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#1
05-12-2024, 03:09 PM
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Cittern, Bouzuki, octave mandolin
Does anyone here play any of these instruments? I watched a video and the sound of the cittern caught my ear. I contacted the person who makes this particular instrument. He is in Norway. A little far for me to go to try this one out. I will need to look more locally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KIWYTUNaIw
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon 
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#2
05-12-2024, 03:38 PM
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I've messed with octave mandolin and bouzouki. The examples I played were sort of brash in-your-face sounding instruments, with a bit more tension on the strings than I'm used to. Next tiem I'll try lighter strings.
They can make great music. Danny Carnahan (Carnahan & Petrie) is a good player. Silly Wizard also used the zook.
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#3
05-12-2024, 04:01 PM
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Thanks,H165. It will be interesting trying to get my hands on these instruments. In the link I shared, that instrument is definately not brash. Very resonant and warm.
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon
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#4
05-12-2024, 04:22 PM
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Every time I pick one up the frets seem very far apart - maybe a matter of being in a familiar (to me, at least) tuning, but definitely not the same instrument as a mandolin.
These days there are lots of CBOM models available from Gold Tone and, to a lesser extent, Trinity College, so you might be able to find one to try in your sector. D.H.
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#5
05-12-2024, 04:32 PM
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Thanks, Dave. Are you saying that the scale length feels long to you? Longer than most guitars? Ah...I just figured out what CBOM is! I'll check out Gold Tone and Trinity College. Thanks again.
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon
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#6
05-12-2024, 05:59 PM
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I play a 21-1/2” scale octave mandolin (standard tuning GDAE), a 17” 10 string mandola (CGDAE) and a 26” 10 string mandocello (CGDAE). Both the 10 stringers could be considered citterns. With octave pair strings on my octave mandolin on the G, D and A courses it’s like a shorter scale ‘zouk.
They are all tuned in fifths so yes the stretch is pretty good on the octave mandolin and mandocello. This makes the frets feel far apart (compared to the finger friendly guitar). You need to have or develop a strong fretting hand pinky to get the most out of these instruments, especially to play the melody in Irish or Scandinavian music. There are several (high end) US builders of octave mandolins - Fletcher Brock, Austin Clark, Andrew Mowry. There are others who will build a wonderful OM for you like Joe Mendel or Thomas TJ Jessen for a little lower cost. Anyway if you expand your Google search to include “mandocello”, “CBOM” and “GBOM” you’ll trip across a mandolin forum we don’t mention that has a lot more info on these.
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"They say it takes all kinds to make this world - it don't but they're all here..." Steve Forbert - As We Live and Breathe
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#7
05-12-2024, 06:25 PM
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I have a GBOM by KR Strings, rosewood b/s and spruce top with f holes. I bought it to get a more rich (and lower obviously) tone for classical pieces like Bach cello suites. It is not brash sounding, but does sound more “mandoliny“ than like a 12-string. Due to its longer scale it’s more of a stretch as mentioned. I would start with mandolin to get used to the 5ths (7 frets) before you invest in a nice OM.
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#8
05-13-2024, 03:31 AM
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I play this guy a lot, a 650mm scale cittern tuned CGDAD. It's a one-off build by my brother who's a classical guitar luthier - you can see a bit of the classical guitar building style in the rosette and slotted headstock with the old style V joint. It's cedar and wenge, and though it's octave strung in the photo I've since settled on unison stringing. It also has an unusual D'Angelico influenced wedge adjust bridge, which I think was just something my brother was curious to try. It's a big lad, lives in a dreadnought guitar case.
I find it really enjoyable and versatile to play, I do a lot of folk tunes from my mandolin repertoire but with the option of some lower pedal tones under the melody, or it's great for chordal song accompaniment. I especially like to use it when a song has a well known guitar arrangement that I'm trying to nudge myself away from stealing outright - Blackwater Side as an example. 
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Gibson G45 Standard 2020 Eastman E1OM 2021 Cedar/Rosewood Parlour 2003 (an early build by my luthier brother) Also double bass, electric bass, cittern, mandolin...
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#9
05-13-2024, 07:50 AM
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The specifications such as scale length vary widely for CBOMs, so it's worthwhile researching as much as possible before purchasing. The nice thing about Mando family instruments is once you develop a feel for how to play them then you can easily transition to lower or higher pitched instruments.
I play mandolin, but gravitate towards the lower pitched octave mandolin. Most Youtubes of Sarah Jarosz feature her playing her guitar-shaped Fletcher Brock. I had an extra Kay body with no neck so fitted it with a Taylor GS Mini neck I found on Reverb. 
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#10
05-13-2024, 08:20 AM
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I play guitar, mandolin, and octave mandolin. The scale of my octave is about 21.5 inches. Tuned GDAE, the notes are at the same frets as they are on the mandolin, but the frets are farther apart so I have to adjust my fingering and use the pinky a lot more. Also I have to move my hand up and down the neck a lot more than on the mandolin to get the notes I can get on the mando without moving my hand. It's just a matter of adjusting to the different instrument. The distances between frets are not that different from the guitar, so it doesn't seem to be that much more stretching to get the notes, just moving the hand.
Bouzoukis (Irish ones) are very similar to the OM, but usually have a longer neck and are often tuned GDAD, but can be tuned GDAE like the octave, so the differences are minimal. Citterns generally have 10 strings rather than 8. All these instruments are fun to play and sound beautiful. If you play guitar or mandolin you should be able to transition to an octave mandolin fairly easily. Nuthin' but fun here! Jack
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http://www.youtube.com/user/JCGuitar?feature=mhee
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#11
05-13-2024, 03:53 PM
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I really enjoyed playing bouzoukis and citterns - I like low strings bass, cello, oud.. I "grew up" on Bach cello suites for guitar, so always that affinity.
And harp, and free reeds too - all provide lower range and resonance. I don't play the fretted/plucked strings as much, but the occasional bit of trad..
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#12
05-13-2024, 06:05 PM
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Wow! Thanks for all this good information. It's gonna take me some time to digest it. I do play guitar, but not mandolin. I don't want to invest in a lot of money until I know if I take to one of this types of instruments, but I don't want a clunker either. Here's the video that got me interested in a cittern in the first place. The music starts at about 59 seconds in The instrument is a Nordwall from Norway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KIWYTUNaIw I fell in love with the tone. The instrument that Kristian Wolsk plays is (and I quote...I emailed the company.) "Kristian Wolski plays on my large cittern model tuned CFCG." Here's a link to that instrument: https://nordwallinstrument.com/eng%2...20cittern.html
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon Last edited by KarenB; 05-13-2024 at 06:18 PM.
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#13
05-13-2024, 06:18 PM
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How easy is it get strings for these instruments? Do you need do mail order?
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon
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#14
05-14-2024, 08:24 AM
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M 19-- Thanks. What's a GBOM?
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When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down, “happy.” They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. —John Lennon
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#15
05-14-2024, 01:25 PM
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Quote:
Guitar Bodied Octave Mandolin
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"They say it takes all kinds to make this world - it don't but they're all here..." Steve Forbert - As We Live and Breathe
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