While googling "irish bouzouki" I came across this web page: Builders of Irish bouzouki. I had not heard of over half of these luthiers. Poking around these links, there are four that are interesting, but which don't have sound clips nor can I find YouTube or other videos. I'm hoping someone here has some experience with any of these.
Alden Originals - he does have a couple of video links, and the bouzoukis sound quite nice. He's also not much more than a TC bouzouki, which I am considering as a starter instrument. Interesting that he'll make it in any scale length.
Earnest Instruments - Octavio: This is a 23" scale instrument, quite nice looking, although it's not as deep as many. No videos that i could find.
Gernandt Stringed Instruments: An extremely nice looking instrument, again no videos or sound clips.
JBH Guitars (Josh Humphrey): Another nice looking instrument. The only videos are of his Modern bouzouki, which has a side port but not a sound hole. Not the sound I'm looking for. I'm hoping his traditional instrument sounds, well more traditional.
Again, any anecdotes on any of these would be appreciated. Also, if you have a negative experience that you don't want to share publicly, feel free to PM me. As much as I'd like to try these before making a decision, it just isn't feasible, so I'm gathering as much info as I can.
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