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Thread: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

  1. #1

    Default Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    My uncle is in Ecuador with his family and visited a shop in a small town where the owner makes and repairs guitars and stringed instruments by hand. They came across this instrument and thought it was a mandolin. Detail around the sound hole is tiny hand cut colored wood chips inlaid onto the wood.

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    Any clue on what it is?

  2. #2

    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Wow, 15 strings! Looking at the Atlas of Plucked Instruments, it looks like a bandolin (not to be confused with bandolim): http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments...th_america.htm

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  4. #3
    Registered User trevor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    It could be a Churango (sp?)
    Trevor
    Formerly of The Acoustic Music Co (TAMCO) Brighton England now retired.

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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    My guess . . . Bandola?

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Charangos are usually ten strings, with guitar-esque (or ukulele-esque) bodies.

    I think Seter has hit it: 15 strings in five triple courses, floating bridge, tailpiece. I vote bandolin.

    Plus, it's the only Ecuadorean instrument listed in the Atlas of Plucked Instruments.
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    Registered User Tavy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Man, that's going to take some tuning!

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    Registered User Timbofood's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Cool link David!
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    "If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett

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  13. #9
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    ... It is an Equadorian Bandolin

    I have one given me completely broken
    I had repared it, put a new extended fingerboard, and modified with a mapple floating bridge (better for compensation of the strings gauges) and strung it in triple fifth octavied courses (from low => high) : cCc-gGg-dDd-aAa-eEe

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    In other south american countries its name is also Andino Bandolin and was largely played

    The 2 specialists are pictured below

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    Here an exemple of music with this instrument

    Last edited by Irénée; Feb-19-2018 at 9:25pm.

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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    C’est chouette!!
    Chuck

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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Wow~ and I thought mandolin string changes took time! But neat instruments! Thanks - learning all the time!

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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Ohhh My. Look at THAT Florida.

    Talk about dog whistle notes.
    New to mando? Click this link -->Newbies to join us at the Newbies Social Group.

    Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and he will email you a copy of his ebook for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

    My website and blog: honketyhank.com

  18. #13
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Sorry but I had forgot to give you its scale whitch is 43cm from bridge to upper nut

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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Look carefully at the label, I understand Lloyd Loar spent some time down in Ecuador
    2003 John Sullivan F5 "Roy"
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    2019 Ruhland F5 #35

  20. #15

    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    i think it's a bandurria, strung in five courses with triples, fifteen strings at least, some variants have four string in some courses. it is often the rhythm instrument of the native muisc

  21. #16
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Quote Originally Posted by ollaimh View Post
    i think it's a bandurria, strung in five courses with triples, fifteen strings at least, some variants have four string in some courses. it is often the rhythm instrument of the native muisc
    ... If you read really the precedent posts (do it !), you will understand that it is not possible... spanish Bandurria has a very short neck (upper mandolin like tuned in mind of "up than +octave guitar" instrument) and 12 strings in 6 courses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandurria

    ... it is not also a spanish Laud 12 strings in 6 courses with a longer neck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%BAd

    These 2 instruments are really played only in Spain during specific classical traditional folk festivals http://orlaser.blogspot.fr/ and https://hiveminer.com/Tags/bandurria%2Claud ...



    ... and also played in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippine...
    Last edited by Irénée; Apr-10-2018 at 12:19pm.

  22. #17
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    ... Here is a last demonstration of Bandurria & Laud classic Duo


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  24. #18

    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Quote Originally Posted by Irénée View Post
    ... If you read really the precedent posts (do it !), you will understand that it is not possible... spanish Bandurria has a very short neck (upper mandolin like tuned in mind of "up than +octave guitar" instrument) and 12 strings in 6 courses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandurria

    ... it is not also a spanish Laud 12 strings in 6 courses with a longer neck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La%C3%BAd

    These 2 instruments are really played only in Spain during specific classical traditional folk festivals http://orlaser.blogspot.fr/ and https://hiveminer.com/Tags/bandurria%2Claud ...



