Joe Foley Bouzouki has arrived

[Colin Lindsay]

Mike, I would say that even after two days I am still amazed at my Irish Bouzouki. I feel there is a piece of Ireland inside her.

It’s better outside than in. With the right moves it will emerge through the soundhole.

[Nick Gellie]

Hi Colin,

I intend to post a sound clip this wek. I have been rather remiss not to have done so. Thanks for reminding me.

[Wes Brandt]

Hey folks..

...I realize I could be accused of hijacking this thread to show my own work ...I just wasn't quite thinking … and am truly interested in a discussion about flat tops with pin bridges vs carved top with tail piece sometime.

Sorry about that.

[Nick Gellie]

Hey Wes, not a problem at all. it is interesting that you can get a good bottom end in terms of tone out of a smaller bodied instrument.

Lovely instrument by the way. I have had pin bridge bouzoukis and standard bridge and I prefer the sound from the latter. But then again you could be doing something different with your bracing to get the bouzouki sound from a pi-brodged bouzouki.

[Wes Brandt]

Thanks for your reply Nick,

Maybe I'll start a build thread for the Zouk… also when it's done, it just dawned on me I can probably get my hands on a Sobel and do some A-B clips… I have access to a decent recording setup and engineer too.

Wes

[maracirac]

[QUOTE=Hi Marin, maybe Nic's busy or traveling, so I'll tell you what he told me, since I had the same question:

"My bouzouki is a standard pattern - the basic one but with scale length shorter at 650 mm with a nut width of 34 mm (standard), a comfortable scale for me with smaller hands. I specified a rosewood fingerboard. He does take any spec but it will cost you more if you ask for more."

Here's the Foley standard model in a well-recorded video:[/QUOTE]

thanks mike for your answer, and sorry for delay.....
in meanwhile i sorted all details with mr. foley about ordering bouzouki from him, and although i didn't see your post in snail mail as sent him same picture of daoirri farrell and his bouzouki as example of look which i prefer! only difference is that daoirri have spruce top and nicks bouzouki top is made of moon spruce which is slightly pale if you compare it with normal europian spruce ..... i spoke with daoirri and sennie mcgrath about foley bouzoukies and both highly prized his bouzoukies, daoirri have now a new one, bigger size with diamond sound hole and sennie have normal size
body with diamond sound hole also. my bouzouki will be finished 4 months from now.
marin

[Mike Anderson]

This is great marin, thanks for the post. I missed it until now or I would have said something.

I just received Daoirí Farrell's album "The First Turn" in the post today, and it is brilliant! Very inspiring to me as I also sing and accompany myself on bouzouki (or did, until I sold my Trinity College recently).

I am amazed by Joe Foley's turnaround time, which seems to consistently be around 4 months. A Canadian luthier I have corresponded with recently has stated a one YEAR turnaround. My thought is that this is possibly because he is primarily a guitar maker - and it makes me think that it is perhaps not such a good idea to get my next bouzouki from a guitar luthier, but rather one who specializes in bouzoukis and always has, like Joe.

Seanie's other bouzouki is a custom Andy Manson, and I think it speaks greatly of his respect for Joe that his only other instrument is one of his. He has been through Sobells and Abnetts and Crumps as well, so he has tried a good variety of well-known makers. His Foley has a cedar top, which I think looks fantastic.

VERY glad I found your post, because once again I had started considering as many as 5 different luthiers lately, and it gets confusing and kind of disheartening to still be having so much difficulty with this decision. But my budget allows for one only bouzouki, and I want it to be the one I play for the rest of my life. I think it has to be Joe.

Enjoy your new Foley when it comes - and please post pictures!
Mike.

thanks mike for your answer, and sorry for delay.....
in meanwhile i sorted all details with mr. foley about ordering bouzouki from him, and although i didn't see your post in snail mail as sent him same picture of daoirri farrell and his bouzouki as example of look which i prefer! only difference is that daoirri have spruce top and nicks bouzouki top is made of moon spruce which is slightly pale if you compare it with normal europian spruce ..... i spoke with daoirri and sennie mcgrath about foley bouzoukies and both highly prized his bouzoukies, daoirri have now a new one, bigger size with diamond sound hole and sennie have normal size
body with diamond sound hole also. my bouzouki will be finished 4 months from now.
marin

[Nick Gellie]

Sorry I have been remiss about not posting a recording of my Joe Foley Irish Bouzouki.

https://soundcloud.com/nic-gellie/ta...irish-bouzouki

Thanks Marcirc for filling in for me. Mike, just go for it if you want a really top notch Irish Bouzouki. I should have got one years ago.

