The Gladstone Bouzouki,
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The Gladstone Bouzouki
An Irish Bouzouki with a scale length of 625mm and 16 frets to the body and has a Zero Fret.
This Bouzouki, S/N Bouz-TBW-003 was made by hand using the materials and methods listed below.
Back and Sides - Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
One of Australia’s best-known Tonewoods, used both domestically and internationally.
This Tasmanian Blackwood has some stunning compression figure.
Back Bracing System - Live Bracing Design
This system increases the backs interaction with the soundboard during playing, resulting in a fuller more complex sound. The Bracing has been made to fit a 20ft Radius, which increases the stiffness and structural integrity.
Soundboard – Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
As a tonewood, Western Red Cedar was "discovered" relatively recently. Over the last 30 years Red Cedar has gained tremendous popularity. Well quartered Red Cedar offers exceptional tonal quality. Although the wood is less dense and softer than Sitka Spruce it produces a crisp balance of sound. This set exhibits all those qualities, plus it is multicoloured, displaying all the colours that Western Red Cedar comes in.
Soundboard Bracing System – “Carbon Fibre reinforced Falcate.”
The soundboard bracing system has been made to fit into and was assembled in a 40ft radius dish, which increases its stiffness and structural integrity. The Carbon Fiber reinforced Falcate (Sickle shaped) Bracing is made of strips of King Billy Pine, laminated into sickle shapes that are radiused to 40ft. There’s a layer of Carbon Fiber between the bracing and the soundboard. The Bracing tops were profiled, and another layer of Carbon Fiber put over the top, effectively making an “Í-Beam” like structure. This radiused and curved symmetrical bracing system is of low mass and is incredibly stiff.
Bridge, Headstock and Fretboard - Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timorense)
Burdekin Plum, a beautiful Australian Timber that comes in many colours, orange to deep rich browns near black. A very dense wood ideally suited for instrument back and sides. Trees grown on hard/arid country normally have much darker timber. Burdekin Plum has proven to be a survivor; fossils of its unique seed capsules have been found in the Riversleigh Fossil Fields with some fossils dating back 15 to 25 million years. This is all dark phase Burdekin Plum from the same tree, which originated from the Boyne Valley, Central Queensland.
The Bridge is a Pin-less construction. This type of bridge has a lower mass than the equivalent Pinned Bridge. Lower mass on the soundboard serves in improve the instruments responsiveness.
Tuners - Gotoh Baby 510 series in Gold
The smallest closed gear, made to order tuners in Japan, exceptional high quality and recognized as such around the world.
Neck – Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
A two-piece neck using highly figured Blackwood. This Neck has 3 Trussrods, 2 Carbon Fibre Stiffeners and a Steel double action adjustable Trussrod. The Neck to Body Joint is at the 16 fret and is “Flat Bolt on Bolt Off” construction, having 2 x 6mm metal treaded inserts in the neck heel which are accessible through the Soundhole with a 4mm Allen Key.
Fretwire – Jescar Evo-Gold
EVO Gold wire is a harder material than nickel silver though not as hard as stainless steel. It has excellent working properties and provides the player with increased fret life. The Fret ends have been individually spherically shaped and polished.
Rosette and Triquetra Inlays (Headstock, 12th Fret) – New Zealand Paua Shell (gold tint)
(Haliotis iris or austalis)
Paua is the Mauri name for Abalone. While the name Paua is used extensively in NZ to describe any Abalone collected from NZ waters, in the Luthier world Paua usually means it’s the predominately blue abalone that comes from the south end of New Zealand’s South Island.
All shell on this instrument was sourced from “Ocean Shell” https://lumea.co/about-us/who-we-are
Nut & Saddle – Hand made from Northern Territory Buffalo Horn (Syncerus caffer)
The 6mm saddle is a firm fit into the Bridge but can be removed if needed. It has a line scribed along the soundhole face; this indicates the orientation of the saddle in the bridge. The Nut has been slotted to suit the as fitted Strings. The Nut is also a firm fit; a small amount of CA glue has been put under it to hold it in place while changing strings.
Strings – D’Addario Phosphor Bronze, Sizes .011, 0.16, 0.28, 0.39
Even though this instrument has Carbon Fiber Reinforced bracing, it is not recommended to increase the gauge of string from that as originally fitted.
Pick-up System – KnK Two Spot Transducers feeding into a MiSi Battery-less preamp.
The preamp for this system uses Mi-Si’s custom piezo linearization scheme. A 60 second charge using the Mi-Si Power Charger provides 16 hours of play time.
Finish - High Gloss Nitro Cellulous Lacquer
A hardwearing lacquer that is chemical resistant and easily repaired. Approximately 20 coats of Lacquer are applied over a 10-day period, after a week curing time, the lacquer is hand levelled using wet/dry sandpaper, micromesh pads and finally buffed to a mirror finish.
