Acoustic Instruments

Having been involved in the music scene for so long I have had the opportunity to try many different instruments.

My own preference in instruments is developing and changing with me all the time, I think I look for a particular even response between bass and treble and overall volume.

If you put fifty guitar player's in a room they could not tell you what to look for ...its ONLY YOU who knows what YOU want .

The guitars I own are a Mcilroy AS 30 which I had hand built using Indian Rosewood with a Sitka Spruce solid top, five piece neck, ebony finger board with Rosewood and Sycamore. My other guitar is a Seagull S6+ Folk which I keep tuned CGCGCE (which I am trying to learn). The Mcilroy is usually in DADGAD.

Check out the guitar section (left) for info relating to DADGAD tuning and loads of chords in easy to read format.

The first Bouzouki/Mandola instrument I owned was an octave Mandola I bought it from a local music shop here in N Ireland. I started to learn to play in GDAE (mandolin tuning) until I heard my good friend Eamonn play his Bouzouki in GDAD tuning, he helped me out teaching me a few simple chords then sent me off home to practice, which I did. Sessions were a bit to far advanced for me if they played "tunes" but I soon found the little mandola was a brilliant accompaniment for singers and had many invites to sessions where folk singers often gathered for less "tune" oriented quiet sessions .

On a trip to Dublin to see Andy Irvine in concert I called in to a few music shops and tried a Fylde octavious bouzouki, I was hooked by its tone and sustain. After five months saving I purchased mine directly from Roger Bucknall (Fylde), an easy process online especially with Roger's personal help and expert guidance. This remains my current favorite instrument to play either for jigs and reels, but mostly for singing and accompaniment.