Post by Bandura on Jan 16, 2006 1:04:09 GMT -5
27
BUYING A BANDURA
The process of buying a bandura can be both easy and trying, especially for
the novice. Prices for factory manufactured banduras have after a recent
fall been gradually rising. Instruments are now becoming harder to get.
Initially one has to decide whether:
1) to purchase a new or used instrument
2) whether to purchase a handmade or factory instrument.
Other considerations also influence the purchase. Will the instrument be
played or only displayed. Is the instrument For a novice or a professional.
Which style of bandura playing does the person use or intend to pursue.
Before we start we should first have an understanding of the cost of making
a good quality bandura in North America. Currently if one went to a
professional musical instrument maker or luthier the cost of making a
concert bandura would be anywhere in the vicinity of $3,500-5,000. This
would include around $600 for quality wood, $60 for metal tuning pegs,
approximately $150 for hand wound or standard guitar strings, $600 for a
retuning mechanism, and would include approximately 120-150 hours or labour.
Try to get a case from a third party specialising in case manufacture may
add $300-500 to the price of an instrument.
Some instrument makers in particularly bandura makers have been very
efficient in their procurement of materials and in the efficiency of their
time. They been able to make banduras in shortened time periods or by using
the principle of conveyor production to make two or more instruments at a
time. This last method is limited to the amount of money which can be
invested in materials for current production and orders. Bulk purchasing can
be used to bring down the price of an instrument, however this can only be
done when there are bulk orders.
The state of the Ukrainian economy in recent years has meant that factory
banduras have been brought out to the West by tourists and visiting
relatives. With a glut on the market the factory banduras prices has fallen
remarkably low. Some instruments have been sold for a bargain basement price
of as low as $100.
NEW INSTRUMENTS
When purchasing a new instrument inspect the body for the finish. Check for
cracks and travel damage.
Most cracks appear in arrears such as the soundboard, the upper and lower
shemstok joints and the neck joints. In Chernihiv type instruments most
cracks in the back can be repaired with moderate ease. A more important area
to inspect is the transom pin area in the lower shemstok area of the
instrument. If there are any cracks there, particularly between the pins
under the brass plate, avoid the instrument, as the instrument will require
more extensive repairs.
When selecting a concert instrument make sure that the mechanism does not
creak or click or clunk, and if you are testing out an instrument with the
Shevchenko relief check for buzzes caused by the carving.
One of the worst problems which can afflict a new bandura is the problem of
a warped bridge, If the wood used for the bridge is not dry or mature it may
bend or twist and will not sit properly flat on the soundboard. Thus the
instrument will never have a good tone as the string vibrations are not
transferred to the soundboard efficiently. Correcting this defect is time
consuming.
In the Lviv bandura some of the early instrument had string holes in the
bridge which did not allow the string to lay correctly on the bridge wire.
This causes a buzzing sound and can be remedied by cutting the hole or
burning it out in such a way that the string lies on the bridge wire.
Some instruments, although rarely do you find this in new instruments have
warped necks. These instruments should be avoided.
USED INSTRUMENTS
When purchasing a used instrument one has to ascertain why it is being sold.
Often instruments are sold because they are defective.
Most problems can be repaired by a capable craftsperson. Apart from the
problems mentioned above, keep in mind that the instrument may require a
restringing and adjustment of the mechanism.
Some of the older instruments indeed have a far superior sound to new
banduras. This is because better timbers were used in the case of the
Chernihiv bandura willow (a non-commercial timber) has been replaced by
poplar, and construction techniques were more refined, particularly in
instruments manufactured in the the 1960's.
Some of these instruments may be very well played in and have an transferred
mellow and rich sound.
On the other hand, mechanisms may be extremely worn and may sound obnoxious
when used.
Tuning pegs may not hold the tune. In some of the early Lviv banduras the
tuning pins were not round in diameter but elliptical. This meant that they
quickly wore through the wood and stopped holding their tuning.
An opposite defect is when a tuning pin was too tight and the person that
tuned the instrument has damaged the square shaped end by rounding it. These
pins will need replacing.
TYPES OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BANDURAS
Of the new instruments available the most common are the instruments of the
Chernihiv factory. These are:
1) The Prima
2) The Factory Concert
3) The Hand-made concert bandura
4) The Hand-made Shevchenko Concert bandura
5) The Childrens bandura
There are also some odd instruments made by the Chernihiv factory such as
the
1) Kiev Kharkiv Prima bandura
2) Private Hand-made Shevchenko Concert bandura
The Lviv factory also manufactures banduras:
1) Prima
2) Concert
3) Childrens
4) Childrens concert bandura
For a time the Melnytso-Podilsk factory has been manufacturing banduras
to make up the deficit in bandura production. These instruments are a
combination of both the Chernihiv and Lviv banduras. The back is glued from
sycamore, but is painted black. The string layout is the same as for the
Chernihiv bandura and the rose is in the centre of the instrument.
