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Posts: 709
Location: Germany | I searched the vault but couldn't find an answer to my question. I would like to convert my Mandocello to a (Irish) Bouzouki, preferably tuned in GDAE (playable like a mandolin). I know that I have to cut a new nut but have no idea which string gauge I should use. Any ideas?
Karl |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | A fairly standard gauge for Irish Bouzouki is 040w .028w .016 .011 all unison pairs. You could increase or decrease by couple of thou to find the feel you prefer. You can also string the lower pairs as octaves if you like, but that would need a different nut.
There's a few other tunings, notably GDAD and ADAD
Forget any real comparison with a mandolin, the scale length is way too much of a stretch for a lot of mandolin chords that don't include open strings It's really a whole new thing. Lot's of open strings, lots of jangle, and the Irish players tend avoid major and minor thirds in the chord voicings. Those other 2 tunings really lend themselves to that whole ambiguous modal sound.
I'll be adding an Ovation Mandocello to my arsenal next week. The plan was to do an Irish Bouzouki conversion, but I think I'm going to leave it as a Mandocello for a while. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Ditto on this end. I have been planning to convert my Mandocello to a Bouzouki for about 2 years now but somehow keep putting it off.
Not like it would be a permanent change or anything.....just the different nut.
I think the more popular tuning is GDAD.
The unused string set I have is - high to low - .012, .016, .022 and .038 |
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Posts: 4221
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Somewhere down in my pipe dream list is an Ovation Bouzouki. But I want one to go with my mandocello, not replace it. Of course, I want a winning lottery ticket too.  |
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Posts: 119
Location: New York | " preferably tuned in GDAE "
Is that Aussie tuning??? G'DAE??? |
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September 2008
Posts: 757
Location: Melbourne Australia | Originally posted by Hossman21:
" preferably tuned in GDAE "
Is that Aussie tuning??? G'DAE??? Nice one Hoss :D |
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Posts: 698
Location: Cork, Ireland | Fans of Irish Bouzouki may like these.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVRl4khwkHwhttp://www.youtube.com/my...
These are from a great series called Ceird an Cheoil (in Irish with subtitles) about instruments in Irish music - most or all of it is on YT in separate clips.
An bhfuil Gaeilge ag aon duine ar an forum seo? Does anyone on this forum speak/read/write Irish? |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I like this one
Irish Bouzouki history |
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August 2004
Posts: 709
Location: Germany | Thanks a lot for the input. I measured the nut width of my Mandocello and it has the standard Ovation neck with 1 11/16". That seems to be a quite wide neck for 4 Bouzouki string pairs. The Irish Bouzoukis have a narrower neck, right?
Karl |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | A wide neck version? Very cool!
I would think at the worst case you could cut the new nut to where the string spacing was closer and you would just have a bit of extra space on each edge.
Not sure what the standard neck size is for a Bouzouki would be. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I find most Bouzouki necks uncomfortably skinny and the string spacing cramped. A wider neck with wider string spacing is definately a good thing |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | That was my thinking but you said it better. |
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April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Originally posted by sycamore:
Fans of Irish Bouzouki may like these.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVRl4khwkHwhttp://www.youtube.com/my...
These are from a great series called Ceird an Cheoil (in Irish with subtitles) about instruments in Irish music - most or all of it is on YT in separate clips.
An bhfuil Gaeilge ag aon duine ar an forum seo? Does anyone on this forum speak/read/write Irish? |
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December 2006
Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | Originally posted by AlanM:
I occasionally look Irish... In the past, I've been known to drink like one...  |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Just thought I'd ressurrect this thread. I've spent a couple of weeks messing around with my newly acquired Mandocello. It suddenly struck me that if you drop the 1st string to G (CGDG) the intervals are the same as one of the common Irish Bouzouki tunings (GDAD) This petty much eliminates the big fret spans of the chords in the standard all-fifths cello tuning and produces managable fingerings (mostly without a major or minor 3rd) Scales remain the same except the fingerings move up a tone on the 1st string. It's a lot easier than cutting a new nut and changing the string guage. |
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Mandocello convert to Bouzouki
