Show your cboms!

[Pete Braccio]

I coulda swore I posted these before, but I guess not.

Here are some photos of my Trillium Octave. Redwood top, walnut back and sides.

Pete

[Marcus CA]

Looks gorgeous! Aside from saluting CA, why did you go for a redwood top?

[Pete Braccio]

Well, since I bought it used, that was what was available.

I had been looking at Trillium's for awhile when this came on the used market two years ago.

Pete

[Steve-o]

Very nice Trillium Pete, and my favorite wood combination. I bet it sounds fabulous.

[Seattle Tim]

I wanted to share some photos of a beautiful Octave made for me by Joe Mendel, which I just got a few weeks ago. It has an Adirondack Spruce top, with Padauk back and sides. Just gorgeous workmanship, and the sound is beautiful too. Fun as all get out to play. I've posted some more photos here, if you're interested: http://www.flickr.com/photos/2958093...th/5310846678/

Tim

[GKWilson]

A Christmas present to my self.
A Mike Black O.M.

[Steve-o]

GKW,
Wow, congratulations! That is one gorgeous GOM. Is that the one with the incredible quilted maple back and side sound port? Keep us posted on how it sounds and plays.

[Dobe]

Keep doing conversions & keep selling em' ! Here's the last one I wish I could've kept:

[Jill McAuley]

Sounds great Dobe!

Cheers,
Jill

[GKWilson]

Steve-O
She sounds amazing and plays like butta.
Gary

[Steve-o]

Dave - Very full, resonant sounding "Jumbello," nice picking, and interesting work you do on conversions.

Gary - Incredible back on that Black. Enjoy the honeymoon.

[Martin Jonas]

Here is a different kind of cittern conversion: this is an anonymous 1920s waldzither, but rather unusual in that it has a shorter scale than most (400mm/15.75" rather than the more common 460mm/18") and in that it is a full 10-stringer rather than the typical nine strings. Original string configuration was 2-2-2-2-1-1, i.e. two separate bass strings tuned to different drone notes. One of the basses was fretted, the other unfretted like on a harp guitar (the nut had an extension sticking out beyond the edge of the fretboard). I replaced the nut and set it up as a five-course instrument tuned in fifths, CGDAE, i.e. a mandola/mandolin hybrid. A bit shrill on the E course (it's a .008 gauge), but it works pretty well over the whole range.

I converted this one severla years ago, but it's been sitting unplayed in a cupboard because I couldn't think of good applications for it. Yesterday, I think I found one -- it's great for medieval dance tunes. The tone is just right -- bright, slightly brittle and ancient-sounding -- and the extra range from the low C course makes it possible to transpose tunes down and up with ease. Here are two clips I made yesterday, each of them starting on the top of the cittern range and then being transposed down a fifth after each repetition, right down to the bottom of the range of the instrument.





Martin

[mattdooman]

anyone know why I posted a pic of my bouzouki yesterday and its gone today?

[mattdooman]

My new Johnson bouzouki.

[rhodesyman]

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie here so thought I'd add some pics of my Nigel Forster (www.nkforsterguitars.com) Archtop Zouk for you all. Most of these pics have been taken on my iPhone, so aren't the best quality sorry! However there's one here which was taken at a recent photo shoot by Simon Lees (www.justsimon.com) with a real camera!



I had this beautiful instrument made for me a good 3-4 years ago now, and I've loved every single minute of playing it. It's got an LR Baggs Element pickup built in to the bridge which has performed ok over the years, but recently I've been looking for something a bit better.

After speaking with Nigel recently, and with some kind advice from Ian Stephenson, I've decided to get a 'hexaphonic' style RMC pickup installed. This not only will be a much nicer natural sounding pickup compared to the Baggs, it will also give me some flexibility to play with some fancy new toys such as maybe some guitar-to-MIDI type effects. I'm actually considering using the multi-string output of the pickup to route the lower string on it's own through an Octave pedal for fattening up the sound on occasion. I've heard it done with guitars but not with a zouk before. We shall see...