    ... and also played in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippine...
    not a spanish bandura, a south ameican one--very different instruments from a similar family

  25. #19

    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    look at the stlas of stinged instruments, an almost exact version is there as the south american bandurria.

    the sorter scale is the bandolin but this looks longer scale.

  26. #20
    Registered User Nick Royal's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    I have a bandurria that I bought while in the Peace Corps in rural Philippines. 12 strings and the back and sides are carved out of one piece of wood. It needs work to make it playable.

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    Registered User lucho's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    The ecuadorian bandolin (5 courses) is related to the andean bandola (6 courses) from Colombia. The later is a bandurria with steroids tuned like the pilipino banduria one tone lower than standard. The Ecuadorian bandolin ussually has triple courses arranged like andean colombian tiples... and traditionally are used to play pasillo folk music

  28. #22
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Thanks to David (post #7) and Irenee (post #9) this has been a wonderfully rich educational post on the bandolin. The Andean music from the video in post #9, featuring pipes, guitar, bandolin, drums, vocals ... is a moving performance. Thanks so much for sharing.
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  29. #23
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Quote Originally Posted by ollaimh View Post
    look at the stlas of stinged instruments, an almost exact version is there as the south american bandurria.

    the sorter scale is the bandolin but this looks longer scale.
    Hello ollaimh !
    ... Sorry for my too fast and harsh answer

    Sometimes after, I had verify and made many other researches and find some south american instruments which had similar aspect or similar names... and you were right
    Look to the instruments I had found:
    - 1) Peruvian Bandurria
    Click image for larger version. 

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    In Peru (and Bolivia) they use a kind of mandolin, which is called bandurria. Although its shape resembles somewhat the Spanish bandurria (with 6 double strings), it has in fact only 4 courses. Usually the courses are with double metal strings, but often with 3, 4 or even 5 strings per course, resulting in 8, 12, 16 or even 20 strings in total.
    The body is constructed like a guitar, with a flat back. The strings are fastened to a guitar-like bridge, glued to the front.
    The tuning is often guitar-like : (for 4x 4 strings) : d"d'd"d" g'gg'g' b'b'b'b' e"e"e"e", or many other tunings. Playing is strumming like on the charango.

    - 2) Ecuadorian Bandolin
    Click image for larger version. 

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    The bandolin from Ecuador has a body shaped much like a bandola or mandolin, but it has 5 courses of triple metal strings, in a guitar-tuning... The bandolin is made like a guitar, with a flat back. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The long flat tuning head has 7 tuning machines on the right side and 8 tuning machines on the left side of the open pegbox.
    The 15 metal strings (in triple unison courses, with only the two lowest ones with a low octave string in the middle) run over a loose bridge to a metal stringholder on the end of the body. This makes it different from the bandurria from Peru, which has a similar body shape, but with the strings fixed to a guitar-like bridge.
    The tuning is guitar-like : e"e'e" a"a'a" d"d"d" fis" fis" fis" b"b"b".

    -3) Colombian Bandola which is in fact a spanish Bandurria
    Click image for larger version. 

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    It is sometimes called the bandola Andina Colombiana, and it is also played in parts of Venezuela.
    The bandola is made like a guitar, with a flat back and the body shaped like a pear. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets.
    It has 6 metal courses, which run over/through a guitar-like bridge (glued to the front) to a metal stringholder at the end of the body.
    Some bandolas have 12 strings (in 6 double courses, like the Spanish bandurria), but most of the Colombian bandolas have 16 strings, with the 4 top courses triple. Note that in the Philippines exists a similar looking bandurria with 14 strings .
    The tuning is like a Spanish bandurria in 5-5-5-5-5 (frets) : f#f# bb e'e'e' a'a'a' d''d''d'' g''g''g''. For more information see Harpguitars.
    Note : there is a similar named instrument (with 4 strings) in Venezuela, which is (with the Venezuelan cuatro) also used in some areas of Colombia.