[Nick Gellie]

I also had a crack at Paul Brady's balkan tune Out the Door and Over the Wall. I have not played it for years but decided to have a crack at it.

Here is the soundcloud link: https://soundcloud.com/nic-gellie/ou...-over-the-wall

I love the sound of the Joe Foley bouzouki when it is recorded. it is so clear without any background overtones.

Thanks.

[Mike Anderson]

Hi Nic! Yeah, that "Out the Door" is a great tune from a great album, "Welcome Here Kind Stranger." Nicely done on a very tough tune!

I am down to thinking you're absolutely right - I keep mulling over all the other luthiers I was considering and I think "Why settle for something else? It's what I want, what's the problem?" I am hoping to hear from Frank Tate, another Dublin bouzouki maker to learn more about his instruments, so I guess I'm keeping the door open, but I think I know what's going to happen.

Will post pics whenever I have the new instrument in hand - going to be a while one way or another...

[Nick Gellie]

Mike

While they might be other luthiers out there, what you have to consider is that instrument going to be built superbly and sound great at the same time. I have no doubt there are luthiers who can make great instruments. For me the experience of working with Joe and getting one of his instruments was one of those lifetime experiences I would never have missed. I am glad I got it when I did because my work life has gone awol for the moment.

[Mike Anderson]

Ah, sorry to hear about the work Nic. Hope that gets sorted out quickly.

Yeah, you make good sense. Yes, there are now dozens of people making Irish bouzoukis, and it has been confounding trying to get my head around it all. But I like what I hear about Joe and his instruments, and I sure like the way they sound.

Okay - I'm convinced.

Mike

While they might be other luthiers out there, what you have to consider is that instrument going to be built superbly and sound great at the same time. I have no doubt there are luthiers who can make great instruments. For me the experience of working with Joe and getting one of his instruments was one of those lifetime experiences I would never have missed. I am glad I got it when I did because my work life has gone awol for the moment.

[Kenssongs]

Does Joe have a web site? I can find a bunch of references to him and his instruments, but no web site.

Thanks.

[Mike Anderson]

Does Joe have a web site? I can find a bunch of references to him and his instruments, but no web site.

Thanks.

Joe does not have any Internet. I'm on my way home at the moment but will PM you soon.

Edit: PM sent with contact info.

[Kenssongs]

Hey Mike, assuming you're still monitoring this thread, who is the chap playing in the video you posted? I'm still very new to all of this (only been to Ireland twice thus far), so I am still learning who's who in zouki land.

Cheers,

Ken

[Mike Anderson]

Hey Mike, assuming you're still monitoring this thread, who is the chap playing in the video you posted? I'm still very new to all of this (only been to Ireland twice thus far), so I am still learning who's who in zouki land.

Cheers,

Ken

Daoiri Farrell is a talented young singer and bouzouki player with a solo album I bought and really enjoy ("The First Turn") and now a member of Four Winds: http://fourwindsirishmusic.com/. If you want to hear a lot more Foley bouzouki, look up videos by Danú and Julie Fowlis (both feature her husband Eamon Doorley).

[Mike Anderson]

Oh, and Eoin O'Neill!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-EvT2BOSqM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0AXTiTyl_Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3pHB1HUFkQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm9obLQeTbY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex7HP_M1NG8

There are many, many more - he's pretty much the preeminent session bouzouki player in Clare. Or so I hear.

[Nick Gellie]

Thanks Mike for keeping the thread alive. I have not posted for a while about my Joe Foley Bouzouki. It has six months or more since I posted last. My Joe Foley bouzouki has been getting a revival in the last day or two. The hot dry weather here has played havoc with setups even though they my instruments housed in the coolest part of the house.

