Waiting for the wooden fillets
Expectation of a pre-war sound!
No, I have not postponed the creation of the A/I Stathopoulos bouzouki, as a follower asked me a couple of days ago.
The luthier, Giannis Tsoulogiannis, is still waiting for the delivery of marquetry fillets, which will separate the 15 staves, and will decorate bouzouki's bowl and capping strip.
It is true that this latest attempt to bring into life an instrument which may has been designed by two of the most famous Greek luthiers of 1900s, has fueled my anticipation!
It will be the first time I will possess a bouzouki instrument with a 63-64 cm scale,and with the characteristic Neapolitan step on its sound-board.
These two very important parameters will alternate the quality and the timbre of the instrument's sound, producing the characteristic sound-color of the pre-war trichorda.
The shorter scale will give a more hoarse-raspy timbre, where the step on the soundboard will generate a more dry, full of chap tone.
.
Stay tuned as the following week I will upload photos from the creation of A/I Stathopoulos bowl.No, I have not postponed the creation of the A/I Stathopoulos bouzouki, as a follower asked me a couple of days ago.
The luthier, Giannis Tsoulogiannis, is still waiting for the delivery of marquetry fillets, which will separate the 15 staves, and will decorate bouzouki's bowl and capping strip.
It is true that this latest attempt to bring into life an instrument which may has been designed by two of the most famous Greek luthiers of 1900s, has fueled my anticipation!
It will be the first time I will possess a bouzouki instrument with a 63-64 cm scale,and with the characteristic Neapolitan step on its sound-board.
These two very important parameters will alternate the quality and the timbre of the instrument's sound, producing the characteristic sound-color of the pre-war trichorda.
The shorter scale will give a more hoarse-raspy timbre, where the step on the soundboard will generate a more dry, full of chap tone.
.
Brazilian Rosewood-Maple 3D bowl.Created by SDimis (C)2013
I can't wait to see how your bouzouki turns out!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, welcome to the Memories blog!
DeleteI hope you find some interesting posts here ;)
warm regards
spyros
Thanks, Spyro
DeleteAll your posts about the Stathopoulos bouzoukia are very interesting - I actually found your blog looking for information on old bouzoukia since I find them to be the most beautiful (from c. 1900-1930's).
I am sure this instrument will turn out well and hopefully will duplicate the unique sound of old bouzoukia as heard on the old Markos Vamvakaris 78s and others!
Pierce
Hello Pierce,
ReplyDeleteI am also very curious to see the final stage of this bouzouki construction, and hear its sound.
One more reason responsible for my anticipation, is that the fantastic assumption for the creation of this instrument influenced by the two famous luthiers Anastasios Stathopoulos and Ioannis Stathopoulos (as the two luthiers had worked together in the making of this bouzouki), at the end may not be so "fantastic" at all!
It is a great possibility that the two cousins had created musical instruments together, as some recent research proposes.
What motivated me to create this bouzouki,in first place, maybe at the end revives a real event which took place 100+ years ago.