I'm learning the fiddle, and I travel a lot for work. Thats fine, I can take my fiddle along as hand luggage. But every so often, I feel a sort of primal urge: The need to pick up something that has frets, and pluck it. So I bought a soprano uke, a set of classical guitar strings and tuned it like a mandolin. Now I have a mandolele ('cos ukeolin sounds stupid). It's small enough to throw in a suitcase, and just pack the socks and underwear around it. If it ever breaks in transit, it will cost me around $30 to replace.
Also, in line with the rampant-tune-everything-in-fifths theme I recently became fascinated with the idea of tenor guitar. I thought "why don't I just remove two strings and tune this old guitar in fifths?" But why stop there? By using some acoustic base guitar strings and a selection of normal phosphor bronze, I've managed to tune F,,,C,,G,,D,A,E if I capo at the second fret, I get G,,,D,,A,,E,B,F# which makes for some interesting sounding fiddle tunes.
For anyone who's interested, I used the following Daddario strings:
Comes in set / Item# / Note / Diameter(in) / Tension(lbs)
EJ26 - Custom Light / PL011 / E / 0.011 / 19.62
EJ17 - Medium / PL017 / A / 0.017 / 20.88
EJ15 - Extra Light / PB030 / D / 0.030 / 27.1
EJ16 - Light / PB042 / G / 0.042 / 23.76
EPBB170 -Regular Light / PBB065 / C / 0.065 / 24.24
EPBB170 -Regular Light / PBB100 / F / 0.100 / 20.96
I did once meet a 12-string that was re-strung as a guizouki, but the neck was too wide and it didn't really work.
But many instruments are hybrids, so keep trying - there's good evidence that the first Greek bouzoukis were made by marrying a Turkish saz neck to an Italian Mandola body, and we're talking early 20thc. here, so that's not long ago. So the Irish 'zouk is just another step. But I want to argue for a new spelling - somewhere I saw BEZUKI - that's more like how we pronounce it.
Oh, and a ukeline/ukelene is a real instrument, but it's sort of a combination of a chord zither and a bowed psaltery, was produced from late Victorian times by one particular manufacturer in the US, and sold by a set of demon salesmen to anyone foolish enough to buy one. They turn up on ebay from time to time, usually with the comment "I don't know quite what this is....". I believe there is even a Ukeline Society of some sort.
I had some fun with a guitar restrung as a tenor, worked quite well although it looked a bit naff. (No strings in the outer "slots.") Played with it long anough to scratch the "something different" itch, then went back to the fiddle, restrung the guitar as normal and lent it to a friend and haven't seen it since!
Modified Instruments
Modified Instruments
I'm learning the fiddle, and I travel a lot for work. Thats fine, I can take my fiddle along as hand luggage. But every so often, I feel a sort of primal urge: The need to pick up something that has frets, and pluck it. So I bought a soprano uke, a set of classical guitar strings and tuned it like a mandolin. Now I have a mandolele ('cos ukeolin sounds stupid). It's small enough to throw in a suitcase, and just pack the socks and underwear around it. If it ever breaks in transit, it will cost me around $30 to replace.
Also, in line with the rampant-tune-everything-in-fifths theme I recently became fascinated with the idea of tenor guitar. I thought "why don't I just remove two strings and tune this old guitar in fifths?" But why stop there? By using some acoustic base guitar strings and a selection of normal phosphor bronze, I've managed to tune F,,,C,,G,,D,A,E if I capo at the second fret, I get G,,,D,,A,,E,B,F# which makes for some interesting sounding fiddle tunes.
For anyone who's interested, I used the following Daddario strings:
Comes in set / Item# / Note / Diameter(in) / Tension(lbs)
EJ26 - Custom Light / PL011 / E / 0.011 / 19.62
EJ17 - Medium / PL017 / A / 0.017 / 20.88
EJ15 - Extra Light / PB030 / D / 0.030 / 27.1
EJ16 - Light / PB042 / G / 0.042 / 23.76
EPBB170 -Regular Light / PBB065 / C / 0.065 / 24.24
EPBB170 -Regular Light / PBB100 / F / 0.100 / 20.96
# Posted on May 29th 2008 by austopia
Re: Modified Instruments
And?.... ...
# Posted on May 29th 2008 by Farr
Re: Modified Instruments
I did once meet a 12-string that was re-strung as a guizouki, but the neck was too wide and it didn't really work.
But many instruments are hybrids, so keep trying - there's good evidence that the first Greek bouzoukis were made by marrying a Turkish saz neck to an Italian Mandola body, and we're talking early 20thc. here, so that's not long ago. So the Irish 'zouk is just another step. But I want to argue for a new spelling - somewhere I saw BEZUKI - that's more like how we pronounce it.
Oh, and a ukeline/ukelene is a real instrument, but it's sort of a combination of a chord zither and a bowed psaltery, was produced from late Victorian times by one particular manufacturer in the US, and sold by a set of demon salesmen to anyone foolish enough to buy one. They turn up on ebay from time to time, usually with the comment "I don't know quite what this is....". I believe there is even a Ukeline Society of some sort.
# Posted on May 29th 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: Modified Instruments
I had some fun with a guitar restrung as a tenor, worked quite well although it looked a bit naff. (No strings in the outer "slots.") Played with it long anough to scratch the "something different" itch, then went back to the fiddle, restrung the guitar as normal and lent it to a friend and haven't seen it since!
# Posted on May 29th 2008 by TomB-R
Re: Modified Instruments
Try using fiddler's bow across your guitar strings when he/she is not around.
You'll leave 'em dazed and confused. ;0(
# Posted on May 30th 2008 by Frunobulax
Re: Modified Instruments
You folks are hurting me here -- ROFLMAO
# Posted on May 31st 2008 by Alan Zukof
Re: Modified Instruments
I've put a capo on my low whistle. That usually confuses folks.
# Posted on June 1st 2008 by bdh