Options on the Baroque guitar style

We offer a variety of options on the Baroque guitar style. This page and the pages explaining the specific options will help you to choose the ones that are appropriate to your playing level and style, your budget, and your future plans for your instrument.

If this is your first hurdy-gurdy, we strongly advise you to limit your choices. First-time hurdy-gurdy buyers tend to think, "This will be my only hurdy-gurdy, so I should get all the bells and whistles." This may seem like a good idea, but it's better to start with a simpler instrument and upgrade to a more complex hurdy-gurdy as your playing ability increases.

It's not necessary to choose from the options when ordering - we will contact you to confirm your choices when we start building the instrument.

While prices on most of the options you choose will remain stable while you are waiting for your instrument to be built, some (such as amplification and tuners) are subject to changes in the market, so the price of the option may change by the time your instrument is begun. We will do our best to keep these price changes to a minimum, and you may decide not to include the option if you inform us of your choice before we start building.

To see explanations of the options, click on the titled link on that option.

Body wood: Western bigleaf maple is the standard choice. Options include black walnut, claro walnut, Honduran mahogany, and a variety of specialty hardwoods.

Trim pieces: These are the pieces that are on top of the instrument: the keybox top, the wheel cover, the tailpiece, and the wheel cover blocks. African blackwood veneer is the standard choice. Options include solid black walnut and a variety of specialty hardwoods. These pieces are the most likely to be decorated with custom inlay.

Peghead carving: The standard peghead design is a carved head in the style of the Mirecourt studio of Colson and Thouvenel.

Custom inlay: The standard choice for inlay is that the trim pieces have a narrow line of holly (almost white).inlaid in the dark wood of the trim pieces. A variety of other inlay examples are shown in the options page. Some decoration ideas that we have thought of but haven't gotten to try yet are described in the Flights of Fancy page.

Soundboard edging: This is also called the binding. The standard choice is a set of plaques of alternating light and dark woods, with a line of purfling inside it. More elaborate options are available, but not really recommended for this instrument..

Soundholes: The classic C-shaped soundholes are the standard. A variety of custom soundholes are available, shown in the options page, but are not recommended with this classic design.

Sympathetic strings: The standard for the Baroque model is that it doesn't have sympathetic strings. The option is for a set of four sympathetic strings.

Tuning mechanism: The standard choice is traditional friction pegs. There are several options, including machine tuners and hidden tuners.

Electronic tuner: This option allows the instrument to be tuned without hooking up a seperate tuner.

Tuning: The standard is G/C or D/G tuning. Optional tunings are available.

Tangents: The standard option is a set of the traditional wooden flag style tangents, with an option for locking metal tangents.

Drapeau: This drone capo is not included on the standard instrument.

Case: A soft case and a hard case are options for this model.

Bearing adjustment tool: This tool allows the player to adjust the tightness of the tail bearing.

For the prices on these options, see the pricelist.

Return to the Products page

Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae.

© Copyright 2000 - 2005, Olympic Musical Instruments.
Please ask for permission to use material from this site. Thank you.