My Instruments

I have a decent collection of instruments, however the main ones that I actually use, and the only instrument I would say I play, is the mandolin (and mandolas).

Pictures TBA...

Mandolins

I have two main mandolins I use. The first is a Kentucky KM-140 I bought at the Hobgoblin shop at Rathbone Place in London, and the second is a bowlback made in 1979 by a Japanese luthier called 落合忠男 (Ochiai Tadao) that I purchased on eBay.

Mandolas

I have a tenor mandola from Hora. Upon initial purchase it sounded horrible and had an extreme amount of action, so I had to take it to a guitar shop to get the nut and bridge adjusted. After they did so the instrument sounds ... okay, but is still not great. It was a lesson in not cheaping out when buying instruments.

I will soon have an octave mandola to show here too...

Guitars

I have two acoustic guitars, neither particularly valuable, that I have had since I was a child. One is a Fender and the other is a lovely blue one by a company called Encore (entry-level guitar). I remember it was bought for me as a child, however because it was an adult guitar it was too big for me to play comfortably...

Oud

I bought a cheap oud from Sultan Instruments as it was on sale. I haven't used it particularly much and find it very difficult to play, due to the lack of frets and the fact that it's borderline impossible to get in tune. I'll learn it eventually...

I think the maqam system of music is quite interesting and would like to look into it a bit more.

Clarinet

Likewise a Yamaha clarinet I don't play much and am not very good at. About £100 off eBay.

Violin

I also have a cheap Primavera violin I bought from a local shop for around £75. I do not use it very much as I can't play it!

I did take violin lessons for a short while however have given it up to focus on the mandolin more.