Query failed: connection to localhost:9312 failed (errno=111, msg=Connection refused). Adventures in random eBay luthiery - Acoustics Discussions on The Fretboard
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UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45

Adventures in random eBay luthiery

StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2124
in Acoustics
I've been looking out for a mandola/bouzouki type instrument, and in general you have two choices: cheapo far Eastern imports by Ashbury, Ozark and the like, or handmade luthier-built instruments which generally cost upwards of a grand. But then I found a seller on eBay called jhahar2, who had a bunch of home-made instruments listed for around the same sort of price as the imported ones. So I made him an offer and my octave mandola has just arrived.

He's used decent hardware and nice old reclaimed wood, and it looks great from a distance. Close up it's a bit crude, though. The neck is really chunky (which I don't mind). The soundboard is probably a bit thicker than it should be and the soundhole rosette is stuck on rather than inlaid. The weakest aspect of it is the fretwork -- some of the frets are too short and there is buzz at a couple of places on the fingerboard. If I can sort the worst of that our I'll keep it, but not sure I'd go down this route again. I don't feel ripped off because he's obviously put a lot of effort and money into building these things, but possibly a mass-produced import might be a better instrument.
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