Bouzoukis

Bouzouki are a popular choice amongst our other instruments from the mandolin family at Eagle Music. Although now commonly found in traditional Irish music the Bouzouki is the mainstay of modern Greek music as well as other musical genres.

The bouzouki is a member of the 'long neck lute' family and is similar to a mandolin tuning but is an octave lower. Usually the string courses are all unison pairs but the lower two can also be strung as octave pairs with the higher-pitched octave string on top so that it is hit before the thicker lower-pitched string, giving a big full sound like a 12 string guitar. The most common body shape for this instrument type is the A style or teardrop shape, other bouzoukis can take a slightly different shape similar to that of an acoustic guitar and can be referred to as Guitar bouzoukis.

Alternate tunings of GDAD and ADAD are often employed by Celtic or Folk musicians which this instrument is a favourite for but also used in many other genres. Bouzoukis are most commonly picked with a plectrum rather than fingerpicked like the guitar or banjo.

Some bouzoukis can have pickups built in ready to plug and play whether for recording or live use. Pickups can also be retrofitted in our workshop as well. For the complete beginner we also offer some excellent bouzouki starter pack options.

Important with any instrument but especially with the Bouzouki is playability, with it having 8 strings in close pairs, a guitar length scale with a narrow neck and fingerboard. Fully setup in our workshop for the best playability and tone, each Bouzouki will be ready to play the day you receive it.

Models from Gold Tone, Ozark, Trinity College and also handmade bouzoukis from top UK luthier Tom Buchanan.