Thomann Irish Bouzouki M1089

I have long wanted to try out a bouzouki but have been put off by the very high price tags. I was a little dubious that this, being cheaper than most other zouks online, would be poor quality and produce a questionable sound. Now, I'm sure this sounds dreadful compared to a top quality specialised instrument handcrafted by a master luthier... but for the price, it's a decent little instrument!

It sounds good, though the lower pair of strings are in octave pairings rather than unison. - if you prefer the latter though, you can easily buy some d'addario unison strings from Thomann to replace those provided. But still, the sound is pleasant for the cost and the tuners are surprisingly good at holding their tune. While the construction quality isn't obviously going to rival handcrafted models at extremely high prices, it is actually quite pleasing and good quality for the price of our chase. Overall a nice little zouk for the price and an ideal starting instrument if you're not sure whether the zouk is the instrument for you yet :-)

I've used the product just to "meditate" and to re-record some acoustic parts. What's (surprisingly) good about it:
- Truss rod provides good installation.
- Frets are absolutly okay, no complains.
- (all the other playability stuff)
I found kind of funny the fact that the fretboard is aktually painted, so the color may wash out (if you clean it with a nail polish remover), but it's not a big deal and definitely doesn't affect the playability.

Also, bought it almost 2 years ago - still great.

This is my first bouzouki, and I was very impressed with the sound: deep and strong, firmly grasping the pick. I find it very good quality for the price.
I intend to use it to accompany traditional music from my country, with some melodies.
I didn't expect the frets to be so far apart, since I'm used to the mandolin, but it's a matter of habit. It will be more for the accompaniment than for the melody.
The package arrived in Mexico earlier than expected, and in perfect condition. It took 4 or 5 days to arrive to the country.