• Roosebeck Standard Irish Bouzouki, 8-String with Gig Bag Main photo
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Irish Bouzouki

Roosebeck Standard Irish Bouzouki, 8-String with Gig Bag

Roosebeck Standard Irish Bouzouki, 8-String with Gig Bag
4 Courses / 8 Strings Spruce Top Rosewood Back 25.5" Scale GDAD Tuning

Ideal for: Celtic and folk players, mandolin players adding low end, and anyone drawn to the unmistakable bouzouki voice

The driving rhythm and melody instrument of modern Celtic music.

The Irish bouzouki was adapted from its Greek cousin in the 1960s and has been at the heart of Celtic music ever since. Four courses of paired steel strings tuned GDAD give you the percussive chordal drive that defines so much of the modern Irish sound, plus the melodic clarity to play tunes high up the neck. The spruce top, lacewood and rosewood body, and 25.5-inch scale produce the bright, ringing voice the bouzouki is loved for.

Bright, Ringing Celtic Voice

The spruce soundboard delivers the characteristic bouzouki shimmer, while the rosewood back adds warmth and sustain. Eight steel strings in four courses produce a chorused, ringing tone that cuts through a session without overpowering. Driving chord work, fingerpicked accompaniment, and high-position melody all sit naturally under your hands.

About the courses: Four courses of two strings each. The top two pairs are unison, the bottom two are nickel-wound. Together they create the distinctive 12-string-like shimmer that defines the bouzouki sound.

Spruce Top, Rosewood Back, Bone Nut

The body uses lacewood with a rosewood back for warmth and projection. The neck is lacewood with a rosewood fretboard. A bone nut and rosewood bridge complete a build spec that punches well above its price point.

Gold tuners with black plastic buttons keep tuning precise, and the 25.5-inch scale length is comfortable for guitarists and mandolin players alike.

Why rosewood: A dense hardwood prized for warm low end and clear, articulate highs. It is the traditional choice for fine fretted instruments.

Tuned GDAD for Irish Music

The most common Irish bouzouki tuning is G2 D3 A3 D4. This open tuning makes drone-style accompaniment effortless and gives you ringing open chords across the neck. Other tunings such as GDAE (mandolin/octave-mandolin tuning) and ADAD also work.

New to bouzouki? If you play mandolin or guitar, the bouzouki's logic will feel familiar. GDAD lets you build chords with one or two fingers and lean on open strings for a full sound.

Technical Specifications

Courses 4 (8 strings total)
Strings D4: .011 steel, A3: .018 steel, D3: .028 nickel-wound, G2: .034 nickel-wound
Body Lacewood with rosewood back
Neck Lacewood with rosewood fretboard
Soundboard Spruce
Bridge Rosewood
Nut Bone, 1.25" wide
Scale Length 25.5 inches
Recommended Tuning G2 D3 A3 D4
Dimensions 37 inches L × 14.25 inches W × 3.25 inches H

What's in the Box

Every Irish Bouzouki ships ready for the session.

Padded Gig Bag Owner's Guide (PDF)

Have questions about this instrument? Contact us or browse all Roosebeck instruments.

Questions about this instrument?
Talk to our team  or browse all irish bouzouki.
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Tradition you can feel, craftsmanship you can hear.
Solid tonewoods
Cured, cut, and chosen for sound.
Voiced by hand
Fretboards dressed, action set, bridges fit by our luthiers.
Made to be played
Built for working musicians, designed to sound better the more you play it.
Since 1973
Five decades of building instruments that last generations.