2022 McNeela Irish Bouzouki


Update 2024: this came back in the shop for a consignment sale, left on-the-quick, and got the work it needed to be a good player -- I leveled/dressed the frets, set it up again, and fit a new, adjustable bridge which replaced a non-adjustable original which was a little annoying to deal with when the seasons changed (lots of shimming). Now back to the original writeup... though, I did add fresh photos!

This McNeela Irish bouzouki was just in the shop for a quick setup. It appears to be a rebranded, Saga-made instrument but at a much-reduced price. The neck is fast and quick, it's loud as heck, and it sounds good and bright and jangly-fun. I was impressed to be honest.

The owner had me set it up with very light strings and in octaves. The "factory" setup was terrible but it quickly improved after recutting the bridge base and adjusting the nut and truss.
















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Kathy said…
Thank you, Jake! It is so much better after your tweeking! I love it. Thanks so much!
December 14, 2022 at 11:35 AM
Tim McNinch said…
I know this is an old post... but I have been looking for discussion of the McNeela bouzouki's bridge. In your pictures, it looks like the screws are elevated by a couple turns. Mine is all the way down, such that the screws protrude a little from the holes on the top of the bridge (and the close one scratches my strumming hand when palm muting). But I'm afraid that if I raise the bridge the action will become super high. Do you recommend sanding down the bottom of the bridge to give me headroom to turn the screws? Or should I saw off a couple turns at the tops of the screws so they can recess below the top of the bridge? Any advice?
May 30, 2025 at 10:24 AM
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