Re: OM vs Irish Bouzouki
Sweetpea, speaking as a person with small hands, I'd encourage you to consider starting with something on the shorter scale side... 20-22". Even if you do play the guitar and are used to the longer scale of the guitar, you have to remember that the bouzouki or OM will likely be tuned more in 5ths than not. Guitars are mostly 4ths. What this means is that even playing chords, you will be more often needing to reach longer than on a guitar.
Obviously anyone can play any scale... it's just a matter of adapting the technique. When I can't reach something, I figure out a different way to play it, or just move up/down the neck more. But I think especially when starting on a new (to you) instrument, things like an uncomfortably long stretch can just be discouraging and make it hard to get a real idea of how you like the instrument.
You can use any tunings you like and certainly can play Irish music on any of the instruments we're talking about. (I myself play a 20.5" scale OM which I keep tuned in ADAE unison courses and play lots of different styles including Irish).
I recommend the Trinity College instruments as a good place to start... the OM has a short scale (in the range of these things) and is decent. I have only played one Gold Tone OM, and that one was WAY oversprayed - the finish was super thick which made the instrument heavier and less responsive than I was happy with. I don't know if all Gold Tones are like that, but I haven't met a TC yet that was.
Good luck with your quest and welcome to the CBOM fold.
Karen Escovitz
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Otter OM #1
Brian Dean OM #32
Old Wave Mandola #372
Phoenix Neoclassical #256
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If you're gonna walk on thin ice, you might as well dance!
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