TC Bouzouki Upgrades?

[earlyriser]

Hi All,
I recently got a Trinity College Bouzouki and it sounds a little thin to me. I don't know if it's just because my ears are spoiled from hearing nicer instruments, or if a few minor tweaks could improve the tone...

It just sounds kind of brittle and harsh. I've restrung it with a D'Addario Bouzouki set and widened the nut & bridge slots to accommodate the unison strings. Right away I think I prefer the sound of the original octave set. I'm a guitar player mainly and I love the sound of 12 string guitars, so that makes sense. The D'Addario set feels a little to light, like it's not driving the top enough... How heavy do players commonly go? I'll be strumming for accompaniment more than picking out lead lines.

Next, while it's great that Saga includes both a bone nut and bone saddle insert, it sounds like there's almost too much bone in the tone, like it's too punchy. Would a rosewood bridge smooth out the tone a bit?

Also, how would a nice cast tailpiece affect the tone & sustain? The cheap stamped one that it came with is pretty flimsy, and one of the string hooks is about to snap already. It seems like a tailpiece that could accept ball end strings might make finding strings easier in the future, too.

I'm new to this instrument (and site) so any info would be a big help!
Thanks in advance.

[Mandobart]

I don't have any TC experience, but I have two OM's, both arch top. Up to the instrument's limit for string tension, I've found that going to heavier gauge strings improves the sound and volume. I don't know how a bridge material change would help; I do know that many of the "mass produced" instruments have bridge issues, and going to a better quality bridge (at least saddle) can help. My favorite OM has a cast Allen tailpiece for ball end strings. I love the sound of this OM but don't know how much of it is provided by the tailpiece. My favorite mandolin has a stamped tailpiece. In his books Roger Siminoff makes a pretty good case for heavier tailpieces. I know opinions vary on this.

[Flutefry]

Someone on thesession.org recommended replacing the bridge with a Red Henry maple bridge, and an Allen tailpiece. I took my TC zouk in this afternoon to have this done, so I'll report back when it's been done.

Hugh

[gerardo1000]

I was told by a bouzouki maker that replacing a bone saddle with an all rosewood or all ebony bridge warms up the tone.

[earlyriser]

Thanks for the info, I think I'm going to try a different bridge first and possibly go back to octave strings for awhile. Allen tailpieces are very expensive, but I think I can get a Saga version for a good price.

I'd love to strip the plastic finish off of it at some point, it would really open up the tone if it had a thinner hand-rubbed finish. That's a project for another day though. I saw a guy on Youtube that had done it and it seemed like it made a nice difference. Obviously that's a huge undertaking and I'd rather spend the time playing the bouzouki!

Edit: As a typical Noob, it just now occurred to me to search the forum- and I found a bunch of great threads about exactly my situation. Duh!
Here's one.
Here's a great thread about Celtic gear in general.

[Larry R]

Did you get this Irish Bouzouki at the Old Town School of Folk Music ? I played there's made by Trinity, along with a TC Octave Mandolin and thought it sounded quite good. I think they both go for $599. Would have gotten it except that I'm saving for a Greek Bouzouki instead.

[earlyriser]

I did! Where are you getting your Greek Bouzouki from?

[Larry R]

I'm thinking about one from Pavlos Kakouris in Sacramento California. I've been hearing nothing but positive comments about him online and in person. He recommended one for $695.