Australian/New Zealand Luthiers Forum

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but I assume some of you ship guitars etc overseas and might be able offer advice. I have received a faulty instrument, ie. crack in the neck, and I am looking to send it back to the retailer. The issue is despite Australia post delivering it, they now say ...

I have very successfully used Selleys 308. I think it was also called Aerolite. It was developed to build Antarctic sledges in the sixties! It is water and heat resistant. Was used a lot for boat building. I never had laminated bindings disintegrate. Its a powder that is mixed with water and then a...

Yep Ross, Jack's instruments are very impressive indeed, a number of pictures by proud owners in the Irish bouzouki group on Facebook. Jack is moving at this time and I was impatient, plus I am not certain about what I want or even if the instrument will suit me. Although I tried a friend's cittern ...

Fascinating stuff Peter, it will take me quite a while to wrap my head around it. As with many things in musical instrument making, there is so much to do and learn and so little time. So true, and thus the effort you have put into this has incredible worth and is amazingly generous. When I got into...

Sorry to hear you're in hospital Ross, best wishes for a fast recovery (unless the nurses are extraordinarily cute). Actually, funny you mention the Portuguese guitars, I've ordered a bouzouki made by a Portuguese maker which is then setup by an Irish Luthier. The maker actually calls it a Portugues...

Thanks guys, that's a fair point. I often use cheap timber to try out a new technique or visual design element, but in the grand scheme of things time is by far the biggest input cost.

Hehe Miguel, I'm sorry to hear that. My wife is still working so she won't be around to keep me on task for most of the day. I'm sure I will still be time poor though.

Mark McLean wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 9:06 am

http://www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/wh ... -bouzouki/
Nigel frequents this forum so he might drop in with a well informed opinion.

Thanks for that. The depth and sustain on that arch top guitar bouzouki is very impressive.

kiwigeo wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 01, 2019 6:31 pm

The body is that of a guitar but the strings and tuning are that of a Bouzouki. My bet is it will sound more like a Bouzouki than a guitar.

Even more so if it's tuned with octave pairs on the 2 lower pitched courses, which is not standard but also not uncommon.

Sorry.....IMHO ....I cannot see that instrument as being called a Bouzouki. It's a fair question Pete, it's to do with it's historical basis, shortened version is; an Irishman in the 60s brought a Greek Bouzouki to Ireland, it worked well with Irish music, other people wanted one, there was no Inte...

Just had to say this is a brilliant thread, thanks.

The name is Gavin, but my wife would more agree with the forum nick. Yes, I have Graham's book on the way, the one on actual Bouzouki making, but I'll get the mandolin one too now that I know it exists. I am not trying to put you off but I must advise you that in order to succeed you must be very de...

The subject is half what I'm asking myself, and half an introduction. I am an about to be retired electronics engineer, which means I am about to be a close to full time musical instrument maker. However, it's not guitars or stringed instruments I make, nope it's bagpipes, Scottish smallpipes to be ...