The question is - heavy what? Most production work are made the wrong way around - with a light laminated body and a heavy soundboard. This is (as already stated) to avoid warranty work. But if you build with a heavy body and a light top (as I do) you end up with a very responsive instrument. I'm surprised John says his gzouk is quieter than his bouzouki, as normally it's the other way around with my work.
Anyway, the way I build doesn't really apply to other makers - I know of only a handful of people who take this approach. Most bouzouki makers follow fairly simialr ways of working structurally. And those ways have little in common with my approach.
In gerneral, the mass of an instrument tells you little. Playing it tells you plenty. Comparing instruments tells you even more.
The more people adopt theories like - "Lighter is better/heavier is better", the more they paint themselves into a corner when they come across work which contradicts the theory. I've seen people deny something is good/bad for no other reason than it contradicts a position they took years earlier. It's really rather pointless.
So, my advice is - forget about theories - and certainly don't spend time "researching" on the web. Spend your time playing and listening to as many instruments as you can and reach your own conclusions. Don't just absorb and repeat the views and opinions of others.
Nigel
www.nkforsterguitars.com
Bookmarks