Joe,
One thing I would like to add. A hurdy gurdy is and is not like a guitar.
If you think Yamaha guitar versus Gretch or a custom archtop. You will come
to understand exactly what folks are talking about. If you want to play a
guitar you buy the one you can afford and then as you get better and hear your
friend playing a Strat and you decide I want one of those and save again for
your next guitar. Eventually you have 6 guitars each one more expensive than
the next and you still dream of a 1959 Gretch, but you have good instruments
and you know you can play the one that is best for the sound you want.
The problem with the HG is that unless you have some extra cash you
can't continue to up the quality for anything like a guitar price. The other
problem is that guitars have 16 parts to them and none of them move. HGs have
43
parts and many of them move. Thus the cost goes up. You want to start with
the Gretch and learn to play on the best instrument you can get.
I agree with many of these fine folks that you should save up and hold
out until you can get the instrument that you want. Keep an eye on ebay,
SOMETIMES a good instrument comes up but I would ask about it first. It may
look
good but it may be a planter-box (unplayable useless instrument that looks
good holding flowers).
I suggest either Helmut Gotschy, Olympic music, Wolfgang Weichselbaumer,
Helmut Seibert, Chris Allen, or Jean Claude Boudet.
There are others but those are the instruments that you will find most
people playing that are acoustic instruments.
Electro-acoustic is a completely different story.
Good luck,
Scott
p.s. Also do yourself a big favor and come to the Over The Water HurdyGurdy
Festival in September in Washington. You will learn enough information to keep
you going for the next year. If you don't have yours yet there are loaners
available.
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