    You can find many informations on:
    - "Instrumentos de Cuerda" http://pacoweb.net/Cuerdas/cuerdas.html
    - "ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - South America" https://www.atlasofpluckedinstrument...th_america.htm

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  31. #24
    Registered User Irénée's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Quote Originally Posted by ollaimh View Post
    look at the stlas of stinged instruments, an almost exact version is there as the south american bandurria.

    the sorter scale is the bandolin but this looks longer scale.
    Hello ollaimh !
    ... Sorry for my too fast and harsh answer

    Sometimes after, I had verify and made many other researches and find some south american instruments which had similar aspect or similar names... and you were right
    Look to the instruments I had found:
    - 1) Peruvian Bandurria
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	bandurria peru1.JPG 
Views:	123 
Size:	11.7 KB 
ID:	168844, Name:  bandurrias_bolivia.jpg
Views: 1208
Size:  12.6 KB, Name:  bandurria peru.JPG
Views: 1039
Size:  5.0 KB
    In Peru (and Bolivia) they use a kind of mandolin, which is called bandurria. Although its shape resembles somewhat the Spanish bandurria (with 6 double strings), it has in fact only 4 courses. Usually the courses are with double metal strings, but often with 3, 4 or even 5 strings per course, resulting in 8, 12, 16 or even 20 strings in total.
    The body is constructed like a guitar, with a flat back. The strings are fastened to a guitar-like bridge, glued to the front.
    The tuning is often guitar-like : (for 4x 4 strings) : d"d'd"d" g'gg'g' b'b'b'b' e"e"e"e", or many other tunings. Playing is strumming like on the charango.

    - 2) Ecuadorian Bandolin
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	bandolin2.JPG 
Views:	124 
Size:	9.5 KB 
ID:	168847
    The bandolin from Ecuador has a body shaped much like a bandola or mandolin, but it has 5 courses of triple metal strings, in a guitar-tuning... The bandolin is made like a guitar, with a flat back. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets. The long flat tuning head has 7 tuning machines on the right side and 8 tuning machines on the left side of the open pegbox.
    The 15 metal strings (in triple unison courses, with only the two lowest ones with a low octave string in the middle) run over a loose bridge to a metal stringholder on the end of the body. This makes it different from the bandurria from Peru, which has a similar body shape, but with the strings fixed to a guitar-like bridge.
    The tuning is guitar-like : e"e'e" a"a'a" d"d"d" fis" fis" fis" b"b"b".

    -3) Colombian Bandola which is in fact a spanish Bandurria
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	bandola colombia.JPG 
Views:	198 
Size:	11.8 KB 
ID:	168848, Name:  bandola bridge.JPG
Views: 1022
Size:  12.4 KB
    It is sometimes called the bandola Andina Colombiana, and it is also played in parts of Venezuela.
    The bandola is made like a guitar, with a flat back and the body shaped like a pear. The fingerboard is slightly raised above the front, and has metal frets.
    It has 6 metal courses, which run over/through a guitar-like bridge (glued to the front) to a metal stringholder at the end of the body.
    Some bandolas have 12 strings (in 6 double courses, like the Spanish bandurria), but most of the Colombian bandolas have 16 strings, with the 4 top courses triple. Note that in the Philippines exists a similar looking bandurria with 14 strings .
    The tuning is like a Spanish bandurria in 5-5-5-5-5 (frets) : f#f# bb e'e'e' a'a'a' d''d''d'' g''g''g''. For more information see Harpguitars.
    Note : there is a similar named instrument (with 4 strings) in Venezuela, which is (with the Venezuelan cuatro) also used in some areas of Colombia.

    You can find many informations on:
    - "Instrumentos de Cuerda" http://pacoweb.net/Cuerdas/cuerdas.html
    - "ATLAS of Plucked Instruments - South America" https://www.atlasofpluckedinstrument...th_america.htm

  32. #25
    Registered User zedmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mystery instrument found in Ecuador...

    Quote Originally Posted by Seter View Post
    Wow, 15 strings! Looking at the Atlas of Plucked Instruments, it looks like a bandolin (not to be confused with bandolim): http://www.atlasofpluckedinstruments...th_america.htm
    That's a great site--I have read through the whole thing--found it years ago...
    Would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?

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