Cactus Music
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What is this weird instrument??
  " /> Found it in the Goodwill today for $15.99. Put new strings on it (Acoustic D_G_B_E ) and tuned it to open g.. Intonations not great so doesn't sound good as normal tuning. I've been looking for 3 hours on line and cannot find a match. The headstock matches a lot of European folk instruments. It might be real old,,or it's just home made. Fretboard seems ebony, scale length is 19.5 " Tuners are crap , one broke had to fabricate a new one. Anyhow closest I get is a Bandola, Cuatro or Dombra or Domra.
post edited by Cactus Music - 2016/10/02 22:00:10
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Kamikaze
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/02 04:19:09
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Pineapple Ukulele or camp Uke possibly?
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/02 12:12:46
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Well, it's smallish guitar sized and tunes up in guitar pitch. Scale 19.5 A Uke is 14.5. But it has that very Ukrainian/ Russian headstock and steel strings. The shape is a little rounder than a Pineapple Ukulele too. I won't rule out Hawaiian at this point as they did come up with some strange stuff. And where I got it from, Collville Wash, there are many people who snowbird over there. Lot's of Hawaiian shirts in this particular Goodwill.  " />
post edited by Cactus Music - 2016/10/02 22:01:16
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edirol
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/02 12:41:06
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/02 16:15:18
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Ukuleles use Nylon strings. This was defiantly designed for steel with ball ends.. It was a chore to re string , my wife had to help as my hand was to big to go in the sound hole.  " />
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Cactus Music
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Kamikaze
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/02 23:10:01
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/04 00:07:49
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Just an update, so far I have stumped everyone. Even Elderly Music could not identify but he did agree it looks very Russian/ Ukrainian or Turkish. Might be a one off buy a creative Luther.
I'm going to keep fishing until someone recognises it.
Didn't expect an answer here amongst all you techonerdes but you never know... :)
All music forums are fare game when looking for the obscure.
Most forums are showing 200+ views and no answers.
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JonD
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/04 11:37:15
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bitflipper
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/04 14:21:56
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What a great resource that site is! I think it'd be worth writing to the proprietor. It might even be something he doesn't yet have in his atlas.
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/04 23:36:31
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But we don't know what to call it yet !! It has stumped every body on every forum I posted to so far..But most are agreeing it could be from the Ukrainian/ Russian/Turkish area. I ended up posting in the main forum, sorry but I wanted more eyes. So I'll let this thread wander off.. Oh one last thing,, here's a recording id just now. https://soundcloud.com/john-vere/test-the-domra
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TheMaartian
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/05 12:10:49
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Sounded like a wooden banjo to me. Did you tune it to the 4-string banjo standard (C3-G3-B3-D4)? Your C tuning sounded closer and more banjo-like than the D tuning.
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drewfx1
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/05 13:46:52
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Very interesting!
It looks sort of like it might be a derivative of a Chinese ruan, perhaps by way of Russia/Ukraine/Turkey.
 In order, then, to discover the limit of deepest tones, it is necessary not only to produce very violent agitations in the air but to give these the form of simple pendular vibrations. - Hermann von Helmholtz, predicting the role of the electric bassist in 1877.
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/05 18:28:44
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You know I keep changing the tuning as I mess about so I more or less lost track of the exact tuning. I play a bit of Banjo so that probably influenced the playing. I think one tuning was C_G_C_E What's different is the 4 strings instead it seems the majority of these type of instruments are coursed sets.
post edited by Cactus Music - 2016/10/05 18:52:37
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soens
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/06 05:58:22
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My 1st thought was a lute of some kind. And the head stock & tuning look nylon stringish to me. But I know abso lutely nothing about all that.  After googling "4 string lute" I see that variations are literally endless so it could be anything. If you can't find any writing, brand, maker, model or serial #, etc. then it's a good chance it's home or custom made or.... extremely old, in which case it could be worth $$$$$$$$$$. Personally I'd have the wood and finish carbon dated to be sure. 
post edited by soens - 2016/10/08 16:42:47
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soens
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/06 06:12:46
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soens
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/06 18:55:15
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Italian Mandolin? (tuned g-d'-a'-e")
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Cactus Music
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/06 19:18:29
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Well it is certainly very old, I know old wood and workmanship just by the smell. The purling and binding are well done so I don't think an amateur made this so I would not think it was homemade. Possibly a small shop somewhere , but where? So far the vote is for Eastern Europe. Possibly even an old Gypsy instrument.
There is absolutely no sign of writing on it, but sometimes real old stuff is signed or dated with pencil which fades with time.
It is of the lute family just like any guitar etc.
I don't think it's worth anything because of the condition it is in. If we new it's history etc it would have more value. But to me an instruments value is only within it's tone and playability.
Like Gibson Les Pauls' that don't stay in tune, to me they are worthless.
I think I will proceed to glue the cracks together and see if I can design a compensating saddle that will fit in the slot without altering the original.
Anybody know a good luthering website to ask about repairs? I'm not sure Weldbond is politically correct...
I have posted the pictures on numerous websites and so far it is still an unsolved mystery.
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soens
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Re: What is this weird instrument??
2016/10/07 17:53:44
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I would check with any well established local luthiers before attempting any repairs. Even if you have to cross city or state lines to do it. Your local schools should know who they are if none come to mind.
post edited by soens - 2016/10/08 16:38:20
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