NIBD: APC B308 (Cedar)

[Dreamcatcher]

Hi there,

Ok, I received the B308(C) last Saturday. I would like to thank dmcginnis for his suggestion that I contact Kieran Moloney in Galway (http://www.moloneymusic.com). Kieran was very helpful and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone who wished to receive a well set-up instrument for a fair price.

I would like to preface this review by stating that I am a guitarist who has played both acoustic and electric guitar for 41 years. I have a fine collection of guitars that are well set-up by a Meisterguitarrenbauer here in Germany, and have come, over the years, to appreciate well-set up instruments, as well as to understand the limitations inherent with some mass-produced instruments.

If you've read my other thread, you will know that I had tried 3 APC bouzoukis bought from Amazon.de, and they all had issues serious enough to send them back. I was getting frustrated, because there was really no chance that I was going to pay out mucho dinerii for a custom-made instrument when I am a complete beginner on this instrument, and the other choices seemed, well, less enticing in the price range I was willing to pay. Which is one reason why it was a pleasure to deal with Kieran who actually had a few APCs in stock and who stood by them.

Ok, I've blah blah blahed enough......

I received the APC308(C) properly packed. Kieran had suggested that I get a soft-case for it, which was sound advice. Sadly, it is a 5 string banjo bag, which doesn't do my street-cred as an uncouth rock n' roller much good, but I won't tell anyone it is a banjo bag..... Anyways, these soft-cases were about half the price that APC wanted for their equivalent, and the bouzouki fits perfectly, so it was a good tip from Kieran.

I had originally wanted a spruce-topped instrument. My experience with cedar-topped guitars is that they get mushy when pushed, so I was a little hesitant. There was no need to be concerned. The B308(C) has a nice full, balanced tone. I do not know what effect laminated Ovangkol has on the tone, but it is aesthetically very pleasing. It is strung gG dD aa dd. The original ones I bought from Amazon were strung with a unison wound D. I think I prefer it this way, but Kieran sent me two extra sets, gratis, one octave, one unison, so I would get to choose for myself.

The instrument itself has very low action, a relatively straight neck with no discernible buzz. The intonation is quite good for an instrument with a floating non-compensated bridge, and the tuners hold their pitch as well as most of my acoustic guitars (Martins and Lakewoods). As mentioned above, the sound is very pleasing to the ear, warm, full, a little jangly as would be expected and desired. My only niggle is that it has a couple of cosmetic flaws here and there on the top, but I can live with this. Playability, sound, tuning and intonation were and are my primary considerations, and the B308(C) fulfills all of these considerations with flying colours. I am very pleased with this instrument, which, in my opinion, is a very good instrument for a beginner such as myself. When beginning to learn an instrument, the last thing anyone needs is a dud that makes one not want to play it. Happily, that is not the case in this instance.

I have looked at a few vids on Youtube for beginners. I haven't yet begun to learn reels and jigs, but I can already get music out of my new baby. I've already sussed out basic chords, and my wife (also a musician, rooted in renaissance music) is impressed with both the sound of the instrument as well as my noodling.

I would again like to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions, and to again recommend Kieran Moloney.

Cheers, beers!

Dreamcatcher

[dmcginnis]

Glad to hear it all worked out!

[garryireland]

Hi there,

Ok, I received the B308(C) last Saturday. I would like to thank dmcginnis for his suggestion that I contact Kieran Moloney in Galway (http://www.moloneymusic.com). Kieran was very helpful and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone who wished to receive a well set-up instrument for a fair price.

I would like to preface this review by stating that I am a guitarist who has played both acoustic and electric guitar for 41 years. I have a fine collection of guitars that are well set-up by a Meisterguitarrenbauer here in Germany, and have come, over the years, to appreciate well-set up instruments, as well as to understand the limitations inherent with some mass-produced instruments.

If you've read my other thread, you will know that I had tried 3 APC bouzoukis bought from Amazon.de, and they all had issues serious enough to send them back. I was getting frustrated, because there was really no chance that I was going to pay out mucho dinerii for a custom-made instrument when I am a complete beginner on this instrument, and the other choices seemed, well, less enticing in the price range I was willing to pay. Which is one reason why it was a pleasure to deal with Kieran who actually had a few APCs in stock and who stood by them.

Ok, I've blah blah blahed enough......

I received the APC308(C) properly packed. Kieran had suggested that I get a soft-case for it, which was sound advice. Sadly, it is a 5 string banjo bag, which doesn't do my street-cred as an uncouth rock n' roller much good, but I won't tell anyone it is a banjo bag..... Anyways, these soft-cases were about half the price that APC wanted for their equivalent, and the bouzouki fits perfectly, so it was a good tip from Kieran.

I had originally wanted a spruce-topped instrument. My experience with cedar-topped guitars is that they get mushy when pushed, so I was a little hesitant. There was no need to be concerned. The B308(C) has a nice full, balanced tone. I do not know what effect laminated Ovangkol has on the tone, but it is aesthetically very pleasing. It is strung gG dD aa dd. The original ones I bought from Amazon were strung with a unison wound D. I think I prefer it this way, but Kieran sent me two extra sets, gratis, one octave, one unison, so I would get to choose for myself.

The instrument itself has very low action, a relatively straight neck with no discernible buzz. The intonation is quite good for an instrument with a floating non-compensated bridge, and the tuners hold their pitch as well as most of my acoustic guitars (Martins and Lakewoods). As mentioned above, the sound is very pleasing to the ear, warm, full, a little jangly as would be expected and desired. My only niggle is that it has a couple of cosmetic flaws here and there on the top, but I can live with this. Playability, sound, tuning and intonation were and are my primary considerations, and the B308(C) fulfills all of these considerations with flying colours. I am very pleased with this instrument, which, in my opinion, is a very good instrument for a beginner such as myself. When beginning to learn an instrument, the last thing anyone needs is a dud that makes one not want to play it. Happily, that is not the case in this instance.

I have looked at a few vids on Youtube for beginners. I haven't yet begun to learn reels and jigs, but I can already get music out of my new baby. I've already sussed out basic chords, and my wife (also a musician, rooted in renaissance music) is impressed with both the sound of the instrument as well as my noodling.

I would again like to thank all of you for your helpful suggestions, and to again recommend Kieran Moloney.

Cheers, beers!

Dreamcatcher

Yep i dealt with Kieran for Apc Om. Very nice guy.

[John Kelly]

Hi Dreamcatcher, re the playing of reels and jigs, etc on your bouzouki, I am taking the liberty of attaching a video I put on YouTube some while back of a 2/4 pipe march played on the bouzouki I had just recently finished making. As a guitar player like yourself I fopund the transition fairly painless and adopted guitar fingering right away rather than the mandolin 2-frets-per-finger method.

[Dreamcatcher]

Hi John,

Thanks for sharing the vid! Very nice.