u/Talbit01

Hi everyone! My friend and I have decided to embark on a journey to recreate some older folk instruments. The two we have decided to start with are the bladder fiddle (pūslinė) and the devil's fiddle (diabelskie skrzypce).

We plan to start making prototypes with extremely simple materials. For the diabelskie skrzypce, I am considering a piece of plywood in the back and maybe an old ukelele body for the resonator box in the front (and use the tuning pegs for the bladder fiddle). Some cheapo used cymbals where I can get them, monofilament trimmer wire, and an old broomstick. For the bladder fiddle, I am considering just foraging a decent branch or buying some long-grain wood for cheap (if I can find it) and steam-bending it. Trimmer wire, and maybe a balloon for the bladder.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, hard not-tos, or critiques on this type of setup. The ideal (for now) is to create an instrument that will produce some sort of sound and not snap in half.

We have access to an retired luthier's shop if that information is of any use.

I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!

There‘s a used (excellent condition) Goldtone Plucky on auction that is at $160. Comes in a case, but the case is broken. I am debating on if it‘s worth bidding on, as I do want a Plucky but am unsure how to gauge the worth for a used one and don’t want to overpay.

I’m curious about what the maximum price is, that you‘d still consider it worth buying.

Hey everyone. Someone I know (an older gentleman) has had his facebook account hacked. The hackers have uploaded CP to the account to get it locked and are threatening and extorting him. I have sent him the facebook steps to reclaim a hacked account, but was wondering if there is anything additional he can do and whether or not the addition of the CP complicates the recovery process.

For additional clarification, I do not have access to his facebook information/account so cannot help him directly. Thanks in advance!

Hey all. I currently have a 17-key kalimba (apelila) that I got 6 years ago. It doesn't have dead keys, which has been helpful for practicing, but I'd ultimately like to get a newer kalimba that has better sound quality.

I am interested in acquiring two very different styles of kalimba, though not necessarily at once. One being a kalimba of better sound quality with more keys. I'm interested in more fuller and warmer sounds.

The other would be something that sounds far closer to an mbira. Getting an actual nyunga nyunga mbira from the MBIRA foundation is a possibility as well, depending on how invested I get in the instrument.

So my question to everyone is--are there any additional brands I should consider?

What I've been looking at currently are as follows:

- Second-Hand Hugh-Tracey chromatics/alto/african-tuned karimba (flat or hollow)

- SaReGaMa Freygish/Air/Lotus Bolf kalimba (flat or hollow)

- Gecko 21-key wooden kalimba (hollow)

- Hluru 21-key wooden kalimba (flat)

- Hokema 17-key wooden kailmba (flat)

Are there other brands or even makers I should be considering that I'm missing? My overall goal is to purchase a slightly cheaper kalimba in the short-term that is still an upgrade to what I have (likely 21-keys) and save up for more long-term.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Hey all! I’ll be in Warsaw for a week and would love to chat with someone over coffee :) I am slowly learning Polish and would like to practice English in exchange for Polish with anyone interested (German also works!).

I am 30F traveling with friends. Hobbies are nature-related, science, politics, anthropology, history, language studies, walking, coffee/tea, reading, and many other things. Down to talk about nearly any topic except sports :D