Irish Bouzouki Building

Renowned luthier and author Graham McDonald provides step-by-step instruction in designing, constructing, and finishing a flat-top Irish bouzouki, covering material selection, carbonfiber reinforcement, tool use, and final setup to create a responsive and well-crafted instrument.

Buy Now $288.00 51 Lessons 7:48:35

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Intro

About This Course

In this course, well known Irish bouzouki builder and author Graham McDonald leads you through the steps to build your own flat-top Irish bouzouki. The domed soundboard and linings are re-enforced with carbonfiber in a simple, yet effective way to construct a light and responsive instrument.

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It's great to see Graham doing this class. Apart from being a practicing luthier, he's also written several books. I recommend The Mandolin Project. Graham is the real deal. Mark French
Irish Bouzouki Building
7:48:35
Intro 6:14
Lesson 1: Workboards 6:05
Lesson 2: Neck block 9:40
Lesson 3: Tail block 4:43
Lesson 4: Thicknessing the sides 6:26
Lesson 5: Bending the sides 8:58
Lesson 6: Bending the linings and bindings 7:29
Lesson 7: Gluing sides to blocks 9:25
Lesson 8: Side profile 4:09
Lesson 9: Linings 14:16
Lesson 10: More profiling and linings 6:39
Lesson 11: Joining the top 10:18
Lesson 12: The rosette 22:23
Lesson 13: Marking for braces 11:31
Lesson 14: Preparing top braces 14:17
Lesson 15: Gluing top braces 5:23
Lesson 16: Shaping top braces 9:30
Lesson 17: Back braces 15:15
Lesson 18: Fitting the top 10:10
Lesson 19: Gluing the soundboard 5:47
Lesson 20: Flush trimming and neck angle 5:10
Lesson 21: The scarf joint 8:40
Lesson 22: Heel block 7:24
Lesson 23: Neck Taper and headstock thickness 3:32
Lesson 24: Neck length and depth 3:37
Lesson 25: Tenon Layout 10:08
Lesson 26: Truss Rod Slot 3:09
Lesson 27: Headstock veneers 5:30
Lesson 28: Headstock shape and tuner holes 12:40
Lesson 29: Inlay 7:08
Lesson 30: Attaching the neck 10:38
Lesson 31: The fretboard 12:16
Lesson 32: The fretboard radius and markers 12:56
Lesson 33: Prepping for frets 5:07
Lesson 34: Installing frets 8:44
Lesson 35: Attaching the fretboard 10:02
Lesson 36: Carving the neck 17:06
Lesson 37: Attaching the back 4:36
Lesson 38: Binding channels 15:45
Lesson 39: Routing Binding channels 8:53
Lesson 40: Installing the bindings 16:11
Lesson 41: The heel cap 5:21
Lesson 42: Finishing - Surface prep 13:02
Lesson 43: Applying the finish 6:44
Lesson 44: The Tailpiece 7:33
Lesson 45: Fretwork 10:07
Lesson 46: The Nut 7:55
Lesson 47: Tuners 4:57
Lesson 48: The Bridge 11:02
Lesson 49: Final steps 18:50
Lesson 50: Conclusion 5:14