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Thanks. Being allergic to lots of things myself, I hear you…I painted the guard and have had no trouble.
Playing around with a “side grabber”, somewhat springy 1/4” wide band, bent in “U” shape(90...

Hi I don’t use straps but this should work if you put some kind of spacer between strap button& wood, along with maybe a bit longer screw.

Works great.
Beats paying $80.
Shown here on my octave mandolin.
DennisHavlena.com

Hi Doug. I get a lot of ideas by browsing thru "instruments if the world" books. Neat thing about instruments is there's no end to ones that can be invented. Never run outta tinkering ideas.

Thanks I.F. Agreed.

Hi JH & thanks. Instrument tinkering has been endless fun for most of my long life. No bass stuff recently but just today while tearing apart/fixing our clothes dryer, got to thinking a dryer drum'd...

Hi.
I've been playing folk music for well over a half century.
Growing up in a lower middle class, less than affluent
family, I had to scrimp & improvise to get the
instruments I was rabidly...

Not aimed at the hotshots

You may already have a very resonant bouzouki in your closet ---

A 12 string guitar can be extremely easily turned into an extra-resonant Bouzouki
simply by changing the gauges of the guitar's...

A very elegant (not) way to keep a Greek Bouzouki from sliding while playing.

I've a few zoukis - Irish flatbacks & this Greek jobbie, which I'm starting to like more and more for playing Celtic...

Thanks very much! Some very neat ideas therein!!

Very full-sounding 'bouzouki' - instantly -
by simply returning a guitar -- no joke. Try it!
Purist will undoubtedly howl, but so what.

ALMOST as much fun as playing my real bouzoukis....

Hi.
My 1994 Japanese-made Trinity College bouzouki weighs 3.6 Lbs. My more recent Chinese-made Johnson bouzouki (a copy of the Japanese TC instrument) weighs 4.03 Lbs. They appear identical. Just...

ps: the forum wouldn't let me say f a r t i n g !! Come on

Hi from northern Michigan, Thanks for the bunch of neat comments & observations!
Never paid much attention to definitions & classifications but this mini-bouzouki nicely serves in lieu of my...

I took an old, inexpensive mandola, fitted it with thicker strings* (octaves for lower two courses), tuned it EADG (hi-to-lo) & have a most pleasant sounding/playing instrument that for all practical...

A few weeks down the road: The Fancy cittern was returned. I much prefer the 1994 Trinity College jobbie. Am keeping the newer Johnson "TC" zoukie - still a lot of fun to play. Re the $12 junked...

Continuing in this vein -- I redid the nut and bridge string spacing on the Epiphone-to-OM conversion so that both spacings were now the same as my regular bouzoukis and also I shifted the strings...

hello - Thanks to all for the observations.

- strings are a variety of gauges & ages so again, not a very controlled experiment.

- #2 is indeed a Fylde.

- #3 is newer, Chinese-made version...

3rd instrument is tuned a full step low & capoed up to pitch at the 2nd fret.
Altho I have converted several, my main 'objection' to guitar-shaped conversions is that
(no surprise) they sound like...

Hi ---- Brother & I today comparing instruments:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0aJgLOoS4

1st: My recently converted $12 junked Epiphone guitar-to-octave mandolin.

2nd: A very high-end...

SMe to you Rob! I live up just south of the Mackinac Bridge. Don't see many CBOM type instruments up here. Thanks for your comment about my website. Dennis

Much appreciated John. Been my hobby for half a century.
Only problem is that I'm spread quite thin -- jack of many musical
instruments but master of none -- decidedly fun though.
Best wishes from...

Ps: total cost $12 (for tuners) plus strings.
Hi Jack & Rob

Hi Bernie & Eddie. Thanks for your comments. Not sure if I have the proper reply format- don't get on forums very often. Appologies if I goof something up.
My webpage has been online about 20 years...