I’ve been pretty interested in buying a cittern for a long time now. The problem is that the supply/demand ratio is out of whack & is inflating the prices for them. I’ve found Davy Stuart’s OX cittern to be about $1100(usd) which is still higher than what I’m willing to spend. Still that’s a steal for a handmade C/B/OM. I may go with one of those but wanted to know if anyone knows of any other mass produced factory jobbies. My only guidelines are that the top & sides are solid (not laminated wood) has a scale between 19" & 24" & 5 courses.
The Lark in the Morning generic cittern has one real drawback: the neck has no tension rod or warp-preventative lamination, and is likely to twist at some point as mine did. Other than that, the price is right and it sounds great. Another drawback, though not serious, is that it has a Spanish-style machine head and is somewhat of a pain to restring using metal strings.
Those are pretty serious drawbacks, I do like to think that I have the skills to install a truss rod & I know I can replace the tuners. What I have a real problem with is that I know Shark in the Morning is charging 3x what they are getting these things for at cost. To spend $325 on a $100 instrument that I’m going to have to put another $100+ in parts & who knows how much in labor isn’t really a bargain.
Oh how I wish Trinity or Johnson made a ten stringer!
I just sent in for a quote from freshwater in bonnie scotland. They want an awful lot of info for a quote.
Brad, I sent you a PM.
N
A friend of mine here in SW Ontario has two or maybe three citterns made by Jack Spira in Australia. These are beautiful and great sounding instruments. They have a pin bridge, though, and sound different from the more customary floating bridge instruments with the tailpiece at the end of the body. The last I heard he was interested in selling one of them. I’d buy it myself but I just don’t have enough use for it and prefer bouzoukis anyway.
Spira’s site:
http://www.jackspiraguitars.com/
Steve
I don’t have the money to go & buy one right now but see what your friend is asking for it. Spira does nice work, he doesn’t have a pricelist on his site so I just skimmed over him.
I may save my money & get a Fylde or a Davy Stuart. It’ll be a long time before I plunk down the money though :roll:
Brad, you might want to check out Graham McDonald, a Canberra luthier, who’ll gladly make you a cittern to your own specifications. Check him out at
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/
I spent weeks discussing the relative design and playing virtues of various cittern designs with him before finally settling on one of his electric bouzoukis instead. I already had an accoustic bouzouki and, when I upgrade, I’ll almost certainly go back to Graham. I’m very happy with the instrument he made for me.
I saw his site, I’ll contact him. thanks for the lead
I think my decision to start looking for a cittern was a result of the standard/dadgad thread.
Even if what you really want is too pricey for you just now, Graham will discuss design with you and help you work out what you really want. I started out wanting a six course accoustic instrument tuned in fifths but there were problems with that .. a lot of tension on the neck and sound box. What I have is I imagine what Donal Lunny might well play if Moving Hearts ever reformed; I had it wired like a Stratocaster and it works beautifully. Not for pure drop contexts of course. I believe Lunny actually plays Graham’s guitar shaped accoustic bouzoukis (bizzares) sometimes.