Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, and decided to join because of all the talk about bouzoukis here. I bought a bouzouki about 2 years ago, and never really got around to learning it because it's right handed and I'm a lefty. Well, I'm finally taking the initiative to string it up lefty so I can learn on it. I love Irish music and love playing the bouzouki (the little that I can) but I am so limited because it's upside down. So anyways, I bought a chord book to learn some basic stuff and it's got chords for the GDAE tuning. Anyways, I learned some chords upside down but now that I am converting it to a lefty instrument, I was wondering what tuning is the best to use in your opinions. The strings I just bought (D'Addario J97 Nickleplated steel wound) say on the back that the tuning is meant (from low to high) CFAD. I've never used that tuning nor have I heard of it. Is it a good tuning to learn on, and can I tune these strings to GDAE? Anyways, thanks for the help. I appreciate your patience and hope to learn a lot here. Thanks!
Careful with the re-string. In some instruments it won't matter, but in some cases the bracing, as for guitars and fiddles, is specifically designed for the strings as it was originally set-up for. That is also true for larger bodied instruments of this family. There are reasons for that, and sometimes, maybe not here, it can lead to damage of the soundboard caused by the shift in tension, however minor that might be...
Talk to the intrument's maker. You may void any guarantee by wrongly stringing the instrument.
GDAD is a common bouzouki tuning which seems to work well with ITM and on 25-26" scale instruments I have seen string gauges around the 12, 17w, 30, 42 region for this tuning.
Make sure about warranty before re-stringing. Reputable makers will be happy to advise you about string gauges.
The strings that you've bought are for greek bouzouki. My guess is that they are too thin for your instrument. You ought to be able to see the string gauges on the pack and compare them to recommendations for Irish bouzoukis. Here's a link to a string tension calculator which may help you: http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html
Lars
ps/ are you shure you need to restring because you're a leftie? I'm a leftie but have always played on "normal" stringed instruments. But if you're used to play guitar or other stringed instruments I can understand that you need to do it, but if not...
I've always felt that I've had a great benefit as a leftie as I could do the complicated work whith my best hand and leave the rather simple strumming or picking to the right hand.
I play left handed guitar too, and my guitars are strung left handed. The biggest reason I want to restring the zook left handed is so that I become more motivated to play it.
I dont know why I didnt notice those strings were for a Greek bouzouki. Dumb me. I guess I'll order a set of Irish strings.
Some guitars are equally braced behind the soundboard, so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, however, generally, higher grade instruments are specifically braced for the stringing, so, a left handed guitar, built by such a maker, will have the bracing reversed as well as the strings and nut and bridge. You takes your chances ~
I wouldn't. I'd be damned sure about things before risking restringing. I have seen the results of amateur instrument doodlers and it wasn't pretty and the cost for repairs wasn't cheap...
I agree with ceolachan, you should probably be OK restringing that instrument for left hand. You may need to get with a luthier or repair shop and have them do a new nut and bridge, although, with a flat top, you might be able to just flip the bridge around. And if the nut is loose when you take the strings off, you can just flip that around too.
Hey thanks for all the help guys. I did get it re-strung. All I did was turn the bridge around, sand down the top of it to lower the action a wee bit, and refiled the the slots for the strings. The nut has the same size slots for every string so that wasn't a problem either. I have it strung up, but with greek strings. (Don't I feel like a moron.) Anyways, I'll probably get an Irish set in a few days and restring it to the way it used to be.
The Romaninan bouzoukis of this pattern that I've seen have been set up with gauges around the 10, 12, 20w/10, 34/15 mark for GDAE or GDAD tuning. It's lighter than the 12/17/30/42 used on more expensive models, but it seems to work if you like a zingy sound. Some people double string (rather than octave string) their Romanian bouzoukis to good effect.
The instrument has a false fret so adjusting the top end for left hand or double stringing or both isn't the life or death affair of recutting a straight nut. Just relieve the width of the grooves in the nasty plastic block and the false fret will take care of the rest.
My troubadour bouzouki is just a custom version of these Romanian zouks made by http://www.hora.ro
It has a sticker in the inside saying they recommend 39-26-15-11
for GDAD or GDAE.
I use 40-26-16-11 and it hasn't exploded (yet).
You don't need to buy a full set of bouzouki strings, you can buy individual guitar strings. I buy ball-ended guitar strings
and remove the ball (why is it called a ball?) with a pair of wire cutters as shown here: http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Strings/Loops/loops.html
Just a little help and advice
Just a little help and advice
Hey guys, I'm new to the forum, and decided to join because of all the talk about bouzoukis here. I bought a bouzouki about 2 years ago, and never really got around to learning it because it's right handed and I'm a lefty. Well, I'm finally taking the initiative to string it up lefty so I can learn on it. I love Irish music and love playing the bouzouki (the little that I can) but I am so limited because it's upside down. So anyways, I bought a chord book to learn some basic stuff and it's got chords for the GDAE tuning. Anyways, I learned some chords upside down but now that I am converting it to a lefty instrument, I was wondering what tuning is the best to use in your opinions. The strings I just bought (D'Addario J97 Nickleplated steel wound) say on the back that the tuning is meant (from low to high) CFAD. I've never used that tuning nor have I heard of it. Is it a good tuning to learn on, and can I tune these strings to GDAE? Anyways, thanks for the help. I appreciate your patience and hope to learn a lot here. Thanks!