Here's a YouTube of Ian showing this RMC pickup off on his Forster Model S Guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2VVY_jcrzQ

I'm afraid I don't have any decent videos of the zouk itself, as most videos I have are taken at gigs involving big sound systems which don't do the instrument justice through a video camera. However here's one that was taken of me and a few pals jamming during a lunchtime gig in Wales a few years ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ifnYa9Y7c

Anyway, I hope you like the pics!

Adam.
www.kciom.com
www.jamiesmithsmabon.com

[Kyle Baker]

wow... that forster bouzouki looks amazing! There's just something about it that looks really awesome.

[Kyle Baker]

I thought I'd added mine but I guess not.
This is a Jack Spira Irish bouzouki made for me in 2010. The body has nicely figured blackwood back and sides. Sitka spruce top, and rosewood bindings. The rampant lion inlay was a personal touch that matches a tattoo on my left forearm.
So far I've been very happy with this one!











-Kyle Baker

[sgarrity]

That Spira is gorgeous. I especially love the inlay. I've wanted a lion tattoo for a long time but I'm too much of a chicken! LOL

Your playing sounds wonderful as well!

[Jason Stein]

1918 Gibson K4 Mandocello

[Bernie Daniel]

1918 Gibson K4 Mandocello

Lovely! How long have you had it? I would have to imagine it sounds awesome. The one thing about those pre-1921 mandocellos though was the hefty neck. How do you find that?

I had a chance to buy one that had be converted to a guitar about 10 -12 years ago. It was hanging in a local music store. If the price had not been way too high (considering it was no longer an original vintage Gibson) I'd have purchased it and converted it back. That is a close as I've come to having one. Do you have matching F-4 and H-4?

[Bernie Daniel]

I thought I'd added mine but I guess not.
This is a Jack Spira Irish bouzouki made for me in 2010. The body has nicely figured blackwood back and sides. Sitka spruce top, and rosewood bindings. The rampant lion inlay was a personal touch that matches a tattoo on my left forearm.
So far I've been very happy with this one!
-Kyle Baker

I can well imagine that you are pleased! The woods and the finish are awesome but the Lion Rampant inlay is over the top!! You are of the Scottish lineage I suppose?

[Steve-o]

Jason,
Beautiful K4 and fantastic vintage look in that photo. Nice!

[Bernie Daniel]

Here is my H5 copy which I am really enjoying. This is my 7th build and it is the best I have done to this point. Still needs some refinement as to fit and finish but it plays very well and has good sound. My first attempt at playing mandola and I still need to get used to the different chord positions.

James, I was going through this tread catching up and saw your H-5 copy. That is a awesome build. How is it doing now?

[Jason Stein]

Lovely! How long have you had it? I would have to imagine it sounds awesome. The one thing about those pre-1921 mandocellos though was the hefty neck. How do you find that?

I had a chance to buy one that had be converted to a guitar about 10 -12 years ago. It was hanging in a local music store. If the price had not been way too high (considering it was no longer an original vintage Gibson) I'd have purchased it and converted it back. That is a close as I've come to having one. Do you have matching F-4 and H-4?

Hi Bernie,

I've had it since December 2010 and it does sound great. The neck is hefty but it doesn't bother me -- I've been playing some Indian instruments (sursringar, sitar) that have thicker necks so I am used to the heft. The biggest challenge is using the pinky on the C and G strings. The strings are thick and require a lot of pinky strength to get a clean note. I don't have a matching F-4 and H-4 -- this is my first vintage Gibson!

Steve -- thank you for your comments!

-- Jason

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Jason,
Beautiful K4 and fantastic vintage look in that photo. Nice!

I was thinking that same thing well. Even though I was immediately taken by the K4, everything in the picture just intrigues me to no end. All the lovely pieces - the ornate music stand, vintage design chair, and the beautiful fireplace - just go so very well together. Must be an amazing place to place an amazing instrument.