A quick question from a string-forum interloper:
How hard would it be to mod the long-scale trinity bouzouki (Not the OM) to accept unison pairings on the lower courses and actually be playable in terms of action and intonation?
Are we talking just a new set of strings or replacing the bridge and the nut?
I think you’re only talking about re-cutting four slots: two in the nut and two in the saddle (and if you have the slot-less saddle, just two in the nut). Matching the guage of the ‘low’ bass strings should give the same action and intonation to the ‘new’ pair. Worst case scenario is replacing nut and saddle, but still no big deal. It wil depend on how successfuly you can re-cut the existing components to provide accurate spacing for the bass courses. You don’t want the strings of each pair to be too close or they may buzz. You don’t want to end up with a long-neck, eight-string, flat-top, Irish sitar. That’s just weird.
The ‘piece of cardboard in the notch’ nut-slot adjustment technique seems like the easiest and cheapest answer, and it’s reversable.
Would that work for this? I’m thinking he has to increase the size of two slots. I always thought the cardboard trick was for reducing the slot size for a thinner string. (???)
Right you are; I misread it. Does the Trinity come with octave strings on the lower courses?
I found one somewhere online for $400; so I asked the site owner if he would be able to change to unison pairing. He told me they came that way already. This is weird, because the TC bouzoukis I have played are octave-strung. The photos at Elderly Instruments pretty clearly show octave stringing as well.
I have a 12-string guitar and I don’t like going out of tune high up on the neck. It can work with a compensated bridge, of course, but that can be a hassle. I also just dig the sound of unison courses more than octave stringing:)
I think it would be very unusual to see one of these with unison strings right from the factory unless it was a special order. Perhaps a second talk with the owner is in order just to clarify things?
Yeah, I sent him a second email along those lines, but have not heard back.