-Blake
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by LeftyBlake
Re: Just a little help and advice
Careful with the re-string. In some instruments it won't matter, but in some cases the bracing, as for guitars and fiddles, is specifically designed for the strings as it was originally set-up for. That is also true for larger bodied instruments of this family. There are reasons for that, and sometimes, maybe not here, it can lead to damage of the soundboard caused by the shift in tension, however minor that might be...
~ another lefty, so I am in sympathy...
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Just a little help and advice
Talk to the intrument's maker. You may void any guarantee by wrongly stringing the instrument.
GDAD is a common bouzouki tuning which seems to work well with ITM and on 25-26" scale instruments I have seen string gauges around the 12, 17w, 30, 42 region for this tuning.
Make sure about warranty before re-stringing. Reputable makers will be happy to advise you about string gauges.
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by millionyears_bc
Re: Just a little help and advice
http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_MAN018_A_Flat+Back+Bouzouki_E_
That is the bouzouki I bought. I bought it on a whim when I was at the Lark In the Morning store in Seattle.
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by LeftyBlake
Re: Just a little help and advice
The strings that you've bought are for greek bouzouki. My guess is that they are too thin for your instrument. You ought to be able to see the string gauges on the pack and compare them to recommendations for Irish bouzoukis. Here's a link to a string tension calculator which may help you:
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html
Lars
ps/ are you shure you need to restring because you're a leftie? I'm a leftie but have always played on "normal" stringed instruments. But if you're used to play guitar or other stringed instruments I can understand that you need to do it, but if not...
I've always felt that I've had a great benefit as a leftie as I could do the complicated work whith my best hand and leave the rather simple strumming or picking to the right hand.
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by lars
Re: Just a little help and advice
I play left handed guitar too, and my guitars are strung left handed. The biggest reason I want to restring the zook left handed is so that I become more motivated to play it.
I dont know why I didnt notice those strings were for a Greek bouzouki. Dumb me. I guess I'll order a set of Irish strings.
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by LeftyBlake
Re: Just a little help and advice
Some guitars are equally braced behind the soundboard, so it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, however, generally, higher grade instruments are specifically braced for the stringing, so, a left handed guitar, built by such a maker, will have the bracing reversed as well as the strings and nut and bridge. You takes your chances ~
I wouldn't. I'd be damned sure about things before risking restringing. I have seen the results of amateur instrument doodlers and it wasn't pretty and the cost for repairs wasn't cheap...
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Just a little help and advice
Just saw an enlargemnet of your bouzouki. I suspect it won't be a problem, but you can check out the bracing yourself with a small mirror...
# Posted on September 30th 2007 by ceolachan
Re: Just a little help and advice
I agree with ceolachan, you should probably be OK restringing that instrument for left hand. You may need to get with a luthier or repair shop and have them do a new nut and bridge, although, with a flat top, you might be able to just flip the bridge around. And if the nut is loose when you take the strings off, you can just flip that around too.
As far as tuning goes, there are a ton of discussions on this site about the merits of GDAE vs GDAD (a recent one is here http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/14945)
But general rule of thumb, for me at least, is GDAE if you're going to play tunes much, and GDAD if you're going to mostly accompany.
Pete
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Reverend
Re: Just a little help and advice
Hey thanks for all the help guys. I did get it re-strung. All I did was turn the bridge around, sand down the top of it to lower the action a wee bit, and refiled the the slots for the strings. The nut has the same size slots for every string so that wasn't a problem either. I have it strung up, but with greek strings. (Don't I feel like a moron.) Anyways, I'll probably get an Irish set in a few days and restring it to the way it used to be.
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by LeftyBlake
Re: Just a little help and advice
The Romaninan bouzoukis of this pattern that I've seen have been set up with gauges around the 10, 12, 20w/10, 34/15 mark for GDAE or GDAD tuning. It's lighter than the 12/17/30/42 used on more expensive models, but it seems to work if you like a zingy sound. Some people double string (rather than octave string) their Romanian bouzoukis to good effect.
The instrument has a false fret so adjusting the top end for left hand or double stringing or both isn't the life or death affair of recutting a straight nut. Just relieve the width of the grooves in the nasty plastic block and the false fret will take care of the rest.
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by millionyears_bc
Re: Just a little help and advice
My troubadour bouzouki is just a custom version of these Romanian zouks made by
http://www.hora.ro
It has a sticker in the inside saying they recommend 39-26-15-11
for GDAD or GDAE.
I use 40-26-16-11 and it hasn't exploded (yet).
You don't need to buy a full set of bouzouki strings, you can buy individual guitar strings. I buy ball-ended guitar strings
and remove the ball (why is it called a ball?) with a pair of wire cutters as shown here:
http://frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Strings/Loops/loops.html
# Posted on October 1st 2007 by Ramiro