Although it instantly found a home in traditional Celtic music, the Irish Bouzouki is a relatively new invention. It likely first appeared in 1969 when Irish musician Dónal Lunny was given a Greek bouzouki by a friend. Lunny is left-handed, so he reversed the strings and also mounted them in unison, which fundamentally changed the character of the instrument. This modified Greek bouzouki became fully integrated into Irish folk music when Lunny played it with his band Planxty in 1972. Since then, players across all acoustic genres have used the Irish Bouzouki to explore new sounds and directions. Played in a variety of different tunings (most commonly GDAE, GDAD, ADAD, and CFAD), the Irish bouzouki fills an interesting void between the mandolin and the guitar. Drawing inspiration from the unique body shape of medieval Citterns, the Gold Tone BZ-500 is an excellent, cost-effective Irish Bouzouki that is certain to add new sounds and inspiration to your repertoire. It features a solid Spruce top, which helps drive its resonant, refined sound. It comes set up with octave strings on the third and fourth courses and unison strings for the first and second courses. The result is rich, traditional-sounding Irish bouzouki tone. Hardshell case included. Scale Length: 26-1/4" Nut: 1-11/32" Bone Top: Solid Spruce Back & Sides: Mahogany Neck: mahogany Fingerboard: Select Hardwood Fingerboard Inlay: Snowflakes Truss Rod: Two-Way Adjustable Bridge: Ebony with Intonated Saddle Tailpiece: Heavy-Duty Cast Tuning Machines: Sealed Guitar-Style