I also had a raised fret which I had to deal with but everything is now good and it is sounding better than ever since I have applied some of my rudimentary luthier skills to get it playing properly. I have enjoyed some of the more recent posts. Mike your Joe Foley must be just about ready so you will have to post when your 'Joe Foley bouzouki has arrived'. All the best with it - I hope it meets your expectations.

[Mike Anderson]

Thanks Mike for keeping the thread alive. I have not posted for a while about my Joe Foley Bouzouki. It has six months or more since I posted last. My Joe Foley bouzouki has been getting a revival in the last day or two. The hot dry weather here has played havoc with setups even though they my instruments housed in the coolest part of the house.

I also had a raised fret which I had to deal with but everything is now good and it is sounding better than ever since I have applied some of my rudimentary luthier skills to get it playing properly. I have enjoyed some of the more recent posts. Mike your Joe Foley must be just about ready so you will have to post when your 'Joe Foley bouzouki has arrived'. All the best with it - I hope it meets your expectations.

Thanks Nick! Sorry to hear you've had troubles. I'm very lucky our climate is generally so similar to Ireland's. If I were to move back to my native Alberta I'd probably have similar issues, since summers are dry and winters are cold enough to lock up all the humidity, to the point people not used to it get frequent mini-nosebleeds!

Have you thought about a humidifier, or maybe already using one? I had an Oasis case humidifier for my last archtop guitar and used it during our annual summer heat waves, and for the minimal investment think that at least it didn't hurt and probably helped.

I spoke with Joe on the 12th, and my bouzouki was built and needed spraying. I asked if we were on schedule for next month and he said yes. So we're close! I'll rest easy when I have it unpacked and inspected - you never know when a baggage handler is having a bad day (like I obviously was yesterday when I made my Grumpiest Post Ever™).

Take care, and I'll definitely post when it arrives.

[Mike Anderson]

In case anyone wonders about my mystery Foley post and ad - I lost my job Friday evening, not 24 hours after confirming with Joe that my bouzouki was ready and I could proceed with payment via wire transfer.

I immediately started trying to figure out ways to prevent Joe, a true gentleman, from being stuck with it. Last thing I hit on was scanning the stringed instrument discussion at the Chiff & Fipple whistle forum, where I found a buyer in the UK. After confirming with Joe, they are proceeding with the sale. Joe was so happy about this that he has left the door open for me to order in future when things are looking up. I told him I'd want to give a deposit next time, and he insisted that is not how he does business. He's all about trust.

So I'm back to square one: no bouzouki at all, but dreaming about it. That's life!

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Mike - really enjoyed all the links you posted re: Eoin O'Neill. The first time I heard his playing was indeed on one of the links you posted - the Kevin Griffin's set with Marty Custy and Sharon Shannon from the "Bringing It All Back Home" soundtrack. Watching it again really brings my back.

Also, I'm sorry to hear what happened and that you had to give up your new Foley bouzouki. I'm glad to hear that it's gotten worked out From everything I heard, Joe's indeed top shelf, and I hope you'll be able to get another instrument from him down the road.

[Mike Anderson]

Mike - really enjoyed all the links you posted re: Eoin O'Neill. The first time I heard his playing was indeed on one of the links you posted - the Kevin Griffin's set with Marty Custy and Sharon Shannon from the "Bringing It All Back Home" soundtrack. Watching it again really brings my back.

Also, I'm sorry to hear what happened and that you had to give up your new Foley bouzouki. I'm glad to hear that it's gotten worked out From everything I heard, Joe's indeed top shelf, and I hope you'll be able to get another instrument from him down the road.

Thanks very much Clement. It's going to a really good home, where it can hang out with a bunch of new playmates (a Fylde, a Crump, a Herb Taylor and a Davy Stuart).

[Bertram Henze]

Thanks very much Clement. It's going to a really good home, where it can hang out with a bunch of new playmates (a Fylde, a Crump, a Herb Taylor and a Davy Stuart).

Very good company.
Good to hear this part of the drama worked out alright. I wish you success for the rest!

[Mike Anderson]

Very good company.
Good to hear this part of the drama worked out alright. I wish you success for the rest!

Thank you Bertram. The best revenge will be to get a better job.