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Post by nkforster on Feb 18, 2017 19:33:46 GMT
I've been away the first few weeks of this year. Getting bendy in India and seeing how much curry I could eat in Sri Lanka (quite a lot as it happens...). But I've been back to the bench this last week. And there was a pile of boxes from the sprayers waiting for me on me return. The first one out the traps was this beauty. It's been years since I made a flat top Irish bouzouki. I hope it won't be that long till I make the next one. Nigel www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/irish-bouzouki-celtic-mandolin/ |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 18, 2017 22:40:15 GMT
Lovely bouzouki, Nige.
Sam makes great cases. I love his teardrop zouk case.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Feb 18, 2017 23:13:54 GMT
Canny!  Keith |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 19:21:23 GMT
Ingenious idea regarding the sound hole pickup Nigel. I've noticed several guitarists now use electronics to add bass lines to their acoustic guitar parts. At Purbeck festival for instance both Sean Lakeman and Alistair Roberts were doing it. I believe the guitarist in Daimh does it as well- I remember reading he uses a soundhole magnetic pickup that is somehow only wired to pick up the bottom strings, which he then sends through an octaver.
Lovely Zouk Nigel- I am undecided whether I prefer a zouk to be flat top or arch top (or indeed like Rob Rowles Gazouki you built him). What are the advantages and disadvantages of all three? Or is it just a case of different sounds? I met Neil Davey of Dalla the other day, and I was sat right opposite him at a pub gig in Bath, and his Sobell arch top sounded absolutely divine.
One lest question, what is the deal with the fairly chunky looking endgraff on this instrument?
Overall, loving the look of this flat top Nigel.
Robbie
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Post by nkforster on Feb 19, 2017 21:07:23 GMT
Ingenious idea regarding the sound hole pickup Nigel. I've noticed several guitarists now use electronics to add bass lines to their acoustic guitar parts. At Purbeck festival for instance both Sean Lakeman and Alistair Roberts were doing it. I believe the guitarist in Daimh does it as well- I remember reading he uses a soundhole magnetic pickup that is somehow only wired to pick up the bottom strings, which he then sends through an octaver. Lovely Zouk Nigel- I am undecided whether I prefer a zouk to be flat top or arch top (or indeed like Rob Rowles Gazouki you built him). What are the advantages and disadvantages of all three? Or is it just a case of different sounds? I met Neil Davey of Dalla the other day, and I was sat right opposite him at a pub gig in Bath, and his Sobell arch top sounded absolutely divine. One lest question, what is the deal with the fairly chunky looking endgraff on this instrument? Overall, loving the look of this flat top Nigel. Robbie Flat/arch/cylinder... Well, the best of the lot for tone and volume is cylinder with a fixed bridge. Next comes the flat top with a fixed bridge. The carved archtop comes last to my ears. We made loads of carved tops when I worked for Stefan. They were the "bread and butter" of the business through the 80's and most of the 90s. We only made a few flat top bouzoukis. And they were to my ears, far better than the archtops. The main advantage of archtops were - it's much easier to sell people things they wanted, and they wanted archtops so that's what we made. The archtop can be a fine instrument. I know, I've made loads, redwood makes the best one. But it's a sound which is best enjoyed in isolation. They barley cope in a modern noisy session. Some people like that sound best though, so it's horses for courses. I prefer volume, projection and power. What you often get with a archtop is resonance and sparkle. If you want volume, projection and power you need a fixed bridge usually. End graft? You can only make instruments with the wood you have, and that's how long the board of maple was. The back panel is a jet black engineered wood a bit like rocklite, it looks very smart - the binding is made of the same stuff ad the black, white and blue maple purfling go all around. n www.nkforsterguitars.com/blog/irish-bouzouki-celtic-mandolin/ |
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Feb 19, 2017 23:12:50 GMT
That was a very informative and if I may say so entertaining 8 minutes or so Nigel  Phil |
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Post by gavdav on Feb 20, 2017 10:41:32 GMT
Looks and sounds ace. I'm intrigued by the possibilities of engineered woods. I'm still not sure where I'm at with the whole flat top/arch top/pin bridge/floating bridge thing. Have had pin bridge instruments, Lowden style through bridge on flat top citterns, an arch top sobell (carved) arch top Fylde (induced) and flat top floating bridge instruments, all of which had their pros and cons. These days I (still) have the carved arch top cittern I've played since 2003. All the flat tops were immediately more satisfying than the arch tops, but also had to be EQd to death to make them sound like they weren't guitars in a band mix (for some reason this always seems worse on TV and radio). The arch top works well enough for me in a session too.
Still, it doesn't fit in a sensible case!
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Post by nkforster on Feb 20, 2017 19:36:03 GMT
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leoroberts
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My main instrument is: probably needing new strings
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Post by leoroberts on Feb 20, 2017 21:19:36 GMT
'Farage' - bloody loud.
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Riverman
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Post by Riverman on Feb 20, 2017 21:40:39 GMT
Or 'Nuttall'...apparently this is the instrument he played at Shea Stadium when he was in the Beatles...  |
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Feb 20, 2017 21:44:46 GMT
Seriously good photographs, Nigel Really lovely work too  |
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Post by nkforster on Feb 28, 2017 3:36:42 GMT
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Jo whoever he is.
