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Here are the two backs.
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I recorded tapping two bouzouki mahogany tops of identical size and weight, not attached to the sides. The thicknesses are different by .015". The solid top is braced; the laminated top is not...

Easy to clean - just throw it in the dishwasher. And if you need to swim across the river with it, no problem.

Graham's information and ideas are excellent. When I was researching this project, it became clear that there are no standards like there are with different styles of guitars and mandolins. Scale...

I vote for original Titebond. Depending on the situation, I might consider small carriage bolts through either end of the bridge and the bridge plate. These can be counter sunk and covered with a...

In this design, the neck angle is set by the side slots in the heel section of the neck. The bridge is a single piece floating bridge that can be cut down to a good height to set the action, but...

The sound on that video is very much what you hear live. The tone is pure, but there is a little bit more complexity that gives a very mature sound. The neo-classical tone is definitely in Marty's...

Honestly. I'm not sure yet. I took it on faith that the printed plan I started from, which is a flat top with arched back and this neck joint, would result in a decent neck angle, so I didn't think...

Marty, I sent you a pm.

The Haywood Irish Bouzouki #1 under construction.

I wanted to try the Spanish style neck joint. We'll see if it will be strong enough. The top is made from a Honduran mahogany top set from LMI....

I thought the bouzoukis are sufficiently different from mandolins to justify a separate thread, and that it might be helpful as some of us try to figure out how to build these things.

Will, part of the fun was that I finally got to play one of your mandolins and compare it to some other good ones. Very nice mandolin.

Indeed, an amazing evening. Thanks, Marty, for your hospitality and to everyone who got there for making it happen. Talk about being a kid in a candy store. The selection of mandolins to play was...

Yea, the Navigator shows the usual Friday I-285 gridlock in your area. Usually clears out right about 7:00, so I'm aiming for a little thereafter.

I've seen several done like this for that bridge/pickup. Seems to be standard procedure for it. I thought the idea came from the under the saddle pickups on guitars. Many guitars, including Martins,...

Good advice above. You can temporarily mark it by lightly placing a piece of painter's tape along one side of the bridge. Sometimes it's easy to knock it out of place when you are learning to change...

Wednesday of that week is good for me, or Friday or Saturday. Unfortunately, I won't have the new bouzouki strung in the white by then, unless miracles happen.

Count me in.

I finished this one in 2011. Didn't think about posting a picture and audio until now. This is my main hatchet - played daily.

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Here's the demo. Just noodling to try and show the note...

Started putting it together today and had a decent picture of the bent sides. It took about five minutes yesterday to set up the pipe and bend the one piece a little more at the end to hug the tail...

Re: the OP's two questions. I did make a living for a while repairing instruments at a music store, in addition to selling. I got that job partly as a result of building a mandolin which impressed...

Sam Ash Music Store is out your way. Haven't been there in a while, but it might be worth a look. I was in their store in NYC in December. They had two mandolins - mid to lower range price and...

Is there no kerfing? There should be more gluing surface than just the side thickness. The kits I've seen come with a very thin strip of wood for kerfing. Not much gluing surface for the back. It...

There was a time when the mandolin fret board seemed way too small for my hand. Eventually it felt normal, but then the guitar felt like a four lane highway. Now, after five years playing the...

Update: Bouzouki sides. The cherry really is a dream to work with. It's very hard, so everything takes a little longer. I thicknessed the sides on a belt sander to around .090". Sprayed the pieces on...