The Gouzouki Project - How it Sounds Compared to Guitar and Bouzouki

Now that the Gouzouki project is finished, I thought it would be nice to compare guitar, bouzouki and gouzouki sounds. It’s not really a particularly fair comparison as it’s my really nice Martin guitar v my very cheap entry level bouzouki v my home built gouzouki, but it can shine a light on my rubbish playing if nothing else 😂.

I’m really enjoying getting used to it and couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out - looking forward to getting out to some sessions, once some sense of normality returns.

The Gouzouki Project - Final Set-up

Final set up! Now it’s time to turn those big lumps of Corian into a nut and bridge and set the height of the strings.

I installed the tuners permanently and added my label to the inside alongside Faith's!

Then, after marking out the string spacing, I lightly filed slots in the nut and bridge to locate the strings - you really need to use specific slotting files for this to get it right.These are horrifically expensive, but I couldn't think of a reliable way to get around using them.

At this point I dropped the nut blank and chipped a corner off it so had to start again. It’s quite brittle stuff this Corian.

I fitted the strings - very exciting - and roughly tuned to get the right tension on the neck, then adjusted the truss rod to correct the small bow.

To set up the nut, the process for each pair of strings is: slacken off strings; remove from slot; file slot a little deeper; reinstate and retension; check height by fretting at 2nd fret and measuring clearance under first fret; repeat until there is barely a paper thickness of clearance.

Once all the slots were done, I shaped the top and sides to be nicely rounded and rubbed down with progressively finer emery paper to get smooth. Then I used a couple of blobs of super glue to locate the nut against the top of the fretboard.

Moving on to the saddle, this is a much more complex shape to form. The point where the string pairs make contact needs to be different depending on what note the string is tuned to, to allow for the slight change in pitch as the string length changes when it is pushed down against a fret. This is called the intonation, for newcomers!

I had a pattern to work against from the book but also checked this by using a piece of cut off string in the appropriate place between the string and saddle. I think it’s actually still not 100% perfect, because I’m having to work around the existing guitar bridge, but it is close enough for my amateur ears!

This is also the point at which the action is adjusted - i.e. the height of the strings above the 12th fret. Fortunately, it was just about perfect, but I could have reduced the height of the saddle a little to correct if necessary.

Then it was a case of detensioning the strings yet again (to remove the saddle) and carefully filing the saddle to shape, then polishing up with emery as for the nut.

The last job was to screw-in the little cover over the truss rod adjuster. And that, my friends, is that!

I’ll try and post a video of what it actually sounds like in a following post but, after having had a half hour initial play, I’m really pleased with how it’s turned out.

The Gouzouki Project - Fret Levelling and Crowning

I reinstalled the neck at this stage (hopefully for the last time), which is a very easy task with this bolt on neck - 2 bolts accessed through the soundhole.

The frets need to lie in a level plane, so that the "action" can be set nice and low (making it easier to push strings against frets) but without allowing the strings to "buzz" against any high points further up the neck.

Firstly, the fretboard needs to be as straight as possible by tweaking the truss rod, then I ran a sharpie over the top of each fret to track what material is taken off each one.

I had a very lightly used sharpening stone that is nice and flat and used that to run backwards and forwards along the frets until they were all showing material removed (i.e. no sharpie left). At that stage they should all be level. Some people use a file for this but the stone worked really well for me.

Then I reprofiling the frets to put a curved shape back on them, using a special fret file that is set to a 2mm radius.

That’s the basics done really - after that, it’s a case of working through finer grades of emery paper to progressively smooth off and polish the frets and fretboard. At the same time I made sure the fret edges were nicely rounded and smoothed off to be level with the edge of the fretboard.

The Gouzouki Project - Modifying the Bridge

Finally moving onto the body now for modifications to the guitar bridge. The guitar has six strings and six corresponding holes in the bridge. The gouzouki has 8 strings organised in 4 pairs, so the bridge needs modifying to suit.

First, I needed to fill in the string pin holes that run through the bridge and body, to restore some strength there. I drilled out each hole to 5mm and then made some 5mm dowelling by planing down a piece of scrap, then hammering it through a 5mm hole in some scrap aluminium. A little bit of glue in each and job done.

Then I set up a fence and platform clamped to the body and routed out a slot across the old holes, before shaping a piece of scrap rosewood to fit in it.

Once it was all glued up and planed/sanded back level with the bridge I gave it a couple of coats of oil to blend in. So the bridge and body of the guitar are now solid again.

I marked out and drilled for the new pin hole locations, then reamed them out to put a taper on for the pins to fit properly.

It was then I realised that the 2 (supposedly matching) new pins I’d bought from Faith are actually slightly bigger and don’t quite match. No big deal - I’ve put them on the 2 centre strings and just reamed the 2 holes out a bit bigger to suit.

Moving on to the saddle, I realised that I’d need to change the slot for the saddle as the gouzouki needs a wider saddle to deal with the intonation adjustment for the tuning, which is very different to a guitar.

I followed a recommendation to use Corian, as it's very dense but easily shaped. I routed out the slot, leaving just enough depth in the old slot for the under saddle pick up to sit in, but making sure it would just be in contact with the underside of the saddle. Then cut a piece of Corian the right size to sit snugly in the slot, ready for the final set up.

The Gouzouki Project - Finishing the Neck

At last, time to start finishing the new neck. I sanded down with fine sandpaper and cleaned it off with white spirit.

I’ve used Tung Oil a couple of times on necks now and really like the satin finish it gives. It will suit the guitar finish well too. I saw a recommendation ages ago to use coffee filter papers to apply it. The first 2 coats go on thinned down 50/50 with white spirit to soak in to the wood and seal it. Then I’ll need to put a coat on a day this week.

As soon as you start this stage, the grain comes alive - starting to look nice.

 

The Gouzouki Project - Head Inlay

Does it get any more nerve wracking than drilling into your lovingly crafted neck?

I marked out and drilled for the tuners this morning. I trial fitted the tuners but they won't be finally fitted until after the finish is applied.

If I thought drilling for the tuners was nerve wracking.... time to do the logo inlay .

I wanted something to reference the Faith heritage and found this ‘n ’ that was in a similar style. I cut it out from a piece of figured maple veneer using the modelling fret saw I inherited from my Dad. I have used so many of his old tools doing this - it's a lovely way to remember him .

I transferred the outline onto masking tape and then scored the outline into the rosewood head veneer.

I bought a rudimentary router fitting for the Dremel and routed out as much of the shape as I could, using a magnifying glass (Dad’s again 😀) to help, then carved the fine details using modelling knives.

After lots of very careful trimming the insert dropped in. I glued it in place and filled around the edge using a filler made from the rosewood veneer sawdust. (I have learned to collect sawdust from the various different parts as I go along, in case I need to make any little filler repairs etc.)

After it dried, sanding back the maple and filler to the same level revealed the logo in all it’s glory - not perfect but I’m pretty happy for a first attempt