Since this is threadjacked, I'll mention my two Cümbüsi, one fretted, one fretless, both with deep stainless steel bowls (only slightly dented). I bought those some years ago for US$300 total at Lark In The Morning. I leave the fretless one in Turkish or Armenian modes to play (badly). I've restrung the fretted one in fifths + a fourth (C2-C3, G2-G3, D3-D4, A3-A4, E4-E4, A4-A4 -- I didn't want to risk taking it up to C5) and now call it a banjo-cittern. Before restringing, I left the action too high, tuned it like a 12-string guitar, and played raccuous bottleneck blues. That bolt-on neck is pretty funky, yes. And yes, the resonance is NOT like what we think of as banjos -- certainly nothing like my banjo-uke, banjo-mandolin, or 5-string banjo. It sure can be loud, though!
Especially the fretted Cümbüs seems less the product of luthiers and more the output of indifferent tinkers. The neck does not bolt on quite straight. The frets are not spaced for correct intonation -- frets 10-11 are further apart than frets 9-10! And don't even ask about the nut and bridge. Note: The wooden bridge has sharp corners; I almost need to wear a fingerless. For all that, it's a fun instrument.
I'll post a full report on my conversion in a few weeks -- those instruments are at home and I'm on the road for awhile longer.
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