A few Q&A’s from Andy – cittern and bouzouki player in Stonecraft
Posted On May 15, 2013
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How long have you been playing?
I played drums from the age of 13 in a marching band, then I started playing guitar at 17 that is 29 years ago. I was always a musician in my own head, even before I started playing guitar. I was 23 when I did my first gig in a covers band, we started out with six members and ended up with two. I have been a musician ever since and have also taught guitar for 20 years.
I picked up the cittern in 2005, I was looking for a bigger sounding instrument than the acoustic guitar. It is also a great instrument for playing both melody and rhythm. I added the bouzouki in 2008 via the tenor banjo.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
Robert Plant at the Top Rank Club in Cardiff, St Mary’s Street in 1982. I went with my girlfriend at the time. It was memorable as I had constantly listened to Led Zeppelin for the previous two years, but unfortunately mr Plant played no Zep that night, just old rock’n roll and songs from his two solo albums. It was still a great gig.
What gear do you use?
Both my cittern and bouzouki are made by Andy Tobin, who in my opinion is one of the best luthiers in Britain. They are both fitted with Headway pickups which are my favorite for their warmth and clarity of acoustic sound. For strings I use Elixir polyweb stings and the picks I use are Jim Dunlop nylon pick’s 0.60 and sometimes 0.73 which I file down a bit for extra grip.
More to come later