For the past couple of months I’ve been working on a new bouzouki for Daoirí. We talked about a new instrument when he visited after his gig at The Regal in Tenbury Wells a year and a half ago.
His current bouzouki is the one I built a number of years ago as a prototype development instrument. I never really intended this one to be ‘out there’, but after I sent it over to that great Dublin-based bouzouki player John Ryan for testing, I didn’t see it again until Daoirí came to Tenbury Wells a couple of years ago. John subsequently ordered an LBB in the same specification and sold the prototype to Daoirí. He’s been delighted with it ever since:
“You have built quite possibly the best bouzouki that I’ve ever had strapped on to me and I don’t know what divine power caused the earth to move such that it came to land in my hands. It is just simply the nicest instrument I have ever played, Andy. I really mean that.”
Daoirí and I have spoken and emailed many times over the past months about the new instrument. The prototype SBB is pretty loud, bright and very punchy – it would make a great session instrument, but Daoirí wanted something with a bit more warmth and character, and maybe a bass register with a bit more presence, but still with the same playability and characteristics of a Tobin bouzouki.
The new one is finished now and has been strung up and settling down for a week or two. It’s visually very similar to the prototype instrument, but has a slightly deeper body. It has Indian Rosewood back and sides, a European Spruce top with a mahogany neck and the bindings are in Flame Maple. I’ve made changes to the construction of the sides and the bracing of the top and back. The top is graduated and thicknessed differently as well.
Anyway, it sounds lovely, and just what I was after.
Daoirí is over on tour in the UK in a few weeks time, so we’ll catch up again when he comes over to try it out.