An Irish Bouzouki with a scale length of 625mm and 16 frets to the body and has a Zero Fret.
This Bouzouki, S/N Bouz-TBW-003 was made by hand using the materials and methods listed below.
Back and Sides - Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
One of Australia’s best-known Tonewoods, used both domestically and internationally.
This Tasmanian Blackwood has some stunning compression figure.
Back Bracing System - Live Bracing Design
This system increases the backs interaction with the soundboard during playing, resulting in a fuller more complex sound. The Bracing has been made to fit a 20ft Radius, which increases the stiffness and structural integrity.
Soundboard – Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
As a tonewood, Western Red Cedar was "discovered" relatively recently. Over the last 30 years Red Cedar has gained tremendous popularity. Well quartered Red Cedar offers exceptional tonal quality. Although the wood is less dense and softer than Sitka Spruce it produces a crisp balance of sound. This set exhibits all those qualities, plus it is multicoloured, displaying all the colours that Western Red Cedar comes in.
Soundboard Bracing System – “Carbon Fibre reinforced Falcate.”
The soundboard bracing system has been made to fit into and was assembled in a 40ft radius dish, which increases its stiffness and structural integrity. The Carbon Fiber reinforced Falcate (Sickle shaped) Bracing is made of strips of King Billy Pine, laminated into sickle shapes that are radiused to 40ft. There’s a layer of Carbon Fiber between the bracing and the soundboard. The Bracing tops were profiled, and another layer of Carbon Fiber put over the top, effectively making an “Í-Beam” like structure. This radiused and curved symmetrical bracing system is of low mass and is incredibly stiff.
Bridge, Headstock and Fretboard - Burdekin Plum (Pleiogynium timorense)
Burdekin Plum, a beautiful Australian Timber that comes in many colours, orange to deep rich browns near black. A very dense wood ideally suited for instrument back and sides. Trees grown on hard/arid country normally have much darker timber. Burdekin Plum has proven to be a survivor; fossils of its unique seed capsules have been found in the Riversleigh Fossil Fields with some fossils dating back 15 to 25 million years. This is all dark phase Burdekin Plum from the same tree, which originated from the Boyne Valley, Central Queensland.
The Bridge is a Pin-less construction. This type of bridge has a lower mass than the equivalent Pinned Bridge. Lower mass on the soundboard serves in improve the instruments responsiveness.
Tuners - Gotoh Baby 510 series in Gold
The smallest closed gear, made to order tuners in Japan, exceptional high quality and recognized as such around the world.
Neck – Tasmanian Blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
A two-piece neck using highly figured Blackwood. This Neck has 3 Trussrods, 2 Carbon Fibre Stiffeners and a Steel double action adjustable Trussrod. The Neck to Body Joint is at the 16 fret and is “Flat Bolt on Bolt Off” construction, having 2 x 6mm metal treaded inserts in the neck heel which are accessible through the Soundhole with a 4mm Allen Key.
Fretwire – Jescar Evo-Gold
EVO Gold wire is a harder material than nickel silver though not as hard as stainless steel. It has excellent working properties and provides the player with increased fret life. The Fret ends have been individually spherically shaped and polished.
Rosette and Triquetra Inlays (Headstock, 12th Fret) – New Zealand Paua Shell (gold tint)
(Haliotis iris or austalis)
Paua is the Mauri name for Abalone. While the name Paua is used extensively in NZ to describe any Abalone collected from NZ waters, in the Luthier world Paua usually means it’s the predominately blue abalone that comes from the south end of New Zealand’s South Island.
All shell on this instrument was sourced from “Ocean Shell” https://lumea.co/about-us/who-we-are
Nut & Saddle – Hand made from Northern Territory Buffalo Horn (Syncerus caffer)
The 6mm saddle is a firm fit into the Bridge but can be removed if needed. It has a line scribed along the soundhole face; this indicates the orientation of the saddle in the bridge. The Nut has been slotted to suit the as fitted Strings. The Nut is also a firm fit; a small amount of CA glue has been put under it to hold it in place while changing strings.
Strings – D’Addario Phosphor Bronze, Sizes .011, 0.16, 0.28, 0.39
Even though this instrument has Carbon Fiber Reinforced bracing, it is not recommended to increase the gauge of string from that as originally fitted.
Pick-up System – KnK Two Spot Transducers feeding into a MiSi Battery-less preamp.
The preamp for this system uses Mi-Si’s custom piezo linearization scheme. A 60 second charge using the Mi-Si Power Charger provides 16 hours of play time.
Finish - High Gloss Nitro Cellulous Lacquer
A hardwearing lacquer that is chemical resistant and easily repaired. Approximately 20 coats of Lacquer are applied over a 10-day period, after a week curing time, the lacquer is hand levelled using wet/dry sandpaper, micromesh pads and finally buffed to a mirror finish.