BUYING A BANDURA
The process of buying a bandura can be both easy and trying, especially for
the novice. Prices for factory manufactured banduras have after a recent
fall been gradually rising. Instruments are now becoming harder to get.
Initially one has to decide whether:
1) to purchase a new or used instrument
2) whether to purchase a handmade or factory instrument.
Other considerations also influence the purchase. Will the instrument be
played or only displayed. Is the instrument For a novice or a professional.
Which style of bandura playing does the person use or intend to pursue.
Before we start we should first have an understanding of the cost of making
a good quality bandura in North America. Currently if one went to a
professional musical instrument maker or luthier the cost of making a
concert bandura would be anywhere in the vicinity of $3,500-5,000. This
would include around $600 for quality wood, $60 for metal tuning pegs,
approximately $150 for hand wound or standard guitar strings, $600 for a
retuning mechanism, and would include approximately 120-150 hours or labour.
Try to get a case from a third party specialising in case manufacture may
add $300-500 to the price of an instrument.
Some instrument makers in particularly bandura makers have been very
efficient in their procurement of materials and in the efficiency of their
time. They been able to make banduras in shortened time periods or by using
the principle of conveyor production to make two or more instruments at a
time. This last method is limited to the amount of money which can be
invested in materials for current production and orders. Bulk purchasing can
be used to bring down the price of an instrument, however this can only be
done when there are bulk orders.
The state of the Ukrainian economy in recent years has meant that factory
banduras have been brought out to the West by tourists and visiting
relatives. With a glut on the market the factory banduras prices has fallen
remarkably low. Some instruments have been sold for a bargain basement price
of as low as $100.
NEW INSTRUMENTS
When purchasing a new instrument inspect the body for the finish. Check for
cracks and travel damage.
Most cracks appear in arrears such as the soundboard, the upper and lower
shemstok joints and the neck joints. In Chernihiv type instruments most
cracks in the back can be repaired with moderate ease. A more important area
to inspect is the transom pin area in the lower shemstok area of the
instrument. If there are any cracks there, particularly between the pins
under the brass plate, avoid the instrument, as the instrument will require
more extensive repairs.
When selecting a concert instrument make sure that the mechanism does not
creak or click or clunk, and if you are testing out an instrument with the
Shevchenko relief check for buzzes caused by the carving.
One of the worst problems which can afflict a new bandura is the problem of
a warped bridge, If the wood used for the bridge is not dry or mature it may
bend or twist and will not sit properly flat on the soundboard. Thus the
instrument will never have a good tone as the string vibrations are not
transferred to the soundboard efficiently. Correcting this defect is time
consuming.
In the Lviv bandura some of the early instrument had string holes in the
bridge which did not allow the string to lay correctly on the bridge wire.
This causes a buzzing sound and can be remedied by cutting the hole or
burning it out in such a way that the string lies on the bridge wire.
Some instruments, although rarely do you find this in new instruments have
warped necks. These instruments should be avoided.
USED INSTRUMENTS
When purchasing a used instrument one has to ascertain why it is being sold.
Often instruments are sold because they are defective.
Most problems can be repaired by a capable craftsperson. Apart from the
problems mentioned above, keep in mind that the instrument may require a
restringing and adjustment of the mechanism.
Some of the older instruments indeed have a far superior sound to new
banduras. This is because better timbers were used in the case of the
Chernihiv bandura willow (a non-commercial timber) has been replaced by
poplar, and construction techniques were more refined, particularly in
instruments manufactured in the the 1960's.
Some of these instruments may be very well played in and have an transferred
mellow and rich sound.
On the other hand, mechanisms may be extremely worn and may sound obnoxious
when used.
Tuning pegs may not hold the tune. In some of the early Lviv banduras the
tuning pins were not round in diameter but elliptical. This meant that they
quickly wore through the wood and stopped holding their tuning.
An opposite defect is when a tuning pin was too tight and the person that
tuned the instrument has damaged the square shaped end by rounding it. These
pins will need replacing.
TYPES OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE BANDURAS
Of the new instruments available the most common are the instruments of the
Chernihiv factory. These are:
1) The Prima
2) The Factory Concert
3) The Hand-made concert bandura
4) The Hand-made Shevchenko Concert bandura
5) The Childrens bandura
There are also some odd instruments made by the Chernihiv factory such as
the
1) Kiev Kharkiv Prima bandura
2) Private Hand-made Shevchenko Concert bandura
The Lviv factory also manufactures banduras:
1) Prima
2) Concert
3) Childrens
4) Childrens concert bandura
For a time the Melnytso-Podilsk factory has been manufacturing banduras
to make up the deficit in bandura production. These instruments are a
combination of both the Chernihiv and Lviv banduras. The back is glued from
sycamore, but is painted black. The string layout is the same as for the
Chernihiv bandura and the rose is in the centre of the instrument.