Hey there everyone,
So a brief history lesson: I've been playing mandolin for about 13 years now. About 9 years ago I made the switch to OM, sold my standard mando and never looked back. Not long after getting my first OM (a trinity college) I found a copy of Gerald Trimble's "First Flight" on LP at a record swap and became very intrigued. Over the years I upgraded my OM to a delightful Moon that i love playing on but have always had it in the back of my mind to potentially make the jump to playing cittern.
As far as playing style goes, I most often use my OM for playing lead and rhythm Celtic tunes, both with a plectrum and fingerstyle, as well as neo-folk and some russian and greek stuff. I also typically tune GDAE but also play around a fair amount with GDGD and have decently large hands (is that enough info for ya?).
The prospect of having an extra bass or treble course and the plethora of tuning options make a cittern seem very appealing. I also have a tendency to play mostly by myself and the possibility of having more full rhythm and lead options sounds quite nice as well.
However, where i live in WA there are no places at all available to go and actually play on a cittern. So realistically it seems as if i wont actually have a chance to figure out if it's something I would like to pursue unless i take the plunge and just buy one over the internet. This is made even more difficult because unlike mandolin and OM, an entry level cittern is looking at costing $1000+ USD and as most of us know, entry level models of instruments can just as easily steer you away as draw you in just based on craftsmanship and set up, let alone actual tone.
So that's my conundrum! Here's what im wondering:
1. I would like to hear from folks who have actually acquired citterns and what their experience with them has been (you know, is it awesome? Are they too bulky? Does the tone totally rule? Scale too long for quick melodies? Chords too much of a pain in the booty? that kind of stuff...)
2. What luthiers would folks reccomend for purchasing a cittern? From what research I've been able to do it seems like I would most likely be looking for a flat top with a scale length of roughly 20"-24" in the $1-2k range.
Any information folks have would be greatly appreciated and my apologies if this thread already exists and i just haven't been able to find it! Thanks - Dylan
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