String Spacing

[Strathspey]

A friend is making me a bouzouki-like instrument . . . everything is just about done, but he is unsure about what the string spacing should be like on the bridge. He makes mandolins and guitars, but has never made anything of this size. This instrument will have a pin bridge.

Any help would be appreciated.

Matt

[sunburst]

Well, if everything else is about done, you only have a certain amount of choice as far as string width at the bridge. You don't want the strings too close to the edge of the fingerboard.
Ideally, the string spacing would be decided first and the fingerboard designed accordingly, with the space from the outside strings to the edges of the board slightly increasing as you go toward the bridge.
As it is now, a width that puts your outside strings parallel with the edges of the board, or maybe a little wider is your outside limit. Anything narrower will be fine.

I don't know how wide they should be, or how wide you want them, but just thought I'd warn you not to go too wide, in case you didn't know.

I think it comes down to how wide you want them, after all.

[Paul Hostetter]

Are you asking about distance between the two strings in each pair? Or how to fine-tune that with regards to the pin bridge?

[GD Armstrong]

Bouzoukis vary so much from one builder to another there is no one standard spacing. Here is what I use:
Total width of strings center of bass string to center of highest string 44mm, center to center of lowest pair 4 mm, from inboard bass to next string 10.5,center to center of that pair 3.5mm,10mm to next string, center to center that pair 3mm, to next pair 9.5 mm, center to center that pair 2.5. Sort of like this:

# | | 10.5 #| | #10 #| | 9.5 | |
# #4 # # # ##3.5 # # ## 3 # # #2.5
I hope that makes sense.

GD Armstrong