Bouzouki!

syra · 7th August 2006, 09:41 PM

...THE first post in the forum...

umm...yeah...I like bouzouki...

wallace · 8th August 2006, 05:06 AM

right on!

alfonso · 8th August 2006, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syra

...THE first post in the forum...

umm...yeah...I like bouzouki...

I own a "baglama", that's the smallest of the bouzoukis, 3 double strings, I like it tuned lower and by 4ths.

ProFool · 9th August 2006, 10:35 AM

I own one aswell, my mom bought one in Greece for me, handmade and real.
the only bugger is that it is damn hard to tune and keep it in tune.... so it ended up on my wall :-)

cheers

syra · 9th August 2006, 04:35 PM

yeah I own both...baglama is mainly used like the Nashville high strung guitar...to accompany the bouzouki and fill the top register...in many songs its also used to play the melody and/or solo (taksimi) ...

Wallace!...got to do Sushi soon...

autodidactic · 10th August 2006, 05:18 PM

Hey man. Bouzouki is the bomb! I play a little bouzouki myself. You can check my sig for a link to my Myspace page if you feel like listening to a little taximaki.

GuitarRuss · 19th August 2007, 03:09 PM

I play bouzouki too. Here are some things that helped me with mine:

I got a local Luthier to replace the moveable bridge piece with a handmade Indian Rosewood one. We put TusQ inside, instead of bone because it's louder and brought out the instruments sound just a little more. This mod, made a huge difference and comparing back and forth to the one it came with - no comparison!! It cost me about $100 for the bridgepiece and it literally made my instrument sound like it cost twice as much.

For those of you with tuning problems, have you tried sliding the bridge piece around. I got my bouzouki for quite cheap because the owner said it was "DECORATIVE" because it couldn't be tuned. I saw the solid top and the moveable bridge and tried really hard to suppress the smile - paid the $180 and ran home. Adjusted the bridge position and wow! Anything but decorative.

I also tune it differently. I liked the 5ths of the mandolin so I kept those for the bottom strings, but since mine is a greek bouzouki instead of the Irish bouzouki (which is usually tuned in 5ths and consequently set up for higher tension) I found the tension too high for the high string. Ｓo　Ｉ　tune B F# C# and then E! It leaves me able to do really pretty harmonies using minor and major thirds on the top two strings. Since I'm playing bouzouki solo most of the time, I like to be able to do harmony lines. I think it's unfortunate it's only known for being a single note lead instrument because it's capable of so much more. It sounds amazing on slide, chords, and a doing harmony lines.

I also found that I changed the strings themselves to my own custom set. A lot of the sets you buy for bouzouki aren't particularly good so good so I buy phospher bronze singles from the guitar store and they snap the ball off making LOOP ENDS!! The quality of really good acoustic strings makes it come alive. Also, often you can't find bouzouki strings or they are for Celtic bouzouki, or aren't appropriate for the tension of your instrument. I figured out how to take the balls out myself but it took a while. Great to know there are loop ends available at every decent guitar store.

Have fun!!

audiomichael · 19th November 2007, 05:28 PM

I'm in LA, where is a good place to buy one?

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7th August 2006, 09:41 PM	#1
syra Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: L.A. Posts: 1,330	Bouzouki! ...THE first post in the forum... umm...yeah...I like bouzouki...

9th August 2006, 10:35 AM	#4
ProFool Lives for gear Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: BELGICA, THE FLANDERS, VENICE OF THE NORTH ! Posts: 669	I own one aswell, my mom bought one in Greece for me, handmade and real. the only bugger is that it is damn hard to tune and keep it in tune.... so it ended up on my wall :-) cheers __________________ "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain (thanks Don)

10th August 2006, 05:18 PM	#6
autodidactic Gear addict Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 323	Hey man. Bouzouki is the bomb! I play a little bouzouki myself. You can check my sig for a link to my Myspace page if you feel like listening to a little taximaki. __________________ www.damianos.biz www.myspace.com/bouzouki www.cafeaman.net

19th August 2007, 03:09 PM	#7
GuitarRuss Lives for gear Join Date: May 2006 Location: Taiwan (Canadian Citizen) Posts: 509	Some Cool Bouzouki tips I play bouzouki too. Here are some things that helped me with mine: I got a local Luthier to replace the moveable bridge piece with a handmade Indian Rosewood one. We put TusQ inside, instead of bone because it's louder and brought out the instruments sound just a little more. This mod, made a huge difference and comparing back and forth to the one it came with - no comparison!! It cost me about $100 for the bridgepiece and it literally made my instrument sound like it cost twice as much. For those of you with tuning problems, have you tried sliding the bridge piece around. I got my bouzouki for quite cheap because the owner said it was "DECORATIVE" because it couldn't be tuned. I saw the solid top and the moveable bridge and tried really hard to suppress the smile - paid the $180 and ran home. Adjusted the bridge position and wow! Anything but decorative. I also tune it differently. I liked the 5ths of the mandolin so I kept those for the bottom strings, but since mine is a greek bouzouki instead of the Irish bouzouki (which is usually tuned in 5ths and consequently set up for higher tension) I found the tension too high for the high string. Ｓo　Ｉ　tune B F# C# and then E! It leaves me able to do really pretty harmonies using minor and major thirds on the top two strings. Since I'm playing bouzouki solo most of the time, I like to be able to do harmony lines. I think it's unfortunate it's only known for being a single note lead instrument because it's capable of so much more. It sounds amazing on slide, chords, and a doing harmony lines. I also found that I changed the strings themselves to my own custom set. A lot of the sets you buy for bouzouki aren't particularly good so good so I buy phospher bronze singles from the guitar store and they snap the ball off making LOOP ENDS!! The quality of really good acoustic strings makes it come alive. Also, often you can't find bouzouki strings or they are for Celtic bouzouki, or aren't appropriate for the tension of your instrument. I figured out how to take the balls out myself but it took a while. Great to know there are loop ends available at every decent guitar store. Have fun!!

8th August 2006, 05:06 AM	#2
wallace Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 959	right on!

9th August 2006, 04:35 PM	#5
syra Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: L.A. Posts: 1,330	yeah I own both...baglama is mainly used like the Nashville high strung guitar...to accompany the bouzouki and fill the top register...in many songs its also used to play the melody and/or solo (taksimi) ... Wallace!...got to do Sushi soon...

19th November 2007, 05:28 PM	#8
audiomichael Lives for gear Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: L. A.-ish Posts: 1,231	I'm in LA, where is a good place to buy one? __________________ Michael Nielsen composer / producer http://www.michaelnielsenmusic.com "When will the governments realize it's got to be funky sexy ladies?" -Flight of the Conchords

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