from my experience with a mandolin company, we found a small piezo glued inside the soundboard where a violin sound post would go was a good compromise. didn't feed back, had reasonable signal with a DI box, had a decent acoustic sound.

i suspect finding the right resonant spot on the HG resonating soundboard should work.

I've always wanted to get a hurdy gurdy, but I have so many instruments that I "sort of" play that I should put my hours into, I manage to stay away. SO much of what I know for smallpipes (I play a set of my own making) would sit very well on a hurdy.

As the guy who's had to deal with mic'ing hurdygurdies at festivals, I ask one thing:
Please put a contact mic and/or small condenser inside while building it.

The sound from a hurdy comes from everywhere and the best mic arrangement is a halo of 3-6 mics.
Feedback increases at roughly the square of open mics on stage.

thanks!

will contact them. i like the idea of an instrument called "fortran" too.

yes, they had a wide range of quality of finished instruments. i have a hankering for a project. if i were more familiar with the innards, i'd get a fix up project hurdy gurdy but for a first surgery, i'd rather start with building one. easier to build than restore.

it's been a long while, but i found their kit materials to be beginner quality. i actually gave up on a mandolin kit from them and just got my own materials.

a classic!

i'm more going quebecois/galician/celtic but donovan was amazing.

Is Lark in the Morning still around? I have found that applying some earnest luthiery skills to their wares can make some pretty decent things and pretty low prices.