I’d like your help in deciding whether it’s worth replacing the body of a three-course bouzouki. It’s a 30-year-old instrument, and it has been hanging up for about 20…. I think it’s time I got back to it… The body has opened up quite badly and I’m at my wits’ end. Is it worth it, or would it be preferable to buy a tzoura? Thank you!
Welcome!
The good thing about dings is that they can be repaired, so there’s no need to replace the instrument’s body. It depends on the extent of the damage, of course, and on whether the instrument is worth repairing.
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Glad to be here!
Thank you very much in advance for your prompt reply! I can’t say it doesn’t meet my needs, since I’m an amateur… It doesn’t go out of tune very easily, and the sound is satisfactory. Beyond that, I have no idea how much such a change might cost.
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You’ll find a luthier in your area who can give you a quote. Generally, gluing or replacing ribs is a common repair; the advantage is that you only work on the ones that are damaged, rather than the entire instrument, as with carved instruments.
P.S. When you type “carved” and autocorrect changes it, go back and correct it. 
At some point it fell over and developed its first crack, but unfortunately over the years it widened and, as a result, the instrument weakened and cracked elsewhere too… Which instrument maker could I find who does repairs? I’m searching online, but I’m not in a position to judge whether someone is the right professional and a decent person. I think I’ll probably go with Zarani (Argyroupoli).
Petros Zaranis is very good, if you’re near him. If you’ve left it damaged for a long time, it may have warped and set in the wrong position, which makes it more difficult to repair. In any case, let the repairman have a look at it in person, because you can’t diagnose it from a screen.
Niko, thanks for taking an interest. I’ll get in touch with the tradesperson and let you know how things progress!
P.S. Do you know anyone else you could recommend?
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Which area are you in?
Chalkida, so the shops in Athens are convenient for me.
If you like, add a photo or two. There are plenty of tradesmen in the town centre.
Do you see any strange cracks at the neck joint? Have the strings risen too high? I hope you haven’t kept it tuned this whole time.
No, it wasn’t in tune, and I can’t see any cracks in the neck either. I don’t think it’s going out of tune, at least not as far as I can tell by eye. Of course, if I play two or three songs, the A string goes out of tune fairly easily.
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Great! In the city centre, you can also pop in to Toulikas, who’s a really decent bloke.
Great, thank you! I’ll check this one out too.
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Niko, since you’d looked into it … I wanted to let you know that I first went to Toulika, who really was a very nice person and inspires a sense of confidence. He told me what would be the right thing to do with the instrument, but that such a repair wouldn’t be worthwhile. So I also went to Zarani, who was also very helpful and told me what would be the right thing to do, but financially it isn’t worth it… Nevertheless, he’ll be able to make two or three adjustments to the instrument so that it becomes functional again until I can manage to buy a new one.
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They’re both honest pros!
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Good evening, Kosti! I gathered that you hadn’t been playing for very long and were still at the learning stage. My opinion is that the tzouras isn’t a sensible learner’s sole instrument. It doesn’t make learning any easier. I think one should first learn the bouzouki and then, as an additional instrument and to indulge one’s own tastes, get a tzouras.
Good morning to you too, Pericles! I played as a kid for 7–8 years and then taught myself guitar. So you can understand that I play as an amateur, but since I’ve seen some instruments up close, perhaps the next one will be a bouzouki…