The inspiration grows and spreads two years later.

And an important moral recognition!

Its been more than two years from the first time I mentioned in this blog my decision to reverse the time back to the sound of 1936 and convert a mandolin to mandolino-bouzouko,( after I had conducted an intense research on historical events of that era.)

http://memoriesoftheinnocentage.blogspot.com/2015/03/conversion-of-vintage-mandolin-to-miso.html

I am greatly pleased to see that followers of this blog got inspired from a personal vision and started experimenting with such hybrid conversions. 

Lately more and more members (some of them good friends of mine) from the www.luthier.gr forum, started the creation of their own unique mandolino-bouzouka.

It is an important moral recognition, the fact that this blog after 7 years of activity, continues to inspire and lead in some way, the experimentation of the old bouzouki sound for the traditional Greek Lutherie.   

But what  makes the attempt of the luthier Giannis Tsoulogiannis so different and unique from all other attempts ? 

In a post back from the summer of 2016  I was explaining :

"The luthier has kept intact all the original parts of the mandolin,( both wooden blocks inside the bowl, the original head-stock, tuning machines, tail-piece, and of course the original soundboard , braces, and bowl.)  by extending only the neck.

For the neck extension he is using three pieces of  Greek linden wood and rosewood, carrying straight grain.

The original neck and head stock was made by old pine wood.

The luthier will keep intact the original braces and the complete set-up  of the mandolin's soundboard!

An attempt which will be tested for the first time after 1936

The result of this effort in relationship to the quality and timbre of the sound are far unpredictable even for the luthier.

Theoretically, the sound  which at the end this hybrid instrument will produce, should be a mixture of the sweet , dry, mandolin sound , and the husky metallic timbre of the tzoura carrying a scale of 61 cm.

If the experiment succeed, the luthier will have constructed an one of a kind instrument, and we will be able to hear for first time the original sound of such a unique conversion."

The following figures are showcasing with green color highlight, the parts of the mandolin which the luthier kept intact, and with the red color highlighted the part of the neck where the luthier used the neck extension.
Stay tuned!