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So I just strung up #4 this weekend - an Irish Bouzouki inspired by a similar instrument owned by a friend and made by Alberta luthier, Will Hamm. Specs on this one: Wenge B/S; lutz spruce top; lacewood bindings, rosette, headstock back plate; ebony bridge, fretboard, headstock veneer; curly maple neck; 24.9" scale, Golden Age tuners. Tuned to GDAD. I am always amazed as to how much volume comes from such a small bodied instrument.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

very nice!

I really like the rosette and binding. Real cool instrument as well.

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http://www.Harvestmoonguitars.com

Just beautiful! Looks like a fun instrument to build.

Doug, your skills and attention to detail are incredible. I really look forward to everthing you build!
Your bouzouki is a killer!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Very nice! and I agree with John, the rosette and binding compliment the instrument perfectly!

Looks great Doug, I hope you have as much fun with it as I have had with mine. Bouzouki is an awesome addition to the Celtic sessions most don't have anyone with a bouzouki.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Doug, I think it's beautiful in every single detail.
Patrick

Doug, what are the body dimensions and what case did you find for it?

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Doug, that's a beauty. You must never sleep. I think you've finished two or three instruments since I finished mine, and all I've done is buy materials for two new guitars and "family stuff" takes the rest of the time.

Cheers,
Steven

Hey thanks friends for your kind words. Sometimes I am glad that I don't own a high end, mega-pixel SLR camera as my iPhone 4 makes my work look better than it really is. Seriously. This is not false-humility at play.

Fred, body specs: tip to tail - 37 1/2", body width - 14 1/8", body depth 3 1/8 - 3 1/2". I have not yet begun to look seriously for a case but was hoping perhaps a banjo case might work. Any ideas on that front? There are not a lot of options to bouzouki cases I have found.

On another note (pun intended), I have just started to play the bouzouki over the past 3 days and I am quickly falling in love with the instrument. With only 4 courses of strings it is so simple to play but has such a rich sound...not my bouzouki specifically but the kind of instrument in general.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Yeah, I hear you Steven. What can I say about that? I'm sure lots of us get asked where we find the time to do what we do. My answer is quite simple: 1) I don't watch tv much which enables me to spend about 6-8 hours a week in the shop, 2) I could not have done this when my kids were younger and needed me to play with them for hours on end...which I did happily, and 3) I have a supportive wife.

Being completely obsessed also helps

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

That's the nicest looking bazooki I've seen in ages.

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

Beautiful Doug.....you may be a newbie in the chronological sense, but you are an excellent luthier! I too, look forward to watching your builds. Congrats on another great instrument!

I finished mine in August and have hardly played any guitar since, I attend several Celtic sessions here in Windsor and there are always to many guitars so the Zouk was a welcome addition.

As for cases the 8940 banjo case from Heinl violins will fit a 14" Zouk but with your cutaway shape you might be to outside the circle shape. Ron Belanger uses them and says he needs to move the storage area forward to clear the neck heel. Gater also makes a 14" banjo case but it is to shallow for my body which is 4" to 3.5"

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

Tight fit but the banjo case idea works!

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Video of the 'Zouk. The performance is a little sketchy as I only started to play the bouzouki 2 weeks ago but it gives one an idea of the sound produced by this instrument. No amplification or audio editing were used in this recording.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/DsUYwO2IWoM[/youtube]

http://youtu.be/DsUYwO2IWoM

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

That's a pretty sweet instrument

Looks and sounds AMAZING, Doug! Never know you were new to either building or playing Congratulations on another job well done.

Hey Doug, nice clean work, very cool! The bracing pattern looks very guitar like, is that kind of standard on bouzoukis? X braced? Thanks!

Thanks James, Beth. Murray, I am no expert but 'zouk and flat top mandolins that have fixed bridges will frequently be x-braced. A floating bridge with a tail piece calls for a different bracing style.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something

Very nice, Doug!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

That's really sweet I want to play it bad!!!
Super clean side purdling and all.

I used wenge on a dreadnaut I made a while back,
Turned out great but I got some nasty splinters.
Also it has huge pores. What pore filler did you use?

Thanks Wes. Wenge is a pain to work with but I love the look and sound. Somogyi puts it in the same category as BRW. http://www.esomogyi.com/blog.html#wenge

For pore filling I used West System epoxy.

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Doug

Don't let fear or common sense stop you from trying to build something