1920s Favilla 6-String Balalaika

New video (2022) above, old video (2018) below.

Update 2022: this has come through a couple times and I've updated the original post (from 2016) with new photos, a new video, and edited description. Now back to it...

I'm a fan of balalaikas -- and especially curious American-made ones. This one has a Favilla label in the soundhole but when I hunted it down on eBay I knew exactly what it was (though the seller didn't) because I'd handled two others over the years -- one of which I put down as unmarked (but I should've shone a bright light in that soundhole).

These New York-made Favilla balalaikas are very interesting because they're built a lot like German-made balalaikas in that their construction follows bowlback mandolin design more closely. The backs are rounded and multi-multi-ribbed and all of the construction materials and details are very American in styling -- this one is spruce over mahogany with a tenor-banjo-esque 2-piece mahogany neck. Comparable Russian instruments from the time (and later) are generally a lot less finely-built.

As a 6-string instrument, there's no doubt that this was intended to be strung with very light steel, but I'm always suspect of the American-make necks which are super thin like the 3-string (gut or nylon-strung) variety and I was never quite happy with the less-rounded tone of the thin-gauge steel on these 6-stringers. So... I strung it with fluorocarbon (basically, nylon) strings and tuned it in a modal GDG tuning (same pitch as mandolin's GDA but altered). The neck is dead straight and the tone is fuller than if I'd strung it with steel (which tends to be jangly on balalaikas) and so it's a nice compromise -- it doesn't just sound like a weirdo mandolin.

The traditional modern tuning for a balalaika of this size (prima, or ~17" scale -- this is 17 1/8" in scale) is EEA around the same range, though the Es are tuned in unison. That tuning is primarily useful for ensemble work, however, rather than "folk" work. An older (and more logical to my playing) tuning was open D at DF#A and another variant is "Russian guitar" or open G at GBD. There's a domra folk tuning that adapts that instrument's EAD tuning, too, with the D a step below mandolin's high E. I mocked that fingering up for an hour this evening by tuning the low G in my modal GDG tuning up to A (4ths running ADG) and enjoyed the interesting guitar-ish 4ths chordal voicings afforded by tuning in that fashion.

The headstock is simple and elegant and sports guitar-style tuners with celluloid buttons. The nut is ebony and all the fittings (save the bridge) are original. The headstock has a mahogany veneer.

The tailpiece accepts loop-ends per normal mandolin-style steel stringing but I've managed to make it useful for the nylon/fluorocarbon by balling-up the ends and securing them at the "opening" for the strings to pass from the steel-string hooks. It works great! I suppose you could also just tie them around the "hooks," though, too.

There's also foam muting material that I've added under the tailpiece "cover," too, to dampen the string afterlength.

All that blabbing aside, we can now appreciate how pretty this is. I love the (rosewood?) rosette and scratchplate inlay.

A note on strings -- the strings are, I'm pretty sure, something like two sets of fluorocarbon Martin M600 uke strings minus the high G -- ie, doubled CEA strings in gauges 34, 25, 19. To bulk up the tone or lower the pitch a little, two sets of D'Addario tenor uke fluorocarbon low G strings could be used via doubling gauges 41, 31, 20 for the same GDG tuning I mentioned above.

Materials are: solid spruce top (ladder-braced), solid mahogany back/sides and neck, ebonized maple fretboard, rosewood pickguard, rosewood bridge. It's 100% original save strings and bridge. The build is also very lightweight.

Condition notes: there's general finish weather-checking throughout and minor scratching and nicks here and there all over. There's obvious pickwear near the soundhole and some of the binding at the points on the body is rubbed-down from wear over time, but it's all there. Overall, it's actually in excellent condition for its age and there are no cracks.

Repairs included: a fret level/dress, replacement bridge (rosewood banjo-style which is close to the original style), cleaning, side dots install, and setup. It was structurally in great shape when it arrived -- no cracks and seams all in good order.

Top wood: solid spruce

Back & sides wood: solid mahogany

Bracing type: ladder

Bridge: rosewood

Fretboard: ebonized maple?

Neck wood: mahogany

Action height at 12th fret: 1/16" overall (quick)
String gauges: fluorocarbon, mixed

Neck shape: slim C

Board radius: flat

Neck relief: straight

Fret style: small/low

Scale length: 17 1/8"

Nut width: 1 1/16"

Body width: 14 5/8"

Body depth: 4 1/2"

Weight: 1 lb 6 oz

Condition notes: there's general finish weather-checking throughout and minor scratching and nicks here and there all over. There's obvious pickwear near the soundhole and some of the binding at the points on the body is rubbed-down from wear over time but it's all there. Overall, it's actually in excellent condition for its age and there are no cracks.

It comes with: no case, sorry.