Thomann Irish Concert Bouzouki PU

I decided to order one of these after reading the favourable reviews on both the instrument and Thomann. I was expecting it to arrive strung with octave strings, therefore I ordered an additional set of D'addario unison strings. So I was delighted when it arrived strung with unison strings which meant that I could forego the trouble of converting it myself. The tuners are of good quality and the instrument has stayed in tune nicely even when strummed quite vigorously. The tone is lovely and it can be varied depending on where you choose to position your right hand when striking the strings. I've only briefly tried it plugged in, but it seems to retain it's natural tone quite well and it has controls to alter the amount of treble, middle & bass. The wood is beautifully finished and the frets are not sharp or protruding in any way. I haven't played any other bouzouki so I'm not qualified to give a comparison, but it does seem to be a good quality instrument and I'm very happy with it. I intend to play it tuned to GDAD, but I may also occasionally tune it to GDAE for recording purposes when I want it to sound like a mandolin (ie. when capoed high up the neck). I have a mandolin which I've played for decades, but unfortunately it doesn't have a pickup, but now I've bought this bouzouki, it's like having two instruments in one.

This bazooka ( as I prefer to call them ) has turned out very well. A lot of serious and “proper” Irish bazooka players would look sneeringly at this Instrument which was made at the Hora factory in Romania, but for a relatively low budget, you get a lot for your money.
My model has been well made with what appears to be all solid woods. The spruce top is attractive and pleasing to the eye, as is the edge binding. The neck seems stable and the rest of the instrument is well put together.
Note… the fretboard is flat, and has no radius. Some may prefer the feel of curved frets.
The electrics work well and translate decent tone via an acoustic amp.
A fantastic starting point if you’re about to embark on a bazooka journey.

I purchased the Thomann Irish Concert Bouzouki on a lark, I have just always thought Bouzouki's looked and sounded great. The price was right, so I purchased this bouzouki.

I ljke the sound of the instrument, it seems to have that bouzouki character. The bridge is very high, and is difficult to adjust. I think this affects the intonation in higher positions, but also makes it difficult to play higher up. However, down towards the head it plays fine, good enough anyway, and I am no bouzouki master. It's good enough to add some bouzouki flavor to my music, which is why I purchased it in the first place.

Edit: I normally tune the bouzouki down 1 step. Tuned this way it works quite well, and it can be capo'd for higher pitch.