1990s Cretan laouto to baritone bouzouki conversion

I’m pretty sure this instrument dates to the ‘90s or early ‘00s. It’s a Cretan laouto but it’s been retopped with x-braced cedar in the past after the original top failed. It came here for more repairs and conversion to... something?

The owner specified root-fifth-root tuning of some sort and with octaves. I was thinking CGC in mandocello range but — hoo boy — the scale length on this thing is like a short scale bass: 29 3/4” long!

This allowed me to tune it AEA in octaves on every course with the lowest note the same as bass guitar’s A — meaning below guitar’s low E. In this capacity it sounds righteous and I guess it makes it a bit of a baritone trichordo bouzouki?

[lambisstratoudakis]

Love it. If you someday like to sell it send me a message. It’s kind a 3 strings baritone bulgari. You need to try it some day. Very unic and rare instrument from Crete