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Yes, a new instrument is coming my way. Any guesses?

Irish Bouzouki (just to get it out of the way).

PixMix wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:25 pm

Irish Bouzouki (just to get it out of the way).

That's a wonderful guess, and I can see I'm not going to last long with this but I never do. Y'all always guess.

I used to own a bouzouki and intend to get another some day. Fun instrument.

I'm going to be obtuse with the hints. This is a modern day recreation of an older instrument.

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:28 pm

PixMix wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:25 pm

Irish Bouzouki (just to get it out of the way).

That's a wonderful guess, and I can see I'm not going to last long with this but I never do. Y'all always guess.

I used to own a bouzouki and intend to get another some day. Fun instrument.

I'm going to be obtuse with the hints. This is a modern day recreation of an older instrument.

I have a Greek one (tetrachordo, four-course). It's a fun instrument.

PixMix wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:33 pm

I have a Greek one (tetrachordo, four-course). It's a fun instrument.

I guess mine was in the Greek style... it was a poor instrument, and I always intended to get another one. It had four courses.

I bought a baglama saz made by these folks and it sure does look like they would make a very nice Greek bouzouki there.

But this isn't that.

Hmm. Modern recreation of an older instrument. I guess it depends what "older" means - you're talking to a guy with two lutes!

I'm gonna throw two extremely different guesses out there.

1) Theremin.

2) Dulcimer.

mbene085 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:56 pm

Hmm. Modern recreation of an older instrument. I guess it depends what "older" means - you're talking to a guy with two lutes!

I'm gonna throw two extremely different guesses out there.

1) Theremin.

2) Dulcimer.

Newer than a lute, but still an old instrument that has seen some serious changes in its form factor.

Mellotron

marqueemoon wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 6:33 pm

Mellotron

Yeah, that would be cool, but this is an instrument I will plan to keep on the couch, for the most part.

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 6:27 pm

Newer than a lute, but still an old instrument that has seen some serious changes in its form factor.

Mandolin?

mbene085 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 7:01 pm

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 6:27 pm

Newer than a lute, but still an old instrument that has seen some serious changes in its form factor.

Mandolin?

Yeah, I knew it wouldn't last long!

I bought one of these nice Eastman mandolins.

Larry Mal wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 7:17 pm

Yeah, I knew it wouldn't last long!

I bought one of these nice Eastman mandolins.

Nice! Those look great.

Mandolin is high on the list of instruments I've always wanted to learn. They've got quite a history, like you alluded to. So many things you can do with one.

What style of music are you hoping to learn to play on it?

mbene085 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 7:20 pm

What style of music are you hoping to learn to play on it?

Same as with any instrument I have ever played, I don't really have an agenda for it. Maybe I'll develop one. But really, I'll just see where it leads me.

By some weird coincidence, Spotify suggested this John Martyn song tonight.

It's pretty heavy on the mandolin.

Ooooo, I was going in the right direction with my Irish bouzouki guess! Which, btw is the flat back body (unlike Greek bowl back), but a longer scale.

That's an awesome instrument you have on the way!

PixMix wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:03 pm

Ooooo, I was going in the right direction with my Irish bouzouki guess! Which, btw is the flat back body (unlike Greek bowl back), but a longer scale.

That's an awesome instrument you have on the way!

Yeah, my first hint was going to be that this instrument has the same number of strings as the Greek bouzouki, but I knew that would lead to everyone figuring it out even faster than was done. Bouzouki is still on the list.

I'm fairly new to the mandolin here. I used to play some bowl back mandolins that a friend of mine was collecting, Martin made ones from like 1910, some of them had aluminum bodies. "Potato bugs" they call 'em.

A lot of different kinds of mandolins out there. Not to mention the other varieties, I had a bid on a mandola, and the octave mandolin has some things in common with the bouzouki, and the mandocello is cool as hell.

They say that this "A" type mandolin with it's round soundhole will have more sustain and resonance than the "F" type mandolin does, but that the F type will cut through a mix easier than the A type.

No idea.

I will say that Eastman seems to hit the sweet spot with mandolins, a professional grade, hand carved all solid wood instrument priced in between the super expensive instruments and the starter junk.

We'll see how I get on with it... there have been times that I thought that my hands were too large for the mandolin, but now I'm thinking that I'll be fine.