Bardsong OM

[plunkett5]

Does anyone have any informed opinions on Bardsong instruments? I am looking for an octave mandolin and have a line on one of theirs. Thanks- Mike

[otterly2k]

Mike- I have no experience at all with Bardsong instruments and have heard almost nothing. I googled it and looked at a few bits that have been written (which I'm sure you've already done). I'm assuming the lack of response to your question is that there is not a lot of experience out here to offer you.

anyone??

[danb]

For quite some time they were made with salvaged wood. You might find some archives on the old cittern-L list or by searching Google groups. I've not played one myself, but I've not heard positive reviews of them. In the very low cost brackets, you'll do better with a Trinity College or some other Pacific Rim imports.

[otterly2k]

I did see something when I was reading about them about use of "recycled" wood. Was wondering what that meant.
thanks for the info, dan.

[Tom A]

They're a bit mysterious aren't they? I tried checking them out when one popped up on eBay a while back. The best I've been able to conclude from the links below is that Shawn Spencer, musician, did a stint of instrument building at one time, but never quite turned it into a steady business.

If you're adventurous you might give one a try. My best guess from limited info is that you'll get something unique that has some chance of sounding decent but may require some hardware upgrades & setup. It doesn't make sense to me to pay more than an equivalent Pacific-Rim instrument would cost.

As Dan mentioned, with a Trinity College you're going to get something that's known to work and gives you some value for your hard-earned dollars.

Course, this viewpoint all pertains to the typical buying-sight-unseen situation lots of us face. If you actually get to play the instrument, or can get a hold of a really good pic set and/or sound clips, it might turn out to be a good buy.


http://mag.irish-music.net/Specials/BardSong.htm

http://www.soundlift.com/band/bio.php?id=104665

[acousticphd]

I played one on a trial a year or so ago. I also found only some scant information about their history online.

The instrument I looked at sounded quite good, but was clunky and crude and "homemade" looking in many ways, and hard to play. Extremely wide neck, nearly 6-string guitar width, and wide string spacing. Action was high, and bridge was low. The body shape was weird, with a long tongue-shaped extension toward the neck, which really shortened the playable length of the neck. l wouldn't have been able to capo much more than 2 frets, which is something I wanted in an OM. The neck also was an unorthodox bolt-on design, a little like the 70s Epiphone guitars. I was curious about how complicated it might have been to remove the neck to try to improve the angle. I passed because it would have needed too much refashioning for me for that price.

That one sold on ebay for not much - maybe $150 or so. I remember the more recent auction, and wondered if it was the same one. The sound was good enough that it might be a decent bet as a project, though.

[rclepper]

I played on a few of their instruments some 7 or 8 years ago(or longer) maybe, when I ran across them vending at a festival. My recollection was that they were rather quiet, not much projection, and somewhat crudely made. I also recall a thread about them several years back on either Irtrad or the cittern mailing list, where some folks had some pretty strong opinions about them. If you post on one of these lists, someone might remember (and possibly vent...).

[oldwave maker]

Shawn stopped thru the area with his girlfriend recently, they perform as spellbox www.spellbox.com, she on guitar, he on one of his mandocellos tuned in fourths. I think he mentioned he had lived down the alley from the gibson factory dumpsters in nashville where he got most of his materials. His cello sounded lively but was on the verge of collapse and had been for a while!

[plunkett5]

Thanks for the blunt advice. I'll save a while longer ("Baby needs a new pair of shoes") and get a good one.
Appreciate it- Mike

[steve V. johnson]

When I first became interested in OMs/zouks, I ran across a couple of Bardsong instruments (this was in the early days of html... <GG>), and I began to ask around about them.

What I found wasn't pleasant, with a couple of exceptions, and was mainly rumor and innuendo. I did find a Bardsong website, but it only stayed up a very short time after I found it. It did, as I recall, mention recovered tonewoods and renewable-materials philosophy, with an 'old-world' and romantic tone to the presentation.

When I asked friends in Nashville about Bardsong, they related tales of disappointment, initially with instrument repairs and then with orders for custom instruments. I know nothing of the truth of any of this, all of it was second-hand and I just moved on.

I've run across a couple of Bardsong instruments since then and they seemed consistent with Randy's descriptions.

stv

[Rob Zamites]

I owned a Bardsong "Dulcitar" for sometime (I actually traded it away for my current 'El Cheapo' OM), and seconding the thoughts put in text here WRT its somewhat shoddy construction and crude cut parts. The tone, however, was magnificent. Had incredible sustain and a ringing tone that would punch through most anything at a session. Why'd I get rid of it? The nameplate in the soundhole was dedicated to my now ex-wife, and I couldn't bear knowing that it bore her name.

[hamilton1790]

Does anyone have any informed opinions on Bardsong instruments? I am looking for an octave mandolin and have a line on one of theirs. Thanks- Mike

This is a very late chime-in to this post, but I bought a guitar and guitar parts from Bardsong MANY years ago. It was all complete junk. I believe the owner has gone in and out of business several times and I believe he was kicked off eBay more than once because of his bad reviews and poor customer service record (he kept popping up under new names until he finally quit). When I took delivery of my order I called and asked for a refund and he was among the rudest and most offensive people I have ever spoken with. If he moved into my town - I'd board up my house and head west.

[Eddie Sheehy]

Not too far West, I hope. He might follow you...

[barrangatan]

Interesting you should mention Bardsong... Looks like Shawn had moved on to doing guitar kits, and I recently got an email from him saying that he's got a few sets for sell. In fact, if you check the classifieds you'll see an ad from him. Suffice to say he did not move out west

I have never played a Bardsong instrument, but I do remember when he came on the scene over a decade ago, he made a bit of splash with his unique build philosophy and strong personality. Whatever he is doing these days, I wish him all the best.

[ollaimh]

i played a bardsong at hobgoblin, either san fransisco or seattle--can't remember which. it was cheap and had a great voice. it was crudely built for the finish work but who cares at under 300 bucks--all solid woods with as nice cedar top. i don't like the sound of trinity college instruments at all. the only time i have liked them was when a master player was playing one--a certain asmount is in the player! howver if a trinity is cheap enough =well ok if you need a decent beach bouzouki.

my beach bouzouki is a fifties greek odd ball. it has great sound and real mother of toilet seat inlay! but its loud and warm(for a greek bouzouki). the old ones are usually made to last better than the new ones. the new greek bouzoukis are often cheaply made for tourists with lots of doo dads to impress the unaware.

i sold my old greek bouzouki when i was poorer, but the guy i sold it to sold it back when i was richer! i was ecstatic. i busked with it for a decade so t has memories of my days on the road through the west coast. i have a vintage stathopoulo as well but i play the fifties as much.