Troubadour UK

All instruments are now in stock and immediately available in this range – Gervaise, Tamburlin and Lionheart. A further price rise is inevitable when we re-order, and we are running short on some models.

Our range of flatback four-course cittern family instruments with and without fitted pickup systems

‘Gala Water’ played on Lionheart Bouzouki (ADAD tuning) – David Kilpatrick

The large flatback Romanian cittern family body used for all three choices of scale length in the mandola and bouzouki family is external similar, but internal bracing is adjusted to allow for the different bridge positions caused by 402mm, 584mm and 660mm scale. String choice has a big influence on sound and the factory string sound best on the Lionheart and Tamburlin, no so good on the Gervaise.

The new chased metal two-part tailpiece in our latest acoustic version – which also has a bridge with two feet and a carved centre cutaway, instead of the plain straight bridge of earlier versions

Betsy Bell and Mary Gray – old Scots song, played on Lionheart with unison strings tuned GDAD (David Kilpatrick)

All three instruments are similarly made using solid maple bodies with a bookmatched two-part back, no rear binding, and a thin black-white binding round a Carpathian Resonant Spruce solid bookmatched top. The necks are maple, and the two longer scale models have adjustable truss rods accessed through the sound hole. The slotted headstock reduces weight and provides a good break angle through a positioning nut, over a zero fret. A set-up with lowered zero fret by a good luthier can substantially improve intonation and playing ease, and is recommended after you have got to know the instrument and fixed on your own choice of strings.

A typical example of the simple but good bookmatched solid maple used to make the bodies

The bridge is easily adjusted for position, and can be sanded or shimmed for action height. You may wish to replace it with a heavier wood, or a longer bridge, to adjust the tone and response to suit you.

Here’s a comment from the first buyer of one of our new 2008 stock instruments:

“Thank you very much for the Troubadour bouzouki, tutor book and plectrum which have all arrived safely. I can’t believe the quality of the instrument (both aesthetically and aurally) for the money. My wife said it was so pretty that we should hang it on the wall!” – Tim Heath

We don’t normally supply tutor books but Tim was chatting on the phone about wanting to restring it for Greek playing, and we happened to have a real Greek tutor book which needed a new home.

I’ve used the Lionheart on some of my recordings. It provides the countermelody line in Willie O’Winsbury, and a substantial part of the backing to Johnny He’s a’Ridin’.

The pickup EQ unit with externally accessed battery – as fitted to the Lionheart, Tamburlin and Gervaise ACE models. It provides three-band EQ and volume, from a four-crystal pickup mounted under the saddle, in the specially designed floating bridge. To simplify ordering, we now show the ACE pickup installation as a selectable option. The pickups are factory installed but we can supply them separately as pickup assembly and bridge; just buy the ACE upgrade alone for your own installation if wished.

The Lionheart is a perfect bouzouki – the 660mm scale is similar to a guitar in length, it can be strung for Greek CFAD tuning, ‘top four’ guitar DGBE tuning, octave mandolin GDAE, or any of the alternatives such as AEAE, ADAD, GDDG, GDAD. It has a very resonant and sustained sound. This scale length places the body joint at the 17th fret with easy clear access beyond, and is ideal for 12th fret capo paying as a mandolin, giving the equivalent of a 330mm European mando scale.

The Tamburlin with its shorter 584mm scale is low in tension and very easy under the fingers, ideal for new players. The tuning options are just as wide ranging, and you can use heavier mandola strings for CGDA tuning with a wound 2nd. The Tamburlin is not as well suited to 12th fret octave capo fitting.

The tenor mandola, Gervaise (ACE pickup equipped version shown) has a 402mm scale which is similar to a Gibson tenor and will accept the same loop-end strings. It has a warm, full tone and can be adapted to play with various string gauges. Fitted with regular mandolin strings, the tuning DAEB works well in place of the CGDA standard tuning using slightly heavier mandola strings. We have some owners using 8-30 mandolin strings and successfully tuning to mandolin pitch, but it’s very easy to break the top course!

Please note: we have a new heavier gig bag for the Lionheart. Until stocks run out, all overseas orders will be shipped with the earlier lightweight gig bag as this keeps the carriage below a certain weight which can increase costs considerably.

Lionheart Bouzouki Buy Now

Lionheart Bouzouki; complete with new-style gig bag, £149.50 inclusive of postage – UK:

Lionheart Bouzouki; complete with soft gig bag, £175.50 inclusive of postage – Europe (our prices include 15% UK VAT which may be refunded if you provide a valid European VAT number):

Lionheart Bouzouki ; complete with soft gig bag, £159.50 inclusive of postage – USA/Canada (tax free export):

Lionheart Bouzouki; complete with soft gig bag, £175.50 inclusive of postage – Australia and Zone 2 countries (tax free export):

Tamburlin Octave Mandola Buy Now

Tamburlin Octave Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £149.50 inclusive of postage – UK:

Tamburlin Octave Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £175.50 inclusive of postage – Europe (our prices include 15% UK VAT which may be refunded if you provide a valid European VAT number):

Tamburlin Octave Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £159.50 inclusive of postage – USA/Canada (tax free export):

Tamburlin Octave Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £175.50 inclusive of postage – Australia and Zone 2 countries (tax free export):

Gervaise Tenor Mandola Buy Now

Gervaise Tenor Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £129.50 inclusive of postage – UK:

Gervaise Tenor Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £155.50 inclusive of postage – Europe (our prices include 15% UK VAT which may be refunded if you provide a valid European VAT number):

Gervaise Tenor Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £139.50 inclusive of postage – USA/Canada (tax free export):

Gervaise Tenor Mandola; complete with soft gig bag, £155.50 inclusive of postage – Australia and Zone 2 countries (tax free export):

Upgrade your instrument to pickup equipped with ACE preamp system

Additional cost for ACE installation – UK and Europe – £65 including VAT:

Additional cost for ACE installation – Rest of World (tax free export) – £55: