Octave Mandolin or Bouzouki

[Stevo75]

My girlfriend tells me I need to get a bouzouki so I can play Celtic music with her. It's rare to have a significant other encourage mandolin and/or mandolin family purchases, so I'd like to take advantage of the opportunity.

Is a bouzouki and OM the same thing? Is there a traditional scale length for the type that would be used in Celtic music? I see a 20" OM in the classifieds right now, but I've seen much longer scale lengths (24-25" if I'm not mistaken). Any info you may have is appreciated!

[jefflester]

The Bouzouki and OM are very similar, really only the scale length is what roughly differentiates them. Bouzouki is longer (24-26") and OM is shorter (20-23"). Not to say an instrument with 23" can't be called a bouzouki. And not to say you can't tune an OM to some other tuning other than GDAE, but a bouzouki (in Celtic music) is more likely to be tuned to alternate tunings like GDAD, GDGD or ADAD etc. Likewise, an OM would generally have all the string gauges doubled (the low G is two strings of same diameter), a bouzouki might have the lower strings with the 2nd one an octave higher, which would be more like a traditional Greek bouzouki.

[Reinhardt]

If you can manage the extra stretch of the Bouzouki, I personally would go for that. Most Irish Bouzoukis would be 650mm in scale length which is about 25". I just think the longer scale is more resonant/responsive. Just my opinion, others wont necessarily agree. If you're going to use GDAE tuning only, go for the Octave, if its going to be GDAD, ADAD go for the bouzouki.

I'd love it if my wife nagged me to get another instrument!!!!

John

[bruce.b]

The standard advice seems to be, are you going to play mostly melody or backup? OM, shorter scale for melody, longer scale for chords. I’m a OM/tenor guitar GDAE person, mostly melody, but I do often plays chords/backup too.

[CelticDude]

My personal preference is for the octave mandolin. Partly because I just got a really nice one, but it's become my favorite instrument. I have a bouzouki, but for backup I use guitar, and for melody it's the OM. The bouzouki has become unused at the moment. I am fickle, and will play it again at some point. This may be the answer, get one of each...

[Stevo75]

Thanks everyone, I didn't know that the Bouzouki in Celtic music often uses alternate tunings. I'm not really interested in that. The appeal of the OM or Bouzouki to me is that I would already know how to play it and wouldn't have to relearn the fretboard, other than to work out new fingerings. But it also sounds like there would be no problem with using a Bouzouki in Celtic music in GDAE tuning.

I'm not sure yet if I'd be doing backup or melody. I'd probably start with backup because I don't know a lot of Celtic melodies, but I'd like to learn. So I guess maybe the OM? Maybe I'll just watch the classifieds and get whichever comes up first and is a great deal. I'd probably look to get something on the cheaper side to start with (less than $1000) in case I end up not liking it.

[Lord of the Badgers]

thicker sound - OM
more twangy sound - Zouk

I like both styles personally!

but i do love a zouk

[Jill McAuley]

I was going to mention the Fylde Octavius in the classifieds (NFI on my part) but notice that it now reads "sale pending". There's also one of the Eastman Octaves in the classifieds right now, could be a good "gateway" instrument for you to see if the OM is your thing or not.

[colorado_al]

I prefer the Octave Mandolin for the same reason.
What has she suggested you spend?
This is a sweet looking Weber Yellowstone OM for $2250
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/117861#117861
If you want to try out a Bouzouki, last time I was in Denver Folklore Center they had a Trinity College TM-375.
They are also supposed to be getting an Eastman MDO-305 Octave in soon

[Bertram Henze]

Staying in the same tuning is a thing I did, too, when I switched to bigger instruments. But there is a limit around approx. 22" when those 2nd-fret-to-5th-fret stretches just become too long, and that applies for melody and backing likewise. That's one of the reasons why bouzoukis mostly have open tunings: 2nd(E string)-to-5th(A string) becomes 4th(D string)-to-5th(A string), for instance.
Another reason is that bouzouki players love to let open strings ring out (and who doesn't), and open tunings open the door to that. OTOH, they nail you to one or two keys and hamper transposition, that's why bouzouki players invented the capo (kidding, but they invented the technique of quickly shifting it in mid-play).

You can compare playing techniques on both between Frances Cunningham (she plays a big 10-stringer, not even trying at long stretches) and myself (OM and other related GDAE instruments with mandolin fingering).