dang I know that tune - Fairport?

Them and a hundred other bands - it's the trad tune Frieze Breeches. It's in O'Neill's Music of Ireland from 1903 and lots of other collections. Sounds great on the new bouzouki!

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

2 hours ago, atsampson said:

Them and a hundred other bands - it's the trad tune Frieze Breeches. It's in O'Neill's Music of Ireland from 1903 and lots of other collections. Sounds great on the new bouzouki!

We have a winner      Gold Star, smiley face and dancing emojis 

'The Frieze Britches', from Planxty 

[Andyjr1515 5,590]

Just a post-script on this build - one of my personal favourites.

I asked P how he was getting on with the Guitar Bouzouki.  He was happy for me to share his answer

"I was looking for a Irish-style guitar-bodied bouzouki, to provide a rounder and more complete sound, and also a more comfortable playing position when seated. The commercial offerings from mainstream folk vendors were uninspiring and custom makers few and far between, so I contacted Andy through the basschat web site and asked whether he would be interested in taking on a project. Despite being unfamiiar with the concept he readily agreed.
Andy set about the build with great enthusiasm. He was happy to incorporate some design ideas from Andy Irvine's instrument and added some signature touches of his own. He based the neck on the profile of my existing bouzouki to provide a familiar feel. He also solved a number of technical problems which neither of us had forseen at the start. 
The result has exceeded my expectation. The sound is rich and full, and continues to improve with use. It's comfortable to play and feels immediately familiar. The build quality is superb and the choice of tone woods and body woods provides a striking and unique look. The only thing he hasn't solved is the name: we still don't know if it's a Gazouki, a Bizarre, or just a Bouzouki, provided that no-one from Greece is present!"

 

In truth, I didn't get the neck profile quite the same as P's existing bouzouki.  He brought it along when he picked up my build for me to have a look at a traditional Irish Bouzouki and it was great to see one in the flesh.  But it was immediately noticeable that the 'V' on the neck of the traditional stayed 'V' for much longer than my own carve.  It's actually very straightforward for me to tweak (pretty much a while-you-wait job) but P is giving it a good play-in before deciding whether to stick with the present shape or get it a bit closer to his traditional.

It'll be good when the pesky Covid is on the wane so that P can get playing with his band again - I'd love to see some clips of this in action

 

 

[TheGreek 6,458]

1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

He also solved a number of technical problems which neither of us had foreseen at the start. 
The result has exceeded my expectation.

The sound is rich and full, and continues to improve with use. It's comfortable to play and feels immediately familiar. The build quality is superb and the choice of tone woods and body woods provides a striking and unique look.

Could have said exactly the same about my Psilos bass.

Another satisfied client hey Andy